Author Archives: Susan MacMillan

Germany and ILRI intensify scientific cooperation to protect consumer health in Africa and Europe
Agri-Health / AHH / AMR / Animal Health / Food Safety / Germany / Human Health / ILRI / Kenya / Zoonotic Diseases

Germany and ILRI intensify scientific cooperation to protect consumer health in Africa and Europe

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With the participation of German research institutions and authorities, a workshop to improve human and animal health protection is taking place in Kenya from 27 Feb to 1 Mar 2018. The workshop is organized by ILRI, in Nairobi. Ten scientists from the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Freie Universität (FU) Berlin and Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute (FLI) are participating on behalf of Germany. Continue reading →

Is climate change a risk to global grazing lands?
Article / Climate Change / Drought / Drylands / Forages / Pastoralism / Pro-Poor Livestock / Rangelands / Research / Science paper

Is climate change a risk to global grazing lands?

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Published by the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota, Environment Reports is a collaboration between an international group of scientists, writers, and designers to combine incisive narratives about environmental challenges, backed up by cutting-edge data. Food Matters, the first report, focuses on the sustainability of our global food system. The article below—Is climate change a risk to global grazing lands?—is reproduced here by permission. Continue reading →

Beef cattle grazing on American rangelands—not feedlots—could be net carbon sink
Animal Production / Cattle / Climate Change / Environment / North America / Rangelands / Science paper / Soils / USA

Beef cattle grazing on American rangelands—not feedlots—could be net carbon sink

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A new research paper by Michigan State University scientists analyses the impacts of soil carbon sequestration on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions in Midwestern USA beef finishing systems and finds that eEmissions from the multi-paddock grazing system were offset completely by soil carbon sequestration and that soil carbon sequestration from well-managed grazing may help to mitigate climate change. Continue reading →

Variability in rainfall is increasing on global pastures important for food access and economies—Nature Climate Change
Climate Change / Drought / Drylands / Forages / Pastoralism / Pro-Poor Livestock / Rangelands / Science paper

Variability in rainfall is increasing on global pastures important for food access and economies—Nature Climate Change

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We found that areas where livestock grazing is an important part of local food availability (Fig. 3, dark red) and economies (dark blue) experience the highest levels of CVP (coefficient of variation of precipitation). Continue reading →

​’If you care about agriculture, you care about livestock’—Bill Gates
ACGG / ADGG / Animal Breeding / Animal Health / Biotechnology / Cattle / Chickens / CTLGH / Dairying / Genetics / ILRI / Launch / LiveGene / News clipping / Pro-Poor Livestock / Research

​’If you care about agriculture, you care about livestock’—Bill Gates

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According to Reuters, the Gates Foundation will pump $40m into research for higher-yielding dairy cows, as well as chickens that lay better quality eggs, livestock vaccines and ‘supercrops’ that can withstand droughts or disease. Continue reading →

DFID/UKAid fund British, ILRI, African genetics research to advance African livestock development
Africa / Agri-Health / Animal Breeding / Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Biotechnology / Cattle / CGIAR / Climate Change / CTLGH / Dairying / East Africa / Europe / Genetics / Human Health / ILRI / Kenya / Launch / LiveGene / Poultry / Pro-Poor Livestock / Research / Trypanosomiasis / UK / Vaccines / Zoonotic Diseases

DFID/UKAid fund British, ILRI, African genetics research to advance African livestock development

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During the visit Ms Mordaunt also announced plans to develop the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health, which is based in both Edinburgh and Nairobi. The centre uses the most recent scientific advances in genetics and genomics that are being used by farmers in the UK and apply these to help smallholder dairy and poultry farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. Continue reading →

Illegal land sales imperil unique treasure—by Jimmy Smith
Communications / Directorate / East Africa / ILRI / Kenya / Opinion piece / Policy / Pro-Poor Livestock / Research

Illegal land sales imperil unique treasure—by Jimmy Smith

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The following opinion piece was written by Jimmy Smith, director general of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). and published in the Daily Nation (Kenya) on 15 January 2018.
The vibrant and rapidly growing local livestock sector contributes more than 40 per cent of revenues and employs half of the labour force in Kenya’s agriculture industry.
Now, the greedy actions of a few are threatening the future of many millions of people and decades of livestock research.
Also lost in the lawless Kapiti land grab is that the Ilri station is a vital wildlife corridor and dispersal area for Kenya’s Southern Conservancy Area. Continue reading →

Jimmy Smith speaks in Australia on the pursuit of a ‘low-emissions cow’ and other livestock matters
Animal Breeding / Australia / Directorate / ECF / Genetics / ILRI / News clipping / Pro-Poor Livestock / Research

Jimmy Smith speaks in Australia on the pursuit of a ‘low-emissions cow’ and other livestock matters

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‘Visiting Brisbane in November for the International Tropical Agriculture Conference for 2017, Director General of the International Livestock Research Institute Dr. Jimmy Smith discussed with Devex a range of new and exciting programs his organization is delivering to help create climate and disease resistant livestock for Africa.’ Continue reading →

Thinking ‘beyond the farm’—On Germany’s longstanding commitment to agricultural research for development
Agriculture / CCAFS / CGIAR / Climate Change / Environment / Event report / Film and video / Food Security / Germany / ILRI / Mazingira / Policy / Presentation / Research / SLS

Thinking ‘beyond the farm’—On Germany’s longstanding commitment to agricultural research for development

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Watch and listen to Stefan Schmitz, head of Food, Agriculture & Rural Development at Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as he delivers a short (6-minute) filmed presentation at one of several linked collaborative events led by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) and held on the sidelines of the 23rd Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP23) to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on 7 Nov 2017 in Bonn, Germany. Continue reading →

Celebrate World Antibiotic Awareness Week by updating yourself on why health experts are so concerned
AMR / Animal Health / Bangladesh / Brazil / China / India / Indonesia / Nigeria / Thailand / Vietnam

Celebrate World Antibiotic Awareness Week by updating yourself on why health experts are so concerned

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This week is World Antibiotic Awareness Week. Get yourself updated with this useful short overview on the rising global problem of antimicrobial resistance by reading this ‘Factbox’ from Thomson Reuters Foundation. Continue reading →