Figure 1 - Map of East Africa showing average frequency of days with severe/dangerous heat stress per year for swine for the historical period 1981-2010.
Eritrea Dijbouti Somalia South Sudan Uganda
Rwanda Burundi
Tanzania Ethiopia
Kenya
Zambia
Malawi Mozambique Madagascar Zimbabwe
0–2.5 2.5–5.0
5.0–10 10–20 Frequency (%)
Source: Rahimi et al., 2021.
20–30 30–40 40–50a >50
Pigs in transport in Kampala, Uganda. Photo courtesy of the More Pork project of the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock.
involved in livestock in the tropical region”, adding that pro- tein consumption is already low in East Africa and that this could worsen the food and nutrition security situation in the region. Livestock expert, An Notenbaert, at the Alliance of Bi- oversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture, and co-author of the study, added that the team was surprised by the magnitude of change.
Adapting pigs to local conditions In intensified systems, exotic or crossbreeds dominate, which are possibly less tolerant of heat-stress than the locally adapt- ed breeds typically found in the extensive systems. According to the authors, well-targeted and evidence-based climate ad- aptation will enable livestock production to continue and ex- pand across East Africa. This includes identifying and making available productive animal breeds that are adapted to hotter and more humid climates. In addition to breeding, countries need to look at other miti- gation strategies to increase resilience. This could be in the form of ensuring sufficient water access and providing shelters or other means of shading to shield animals. The researchers cautioned that the study only examined the direct consequences of climate change on animals, but that other climate change impacts and climatic parameters such as air temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation and rain-
fall patterns have important direct or indirect influences and also need to be taken into consideration. These include droughts and floods, which can impact feed production, water supply and proliferation of disease and pests.
Largest population of livestock It is interesting to note that East Africa has the largest popula- tion of livestock of all the regions in sub-Saharan Africa, and the livestock sector is an integral part of agricultural systems in the region. Around 70% of agricultural cash income is de- rived from this sector, contributing 10–15% to national GDP and 20–50% to the total agricultural GDP.
Crossbreed pigs in Kiboga district, Uganda.
▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 37, No. 5/6, 2021 7
PHOTO: KRISTINA RÖSEL | ILRI
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