Agriculture for Development, 30 (2017)
Small ruminants in Kenya
Small ruminants (goats and sheep) play an important role in
rural livelihoods.  About one third of the total red meat
consumed in Kenya comes from small ruminants (GoK,
2015a).  Small ruminants are easier to de-stock and re-stock
due to their small body size, higher birth rate, and shorter
generation intervals compared to large stock.  Kenya Vision
2030 is the country’s development programme from 2008 to
2030, and has agriculture as a key economic pillar.  Within
agriculture, small ruminants have been identified as a priority
sector in contributing to food security in a changing and
variable climate.
Climate-related risks in Nyando, 
western Kenya
The Nyando basin in western Kenya is one of the most highly
populated areas in East Africa, with a population density of
more than 400 persons per square kilometre.  About 40 percent
of the Nyando basin landscape is highly eroded with deep
gullies (Macoloo et al, 2011).  Agriculture is the main source
of livelihood, where local zebu cattle and local East African
sheep and goats are kept alongside local poultry.  The onset of
the seasonal rainfall has become more variable and long dry
periods can be expected whenever the rains start earlier than
predicted.  Dry periods reduce the length of the main growing
season, and thus farmers rely more on livestock to address the
risk. However, some of the local breeds have low productivity
and are more susceptible to drought and disease. In 2011,
about 81 percent of the families experienced 1-2 hunger
months in a year, while 17 percent of the families experienced
3-4 hunger months – a period when they are unable to produce
food from their own farm (Mango et al, 2011).
Improved small ruminants in Nyando
Through participatory action research, the International
Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and local community-based
organisations (CBOs) have, from 2013, upgraded the local
breeds of small ruminants through crossing with resilient
breeds of Galla goats and Red Maasai sheep, and coupled this
with better livestock management practices.  The improved
small ruminants are able to better cope with the disease
burden, better withstand heat stress, better utilise low quality
herbage, recover from drought due to faster compensatory
growth, and mature to market weight in shorter periods
(Ojango et al, 2015).  Galla goats are adapted to drylands, with
a longer productive life, good milking ability, a high level of
twinning, high growth rate, and an earlier maturing age – up
to six months compared to the local small East African goat.
The Red Maasai sheep is reared for meat, and is renowned for
withstanding drought and heat stress, resistance to internal
parasites, and faster growth as compared to the small East
African sheep.  More than half of the households (57 percent)
across the Nyando climate-smart villages (CSVs) currently own
either pure- or cross-bred Galla goat and Red Maasai sheep
(Ojango et al, 2016). 
Farmers were trained on basic sheep and goat husbandry,
housing, and fodder development, conservation and
utilisation, prior to receiving the improved goats and sheep.
Farmers trained to be breeders received pure-bred Galla does
and bucks, and Red Maasai ewes and rams, which formed
breeding units for the community crossbreeding.  In 2013, 100
breeding units of Galla goats and Red Maasai sheep were
established, and after one year, a total of 1,506 crosses were
registered, representing one third of the total 4,336 sheep and
goats in seven test villages (Kinyangi et al, 2015).  It is
anticipated that it may take 10 years to replace the current
population of 38,725 sheep and goats in Nyando villages with
the new Galla and Red Maasai crosses, and hence bring the
benefits of resilience.
The impacts of the initiative are at both individual and
community level.  Individual farmers are able to own the assets
(sheep and goats), and obtain goat milk for home
consumption, resulting in improved household nutrition.
Small ruminants are popular with women, as they have more
control over the small ruminants as well as over the income
generated from them as compared to large ruminants. The
small ruminants are less labour intensive and take less time to
raise compared to cattle. The meat and milk gains of small
ruminants far exceed cattle because of the shorter reproductive
cycles. 
As the uptake of the Galla goats and Red Maasai sheep
crossbreeds increases, farmers are coming up with innovative
ways of marketing their livestock.  An annual goat auction is
emerging, linked to the Christmas festive season, when
livestock is in high demand.  Other benefits include income
through sale of milk and live animals, and using the manure
for crop production.  The average price of the improved breeds
of small ruminants in local markets is at least US$ 120 per
head, which is about three times the price of the local breeds.
