Push to save African livestock genetic resources goes live

• Many African livestock breeds are at risk of extinction due to indiscriminate crossbreeding with exotic breeds, which erodes their unique genetic traits.

Africa’s rich livestock genetic resources hold untapped potential to drive productivity, climate resilience, and sustainable development, according to a new open-access reference, African Livestock Genetic Resources and Sustainable Breeding Strategies: Unlocking a Treasure Trove and Guide for Improved Productivity.

The book, officially launched today by the African Animal Breeding Network (AABNet) in partnership with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH), and the African Union’s Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), consolidates decades of research on livestock genetics, breeding, and adaptation strategies for Africa.

Livestock, Climate, and Productivity: Why It Matters Now

Hosting approximately one-third of the world’s total livestock population, Africa is home to the world’s richest diversity of indigenous cattle (150 to 180), goats (289), poultry (126) and dromedaries (94), and the second highest diversity of indigenous sheep (363), rabbits (4), and donkeys (27).

The locally adapted breeds of these species have evolved over generations to survive heat, disease, and variable feed conditions, making them critical for climate adaptation and resilience in small-scale and low-input production systems.

Yet, many African livestock breeds are at risk of extinction primarily due to indiscriminate crossbreeding with exotic breeds, which erodes the unique genetic traits of these indigenous animals. This is driven by a push for higher productivity, often ignoring that local breeds are better adapted to harsh environmental conditions.

Moreover, while the low productivity of indigenous breeds in these difficult smallholder environments leads to high greenhouse gas emissions per unit product (2.1–5.0 kg CO2-eq/kg of product, closer to global averages), the total emissions remain lower than in intensive agricultural regions. Improving genetics, animal health, and management efficiency is a proven pathway to increase output while reducing emissions intensity, contributing to both climate mitigation and food security.

“Africa’s livestock genetic diversity is not just a heritage—it is a climate and development tool,” said Professor Appolinaire Djikeng, Director General of ILRI. “By using science-based breeding strategies, we can improve productivity, enhance resilience, and reduce emissions intensity across African livestock systems.”

Evidence-Based Breeding for African Production Systems

The book emphasizes that breeding objectives must reflect farmer priorities and production realities. For success, genetic improvement programmes must integrate adaptation and mitigation goals, include farmers in decision-making, and strengthen institutional capacity for data collection, monitoring, and livestock breeding and management.

“Local breeds are the backbone of climate-resilient African agriculture,” said Professor Mizeck Chagunda, Director of CTLGH. “Protecting and sustainably using these breeds through targeted breeding is essential if we are to safeguard livelihoods and meet the challenges of climate change.”

A Coordinated Response to Protect African Livestock Breeds

The launch of this landmark publication positions AABNet, ILRI, CTLGH, AU-IBAR, and their National Partners as leaders in coordinating African livestock genetic improvement and conservation.

These organizations emphasize the importance of multi-country genetic evaluation to address major gaps in human capacity and infrastructure for genetic evaluation across African countries, professional capacity building to promote education innovation and strengthen human capacity in animal breeding across Africa, advocacy, awareness and business development to promote the use of advanced genetic tools and information to boost livestock productivity, and collaboration, networking and partnerships to scale breeding programmes and enhance sustainable development in livestock.

“Conserving and using Africa’s indigenous livestock genetic resources is a matter of climate and development security,” said Dr. Huyam Salih, Director of AU-IBAR. “Strategic investments in genetic characterization, breeding programmes, and farmer-centered approaches will drive sustainable, resilient livestock systems for Africa’s future.”

A Practical Resource for Policy, Research, and Practice

The book offers actionable insights for governments, researchers, and practitioners, including:

• Prioritizing breeds with adaptive traits for climate resilience.
• Aligning breeding goals with production systems and farmer needs.
• Practical perspectives on feasible livestock breeding strategies
• Emphasizes the centrality of genetic characterization, and presents opportunities for, and examples of, the the use of gene editing, as well as reproductive and genomic technologies in different livestock species
• Integrating genetic improvement with conservation and sustainable use.
• Strengthening institutions, data systems, and professional capacity to deliver results.

“AABNet was founded to bridge the gap between research and practice. This book, crafted by our pan-African community of experts, is our foundational text. It provides the common language and evidence base we need to professionalize animal breeding on the continent, combat genetic erosion, and ensure that farmers have access to trustworthy, productive, and adapted animals,” said Ed Rege, Chair of AABNet Executive Committee.

The book is open access and available for download, serving as a practical reference for policy, research, and training across Africa and globally.

Read also: Livestock farming under pressure as Africa needs to balance food security and emission cuts