Global call for research concept notes: climate-smart livestock systems

DEADLINE : Thursday, January 25, 2024 – 12:00

Scope

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) are investing an initial CAD13.5 million to lead, through IDRC, a fund for climate-smart livestock systems (CSLS) in Africa. The focus of the fund will be to develop new climate-smart livestock technologies and business models to improve animal productivity, promote climate adaptation and lower emission intensity for smallholder livestock farmers in climatic hotspots in Africa.    

The CSLS programming will have two streams of research:  

1. climate-smart innovations in livestock systems  
2. delivery models to commercialize and scale mature climate-smart innovations 

The CSLS will be implemented under two main streams, a first cohort of projects dealing with development of climate-smart technologies and innovations and a second one focussing on efficient ways or business models to deliver any scalable mature technologies to the farmers. This call for concept notes is for the climate-smart innovations in livestock systems research stream.  

Thematic focus areas   

Four thematic areas have been identified as being research priorities for CSLS program: 

1. water, pastures and feed management 
2. Indigenous knowledge systems, climate data and management 
3. integration of renewable energy — circular economies 
4. animal health 

Concept notes will need to be based on addressing one or two of these four themes, demonstrating clear linkages to sustainable and resilient food systems in African climate hotspots.   

Eligibility

This call for concept notes is open to consortia led by an African public or private institution. The consortia should be gender-balanced and preferably comprise researchers, farmer organizations, extension services, financial services and women’s and youth groups. Applicants from academia and private and public sector organisations with a strong research focus are eligible for this global call.

More details

For more information, please read the following documents before applying:     

1. Detailed call document  
2. Frequently asked questions  

An information session will be held on December 21 at 9 a.m. EST (UTC/GMT -5 hours). Please register at csls@idrc.ca.  Questions are to be submitted in advance to csls@idrc.ca.

If you are eligible for this opportunity we welcome you to submit an application.

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