Global livestock climate conference lands in Nairobi for the first time

KENYA – The world’s leading livestock and climate scientists have converged in Nairobi for the 9th International Greenhouse Gas and Animal Agriculture Conference (GGAA2025), the first time the event has ever been held in Africa. 

The five-day gathering, which began on October 5 and runs through October 9, marks a turning point in efforts to make the global livestock sector more sustainable, equitable, and climate-resilient.

Co-hosted by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), the conference has attracted over 500 participants, including policymakers, scientists, industry leaders, and representatives from civil society, from around the world. 

Their mission: to tackle one of agriculture’s toughest challenges, reducing livestock greenhouse gas emissions while improving food security and farmer livelihoods.

Centering Africa in the climate-livestock debate

Hosting GGAA in Nairobi is both symbolic and strategic. Africa is home to one-third of the world’s livestock, animals that contribute up to 80% of GDP in some national economies and generate nearly 0.8 gigatons of annual emissions. 

Yet the continent’s diverse livestock systems have long been underrepresented in global climate discussions that are dominated by data and models from Europe and North America.

“GGAA 2025 changes that. We are showcasing research from 17 African countries, where we can forge a sustainable future for the global livestock sector, one built on context-specific solutions,” said Dr. Claudia Arndt, Senior Scientist at ILRI and Team Leader of the Mazingira Centre. 

The conference agenda reflects that vision. While industrial systems in the West focus on feed additives or high-yield genetics, Africa’s path to lower emissions lies in improving animal health, feed quality, and productivity, approaches that simultaneously reduce emissions intensity and lift incomes for hundreds of millions of smallholder farmers.

Showcasing climate-smart livestock solutions

GGAA2025 is also a platform for unveiling cutting-edge innovations, proving that climate-smart livestock farming is already achievable. 

Research shared at the event shows that combining improvements in nutrition, genetics, animal health, and manure management can cut emissions by 20 to 50% while increasing yields.

Delegates are exploring breakthrough technologies such as genomic selection tools for breeding low-methane livestock, “exhalomics” cow breath analysis to monitor emissions in real time, and circular manure systems that turn waste into renewable energy and organic fertiliser, reducing emissions by up to 90%. 

Other advances include disease reduction strategies that lower emissions intensity by 12%, improved forage varieties that curb methane, and digital carbon accounting tools that help farmers track and manage emissions.

“We want GGAA 2025 to be a springboard for lasting partnerships that ensure solutions are farmer-ready, affordable, and equitable,” said Professor Appolinaire Djikeng, ILRI’s Director General. 

“We don’t have to choose between food security and climate mitigation. The priority pathway for both is to improve livestock productivity. Farmer-ready solutions are proving it’s possible to achieve both.”

Africa’s voice at the global table

By situating the global livestock-climate dialogue in Africa, GGAA2025 highlights the continent not as a problem to fix but as a hub of innovation and adaptation. 

Its mixed crop-livestock systems, pastoral herding traditions, and growing urban dairies offer real-world laboratories for solutions that balance climate goals with human well-being.

As the conference concludes on October 9, its impact will extend far beyond Nairobi. The partnerships, data, and technologies forged this week could shape the next chapter of sustainable livestock production, one where Africa’s voice and experience guide global climate action.

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