Food & Climate
A recent initiative is boosting production of livestock in Ghana. A partnership between the Food Systems Institute at the University of Nottingham in the UK and the University of Development Studies in Accra has been launched to support growth and address challenges facing the livestock feed value chain, such as drought.
In northern Ghana, livestock are central to livelihoods, nutrition, and household resilience, according to a report seen by Food & Climate. Northern Ghana lies within a semi-arid agro-ecological zone, characterized by a prolonged dry season, erratic rainfall, and recurrent droughts.
These conditions severely limit the availability and quality of livestock feed, leading to low productivity, high animal losses, and reduced farmer incomes.
Researchers at the University of Nottingham Food Systems Institute have been part of an international trilateral innovation grant addressing this challenge.
The work directly involves identification, testing, and promotion of high-yielding, drought-tolerant, and nutritionally superior forage species suitable for smallholder livestock production in semi-arid systems. These new species are then integrated into crop–livestock systems, with developed practical feed innovations such as forage pellets and total mixed rations.
Boosting livestock in Ghana partners
Dr. Mendiondo (PI) and Dr. Atkinson are leading partners for the project (boosting livestock in Ghana), along with Dr. Rauch, in close collaboration with the University of Development Studies (Ghana) and Papalotla (Brazil).
The Trilateral Innovation for Climate-Smart Forages: Strengthening Livestock Resilience in Ghana research integrates forage agronomy, animal nutrition, climate adaptation, and agribusiness development in real smallholder settings. It moves beyond productivity to demonstrate scalable, climate-smart feed solutions with measurable livelihood and enterprise outcomes.
The work combines on-farm trials, farmer training, and feed value-chain development, and addresses chronic livestock feed shortages, poor forage quality, and climate vulnerability, particularly during prolonged dry seasons. These constraints limit animal productivity, farmer incomes, and the reliability of animal-source foods.
The “Climate-Smart Feed Triple Innovation: Enhancing the Resilience of the livestock in Ghana” project integrates forage science, animal nutrition, climate change adaptation, and agribusiness development in smallholder settings. The project goes beyond simply increasing productivity, offering scalable, climate-smart feed solutions with tangible impacts on livelihoods and businesses.
This work combines field trials, farmer training, and feed value chain development, addressing the chronic shortage of livestock feed, poor feed quality, and vulnerability to climate change, particularly during prolonged droughts.
These constraints limit animal productivity, farmers’ incomes, and the reliability of animal-based foods.
Climate-smart feed
In December 2025, Professor Terry Ansah from the University of Development Studies in Ghana visited the University of Nottingham and stated, “We anticipate that promising approaches to climate-smart feed, data-driven feed processing technologies, and livestock nutrition will be recognized and applied in agricultural research and innovation.”
The project’s solutions will have a profound impact on farming communities and economies. By improving year-round feed availability, the project enhances livestock productivity, reduces vulnerability to climate shocks, and improves household resilience. Furthermore, the project supports the development of feed-based enterprises and value chains, creating income and employment opportunities.
At the local and community levels, improved feed availability enhances livestock productivity, stabilizes incomes, and strengthens the resilience of smallholder farmers.
Nationally, the project contributes to livestock development in Ghana and supports climate-smart agriculture and emerging feed industries, reducing reliance on expensive commercial feed, according to the University of Nottingham website.
The project is specifically designed to focus on smallholder farmers, with a strong emphasis on the participation of women and youth in feed production, processing, and marketing.
By improving the nutritional value of livestock feed through the use of better feeds, the project indirectly contributes to improved animal health and productivity, providing high-quality animal feed. This, in turn, supports improved household nutrition and food security, particularly in rural communities where livestock is a primary source of income and dietary protein.