Better lives through livestock
How can Animal Biotechnology contribute to
Agenda 2063, ST&I Strategy for Africa (STISA-2024),
and the Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
Christian K. Tiambo, Jimmy Smith, Okeyo Mwai, Steve Kemp
CTLGH – ILRI
c.tiambo@cgiar.org
Animal Biotechnology: The Next Frontier
Stakeholders Sensitization and Awareness Workshop on Animal Biotechnology Applications and Regulatory Perspectives
22 - 24 March 2021 Naivasha, Kenya

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ILRIis co-hosted by both the
governments of Ethiopia and Kenya,
with offices in 8 other countries in
Africa (Burking Faso, Burundi, Mali,
Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda
and Zimbabwe); 4 countries in Asia
(China, India, Nepal and Vietnam).
ILRI has approximately 600
permanent staff (with a gender
breakdown of 40% female and 60%
male).
ILRI offices and
staff worldwide

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ILRI’s livestock research: solutions for food and nutritional
security, poverty, environmental and human health
Mitigating climate change, enhancing
resilience and increasing livestock
productivity
Sustainable Livestock Systems
Taking livestock solutions to scale for
inclusive development
Impact at Scale
Delivering solutions for livestock, zoonotic
and foodborne diseases
Animal and Human Health
Efficient livestock production driving
inclusive growth and employment
Policies, Institutions & Livelihoods
(including gender)
Improving genetics for better productivity
and profitability
Livestock Genetics
Accelerating Africa’s agricultural
development through biosciences
BecA-ILRI hub
Better nutrition for improved animal
productivity
Feed and Forage Development
Capacity development; communications; knowledge management

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% growth in demand for livestock products to 2030
0
50
100
150
200
250
E.Asia
Pacific
China
South
Asia
SSA
High
income
0
50
100
150
200
250
E.Asia
Pacific
China
South
Asia
SSA
High
income
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
E.Asia
Pacific
China
South
Asia
SSA
High
income
0
50
100
150
200
250
E.Asia
Pacific
China
South
Asia
SSA
High
income
Beef Pork
Poultry Milk
Covering this demand requires acceleration tools: Biotechs

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BIOTECHNOLOGY
Living organisms
Application of Science and engineering
to living organisms to make or modify
products.
Application of scientific
knowledge in solving
problems or the making of
products

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Animal Biotechnology

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Improvement of agronomic performances and
diseases control
Improved resilience to achieve:
1. Efficient growth: digestibility, silencing myostatin gene, etc.
2. Reproduction: fertility, prolificacy, et.
3. Meat, Milk and eggs quality, quantity and Organoleptic properties:
palatability, mineral and organic content, etc.
4. Suitable end-product characteristics and Profitability: special value of the brand, etc.
5. Sustainability: Product shelf life, length of productive life, etc.
6. Vaccines, veterinary diagnostic systems and Biotechnology-
derived therapeutics
Under diverse systems and environments

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Robust health & disease resistant animals
• Disease-resistant genetically modified animals
• Potential animal welfare benefits
Aminul et al., 2020

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Example of research for disease resistant animal: The
ILRI’s “MZIMA’’ transgenic bull and goat projects
Genes encoding a
protein (ApoL1)
confering total tryp
resistance have been
identified by Dr Jane
Raper, and synthetic
construct successfully
introgressed into mice.
Fig. Schematic representation of Mzima Cow

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Reduced environmental footprint
1. Selection and breeding for more
productive & low CH4 producing
ruminants
2. Vaccines to reduce CH4
production in the rumen
3. Anaerobic processes to capture
biogas
Improved performance rapidly reduces green house gas production intensity
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000
Methane (CO2eq)/kg milk FAO 2013, Herrero et al 2013
90% of Ethiopian milk
production
The top 10% of Ethiopian
milk production
Milk yield (kg/lactation)

