Monthly Archives: January 2012

Africa / Animal Breeding / Animal Production / Biodiversity / Biotech / Cattle / Gambia / Goats / ILRI / Indigenous Breeds / Livestock / Project / Report / Research / Sheep / Small Ruminants / West Africa

The Gambia’s hardy native ruminant livestock surveyed in bid to improve their conservation and productivity

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Although livestock play a central role in rural development in West Africa, traditional livestock systems have high death rates, low reproductive rates and low offtake rates. Furthermore, the presence of trypanosome-infected tsetse flies in the sub-humid and humid areas hurts the potential for livestock production. The region’s endemic ruminant livestock, however, are highly adapted to … Continue reading »

Africa / Agriculture / Crop residues / Crop-Livestock / CRP12 / East Africa / Ethiopia / Event / ILRI / Intensification / Livestock / Livestock Systems / PLE / Project / Research / South Africa / West Africa

Experts meet in Addis Ababa to design new agricultural research project for Ethiopian Highlands

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Around 60 experts are meeting at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Addis Ababa on 30th and 31st January to plan an exciting new research project that aims to transform agricultural systems in the Highland of Ethiopia. As in many part of Africa, farming systems in the Ethiopian Highlands are a mix of crop … Continue reading »

Drought / Drylands / East Africa / Food security / Mali / Niger / Opinion piece / PA / Pastoralism / Vulnerability / West Africa

Flawed global food systems–not drought–cause of African famines

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Foods of Khulungira Village, in central Malawi (clockwise from top left): nsima (maize meal porridge), kachewere wophika (boiled potatoes), nkhuku yophika (chicken stew), nkhwani ndi phwetekere (pumpkin leaves with tomato), kachewere wokazinga (fried potatoes), and kholowa ndi phwetekere (sweetpotato leaves with tomato) (photo credit: CGIAR/Stevie Mann). All names in Chichewa, Malawi’s national language; translations by Christopher … Continue reading »

Africa / Agriculture / Capacity Strengthening / East Africa / Ethiopia / ILRI / Innovation Systems / IPMS / Knowledge & Information / Markets

Increasing capacity for knowledge-based smallholder agriculture in Ethiopia

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This working paper by Tesfaye Lemma Tefera, Azage Tegegne and Dirk Hoekstra of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), on Capacity for knowledge-based smallholder agriculture in Ethiopia: Linking graduate programs to market-oriented agricultural development: Challenges, opportunities and IPMS experience was released by ILRI in January 2012. Graduate programs in agriculture and allied disciplines in Ethiopia are expected … Continue reading »

Africa / Animal Production / CRP37 / East Africa / Ethiopia / Goats / Livestock / Sheep / Small Ruminants

Ethiopia gets sheep and goat production handbook

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In Ethiopia, sheep and goats have traditionally served as a means of ready cash and a reserve against economic and agricultural production hardship. However, the proximity of Ethiopia to large Middle Eastern markets demanding export quality sheep and goat carcasses and an increase in the domestic demand for small ruminant meat is leading to a … Continue reading »

Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Animal Production / Livestock

Elevage en régions chaudes

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L’agriculture – et plus particulièrement les productions animales – sont depuis quelques années au coeur des préoccupations mondiales, si l’on en juge par les nombreux rapports produits par diverses institutions internationales. Les productions animales au Sud se trouvent ainsi dans une situation paradoxale : elles doivent faire face à une évolution importante de la demande … Continue reading »

Africa / Agriculture / Capacity Strengthening / Research

Strategic partnerships needed to build African scientific capacity for agriculture

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A report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies provides an overview of agricultural science cooperation within the African research system; the university system; and the role of partnerships with the private sector. The report identifies four key approaches: Focus on Problems. Achieving results will require serious focus. Focus on the most real and … Continue reading »

Biodiversity / Books and chapters / Drylands / East Africa / Environment / Geodata / ILRI / Kenya / Knowledge & Information / NRM / PA / PLE / Policy / Water / Wildlife

ILRI scientists map Kenyan watershed services to benefit people, crops, livestock and wildlife

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A map of land use in the Ewaso Ng’iro watershed, taken from Mapping and Valuing Ecosystem Services in the Ewaso Ng’iro Watershed, published in 2011 by ILRI. From Ecosystem Marketplace comes this review of a new publication from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). ‘. . . As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of floods … Continue reading »

Books and chapters / CRP11 / Drought / Drylands / Kenya / PA / Pastoralism / Vulnerability

Challenging dryland myths, seizing dryland opportunities

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A human settlement in northern Kenya, from the air (photo on Flickr by Neil Palmer [CIAT]). A fact-filled, thought-provoking and myth-busting book, which many researchers will have reason to hope will become widely influential, challenges the African ‘drylands myths’ that, despite decades of research that should have overturned them by now, remain entrenched in many … Continue reading »

Directorate / Drought / Drylands / East Africa / Food security / ILRI / Kenya / Opinion piece / PA / Pastoralism / PLE / Vulnerability

Are politicians making political hay – and pastoral havoc – out of diminishing dryland resources in northern Kenya?

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Northern Kenya from the air (photo on Flickr by Neil Palmer [CIAT]). ‘The chairman of [Kenya's] National Cohesion and Integration Commission, Dr Mzalendo Kibunjia, has singled out divisive politicians as the main cause of recent ethnic violence among some pastoral communities. He warned that stern action will be taken against such people. ‘Dr Kibunjia’s observation … Continue reading »