‘The presence of transboundary animal diseases, and the escalating costs of regulation and meeting export standards, is key to the future of livestock production in Africa . . . and especially meeting the high hopes of the “livestock revolution” . . . . Focusing on the case of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in southern Africa – and … Continue reading
Author Archives: Susan MacMillan
Political patronage and peasant interests: The case of the livestock sector
A fascinating discussion by David Leonard and colleagues on patronage issues for the rural poor appears in the May 2010 issue of Development and Change. The authors ask: Is political patronage still relevant to policymaking for the rural poor, and especially livestock producers, in today’s developing world? ‘In this article, we argue that the nature of patronage … Continue reading
Africa / Agriculture / Brazil / Latin America
Brazilian interest in Africa: Agriculture’s final frontier?
In this weekly column, Roger Thurow, former foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, describes the interest of Embrapa, the Brazilian agricultural research corporation that engineered a ‘green revolution’ in Brazil, in Africa. ‘. . . In Africa, Embrapa’s scientists are exploring soil and geological conditions that are similar to Brazil’s. . . . Embrapa has … Continue reading
Agriculture / Consumption / North America / Research / USA
‘Food miles’ can be ‘false miles’ when total energy expenditures are taken into account
American science and history writer Stephen Budiansky published a tonic op-ed in the New York Times last week on the dangers of simplifying such inherently complex issues as total energy expenditures in the production, transportation and marketing of food. As his article tellingly points out (see excerpts below), making arbitrary rules about our food systems, … Continue reading
A lifetime’s work and livestock swept away in Pakistan
The flooding in Rajanpur, in Pakistan’s Punjab region, 14 August 2010. A man stranded with his remaining animals on a bit of unflooded ground waves for help (photo by Mudassir Ejaz Khan). An Op-Ed in today’s New York Times, written by Daniyal Mueenuddin, a Pakistani mango farmer and writer (author of the story collection ‘In Other … Continue reading
Africa / Animal Production / Asia / Environment / ILRI
Industrialized livestock production to increase, despite social implications
Voice of America has published interviews of agricultural systems analyst Philip Thornton and director general Carlos Seré, both of the Africa-based International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), on the future of livestock production. From the report: ‘. . . A British scientist has published a study Monday that says the 12,000 year-old relationship between humans and … Continue reading
Drought / East Africa / Food Security / ILRI / Insurance / Kenya
Kenya drought study
“Northern Kenya can be said to be under a permanent crisis, it’s a region with fewer than 10 medical doctors, no specialists; only the rich can access required healthcare services and many lives are lost daily whether we are in a disaster or not,” Ahmed said. Kenya’s failure to implement a disaster preparedness policy has … Continue reading
Africa / India / South Asia
Report: ‘More poor’ in India than Africa
Girls stand in front of an AIDS awareness poster in West Bengal, India. (Photo credit: ILRI / Mann) ‘Eight Indian states account for more poor people than in the 26 poorest African countries combined, a new measure of global poverty has found. ‘The Indian states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, have 421 million … Continue reading
Publish or post? Paradigm shift for scientific publishing advocated
‘As the news release for LiquidPublication simply states: “Don’t print it; post it.” To disseminate the information, the program has a software platform that lets other scientists search for what’s been posted, leave comments, link related works, and gather papers and information into their own personalized online journals — all for free. ‘”I think it’s … Continue reading
Africa / Climate Change / Environment / Food Security / Latin America / NRM / South Asia / WLE
UN role in fighting climate change, poverty and environmental degradation named for Australian former prime minister Kevin Rudd
‘Former prime minister Kevin Rudd has been appointed to an unpaid part-time position on a “high-level” United Nations panel tackling global sustainability issues. ‘Mr Rudd last month confirmed he had been approached by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to become involved with the United Nations project. ‘The appointment would require Mr Rudd to attend three meetings … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 