Category Archives: Livelihoods

Biotechnology / Food security / Livelihoods / Research / Agriculture / PA / Nutrition (human) / USA / Policy / Presentation

‘Nothing improves an economy as efficiently as agriculture’–Bill Gates to US Senate

Posted on by • 2 Comments

Bill Gates visits a site of the East African Dairy Development project, which is funded by his foundation; researchers based in Nairobi at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), a CGIAR centre, provide technical and other backstopping to this project, which is led by Heifer International (USA) (photo on Flickr by EADD). ‘Investing in agriculture … Continue reading »

Crop-Livestock / CRP12 / Diagnostics / Humid Tropics / ILRI / Innovation Systems / Intensification / Interview / Livelihoods / PLE / Research

ILRI in the Humidtropics research program: Interview with Alan Duncan

Posted on by • Leave a comment

The Humidtropics research program held a Strategic Research Theme (SRT) Meeting from 5 to 8 February, 2013 in Nairobi, Kenya.  The main objective of this meeting was to develop a research framework for each of the SRTs. After the meeting, the five SRT Leaders were interviewed. We asked Alan Duncan, ILRI focal point for the program … Continue reading »

Agriculture / Climate Change / CRP7 / East Africa / Food security / Livelihoods / PA / Report

East Africans are taking up new farming practices to cope with climate change—but change too risky for hungry households – Survey

Posted on by • Leave a comment

Dairy farmers in Tanzania. Farmers in East Africa are embracing climate-resilient farming practices but food insecurity prevents many of them from doing more to cope with a changing climate (photo credit: ILRI/Nils Teufel). Smallholder farmers across East Africa have started embracing climate-resilient farming approaches and technologies according to new research recently published by the CGIAR … Continue reading »

Animal Production / Books and chapters / Consumption / Food security / Health (human) / Livelihoods / PA / Pro-Poor Livestock / Research / Zoonotic Diseases

New FAO book spells out rationale, priorities for investing in livestock development to reduce poverty

Posted on by • 1 Comment

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 »

Agriculture / Capacity Strengthening / East Africa / Event / Farming Systems / Food security / Livelihoods / PA / Partnerships / Southern Africa

New Australian International Food Security Centre seeks partnerships in Africa

Posted on by • 1 Comment

Mellissa Wood (4th left), of the Australian International Food Security Centre, and other members of the the Commission for International Agricultural Research on a visit to ILRI in March 2012 (photo credit: ILRI). A new initiative has been launched by the Australian International Food Security Centre to improve food security in Africa. The centre, which falls … Continue reading »

Agriculture / Article / Climate Change / Drylands / East Africa / Kenya / Livelihoods / LivestockFutures / PA / Pastoralism / PLE / Vulnerability / Women

Women playing key role in pastoralist livelihood diversification

Posted on by • Leave a comment

Maasai women in Kenya. Women are playing a key role in pastoralists’ diversification (picture credit: Konrad Glogowski on Flickr).  A feature story carried by IRIN this week highlights how women are playing an increasingly important role in pastoralist livelihoods diversification in Kenya. ‘Along a small seasonal stream in Ewaso Nyiro village in Narok, southwestern Kenya, Leleseina … Continue reading »

Animal Production / Consumption / CRP2 / Food Safety / Food security / ILRI / Innovation Systems / Intensification / Livelihoods / Livestock / MarketOpps / Markets / Policy / Report / Research / Trade / Value Chains

Livestock market opportunities for the poor: Smallholders can be competitive

Posted on by • Leave a comment

For the November 2011 ‘liveSTOCK Exchange’ event at ILRI, Steve Staal, Derek Baker, Karl Rich, Ayele Gelan, Acho Okike, Delia Grace, Mohammad Jabbar, Mohamadou Fadiga, Ranjitha Puskur, Lucy Lapar, Berhanu Gebremedhin, Amos Omore and Francis Wanyoike prepared a series of issue briefs on smallholder livestock producers, consumers, and development … View a presentation to the … Continue reading »

Africa / Animal Production / Burkina Faso / Crop-Livestock / CRP5 / Ghana / ILRI / Intensification / Livelihoods / Livestock / Livestock Systems / NRM / Opinion piece / Research / Water / West Africa

The triple challenge facing livestock research for development in Africa

Posted on by • Leave a comment

For the November 2011 ‘liveSTOCK Exchange’ event at ILRI, Tim Williams – Africa Director at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) reflects on ILRI’s livestock work in West Africa … Two key questions Back in 2000, two key questions occupied the minds of those of us who worked on the development of the ILRI’s Strategy–Livestock: … Continue reading »

Drought / East Africa / Food security / Kenya / Livelihoods / Livestock / Nutrition (human) / PA / Pastoralism / Presentation / Somalia / Vulnerability

Livestock critical to livelihoods and life in Africa – USAID advisor

Posted on by • Leave a comment

Kenya cow bell, on loan from Gary K Clarke, of Cowabunga Safaris, for Africa Everyday Exhibit (image credit: Topeka & Shawnee Country Public Library). Livestock keeping means food security and livelihoods for the world’s poorest people. That’s the message delivered by Joyce Turk, senior livestock advisor at the United States Agency for International Development, at … Continue reading »