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Conservation and improvement of AnGR in
Africa
1. Longevity in breeding populations
2. Management of inbreeding
3. Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ARTs) for emhanced
production
4. Primordial germ cell and surrogate sire for animal seed
conservation and dissemination
Example of research for supporting animal conservation:
The CTLGH-ILRI’s Primordial Germ Cells (PGCs) technique
for African poultry biobanking

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Example of Super dads or Surrogate Sires
Adapted from Oatley at al., 2017
Advantages
• Indigenous germ line ablated bucks carry the sperm of elite bucks
• Instead of having one elite buck we would have a thousands
• This provides a transformative step change to disseminate elite semen without changing the
existing infrastructure

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1. Integrated data systems and unified recording schemes
2. More skilled scientists, technicians and field-workers
3. Improved coordination between industry, universities and
institutions for biotechnology transfer
4. Adapt expensive technology to small scale systems
5. Improve bio-safety/bio-security measures
6. Increase investment in animal biotechnology
7. Clarify and unify policy and commitment from African
governments
8. Value indigenous knowledge and local animal resources
management
Priorities to facilitate use of Animal biotechnology

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Animal Biotechnology and the Agenda 2063
A strategic framework for the socio-economic transformation of the continent

15

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Animal Biotech contribution to the Aspirations
Case of
Aspitation
No 1
 A High Standard of
Living, Quality of Life
and Well Being
 Well Educated Citizens and
Skills revolution underpinned
by Science, Technology and
Innovation
 Healthy and well-nourished citizens
 Transformed Economies
 Modern Agriculture for increased
productivity and production
 Blue/ ocean economy for accelerated
economic growth
 Environmentally sustainable and
climate resilient economies and
communities

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Animal Biotechnology and the STISA-2024
To “Accelerate Africa’s transition to an innovation-led, Knowledge-based Economy”

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Animal Biotech contributions to priority areas
Eradication
of Hunger
and
Achieving
Food
Security
Communic
ation
(Physical
and
Intellectual
Mobility)
Prevention
and
Control of
Diseases
Wealth
Creation
Protection
of our
Space
Live Together-
Build the Society
• Higher Productivity and Better incomes
• Youth and gender engagement
• Generator of employment
• Savings in foreign exchanges
• Increased animal sourced food
• Improved nutrients content
• Increased Per caput consumption of
animal sourced food
• Source of energy: Draught animal power
• Fewer but productive = Less GHG emissions
• Dung for fuel, Biogas production
• Source of fertilizer and soil conditioner
• Weed control and less pesticides
• Strengthened social and cultural values
• South-South scientific exchanges
• Re-enforced exchanges of good and services
• Disease-resistant biotech modified animals
• One Health: reduced zoonotic diseases
• Potential animal welfare benefits

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Animal Biotechnology and the UN-SDGs
Livestock contribute
indirectly to all 17 of the
SDGs and directly to at
least 8 of the goals

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LIVESTOCK BIOTECH SOLUTIONS (Examples – not exhaustive)
Improving
productivity
Sustainable
livestock systems
Policy
Gender
One Health
ILRI orchestrates a consortium of partners across
different disciplines to deliver these solutions
Develop vaccines, diagnostic
tests and control tools for
diseases most important to
smallholder sector
Develop breeding
tools/programs to ensure
smallholder farmers can
access productive breeds
Create new feed tools to
enable more productive and
efficient livestock
Create tools and evaluations
to increase sustainability of
livestock management
Support development and
scaling of climate-smart
strategies
Support livestock sector
resilience, including scale of
index-based livestock
insurance
Support delivery and
monitoring of livestock
master plans (LMP)
Engage policymakers to
make evidence-based
decisions that drive
equitable development of
livestock sector
Evaluate socio-economic
impacts of interventions to
support targeted
investments
Generate evidence on how livestock can empower women to
increase global and national investment in gender in the
livestock sector
Develop approaches for
gender responsive
livestock interventions
Generate evidence on
effectiveness of food safety
solutions
Support understanding and
management of zoonoses
Evaluate impact and build
capacity to enhance use of
livestock drugs
Increased safe access
to animal-source foods
Livelihoods of farmers
who depend on
livestock protected
Marginalised groups
empowered through
livestock
Reduced livestock
impact on climate
change
Increased sustainability
of livestock systems
CGIAR IMPACT AREAS
The livestock Biotechnology agenda will support the development of innovative
solutions to achieve sustainable development Goals (SDGs)

