There are some sector experts who argue that it is due to the numerous, geographically dispersed and small-scale livestock producers who dominate the primary production side of the value chain that livestock productivity cannot realise its potential. The rural sector within the Pakistani economy remains vital due to the fact that it still employs a … Continue reading
It is often asserted that climate change will affect women the most in the developing world. That’s because most women will have to walk farther for drinking water, work harder to grow food, pull daughters out of school to help with family chores, and fuss more about family hygiene as the world – and particularly … Continue reading
Beef cattle are not the climate-change bogeymen they’re made out to be, according to a new US study. University of California scientists say UN estimates that livestock generate 18 per cent of global greenhouse emissions could be six times too high. They say recent estimates by US environment and energy agencies, using more appropriate assumptions, … Continue reading
Livestock and climate change: What if the key actors in climate change are…cows, pigs, and chickens? The environmental impact of the lifecycle and supply chain of animals raised for food has been vastly underestimated, and in fact accounts for at least half of all human-caused greenhouse gases (GHGs), according to Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang, … Continue reading
Sir Paul McCartney arrived in Brussels yesterday to recruit support for his “meat-free Mondays” campaign. The argument seems so easy: cut down meat consumption and the planet will be saved. But even if a world without roast beef was one in which we all wanted to live (please count me out), we need to think … Continue reading
Ethiopia’s President, H.E. Ato Girma Woldegiorgis has awarded Ethiopian sorghum breeder and 2009 World Food Prize Laureate Prof Gebisa Ejeta the National Hero Award, the nation’s highest honour. This is the first time the award has been given to an Ethiopian for work in science and technology. Prof Ejeta received the honour at a ‘Dialogue … Continue reading
…Pastoralists will be compensated for loss of their animals from January after a livestock insurance product is launched in Kenya. However, details of the exact amount of premium to be paid will depend on the insurance company that have agreed to partner with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the institution that developed the product. … Continue reading
East Africa will face both crop gains and losses as a result of climate change, but food security is an achievable goal if new farming technologies are embraced, says a study. The research, published in Agricultural Systems this month (3 November), predicts that yields of staples like maize and beans will double in the region’s … Continue reading
Drought and war in eastern Africa have left more than 20 million people in desperate need of emergency food aid, the United Nations said on Tuesday. “The situation is very worrying due to expected crop and pasture failures from poor rains in several areas, the increase in conflicts, trade disruptions and continuing high food prices,” … Continue reading
Satellite-based insurance for livestock has been developed in Kenya to measure the country’s “greenness,” safeguarding herders against droughts and other effects of climate change. Slated to begin in early 2010, Kenya will be the first developing nation to set up a satellite insurance mechanism. Specialists will study satellite images measuring the greenness of vegetation in … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 