Reducing emissions is one of the most crucial steps toward healing the planet from the effects of climate change.
The livestock supply chain industry, which according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) contributes about 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, is now taking a major leap in East Africa through the Dairy Interventions for Mitigation and Adaptation (DaIMA) programme, a $358 million initiative led by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) with significant co-financing from the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
Presented at the recently concluded 9th International Greenhouse Gas and Animal Agriculture (GGAA) conference in Nairobi, the initiative will directly benefit 2.5 million rural people in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda, and indirectly reach an additional 15.4 million individuals along the dairy value chain.
According to Michel Mordasini, IFAD Vice President, smallholder farmers are a key part of the solution to the climate change challenge, “and with the right investments, smallholders can feed a growing planet while at the same time restoring degraded ecosystems and reducing agriculture’s carbon footprint.”
This initiative will strengthen the productivity and efficiency of East African Dairy systems by equipping smallholder farmers with climate information, improved breeding and veterinary services, better reproduction and feed management, and innovative technologies to enhance productivity while cutting emissions.
Already operational through four IFAD projects aligned with national priorities in the target countries, the program seeks to restore nearly 180,000 hectares of rangeland and support more than two million dairy cattle.
“DaIMA is about transforming the backbone of East Africa’s dairy sector,” said Sara Mbago, Regional Director, East and Southern Africa, IFAD. “By combining innovation, investment, and policy reform, we are helping farmers adapt to a changing climate while reducing emissions and creating growth opportunities.”
DaIMA preparation brings together a powerful coalition of partners, including IFAD, GCF, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the FAO Investment Center, the Global Methane Hub, the Global Dairy Platform, and USAID Food and Agriculture.
Moreover, the initiative prioritizes inclusion, putting women, youth, and marginalized groups at the heart of climate action to ensure they benefit equally from the transformation.
As a regional center of excellence through its Mazingira Center, ILRI will provide technical assistance to the four countries on monitoring, reporting, and verification of greenhouse gas emissions.
According to ILRI Director General Appolinaire Djikeng, “The DaIMA program represents a major milestone for the dairy sector. By scaling up low-emission, climate-resilient solutions, it directly supports the implementation of the Paris Agreement and accelerates the sustainable transformation of the region’s dairy industry.”
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