Help mobilise data and expertise to unlock climate finance for livestock development

If you attended the recent LD4D annual meeting you will have heard all about the new Solutions Group that is being formed to support livestock development initiatives to access climate finance resources. Now is your opportunity to get involved.

LD4D is establishing a roster of experts who can advise countries and projects applying for climate finance in the livestock sector and help appraise livestock mitigation proposals. in the future, the roster will be used for an LD4D matchmaking service, connecting experts with national institutes and accredited funding entities. If you would like to be added to the roster, please complete the questionnaire. It will take about 20 minutes to complete, and you will need to submit an up-to-date CV.

LD4D is also authoring a series of evidence briefs to provide decision makers with an overview of the relevant narratives and empirical methods that are required for livestock development to access climate finance. For this we are forming a solutions group of expert co-authors (with expertise relating to both the contribution of livestock to climate change and the role of livestock in adapting to the impact of climate change). If you would like to hear more about joining this group, please contact LD4D. 

Solutions groups are a new collaboration platform bringing together decision makers and experts from the LD4D network. Solutions Groups work on a specific data challenge, and together produce a tailored data tool or knowledge product that can support decision making. These groups are designed to deliver measurable outputs within 6-12 months. 

We have created Solutions Groups to address the gaps between data producers and decision makers. Available livestock data does not always address decision making needs. Our motivation is to promote ongoing dialogue and collaboration between LD4D members and decision makers. We want to harness the wide range of expertise we have in the network to try to bridge the gap between data and decisions.

Solutions groups will be piloted in 2024, starting with the Livestock and Climate Finance group. In developing this new model for collaboration focused on decision maker needs, we will measure its impacts, and generate learning to inform similar work in other contexts, and potentially scale up. 

• Watch: Introducing LD4D Solutions Groups - Ana Miranda (LD4D Development Manager) 

We know there is increasing interest from people managing livestock development projects to access climate finance to support their work. Financing bodies are also keen to support the livestock sector. However, the livestock sector is scarcely mentioned in developing country pledges for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The amount of money pledged for climate finance is increasing, but there are barriers that have prevented the allocation of climate finance for livestock development. 

• Applying for finance: Governments need support in building a case for climate finance investment in livestock including empirical methods and data required to measure or estimate emissions

• Awarding finance: livestock have not been part of routine investments, so there is a need for expertise to help appraise livestock development project proposals. 

Livestock can play a role in both climate change adaptation and mitigation in the context of rural economic development, but this is not always widely understood by those applying for funding or funders. The Solutions Group will collate evidence to help inform evidence-based narratives on these themes. This will help governments build the case for climate finance and help investors appraise proposed actions

The solutions group will focus on generating evidence briefs on topics such as how to build a case for livestock development project to receive climate finance, and how to estimate livestock emissions in a livestock project. We will also initiate a matchmaking service, developing a roster of experts that can help connect experts with national institutes and accredited funding entities.

This is a timely opportunity for LD4D members to get involved and support this work using their expertise!

• WATCH: Introducing the Climate Finance Solutions Group - Gareth Salmon (SEBI-Livestock) 

Header image: Ethiopian livestock-keepers demonstrate innovative feed supplements that support climate adaptation. Photo credit: A. Habtamu (ILRI). Source