Eastern Africa Feed Action Plan

BACKGROUND

The livestock sector plays a critical role in the livelihoods, food and nutrition security, economy, and resilience of the population of the countries in the Eastern Africa region. It provides nutritious foods
such as meat, milk and eggs for families and domestic markets. The sector employs over 60 per cent of the rural population and contributes substantially to export revenues, national gross domestic
product (GDP) of individual countries and to the broader socioeconomic development of the Eastern Africa region. Demand for livestock products is continuously increasing globally and more so in
developing countries, including the Eastern Africa due to population growth, increasing household incomes, urbanisation and globalisation. Currently, most countries in Eastern Africa consume onethird of the recommended amounts of animal source foods. This offers a huge opportunity to increase animal production and income of livestock farmers.