Strategic interventions for effective farmed animal advocacy in Nigeria (Animal Advocacy Africa)

This report contains an executive summary, which is reproduced below.

Executive summary

This report examines the challenges and opportunities for effective farmed animal advocacy in Nigeria, with the goal of providing actionable interventions to improve animal welfare and address the rise of industrial animal agriculture (IAA) in the region. This focus on Nigeria, a key player in African agriculture, aligns with Animal Advocacy Africa's (AAA) mission to build local advocacy capacity and develop impactful, scalable strategies to reduce animal suffering.

Based on extensive desk research, expert interviews, and a clear prioritisation process, the report provides four top recommendations for interventions that advocates could pursue:

1. Public radio campaigns:
   Radio campaigns targeting public consumers and farmers are recommended to address low levels of awareness around animal welfare issues in Nigeria. Radio offers a cost-effective way to raise awareness and shape attitudes. Implementation of this idea seems relatively straightforward, but advocates should carefully track the impact of this intervention and evaluate whether scaling up is worthwhile after initial pilot testing.
2. Regulation of stocking densities:
   Advocating for regulations on maximum stocking densities could mitigate some of the worst harms associated with high-intensity animal farming and strengthen smaller, more extensive farmers. The potential impact of this intervention is massive but there are significant hurdles in implementing this idea. We recommend that advocates test crucial assumptions in a pilot project.
3. Introduction of an animal welfare act:
   A foundational animal welfare act could promote humane practices while also setting a legal basis for further policy interventions. This idea seems less neglected and has less potential for direct impact than advocating for maximum stocking densities but seems more tractable and shows more positive externalities.
4. Direct outreach to intensive producers:
   Engaging directly with intensive animal producers offers a promising route to implement welfare improvements. By framing welfare enhancements as productivity gains, advocates should try to gain support and establish welfare standards incrementally within the industry. Implementation of this idea seems relatively straightforward, but advocates should test producers' willingness to change their practices early on and base their next steps on an evaluation of their pilot project.

AAA intends for these recommendations to serve as a clear roadmap for its second training programme cohort which started in November 2024. With targeted support, participants will have access to practical strategies designed to achieve measurable welfare improvements, setting the stage for further progress across Africa.