Strengthening Livestock Systems through Climate-Smart and Gender-Sensitive Approaches
Event Information
Join us for a panel discussion featuring Feed the Future efforts to strengthen animal feed, fodder and forage production and feeding approaches as a major solution for the climate crisis and women’s empowerment.
The panelists will describe success stories in their respective programs, highlighting how increasing feed efficiency for livestock is a climate-smart technique that can also lead to increased agency for female livestock keepers in Low- and Middle-income Countries (LMIC). The trajectory of the livestock sector’s growth can be changed by investing in sustainable intensification and climate-smart strategies to increase productivity. This has the potential to increase the resilience of those most vulnerable to climate impacts and decrease greenhouse gas emissions intensity per unit of nutritious food produced.
Furthermore, investing in women-inclusive livestock production in LMIC will lead to more economically and climate-resilient agricultural systems, increased availability of nutritionally rich animal source foods in vulnerable communities and restored ecosystems globally. From Burkina Faso to Kenya to Bangladesh, these programs have shown that investing in climate-smart livestock-rearing practices can lead to both decreased methane emissions intensity and increased climate risk mitigation for women.
We look forward to having you join us in the conversation!
Speakers
Ermias Kebreab
Associate Dean and Professor of Animal Science
UC Davis
Ermias Kebreab is Associate Dean and Professor of Animal Science. He holds the Sesnon Endowed Chair in Sustainable Agriculture. He conducts research in animal nutrition, mathematical modeling of biological systems and impact of livestock on the environment. He is contributing author to 2019 IPCC update on enteric methane emissions. He co-chaired the feed additive and methane committees of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. He has authored over 250 peer-reviewed articles and received several awards including Excellence in Ruminant Nutrition and International Agriculture from American Society of Animal Science, and 2022 Chancellor’s Innovator of the year award. He served on two committees of The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on methane and nutrition of dairy cattle. He is a regular invited speaker including TED talks. His research was in the top 10 of all research conducted at the University of California system in 2021. He holds a B.S. degree from the University of Asmara, Eritrea and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Reading, U.K.
Nelson Owange
Director of Programs
Mercy Corps South Sudan
Nelson is the Director of Programs for Mercy Corps South Sudan where he leads technical programming in focusing on improving food security, expanding economic opportunities, strengthening peace and governance, and improving water security amid conflict and climate change. Previously he served as the Chief of Party for Strengthening Community Capacities for Resilience and Growth (SCCRG-Associate Award 2) component of USAID funded Feed the Future Kenya Livestock market systems activity implemented by Mercy Corps Kenya. He is also a resilience enthusiast, livestock expert, Market System Development thinker and Gender champion. He has been a thought leader in promoting resilience of adolescent girls in the face of drought, conflict, and system constraints. He has also managed cross border USAID funded PEACE program in Karamoja cluster (Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia corridor), adolescent girls, and women empowerment programs. Prior to joining Mercy Corps in 2015, Nelson had more than 6 years’ experience in managing resilience building programs in Horn of Africa focusing on disaster risk reduction, strengthening livestock and fish value chains, water and sanitation, and holistic natural resource management. Nelson is currently pursuing his Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Nairobi (Kenya) where he also did MSc (Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics) and BVM (Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine). He is passionate about resilience building as an approach and system thinking towards empowering communities in the phase of climate change.
Judy Odongo
Deputy Chief of Party
Feed the Future Kenya Crops and Dairy Market Systems Activity, RTI International
Judith (Judy) Odongo is a market systems/ value chain development and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) specialist with more than 14 years of experience leading and designing interventions related to sustainable agricultural practices, resilient market systems, and economic competitiveness throughout Kenya.
She currently serves as Deputy Chief of Party for the USAID Feed the Future Kenya Crops & Dairy Market Systems Activity, which is working to enhance resilience by expanding access to agricultural markets, improving nutritional outcomes, and reducing poverty in marginalized communities across Kenya.
Ms. Odongo provides oversight on the technical implementation of the project, working on five priority areas: enhanced productivity, increased access to finance, ICT for efficiency and sustainable markets, policy enabling environment, social inclusion, and agri-nutrition behavior change communication. She also manages the technical work of the five consortium partners whose work contributes to the priority areas. Previously, Ms. Odongo served as Director of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), Collaboration Learning, and Adaptation for the project.
She also served as Knowledge and Results Manager on the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office-funded Kenya Market Assistance Program focused on delivering large-scale, systemic change in agricultural market systems. She performed a pre-intervention market analysis of issues concerning farmers, adopted a standardized results measurement system, and trained and mentored program staff and partners on this system.
As Program Manager for FIT Resources, a Kenya non-profit organization that supports the growth and development of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Kenya, Ms. Odongo led the M&E division and oversaw numerous complex value chain analyses and program evaluations, assessments, and audits.
Ms. Odongo has a proven ability to manage large multi-disciplinary and multicultural teams and to effectively liaise with USAID, government and community stakeholders, and home office staff to deliver successful and innovative program implementation.
Ms. Odongo is a Kenyan citizen and speaks fluent English, and Swahili. She speaks Luhya and Luo with professional proficiency.
Muhammad Nurul Amin Siddiquee
Chief of Party
Feed the Future Bangladesh Livestock and Nutrition Activity, ACDI/VOCA
Muhammad Nurul Amin Siddiquee is the chief of party of the Feed the Future Bangladesh Livestock and Nutrition Activity and ACDI/VOCA’s country representative in Bangladesh. Prior to joining ACDI/VOCA in 2017, he served as a technical advisor for CARE USA, supporting programs in 10 countries throughout Africa and Asia. Previously, he also worked as a team leader for CARE Bangladesh and monitoring and evaluation specialist for the WorldFish Center Bangladesh & South Asia Office. He holds an MS in aquatic tropical ecology from the University of Bremen (Germany) and an MS in fisheries and BS in zoology from the University of Dhaka. He has received certificates from the COADY Institute, St. Xavier University, and the University of Dhaka and is fluent in Bangla and English. Muhammad Siddique received several awards from CARE USA in 2011 and 2015 and coauthored Making Market More Exclusive: Lessons from Care and the Future of Sustainability in Agricultural Value Chain Development, published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2014.
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