Eastern African Pastoralists Launch Breeding Programmes
Livestock keepers in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda are using new breeding systems to improve resilience to climate change.
Updated on Oct. 26, 2026 in Large Animals
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Between 2025 and 2026, livestock keepers in Eastern Africa established community-based breeding programmes supported by the European Union. These initiatives help pastoralists track animal performance and health to strengthen their resilience to environmental shifts.
Why it matters
By organizing into breeder cooperatives, these communities gain the tools needed to manage livestock health and pedigree more effectively. This structured approach helps ensure long-term sustainability for families whose livelihoods depend on herd productivity.
The Pastoralism and Livestock Adaptation to Climate Change programme received EUR 47 million in funding to operate across seven countries. Participants include 189 households in Ethiopia, 149 in Kenya, and 201 in Uganda.
The players
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
This specialized agency leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security globally.
Intergovernmental Authority on Development
This trade bloc includes governments from the Horn of Africa, the Nile Valley, and the African Great Lakes region.
The details
Participants in the programme form breeder groups to identify preferred animal traits and record data on pedigrees and production. These communities utilize both paper and digital tools to manage their records and distinguish foundation breeding animals from later generations.
Timeline
Breeding programmes were established across Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda between 2025 and 2026.
As of August 2026, over 1,700 goats were tagged in Ethiopia and 1,852 were tagged in Uganda.
Culture Shift
This initiative represents a shift toward data-driven pastoralism as communities move away from traditional informal breeding practices. The integration of digital tools highlights a broader movement toward modernizing ancient agricultural techniques to survive extreme weather.
For the participating households, these programmes directly affect their ability to maintain stable herds through changing climate conditions. Establishing these cooperatives requires significant time commitment from members to manage the new record-keeping systems.
The takeaway
Organizing into formal cooperatives allows pastoralists to treat their herds as long-term assets rather than just immediate resources. Adopting basic record-keeping systems is a practical step any livestock keeper can take to improve the genetic health of their animals.
What happens next
The next phase of the programme will focus on refining record-keeping and selecting animals based on accumulated performance data.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest developments in livestock management within the Large Animals section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Farmers Review Africa.
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