Striking a sustainable balance between livestock and the environment is crucial to Africa’s future

Almost 70 percent of Senegal land is used to graze livestock, writes Daouda Ngom, Minister of Environment and Ecological Transition for Senegal. Here and across Africa, pastoralists and livestock keepers sustain herding systems which are closely bound up with our landscapes and crucial to nationwide food security, economic growth, and ecological balance.

And yet, it is often argued that – if we want a sustainable future – we must choose between hooves and habitats because livestock is an “environmental liability”, adds the Minister.

But this point of view is misunderstood. Across Africa, innovative approaches and technologies are being piloted to allow livestock and a healthy environment to coexist. What is needed now is more investment and collaboration to scale these breakthroughs.

Read more in his full op-ed, published by the Inter Press Service.