From Microbiomes to Precision Livestock Nutrition: An AI-Enabled Policy Roadmap for Africa

Abstract

Livestock production in Africa occurs across highly heterogeneous agroecological and management environments, ranging from extensive pastoral and mixed crop–livestock systems to intensive enterprises. These systems are characterized by seasonal and spatial variation in feed resources, reliance on locally available forage and agricultural by-products, climatic stress, endemic diseases, and the use of indigenous and locally adapted breeds. Such conditions create distinctive microbiome–host interactions that remain poorly represented in global livestock omics research. Although the gut microbiome is central to nutrient utilization, immune function, metabolic homeostasis, and resilience, the functional mechanisms linking microbial communities, diet, host physiology, and productivity in African livestock remain insufficiently characterized. African systems are particularly underrepresented in integrated microbiome–metabolomics datasets, longitudinal studies, and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled predictive models, limiting the development of context-specific precision nutrition strategies. This review examines the integration of metabolomics and AI with microbiome and host data to advance precision livestock nutrition within an African and One Health context. It identifies both substantial constraints and strategic opportunities. Limited research infrastructure, high-quality regional datasets, computational capacity, and specialized expertise remain major barriers. Conversely, Africa’s diversity of livestock breeds, feed resources, agroecological conditions, and naturally occurring resilience phenotypes provides an important opportunity to identify microbiome–metabolite signatures associated with feed efficiency, disease resilience, climate adaptation, and product quality. Emerging metabolomics and computational capacity, particularly in South Africa, could support regional research networks and continental data infrastructures. Furthermore, the review proposes an Africa-specific approach that develops locally grounded, scalable, and resource-sensitive precision nutrition strategies, strengthening antimicrobial stewardship, animal health, food safety, climate resilience, sustainable livestock production, and broader One Health objectives.