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• Animal Biotechnology helps farmers increase
their incomes and reduce their risks to zoonoses
and vulnerability to climate change effects.
SDG 1: NO POVERTY
To achieve NO POVERTY, Animal Biotechnology:
• Increases farm income through higher productivity and lower
production costs;
• Improves animal resiliency to climate change, to emerging
pathogens, etc., hence more stable farm incomes.

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• Animal Biotechnology is critical in helping the
African per capita animal source foods deficits
and to feed a growing world population.
SDG 2: ZERO HUNGER
To achieve ZERO HUNGER, Animal Biotechnology:
• Produces healthier and more productive Animal;
• Reduces food waste by extending shelf life of produce;
• Improves child nutrition through enhancing meat and eggs with
increased amounts of essential vitamins and minerals.

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• Animal Biotechnology plays a critical role in
saving lives and improving the quality of life for
populations across Africa.
SDG 3: GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
To achieve GOOD HEALTH and WELL-BEING, Animal Biotechnology
companies:
• Develop safer and healthier ANSFs, which enable people to be
healthier & live longer ( savings can be channeled to better use);
• Produce vaccines and other tools to prevent and contain
epizootics and epidemics
• Detect and diagnose conditions sooner and with greater accuracy
and precision.

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• Innovation in Animal biotech e.g genomic selection
significantly reduce the number of animals kept, and
expedite efforts to responsibly use environmental Resources,
• sustainably recycling products and materials.
SDG 12: RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
To achieve RESPONSIBLE CONSUMP TION AND PRODUCTION,
applications of biotechnology (nano-technology):
• Reuse materials to create new products;
• Use animal enzymes and other biological processes to create
sustainable products; and
• Create environmentally sound processes to manage animal
wastes, by-products, and veterinary medicine residues.

Better lives through livestock
To achieve Agenda 63, STISA 24 and SDGs in
Africa
Animal Biotechnology, adoption, Innovation and
deployment for sustainable livestock systems

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Requirements
• Partnerships and research organizations to embrace the goal of
livestock sustainable intensification;
• Systems of livestock science and education that produce the African
innovators of tomorrow;
• Animal Biotechnology innovations to be embedded in formal
processes,
• Animal Biotechnologies to address a wide range of our food and
nutrition security challenges
• Supportive government policies and leadership – creating enabling
environments fit for the purpose of biotech innovation for sustainable
intensification.

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Africa…
• Needs to develop and integrate the skills it has & needs and not let
donors to decide what biotech priority and skills Africa needs
• Needs the full spectrum of skills and technologies to be able to control its
own science agenda
• Should not allow ‘fly-in experts’ to block local capacity development
• Should jointly formulate and harmonize policies, infrastructure and
support services enabling such technologies to succeed and reach small-
scale farmers

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Prerequisite actions
• A strong political will and trust in the capacity of Africans on the
continent and diaspora and curb brain drain
• Revamp STI infrastructure in African countries and provide
enabling environment for STI and Biotech innovations
• Enhance technical and professional competencies
• Achieve the necessary critical mass of human capital needed
• Strengthen IP, International Biosafety Related Treaties and
harmonize regulatory systems
• Encourage collaboration within and between states in the area
of innovation and entrepreneurship
• Strategic research and innovation capabilities development

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Attend to core African capacity
• ‘Science for agriculture in
Africa is too important to be
outsourced to international
investors’
• ‘…every country requires a
basic science capacity— at
least a capacity to “borrow
intelligently”’.
• ‘African solidarity for Science is
the most significant strategy in
achieving this vision’

This presentation is licensed for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.
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ILRI thanks all donors and organizations who globally supported its work through their contributions to the CGIAR system