NAIROBI, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Kenya has embarked on an effort towards capturing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the livestock subsector, a government official said on Tuesday.

Andrew Tuimur, Livestock Principal Secretary, said that the East African nation is developing a Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system to help capture GHG emissions which continue to rise with the increasing livestock population.

"We are determined to reduce the GHG emissions from livestock sub sector since agriculture and forestry sectors contribute the highest GHG emissions in the country," Tuimur told a forum in Nairobi on the effects of climate Change on Livestock Production.

He said once in place, the initiative will contribute towards the reduction in emissions intensity and contribute to the improvements to livestock farming practices.

"The initiative will indicate the progress in transforming livestock sub sector to a low emission development pathway, while improving the livelihoods of the livestock producers," he added.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has laid the foundation for the system of reporting on information on GHG emissions by sources that member countries are obliged to follow. The actions also include ways of mitigation and adaptation to climate change.

The UNFCCC system has placed the directives as the key to determining the progress in the implementation of agreements by nations at both international and national levels.

Tuimur blamed poor performance of livestock sub sector in Kenya to the adverse effect of climate change.

He said that disease prevalence due to climate change has remained one of the challenges despite the sub sector contributing approximately 12 percent to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

"We have to design and implement climate-smart policies and strategies in order to achieve proposals that are aimed at improving production in the sub sector," he said.

Tuimur noted that livestock sub sector is vulnerable to climate change just as agriculture sub sector, adding that it is a threat to achieving sustainable development and food security.

He noted that the government is currently implementing integrated climate change projects such as Regional Pastoral Livelihoods Resilience project with the aim of addressing the problem.

"The connection between challenges of ensuring food security and addressing climate change has forced us in collaboration with scientists to look for opportunities in addressing the challenges in an integrated manner," he added.

The PS said Kenya's livestock sub sector employs 50 percent of agricultural labor force and about 90 percent of Arid and Semi-Arid (ASAL) workforce.

The country is endowed with diverse livestock types which include dairy cattle, beef cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, donkeys, camels, poultry and rabbits.

"The current climatic trend is likely to play a role in the reduction of milk and beef products in the country," Tuimur added.

The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Livestock Policy Officer Carolyn Opio said that 92 developing countries have included livestock mitigation in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), yet many of the countries have not set their targets.

"Countries will need to measure and report their emissions and actions to reduce emissions by putting in place inventories that can track and capture progress over time," she noted. Enditem