Journal of Geography and Regional Planning Vol. 3(9), pp. 234-239, September 2010 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/JGRP ISSN 2070-1845 ©2010 Academic Journals Full Length Research Paper Options for adapting to climate change in livestock- dominated farming systems in the greater horn of Africa An Notenbaert 1 *, Andrew Mude 1 , Jeannette van de Steeg 1 and James Kinyangi 2 1 International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), P. O. Box 30709, 00100, Nairobi, Kenya. 2 Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Mbabane, Swaziland. Accepted 2 September, 2010 The greater horn of Africa is one of the least developed regions in Africa. Livestock are an important economic resource and an essential asset for poor farmers in this region. Climate variability, population growth, low economic development, limited market integration, and low fertilizer use, amongst others put serious pressure on livestock production. The sustainability of the livestock production in the rangelands and the integrated crop-livestock systems is further jeopardised by climate change. The uncertainties associated with climate change impacts call for interventions that empower communities to effectively cope with current climatic variability and to adapt to unexpected future consequences. Risk management and climate-robust development both appear to be promising approaches. Index- based livestock insurance, for example, offers innovative opportunities for protecting farmers’ assets, while diversification in the arid- and semi-arid regions might turn into economically viable livelihood strategies. These adaptation options will only be adopted if the right systems of incentives and policies are put in place. Key words: Climate change, livestock, diversification, insurance, farming systems, greater horn of Africa. INTRODUCTION The greater horn of Africa (GHA) is home to about 220 million people, and is among the poorest regions in the world. The human development index for all countries of the GHA falls far below 0.4, the cut-off point used by UNDP to describe "abysmal human conditions" (UNDP, 2008). As a whole, the human development record of the GHA compares unfavourably with that of sub-Saharan Africa. Poverty levels are especially high in the rural areas, where most people depend on agriculture for their livelihood. Between 1980 and 1990 the percentage of the rural population living in absolute poverty was 85% in Sudan, 70% in Djibouti and Somalia, and 63% in Ethiopia (The InterAfrica Group, 1995). In this region, agricultural production is performed in a myriad of different farming systems (Figure 1). The largest human and livestock populations are supported by mixed systems. Rainfed cropping is practised in the *Corresponding author. E-mail: A.Notenbaert@cgiar.org. Tel: 254-20-422 30 00. Fax: 254-20-422 30 01. relatively wet highlands of Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. This is often integrated with livestock keeping. Also in large parts of the arid to semi- arid regions of Tanzania and Sudan integrated crop- livestock farming is practised. Although rainfed food production dominates in the GHA, extensive irrigation can be found in Sudan and to a smaller extent along the river in Somalia. The largest land area of the GHA is, however, under rangelands (about 65%). They support substantial populations in their livelihoods and contribute consider- able amounts to the national budgets through livestock production, but also wildlife and eco-tourism (Notenbaert et al., 2009). Throughout the GHA, livestock production is a vital component of the economy. In Eritrea and Sudan, for example, 57 to 62% of the agricultural GDP respectively is coming from livestock. In Somalia this share goes up to 88% (Knip, 2004). For poor farmers, livestock are recognized as essential assets for their livelihoods. There are many reasons for which poor people keep livestock, including for food, income, manure, traction, status and as savings. This means that the role these animals play