Addis Ababa ( Ethiopia Today) February 9, 2023:- ILRI launched 1.5 billion USD worth project that sought to limit methane emissions, increase livestock productivity and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Ethiopia.
“The project is fundamental to counter climate change through limiting the amount of methane emissions from the largest number of cows available in the country.”says Professor Raphael Mrode, a Kenyan Livestock Researcher.
According to the researcher Ethiopia has a largest cow population followed by Tanzania where the ILRI chosen the two countries to implement this project in Africa.
“Practicing a traditional method of animal husbandry contributes to exacerbate the level of climate change through increasing methane emissions, he adds.”
The first phase of the project will be implemented in Addis Ababa City and Oromia regional state which will expand to nation wide. Other African countries are also expected to follow the experiences of these two countries in the future, he recommended.
Ministry of Agriculture State Minister Advisor Alemayehu Mekonen said that the project is ideal to control climate change through reducing methane emissions. This project also promotes Ethiopia’s efforts of climate resilient green economy development, he added.
“Identifying the feeding system of the country’s livestock will have significant contributions in methane emissions reduction. Promoting and practicing modern farming system is the major priority of Enviro-Cow project”, he said.
ILRI Researcher and African and Asian Diary Genetics Gains (AADGG) National Coordinator Selam Meseret said that the project mainly collaborates with smallholder farmers and undertake evidence based research.
Accordingly, Enviro-Cow is a research project that has been designed to develop climate mitigation strategies by examining the emissions of dairy cows in Africa and their adaptive capacity to address the impacts of climate change.
Based on the project, researchers will gather data on the methane emissions produced by approximately 700 cows from up to 80 dairy farms in Ethiopia and Tanzania in the up-coming two years.
