Fast-food chain McDonalds is on the hunt for new methods to produce a climate-friendly beef burger. The burger giant, which sources 350,000 cows from over 16,000 British and Irish farms every year, has launched a three-year study to cut methane emissions from its livestock. The study will take place on 350 farms across Britain and … Continue reading
A new book by two of the UK’s leading international development thinkers is a landmark in development thinking and practice. Science and Innovation for Development demonstrates how science and innovation can be harnessed to tackle today’s biggest challenges in poor countries, including climate change, HIV/AIDS and illiteracy. Case studies are described, including the use of … Continue reading
Africa missed on the “Green Revolution” that drove Asia; the West and the larger America out of food insecurity five decades ago, but Agricultural Scientists in Kenya say, it should not miss out on the “Gene Revolution” seen to transform food production policy in the continent. First, the statement marks the progress Agriculture Science has … Continue reading
The traditional parks model of closing off areas and keeping people out simply may not work in Africa, where human demands on the land are great. Instead, what’s needed is an approach that finds ways to enable people and animals to co-exist. “Pastoralists had herded their cattle in harmony with wildlife for thousands of years,” … Continue reading
A new report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says grasslands have vast untapped potential to limit climate change by absorbing and storing carbon dioxide. The report says proper land use can also help one billion people who depend on livestock. The United Nations report says if pastures and rangelands are properly managed, … Continue reading
Zimbabwe’s Agriculture Ministry on Tuesday reported a fresh outbreak of anthrax in some parts of the country. Veterinary Services director Stewart Hargreaves told ZimOnline that his department has recorded fresh reports of an outbreak of the deadly livestock disease. “There has been an outbreak over the past two weeks. The outbreak has been recorded in … Continue reading
FAO’s latest State of Food and Agriculture report on “Livestock in the balance” will be launched during January 2010. Read more … (SLP) Continue reading
Uganda’s dairy industry is one sector likely to cash in on the limited trade barriers as the East African Community integrates further. The country is expected to exploit its wealth of resources to upstage its neighbours in winning over new markets. There continues to be fears that the launch of the uniform East African Customs … Continue reading
The Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department of FAO, in collaboration with Embrapa, IFAD and IICA, will co-organize an international consultation on the theme: Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems for Development: The Way Forward for Production Intensification. The consultation process will operate largely through an electronic exchange by experts during February 2010 followed by a smaller workshop in Sete Lagoas, Minas Geráis, Brazil, from … Continue reading
A world-class state-of-the-art biosciences research facility has officially opened its doors to scientists and students in Africa’s national research institutes and universities in Nairobi’s International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). According to Biosciences east and central African (BecA) Hub Director Segenet Kelemu; ‘This means that, Africa’s scientists can comfortably venture into new realms of science without … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 