Region: Kenya
Description: Livestock productivity is critical for pastoralists in semi-arid Africa, who largely depend on milk and meat production for their livelihoods. Climate variability strongly influences this productivity; for example, African rangelands face frequent droughts that can lead to livestock loss through reduced availability of forage and water. At the same time, livestock affects climate through the emission of greenhouse gases, although large uncertainties exist in emission estimates over rangelands. Satellite remote sensing can help to reduce some of those uncertainties, and provide important information on rangeland conditions and management. This can help to design, promote, and monitor resilient livestock production systems. As part of the NL-CGIAR partnership, this Senior Expert assignment contributed to ILRI’s agenda on sustainable livestock production systems and drought risk management by exploring options for improved rangeland monitoring using earth observation satellites.
Partners: ILRI
Sponsor: NWO-WOTRO
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