Anyone who was wondering what a million-dollar cow looks like need only feast your eyes on Eastside Lewisdale Gold Missy, or just “Missy” — a testament to everything a cow can be and more. Missy sold for $1.13 million at auction in Toronto, and already has $3.23 million in contracts, including 25 embryos and six … Continue reading
Author Archives: ILRI Communications
Development of CGIAR research agenda makes leap forward
The Alliance of CGIAR Centers reached an important milestone at its workshop 9-12 February 2010 in Rome. Partners from the Global Forum for Agricultural Research (GFAR) and the CGIAR Science Council joined the Alliance in making significant progress in the development of the Strategy and Results Framework and the portfolio of Mega Programs. Immediately prior … Continue reading
Climate Change / Crop-Livestock / East Africa / ILRI / Kenya / Tanzania / Uganda
Africa: Finding the food crops of the future
Temperatures seem set to soar to perilously high levels because of climate change. In another 40 years, would maize still be the staple food in Kenya, already hit by five failed rainy seasons? If not, what could people grow and eat? And if you could grow maize, how much water and fertilizer would it need? … Continue reading
Fighting disease spread during ‘the greatest show on earth’
The annual migration of over a million wildebeest across the Serengeti and Maasai Mara is often described as one of the greatest spectacles on earth. However, this natural wonder poses a real threat to the livelihood of local farmers whose cattle are essential to their economic and social welfare. Four hundred thousand wildebeest calves born … Continue reading
Updated OIE technical disease cards and summaries online
Collaboration among scientists from OIE Reference Laboratories around the world and other relevant experts has led to an updated compilation of 33 technical disease cards, including 32 OIE-listed priority diseases such as foot and mouth disease, highly pathogenic avian influenza, rift valley fever and bluetongue. To make the information contained in some of the cards … Continue reading
It’s raining, it’s pouring
“It’s so hot!” “Why can’t it stop raining?” “The lightning was terrible” I’m not sure about you but I keep finding myself complaining about the weather. Global warming, Copenhagen, recycling, climate change – it’s like we just keep hearing it over and over again. Remember last year when we turned off the lights for one … Continue reading
Food security under threat
A new science paper, published on Thursday, has warned that plans to fund programmes to boost small-scale agriculture in developing countries with billions of dollars are unlikely to succeed. This is due to increasing populations, changing environments and “intellectual commitment” to ubiquitous small-scale and mixed farmers who raise both crops and animals. “In most regions of … Continue reading
Scientists take on global livestock threat to reduce poverty and increase food security
UKP 13 million of new research is being launched today to tackle the significant and growing threat posed by livestock diseases to global food security and livelihoods in developing countries. More than 900 million people in the developing world live below the poverty line in rural areas. Just one animal can meet a whole family’s … Continue reading
UN gets rolling on Copenhagen accord
The United Nations has launched a new body to design and administer the $100 billion annual fund agreed to at the Copenhagen summit to help poor countries mitigate and adapt to climate change effects. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi will lead the Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing’s effort … Continue reading
Animal Diseases / Disease Control / Epidemiology / Europe / Livestock / UK
Governance of livestock diseases–interactions between epidemiology, politics, economics and law
Infectious disease of livestock remains an important problem, seriously damaging rural economies, producing social disruption and impairing public trust and confidence in government. It can result in animal suffering, and potentially affect the health of humans and wildlife. Livestock disease has generally been seen as a scientific, public health or epidemiological problem, and it has … Continue reading
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