FAO 2025 Global Conference on Sustainable Livestock Transformation
From 29 September to 1 October 2025, SNV will join partners at the Second Global Conference on Sustainable Livestock Transformation, hosted by FAO in Rome, Italy.
The event will bring together FAO Members, policymakers, farmers, private sector actors, civil society, NGOs, researchers, and development agencies to share experiences and showcase actionable solutions for transforming the livestock sector.
This second global gathering builds on momentum from the 2023 conference and regional forums, shifting the focus from dialogue to implementation.
SNV will contribute its experience in inclusive livestock development, working with smallholder farmers, national systems, and local partners to co-create solutions that are sustainable, scalable, and locally owned.
We will also showcase learnings from the Building Rural Income through Inclusive Dairy Business Growth in Ethiopia (BRIDGE) project, which supports the development of an inclusive dairy sector—increasing farmer incomes and contributing to the production of safe, nutritious food for all.
The event will explore three core themes:
• Fostering change: Elevating stakeholder commitments to sustainable transformation.
• Scaling innovations: Sharing good practices and innovations that are driving measurable impact.
• Driving solutions: Identifying the key drivers behind large-scale, sustainable change in livestock systems.
Innovative dairy farming in East Africa
Dairy farming plays a key role in the rural economy of East Africa. It supports the nutrition and livelihoods of millions of smallholder households. In countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda, smallholders produce the majority of the region’s milk, together contributing around 68% of all milk produced across Africa.
The region’s economy is growing, and so is the demand for safe, nutritious food. But challenges remain. Many communities still face malnutrition, and dairy farmers struggle to meet rising demand.
What is holding the sector back?
Across East Africa, most smallholder dairy farmers rely on low-yielding breeds and have limited access to essential services such as quality animal feed, veterinary care, and technical support. These limitations make it difficult to meet the growing demand for milk and improve household incomes.
A major constraint is the limited reach and effectiveness of livestock extension services. These services are often underfunded, offer generalised advice, and struggle to reach the right animals at the right time. As a result, many farmers lack up-to-date knowledge on feeding, disease management, breeding practices, and market opportunities.
Even more challenges persist in the day-to-day realities of dairy farming, where practical barriers still stand in farmers' way:
Lack of smart feeding: Farmers often fail to adjust feeding based on a cow's lactation stage, which negatively impacts milk yield. A poor water supply further worsens this issue.
Poor housing and comfort: Inadequate housing with poor ventilation and limited space causes stress and health problems for cows, directly reducing milk production.
Poor advisory services: The advice given to farmers is often generic and not tailored to specific needs or a cow’s lactation cycle, making it less effective.
No integrated approach: Dairy efforts are fragmented and lack coordination between different service providers, from feed suppliers to financial institutions. An integrated approach is needed for holistic support.
These issues, along with systemic challenges like inadequate financial resources, poor infrastructure for milk collection, and limited access to technologies, hinder smallholders from improving productivity and incomes. This ultimately constrains the wider contribution of the dairy sector to food security and rural economic development.
I wasn’t aware that free movement of air and light inside the barn was so important. Now that the barn is open, the cows seem happier, and the milk yield is better.’
Ato Desta Yohannes, dairy farmer Wondo-Genet Woreda, Ethiopia
A novel extension model: Cow-centric
Improving dairy farming starts with the cow. We aspire to transform smallholder dairy farming in Africa by placing the cow at the centre of farm management. Through the Lactation Cycle Approach (LCA), we promote practical, innovative methods that support the cow’s health and productivity throughout its lactation cycle. This cow centric approach is designed to boost milk yield, improved fertility and calving interval; improve animal welfare and help farmers build sustainable, resilient livelihoods.
LCA promotes innovative dairy farming practices that prioritise the health, welfare, and productivity of the cow throughout its lactation cycle. In Ethiopia we aim to reach 350,000 farmers by 2029–but we are working to scale this approach beyond this.
Working with partners, we seek to empower 1 million farmers in East Africa by 2030 with practical knowledge and skills tailored to the needs of their animals. This will contribute directly to increased milk yields, improved animal health, and greater farm sustainability. But more than this, the approach fosters sustainable dairy systems that will benefit all actors in the dairy value chain.
To make this a reality we will focus on two tracks:
1. Integrating cow-centric approaches in dairy programmes across East Africa.
2. Institutionalising the cow-centric extension approach beyond SNV, to also reach our partners such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), plus potentially other foundations and private sector partners.