For those advocating for urgent action on the climate change file, it’s been a rough few months. From the “Climategate” email scandal at the University of East Anglia to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report’s now-debunked claim that Himalayan glaciers could melt by 2035, advocates have been hit by a series of damaging credibility … Continue reading
Author Archives: Peter Ballantyne (ILRI)
New Zealand talks on farm emissions start
New Zealand will support developing countries getting benefits from its Global Research Alliance on agricultural greenhouse gases for free, Prime Minister John Key says. The government launched the alliance last year and the first meeting of member countries began in Wellington on Wednesday. The alliance was expected initially to divide its work into four sectors: … Continue reading
Meat vs. mile: Coverage of livestock, transportation emissions hypes controversy
For the last four years, media outlets such as The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and Fox News have repeatedly cited a United Nations study which found that livestock production is responsible for about 18 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions—a larger share than comes from all planes, trains, and automobiles combined. Last week, … Continue reading
AU-IBAR launches new strategic plan
The African Union Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) recently released a new strategic plan covering 2010-2014. According to the AU-IBAR Director: “The challenges and the changing global environment in which we operate demand new ways of management, organisation and stronger partnerships. This Strategic Plan marks a paradigm shift and a commitment that an energetic, … Continue reading
Mixed crop-livestock farming could help adaptation in Africa
According to new research (see related article), African farms with both crops and livestock could be more resilient to climate change than farms that only grow crops. The research suggests that policy makers should support farmers in making the switch to integrated farming. Read more … (European Commission) Continue reading
Livestock goods and bads: Readings
Later this month, many staff, partners and members of the board of trustees of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) will gather in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the institute’s annual program meeting. On the ILRI blog, Alan Duncan, chair of the organizing committee, introduces the theme of this year’s meeting: ‘Livestock: The good, the bad … Continue reading
Challenges posed by new and re-emerging infectious diseases in livestock production, wildlife and humans
In a new article in Livestock Science, B. Gummow examines some historical disease outbreaks and the factors that played a role in their emergence and compares these with recent emerging diseases. In doing so it highlights certain challenges that face livestock producers and decision makers today as they grapple with emerging diseases. One of the … Continue reading
Unsupported claims about livestock and climate change in the media
An air quality scientist at UC Davis, Professor Frank Mitloehner, has been in the press talking about implications of his research on livestock production and GHGs. He has been quoted as saying it is “scientifically inaccurate” and a “distraction” to encourage a reduction in meat consumption as part of an effort to combat climate change. … Continue reading
Is an integrated farm more resilient against climate change?
This paper by S. Niggol Seo in the journal ‘Food Policy’ examines whether an integrated farm that owns both crops and livestock is more resilient under global warming than a specialized farm in crops. Using around 9000 farm surveys across Africa, we explore how farmers choose one of the farm types and how the net … Continue reading
Implications of avian flu for economic development in Kenya
Kenya is vulnerable to avian flu given its position along migratory bird routes and proximity to other high risk countries. This raises concern about the effect an outbreak could have on economic development. We use a dynamic computable general equilibrium model of Kenya to simulate potential outbreaks of different severities, durations and geographic spreads. Results … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 