Researching Emerging Trends Towards Industrial Animal Agriculture & Farm Animal Advocacy in East Africa

The Issue

There are worrying trends towards factory farming and an increase in animal exploitation for food occurring across East Africa. Understanding the roots of these trends and the economic incentives driving these changes, whilst engaging local communities in the origins of their food and the welfare standards behind certain consumption practices, is essential to preventing both the environmental and ecosystem degradation that comes with factory farming, and the often egregious suffering of those animals that are farmed en masse for human consumption.

At ANAW-USA, we are committed to using research and evidence to inform strategic animal rights interventions in the African context. Given the current lack of empirical knowledge on these issues, we think it’s important to conduct high-quality research to help us fill the gap in current knowledge and evidence on: (1) current and emerging practices of factory farming in East Africa; (2) the incentives driving trends towards large-scale animal agriculture in the region among producers, suppliers, consumers, and policy-makers; and (3) the status of, and attitudes towards, plant-based alternatives to animal protein in the region.

Our Research

Central to this research is the intention to better understand the incentive structures and drivers underpinning what is arguably a trend towards large-scale commercial animal agriculture in East Africa among those positioned at different points throughout the decision-making and supply chain (i.e. policy-makers, producers, suppliers, consumers), as well as to identify where pressure points or opportunities might exists to catalyze plant-based alternatives to counter this trend. Whilst it is certainly likely that there are parallels and similarities among East African countries, the differences and particularities of each context are important for how the research findings can actually be applied through interventions undertaken by local organizations and international entities working in this space. Through having a detailed picture of the underlying dynamics at play within each country, we are hoping to be able to provide specific, empirical insights that can be easily put into practice and incorporated into plant-based and farmed animal advocacy efforts in the region.

In-country partnerships and community involvement are central to the impact and effectiveness of this research. We are fortunate to have a well-established network of partners and community-based researchers across the country to help support the successful execution of the research activities at each stage. A higher degree of community participation and involvement in research often corresponds with more robust, rigorous, and contextualized results. Further, having a network of community liaisons and representatives to support our research activities means we will not only increase the scope of our research, but also that more people will find out about this research and begin the process of asking questions and learning more about why these issues matter. So, there is a subtle awareness-raising ambition underlying the research activities that is more achievable when we have strong in-country partnerships and relationships with the communities involved in the research.

If you’re interested in learning more about these issues, explore the resources provided below:

 

Get involved in our research.

If you are based in East Africa, you find these issues interesting, and you have research and/or data collections skills, join our network of community-based researchers across the region who are helping us collect data and generate evidence in ways that are contextualized and culturally-sensitive. Fill out the form below and we will get back to you ASAP.