In July this year, Pastoralist Consultants International published a summary of their recent study into pastoralist livelihoods in Ethiopia. It discusses discusses the role of diverse voices in developing secure livelihoods in pastoralist areas of Ethiopia. The paper shows how Ethiopian pastoralists value being able to speak, be heard and be connected. Download the PDF … Continue reading
Author Archives: ILRI Communications
Stock can safely graze (and contain greenhouse gas emissions)
Grassland farmers can make a considerable contribution to food security while continuing to reduce their environmental impact and make a contribution to climate change, according to a report released by the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE). The report, Reducing Emissions from Livestock, has been written by independent livestock scientist, Dr David Garwes, and published … Continue reading
Agriculture needs better innovation, not technology
Pilot projects in India and Nigeria point to possible benefits of a new approach to agricultural innovation, say Andy Hall and Susanna Thorp. Read more … (SciDev.net) Continue reading
Climate change hails new era for agriculture
Climate change targets will see Europe enter a new era of agriculture where things will never be the same again. Mariann Fischer Boel, EU Agriculture Commissioner, told Europe’s agriculture ministers that every farm policy from now on will have to take into account its effect on climate change. Read more … (Farmers Guardian) Continue reading
‘Barcodes’ tackle bush meat trade
The BBC reports that “researchers have developed a new tool in the fight against the illegal hunting and trading of wild animals.” Read more … Continue reading
Chewy chicken feet may quash a trade war
China is threatening to cut off imports of American chicken, but poultry experts have at least one reason to suspect it may be an empty threat: Many Chinese consumers would miss the scrumptious chicken feet they get from the USA. “We have these jumbo, juicy paws the Chinese really love,” said Paul W. Aho, a … Continue reading
The camel as cow, a cautionary tale
Putting aside for the moment the advisability of trying to make a living milking camels, you would not think it a particularly difficult business. But you would be wrong. The camels grazing outside of Den Bosch may look happy enough. But milking them is another story; moody camels are known to spit and kick, and … Continue reading
Global demand for animal protein and its implications for the feed industry
Summary Global demands for food are expected to increase 100% by 2050 driven by an increase in global population to 9+ billion and a growth in affluence primarily in China, India, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Twenty percent of this increased food demand can come from increased land put into production; however, environmental concerns and … Continue reading
Kenya’s pain: Famine, drought, government ambivalence cripples once stable nation
Children are starving, cattle are dropping dead, crops are withered, lakes are empty, and still the rains haven’t come. Kenya is on the verge of a catastrophe of Biblical proportions. Read more … (Part one in a two part look at the crisis in Kenya. The next article will focus on how the drought is … Continue reading
Can cows help stop climate change?
According to an article in the Ecologist (limited access content): “Meat, dairy… in fact, livestock in general has in recent years joined the ranks of the 4×4 and the short-haul flight. But could a change in the way we graze animals not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but even remove them from the atmosphere?” Read … Continue reading