Advocating for Farm Animals in Africa

Understanding Trends Towards Industrial Animal Agriculture in Africa

There is limited research available on current and emerging trends in animal agriculture practices in Africa. However, the data that has been produced indicates one very clear trend continent-wide: Increasingly Industrialized Animal Agriculture Practices Driven by Broadening Demand for Animal Protein.

 According to a 2018 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)* of the United Nations, livestock production in Africa is expected to double by 2050, driven by population growth, urbanization, and rising incomes. The report suggests that smallholder farmers will continue to play a key role in animal agriculture production in Africa, but there is also an increasing trend continent-wide towards commercialization and intensification of animal production, fueled locally by a growing middle class and globally by an increasing export market from Africa to meet the demand for animal protein in China, Europe, and North America (Osae-Kwapong & Abdulai 2021).

 Some countries in Africa are already mid-way through a major shift towards industrial animal agriculture, having moved away from smallholder farmers, agroecology, and pastoralism. In South Africa, for example, large-scale commercial farming of poultry, pigs, and dairy cattle is wide-spread (Casey 2021), with a focus on export-oriented production. In Nigeria, the government has initiated a project to establish cattle colonies, which is expected to lead to more intensive forms of animal agriculture across the Western part of the continent. This trend towards the increasing adoption of intensive livestock production systems is also prevalent across East Africa (Karuri 2021). According to a 2021 study published in the Journal of Sustainability, intensive production systems, such as feedlots, are becoming more popular among smallholder farmers due to their high productivity levels and profitability (Oosthuizen & Muchenje 2020).

 

Context:

Technology, innovation, and external lines of credit being offered to farmers who intensify their production of animals are also fueling trends towards industrial animal agriculture in Africa. In Kenya, for example, the government vis-à-vis the Kenya Livestock Breeders Organization, has introduced new technologies such as artificial insemination, genetic enhancement, and disease control programs with the intention of increasing livestock productivity and sustainability (Muriuki 2021). Additionally, private companies such as Twiga Foods have invested in mobile-based platforms that connect smallholder farmers with a network of external buyers, allowing them to easily sell animal products whilst also connecting them with an export market that offers otherwise unavailable lines of credit to farmers who are willing to industrialize their production of animals in order sustain the demand for animal protein (Karuri 2021). Continent wide, incentives seem to be pointing policy-makers, farmers/producers, and consumers towards increasingly industrialized animal agriculture practices (Osae-Kwapong & Abdulai 2021), with serious implications for the climate, African ecosystems and biodiversity, and the welfare of farmed animals.

 However, in parallel there is a growing movement advocating for the return to alternative, localized forms of animal agriculture, such as agroecology and pastoralism, which are Indigenous to many parts of Africa (Turner & Schlecht 2019). These systems prioritize the use of local resources, promote biodiversity, and are argued to provide more sustainable livelihoods for smallholder farmers (ibid). This is happening alongside a slow but steadily increasing demand for alternative, plant-based proteins in Africa and a general willingness to reduce consumption of animal products if alternatives were made affordable and accessible (Njoroge et al 2021). What seems crucial is that the welfare of humans and the welfare of other animals not be juxtaposed or positioned as mutually exclusive, rather as inextricably linked and mutually reinforcing. This will require long-term economic calculus on the part of consumers, companies, and governments.

Our Research

Understanding the roots of worrying trends towards factory farming and an increase in animal exploitation for food occurring across the continent of Africa - and the economic incentives driving these changes - whilst also engaging local communities in the origins of their food and the welfare standards behind certain consumption practices, is essential to preventing both the ecological 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 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.

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 also 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 region 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.

Join our Network of Farm Animal Advocates in Africa:

 

If you are working to end the exploitation of animals for human consumption in Africa - whether as an advocate, researcher, policy-maker, activist, or otherwise - we encourage you to join our network of grassroots advocates and community-based organizations across the continent leading these efforts. The intention underpinning this network is to facilitate both regional and international collaborations and synergies that can strengthen farmed animal advocacy efforts and add strategic coherence to the work already being done across the continent. If you’re interested in joining this collaboration, please fill out the form below and we will get back to you ASAP with next steps and resources.

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