Kenya children drinking milk (photo credit: ILRI/Dave Elsworth).

The African continent stands at a crossroads. Stimulated by rapid population, urbanization and per capita income rises, African economies are growing at unprecedented rates. The ‘sustainable intensification’ of agricultural systems offers greater food security, incomes, trade, and smallholder competitiveness. Failure could leave African states vulnerable to climate shock, rising food prices, and trade deficits.

Grabbing this bull by its horns, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the African Union-Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) have prepared a policy brief for the three-day high-level meeting on ‘feeding Africa’ starting today in Dakar, Senegal.

Only annual livestock productivity growth of at least 6% will be able to meet rising demand for livestock products domestically.

Improved livestock genetics, health and feed—guided by policies geared towards enabling a sustainable and business-friendly environment—are key to unlocking the potential of agriculture in Africa, according to the policy…