The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has commissioned Civic Consulting to conduct a study on the Cost of National Prevention Systems for Animal Diseases and Zoonoses in developing and transition countries. The aims of the study are twofold: (a) estimating the “peace time” costs of veterinary services allowing early detection and rapid response to … Continue reading »
Monthly Archives: October 2009
Africa / Agriculture / Drought / East Africa / Environment / Food security / Kenya
Pastoralists: moving with the times?
With children severely malnourished, animals weak or dying, and people struggling to find water, exceptionally dry conditions in the Horn of Africa have added to the cumulative effect of three to four consecutive seasons of poor or failed rains. Severe shortages of pasture and water, combined with high food prices, have left an estimated 24 … Continue reading »
Effort launched to find and control diseases that move between wildlife and people
In hopes of preventing the next global pandemic and a possible death toll into the millions, UC Davis today launches an unprecedented international effort to find and control diseases that move between wildlife and people. Read more … (ScienceDaily) Continue reading »
Ostrom’s Nobel: Shedding paradigms
THE first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics, Elinor Ostrom, is not even an economist, but a political scientist. For professional economists, it is a reminder that their profession has no monopoly in explaining the economic behavior of human beings. Indeed, the marriage between political science and economics into the compound discipline now … Continue reading »
Drought / East Africa / Food security / ILRI / Insurance / Kenya / PLE
Satellites to help Kenyans insure against drought
Satellites measuring the greenness of Kenya from space are set to help insure livestock herders against droughts and mitigate the effects of climate change, experts said Friday. “This is a new approach to tackle an old problem,” Carlos Seré, director general of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), said of the satellite-based insurance for cattle, … Continue reading »
FAO—How to feed the world in 2050: Investment
The issues Wha t kind of inves tments? Most of the investment, both in primary agriculture and downstream sectors, will have to come from private sources, primarily farmers themselves purchasing implements and machinery, improving soil fertility, etc. For a better functioning agricultural system and improved food security, three kinds of public investments are also needed: … Continue reading »
East Africa / Kenya / Markets
Farm marketing goes hi-tech
Early morning light finds Mr Njuguna, a trader in Githurai Market, on the move. He is laden with produce but he carries it all with a light heart. It is no longer a wait-and-see business; every new message on his phone makes his heart sing — someone wants his produce, and now. In Emuhaya, Mr … Continue reading »
FAO hunger portal: With two interesting graphics
On the occasion of World Food Week, FAO launched a new website on hunger. The FAO Hunger Portal features country specific statistics and an interactive world map to visualize the prevalence of hunger around the globe. A set of “Frequently Asked Questions” responds to standard queries on undernourishment. For those interested in deeper analyzes, the … Continue reading »
FAO/WFP publication: The state of food insecurity in the world economic crises—impacts and lessons learned
Did you know that: In Africa and Latin America, a 1 percentage-point increase in the ratio of remittances to GDP results in 0.29 percent and 0.37 percent declines, respectively, in the number of people living below the poverty line?. The impact of the financial crisis on remittances and more is discussed in this annual publication … Continue reading »
Africa / Agriculture / ILRI / Livelihoods / Regions
Ireland—Minister Of State for overseas development launches ‘Khulungira: Harvesting hope in an African village’
Minister of State for Overseas Development, Mr Peter Power, T.D., today launched an exhibition highlighting the potential of science for Africa’s smallholder farmers at the Irish Aid Volunteering and Information Centre in Dublin. Leading international agricultural researchers, such as Dr Carlos Seré, Director General of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and Dr Richard Jones, … Continue reading »
