Deadline: 25-Jan-24

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.S. Office of Foreign, Commonwealth and Canadian Development and the International Centre of Research for Development (IDRC) of the Canada are investing an initial CAD13.5 million to lead, through the IDRC, a bottom for climate-smart livestock systems (CSLS) in Africa.

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The focus of the fund will be to develop new technologies and models of business to improve animal productivity, promote climate adaptation and reduce emissions intensity for small livestock farmers in climate hotspots in Africa.

The CSLS programme will have two lines of research:

• climate-smart innovations in livestock systems
• delivery models to commercialise and scale mature, climate-smart innovations

Thematic areas

• Concept notes will need to be based on addressing one or two of these four themes. Each of the four themes provides examples of sub-themes that candidates can address in their project.
  • Water managementpasture and feed
    • Improving the reliability of water resources and resilience to drought: This priority focuses on increasing the reliability of water resources for livestock and improving resilience to drought conditions. This may involve implementing water management strategies such as water storage, efficient irrigation and water conservation practices.
    • Efficient use of bio-resources: The aim is to optimise the use of available bio-resources, especially water resources, to ensure sustainable livestock production. This involves using practices that minimise waste and maximise resource efficiency.
    • Climate-smart forage production: The initiative involves the development and widespread adoption of climate-smart livestock technologies and innovations. These technologies should enable the production of high-quality fodder adapted to local agro-ecological conditions, guaranteeing the availability of nutritious feed for livestock, even in changing climate scenarios.
    • Pasture corridors: Establishing and improving grazing corridors is essential. This includes improving the connectivity of grazing areas, improving cattle movement patterns and using transhumance practices to optimise pasture use.
    • Involvement of women e of young people: One of the main goals is to involve at least 30% of women and young people in fodder production activities. This promotes gender and generational diversity in the livestock sector, while at the same time fostering inclusion and empowerment.
    • Effective pasture management: Implementing good pasture management practices is crucial to maintaining healthy grazing areas. These practices help prevent overgrazing, soil degradation and desertification, guaranteeing the long-term sustainability of livestock farming.
    • Post-harvest handling and processing: This initiative emphasises the effective handling and post-harvest processing of fodder and animal products. It includes strategies for conserving and storing fodder and animal-derived products, reducing waste and guaranteeing a stable food supply in the face of climatic challenges.
  • Indigenous knowledge systemsclimate data and management
    • Documenting climate-smart practices: This initiative involves documenting existing climate-smart innovations and practices that have been tested in different contexts. This knowledge will serve as a valuable resource for adapting livestock management to climate change.
    • Validation and dissemination of traditional approaches: Collecting, validating and disseminating traditional knowledge and approaches aims to increase the resilience and productivity of cattle ranching. This includes recognising and promoting indigenous practices that have proven effective in livestock management.
    • Data on greenhouse gas emissions: Collecting and sharing data on GHG emissions from various livestock systems is a key aspect of the work. The research focuses on understanding the links between feeding practices, genetics and emissions, as well as assessing the impact of different management practices on emissions.
    • Translation of local knowledge: Translating local and indigenous knowledge into practical innovations and indicators is essential for transforming livestock production systems and value chains. This process ensures that traditional wisdom is integrated into modern practices. It includes all the indigenous early warning systems that have been used for events such as droughts, floods and rainfall patterns.
    • Decision support tools: Development of decision support tools such as databases, apps, maps, policy briefs, technical briefs and extension sheets. These tools help stakeholders make informed decisions related to climate-smart livestock management.
    • Dissemination of information: The initiative includes the dissemination of climate-smart information, animal and fodder insurance schemes and other relevant information to women, young people and male farmers. The focus is on using existing knowledge while building on it to improve skills, technologies and access to information.
  • Integration of renewable energies: circular economies
    • Integration with agricultural systems: The initiative focuses on the integration of livestock systems with other ecosystems, including agroforestry and silvopastoral systems (agriculture regenerative). The benefits of regenerative agriculture include improved pasture quality, reduced erosion and increased water retention. This approach promotes sustainable land use by combining livestock grazing with tree cultivation, improving ecosystem services and biodiversity.
    • Integration with ploughing: Collaboration with agricultural farming involves using plant residues as fodder for livestock (circular feed production) and using animal manure as fertiliser for agricultural production (circular livestock farming). This circular approach reduces waste, improves nutrient cycling and improves the overall productivity of the farm.
    • Bioenergy and reducing emissions: The implementation of innovative bioenergy and fertiliser solutions plays a crucial role in reducing GHG emissions from livestock systems. By using renewable energy sources on the farm (for example, manure can be used to generate biogas through anaerobic digestion) and optimising nutrient management, emissions are minimised, contributing to climate-smart practices.
    • Carbon sequestration technologies: The programme actively promotes the application of established carbon sequestration technologies on the ground. These technologies help to capture and store carbon in soils and vegetation, contributing to climate change mitigation efforts and, at the same time, improving the quality of life. health and soil resilience.
  • Animal health
    • Productivity: Livestock health problems, such as gastrointestinal parasites in ruminants, have an impact on rumination patterns and GHG emissions. Reducing livestock diseases, especially among small farmers and herders, will reduce emissions and improve livestock productivity. Research should also consider the cost-effective control of ruminant diseases, especially community-based animal health systems.
    • Technologies for monitoring diseases: Precision livestock farming involves the use of advanced technologies such as sensors, data analysis and automation to monitor and manage livestock production. These technologies enable real-time monitoring of animal health, behaviour and productivity, allowing farmers to make informed decisions about feed management, disease prevention and reproduction.
    • Vaccinations: It is critical to make vaccines available and affordable and to conduct research to increase the uptake of livestock vaccines in Africa. Address gender-specific challenges in accessing animal health services by offering low-cost and rapid animal vaccines, while challenging gender norms.

Information on financing

• They intend to provide funding for up to six research projects worth a maximum of CAD 1,500,000 each for 36 months.

Eligibility Criteria

• Only concept notes that meet the following eligibility criteria will be considered.
  • The main applicant organisation must be an African institution (public or private). It will be the administering institution.
  • The project shows a balanced consortium in terms of gender, without compromising the expertise needed to achieve the objectives of each concept note.
  • The consortia are preferably made up of researchers, farmers' organisations, extension services, financial services and women's groups.
  • Applicants from academia and public and private sector organisations with a strong research focus are eligible for this global call.
  • Applicants from United Nations (UN) systems are not eligible to apply to this call as lead or co-applicant organisations. UN organisations can participate as third-party organisations.
  • Applicants from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research Centres (CGIAR) are not eligible as the lead organisation, but are eligible as co-applicants or third-party organisations.
  • A maximum of one person can apply as principal investigator for one project only.
  • Applications in several countries are encouraged.

Ineligible

• Concept notes that will not be considered are those that:
  • do not clearly articulate gender considerations
  • comprise consortia (research teams from several funded institutions involved in each project) without an LMIC partner
  • focus on policy development
  • are harmful to environment
  • focus on conservation wildlife
  • focus on developing or supporting infrastructure (e.g. drilling wells)
  • are based on subsidies or grants to farmers
  • do not include a private sector partner

For more information, visit International Development Research Centre.