Climate-Smart Feeding Systems Seen as Key to Transforming Tanzania’s Beef Sector
Growing more food on existing land while cutting emissions is becoming urgent. The study shows that using affordable, common feedlot feeds — such as maize meal, cottonseed cake, molasses, minerals, salt and urea — can speed up animal growth and sharply reduce methane per kilogram of beef.
The authors say better feeding is a powerful tool for both productivity and climate action because faster-growing animals emit methane for fewer days before reaching market weight.
They caution, however, that expanding feedlot systems will depend on reliable supplies of feed, especially crop by-products, and careful cost management. The researchers will next test the findings on real farms using direct methane-measurement tools, including animal-level sensors and ILRI’s drone-based monitoring, to compare real emissions with IPCC estimates.
The team also notes that improving feed efficiency could support smallholder farmers by helping them produce more beef with fewer resources. This, they argue, can strengthen rural incomes while contributing to national climate targets.
Africa Farmers Review
