Drones prove their worth in measuring livestock methane in Africa

Arndt, C., Hove, A., Slater, A. and Fava. F. 2025. Drones prove their worth in measuring livestock methane in Africa. Blog Post. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI.

This blog presents results from the first successful application of drone-mounted sensors to measure methane emissions from grazing livestock in Africa. Drone measurements over cattle, sheep, goats, and camels under real-world conditions demonstrated that the approach can reliably detect methane concentration gradients and temporal emission patterns. The work shows how drone-based measurements can complement satellite and ground-based data to strengthen national greenhouse gas inventories and support the assessment of methane mitigation strategies in African livestock systems.