Author Archives: Susan MacMillan

Agriculture / East Africa / Ethiopia / ILRI / Intensification / Launch / Livestock-Water / Pro-Poor Livestock / Project / Value Chains / Water

New project promises better ‘LIVES’ for Ethiopia’s livestock and irrigation farmers

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A baseline survey was conducted for the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project in Sidama (Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region), Ethiopia (photo credit: ILRI/Kettema Yilma). ‘The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) have launched a new project called “Livestock and [Irrigation] Value Chains for … Continue reading →

Article / Genetics / Indigenous Breeds / USA

Of mice (pupfish) and men: Existential matters rising in genetic rescues of endangered species

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Bio-repository of livestock genetic material at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) (photo credit: ILRI/Susan MacMillan). WIRED Magazine recently published an interesting article, ‘Attack of the mutant pupfish’, on some existential matters rising in attempts to make genetic rescues of endangered species. The author explores an interesting case study of the conflicting stands/approaches of animal … Continue reading →

Agriculture / CCAFS / Climate Change / Food Security / ILRI / Report

‘Lifeline’ food crops at risk of climate change: Major adaptation efforts needed, says CGIAR study

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Rose Mnjemo with soya beans, a maize, soya and cassava farmer from Khulungira Village, in central Malawi (photo credit: ILRI/Stevie Mann). Agence France Presse reports on a 2012 international study that found that climate change is on track to disrupt lifeline food crops across large swathes of Africa and Asia already mired in chronic poverty. More … Continue reading →

Agriculture / Climate Change / Report

Watch this brief video by New Scientist showing how our climate is changing

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In the absence of aggressive government policies aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions, a number of leading organizations, including the United Nations, the World Bank and others, have begun issuing analyses that regard potentially dangerous temperature elevations as not just a possibility should the status quo prevail, but a near certainty even if things start … Continue reading →

Biodiversity / Buffalo / Environment / Europe / Wildlife

‘Rewilding’ Germany: Water buffaloes go back home

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Buffalo calf in Rajasthan, India (photo credit: ILRI/Susan MacMillan). ‘Scientists are conducting intriguing — and counterintuitive — experiments at several sites in Germany: Bringing back long-lost herbivores, such as water buffalo, to encourage the spread of native plants that have fared poorly in Europe’s human-dominated landscape. ‘. . . Rössling is a project manager with … Continue reading →

Animal Feeding / China / Indonesia / Kenya / Rwanda / Tanzania / Vietnam

Sweet potato roots and leaves for ‘cow cafeterias’ and ‘pig pantries’ in East Africa

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An East African researcher holds handfuls of sweet potato roots and leaves, to be used as animal feed (photo credit: Neil Palmer/CIAT). ‘Pressures from climate change and population growth are increasing the competition for grains as food or livestock feed in countries like Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda. But sweet potato, which can grow in harsh … Continue reading →

CCAFS / Climate Change / India / South Asia

India fights curbs on livestock-generated greenhouse gas emissions at Doha

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Girdhai Lal Jat herds his cattle through the village of Nagar, in Tonk District, Rajasthan, India, to water (photo credit: ILRI/Stevie Mann). ‘At the United Nations climate talks in Doha this week, India opposed any move that would require developing countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. ‘With an estimated 485 million cattle, goat, … Continue reading →

Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Cattle / Central Africa / Disease Control / East Africa / ECF / ILRI / Kenya / Launch / Southern Africa / Vaccines

Vaccine developed by KARI, supported by ILRI, is ‘milestone in control of Africa’s livestock diseases’

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Faith Kivuti with her mother milking a cow in Kenya (photo on Flickr by Jeff Haskins). A vaccine to protect cattle against a lethal disease known as East Coast fever has been launched in Kenya, where Kenya Livestock Development Minister Mohammed Kuti says the development ‘is a big relief to livestock farmers in East, Central and … Continue reading →

CCAFS / Climate Change / ILRI / Presentation

‘Enormous potential’ of small-scale livestock farming to help mitigate global warming

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The challenge ahead is unequivocal,” says Mario Herrero, senior agro-ecological systems analyst with the International Livestock Research Institute. “We need to feed 9 billion to 10 billion people in the future at a lower economic cost, but also in a socially and economically acceptable way.” Mario Herrero was speaking in Nairobi, Kenya, at a November … Continue reading →

A4NH / Agri-Health / Animal Health / Article / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / Geodata / Human Health / ILRI / Wildlife / Zoonotic Diseases

Pathogen ecologies and human interventions: The natural and unnatural histories of zoonotic diseases

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Three diapered goats in the boot of a car in Bamako, Mali (photo on Flickr by Romel Jacinto/37 °C). This week, the Lancet publishes a series of three papers on diseases that are ‘zoonotic’, that is, infections shared by people and other animals. As William Keresh of EcoHealth Alliance (New York) and his colleagues explain in … Continue reading →