At the group level, the communities are able to work together
and collectively access better services for their farming
enterprises, jobs are created through the breed associations,
and market access is fostered for the sheep and goats. 
News from the Field 3
News from the Field
Managing climate risks through small 
ruminants in Kenyan climate-smart villages
Agriculture for Development, 30 (2017)
Linkages to policy and strategies
Within agriculture, the livestock sector has a huge potential
for mitigation of climate change and reducing carbon
emissions (GoK, 2015b).  Kenya’s Intended Nationally
Determined Contributions (INDCs) includes both mitigation
and adaptation components, and aims to achieve a low carbon,
climate-resilient development pathway.  At the same time, the
country is continuing to implement the National Climate
Change Action Plan (GoK, 2012) for the period 2013-2017 and
this includes promotion and implementation of Climate-Smart
Agriculture (CSA).  The methane greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions from enteric fermentation in domestic livestock in
Kenya is 14,540 Gg CO2e per year, and methane emission from
manure management is 541 Gg CO2e per year (GoK, 2015b).
Improved small ruminants have great promise in reducing the
emissions through improving animal and herd efficiency.
Improved Galla goat and Red Maasai sheep breeding and
animal health interventions allow rearing of fewer animals that
are more highly productive, hence reducing GHG emission
intensity.  Improved manure management ensures recovery
and recycling of nutrients and energy – potentially playing a
useful role in reducing GHG emissions.
Emerging lessons and conclusions
Working with CBOs guarantees greater success in the adoption
of improved small ruminant interventions due to the
organisational structure that facilitates farmer investments in
improved breeds, sharing of information, and scaling-up of
interventions to many villages.  The intervention has also
brought new opportunities for farmers to participate in new
markets such as the goat auction.
References
Government of Kenya (GoK), 2012. National climate change action plan
2013-2017. Nairobi, Kenya.
Government of Kenya (GoK), 2015a. Kenya climate smart agriculture
framework programme 2015-2030. Nairobi, Kenya.
Government of Kenya (GoK), 2015b. Kenya second national communication
to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Nairobi,
Kenya.
Kinyangi J, Recha J, Kimeli P, Atakos, V, 2015. Climate smart villages and the
hope of food secure households. CCAFS Info Note. CGIAR Research
Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS),
Copenhagen, Denmark.
Macoloo C, Recha J, Radeny M, Kinyangi J, 2013. Empowering a local
community to address climate risks and food insecurity in Lower Nyando,
Kenya. Case Study prepared for Hunger Nutrition Climate Justice 2013, A new
dialogue: Putting people at the heart of global development. Dublin, Ireland:
Irish Aid. [http://cgspace.cgiar.org/handle/10568/27889]
Mango J, Mideva A, Osanya W, Odhiambo A, 2011. Summary of baseline
household survey results: Lower Nyando, Kenya. CGIAR Research
Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).
Copenhagen, Denmark. 
Ojango JMK, Audho J, Oyieng E, Recha J, Muigai A, 2015. Sustainable small
ruminant breeding program for climate-smart villages in Kenya: Baseline
household survey report. CCAFS Working Paper No 127. CGIAR Research
Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS),
Copenhagen, Denmark. [https://cgspace.cgiar.org/handle/10568/68390] 
Ojango JMK, Audho J, Oyieng E, Recha J, Okeyo AM, Kinyangi J, Muigai AWT,
2016. System characteristics and management practices for small ruminant
production in ‘Climate Smart Villages’ of Kenya. Animal Genetic Resources,
58, 101-110. [https://doi.org/10.1017/S2078633615000417] 
John Recha (CCAFS Participatory Action
Research (PAR) Specialist for East Africa)
Maren Radeny (CCAFS Science Officer for East
Africa)
(Both based at the International Livestock Research
Institute, Nairobi, Kenya)
News from the Field 3