Su Kahumbu, a Kenyan social entrepreneur (TED Global Fellow 2010) and 2010 winner of Apps4Africa award for the the iCow application, a cow management platform that helps small-scale farmers manage their dairy cows, will give a presentation on ‘livestock and mobile technology’ at the ILRI Nairobi campus John Vercoe Auditorium, on 11 December 2012, from 1500-1600 hours. View the event announcement: The iCow … Continue reading »
Category Archives: Animal Production
Livestock: Blessing or a burden?
Writing in Footsteps – a magazine of Tearfund, Nigel Poole argues there is ‘no simple answer’ to the question: are livestock a blessing or a burden? He suggests that the ‘type of livestock production practised and the ecological context both matter. But think about one of the most common livestock problems, which is this: if … Continue reading »
Africa / Animal Breeding / Animal Production / Biodiversity / CRP37 / Livestock / Report / Senegal / West Africa
Management of globally significant endemic ruminant livestock in Senegal
This report on Sustainable management of globally significant endemic ruminant livestock in West Africa: Estimate of livestock demographic parameters in Senegal was released by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in August 2012. Authored by Maria Ejlertsen, Jane Poole and Karen Marshall, it describes the results of a 12-month survey to estimate livestock demographic parameters of endemic … Continue reading »
Animal Breeding / Animal Production / Article / Climate Change / Environment / ILRI / LivestockFutures / PA
Climate change and livestock scientists: Relations warming as understanding grows
Illustration, ‘Meat and Methane’, by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com. A recent news feature in Nature Climate Change, Light is cast on a long shadow, notes the warming relations (forgive the pun) between scientists in the livestock and climate change communities. ‘The fields of climate change and livestock research have not always been cosy bedfellows. But they are … Continue reading »
Pro-Poor Livestock / Consumption / Food security / Livelihoods / Research / PA / Animal Production / Zoonotic Diseases / Health (human) / Books and chapters
New FAO book spells out rationale, priorities for investing in livestock development to reduce poverty
A new FAO study reports that more than 85 per cent of poor livestock keepers in sub-Saharan Africa live in extreme poverty; here, at a Toureg encampment near Fakara, in Niger, a boy herds a prized animal, and asset, of his family (photo credit: ILRI/Stevie Mann). A new book on the intersection of poverty reduction … Continue reading »
Agri-Health / Agriculture / Animal Production / Asia / CRP4 / Event / ILRI / Livestock / MarketOpps / Zoonotic Diseases
Livestock challenges and opportunities in Asia discussed at regional policy forum
Increasing livestock production to meet rapidly growing demands in a socially equitable and ecologically sustainable manner has become major challenge for the Asia-Pacific region. To discuss these challenges and to outline elements of a response, FAO, together with ILRI, IFPRI and other partners organized a Regional Policy Forum in Bangkok on 16-17 August 2012. Asia … Continue reading »
Africa / Animal Production / Asia / CRP11 / Drylands / Event / Goats / ILRI / India / Innovation Systems / Knowledge & Information / Livestock / MarketOpps / Mozambique / South Asia / Southern Africa
Innovation platforms: Documenting experiences from the imGoats project and beyond
Innovation platforms are a complex and some would say a not-so-straightforward approach. Nevertheless, ILRI, other CGIAR centers and other partners are using this approach in various projects such as the Nile Basin Development Challenge, IMGoats and the recently-completed Fodder Adoption and Fodder Innovation projects. What are innovation platforms exactly? This poster gives some ideas. … Continue reading »
Pakistan launches online dairy guide
The Punjab Livestock and Dairy Development Board (PLDDB) has launched Pakistan’s first online dairy farming guide. ‘Pak Dairy Info’ gives information on Pakistan’s livestock and dairy sector, breeds suitable for dairy farming, selection of animals, modern dairy farm housing, management of animals at different stages, record keeping, farm sanitation and hygiene, feed and nutrition, reproduction, … Continue reading »
FAO reviews stakeholder dialogue in support of sustainable livestock development
Last week, the Committee on Agriculture of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) discussed options for “stakeholder dialogue in support of sustainable livestock sector development” as a contribution to the so-called “Global Agenda of Action in Support of Sustainable Livestock Sector Development. The Global Agenda of Action focuses on the improvement of resource-use efficiency in … Continue reading »
Animal Breeding / Animal Diseases / Animal Feeding / Animal Health / Animal Production / Food security / Livestock / Research
The future of hunger: How animal science supports global food security
In the past few weeks, Madeline McCurry-Schmidt has published a series of short pieces exploring ways that animal scientists can help feed the world’s growing population. Published on the American Society of Animal Science ‘Taking Stock’ blog, the five articles covered: Part 1 – explored the coming food crisis from a livestock perspective Part 2 … Continue reading »
