Category Archives: Agriculture

Agriculture / Asia / Crop-Livestock / Event / Farming Systems / Humid Tropics / HUMIDTROPICS / PIL / Research / Vietnam

Condensing lots of information into a situational analysis report: think about key messages

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As promised six months ago, the Humidtropics situational analysis being conducted in the Northwest Vietnam action site is now ready to share its first lessons. This preliminary research activity of the Humidtropics CGIAR research program has been coordinated by Steve Staal, Regional Representative for Southeast Asia of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). It has … Continue reading →

Agriculture / Article / Biotechnology / Climate Change / Disease Control / Genetics / ILRIComms

The holy grail in agricultural genetics is within sight: But will it make a difference to feeding the hungry?

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Work in the genetic resources program at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (photo on Flickr by CIAT/Neil Palmer). Are promising genetically modified food crops doomed to stay in greenhouses? What about crops whose bits (of bits) of their genomes have been ‘precision edited’ with the help of new genome engineering tools (Talens and Crispr) … Continue reading →

Agriculture / Animal Production / Article / East Africa / Livelihoods / Livestock / PIL / Pro-Poor Livestock / Tanzania / Value Chains

In Africa, livestock are a catalyst for economic growth—Livestock data study findings

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Investing in smallholder farmers who own livestock in rural Africa, such as these women in Tanzania, is a catalyst for economic growth (photo credit: ILRI/Deo Gratias Shayo). Last October (2013), the World Bank reported on the findings of a case study on ‘Livestock and Livelihoods in Rural Tanzania.’ The study assessed opportunities and barriers to … Continue reading →

Agriculture / Farming Systems / HUMIDTROPICS / Innovation Systems / LIVESTOCKFISH / Opinion piece / Participation / PIL / PIM / Research / UK / Value Chains

Joining the PARADE: Lessons on participatory agricultural research by a livestock economist

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I joined the PARADE workshop from 9 to 11 December 2013. PARADE stands for Participatory Agricultural Research: Approaches, Design and Evaluation. The PARADE event held this week was an expert meeting at Saint Anne’s College, Oxford, United Kingdom. It was sadly not a vibrant, colourful and noisy display of human diversity… Then again, perhaps it … Continue reading →

Agriculture / Environment / Event / Food Security / ILRI / ILRIComms / Opinion piece / Pro-Poor Livestock

World Food Day: On the central, enduring (and other) roles of smallholders in feeding the world (in 12 tweets/images)

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We’re celebrating this World Food Day (#WFD2013) journalist Mark Bittman in a New York Times opinion piece, How to Feed the World (14 Oct 2013), on the central and enduring value of smallholder farming in feeding the world sustainably. Read the whole article. It’s very good. We’ve added some of our favourite artworks, all (kindly) made … Continue reading →

Africa / Agriculture / Award / Capacity Strengthening

World Bank announces fellowship program for Africa

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The first World Bank Group Fellowship Program in the Africa Region has been launched tol further the Bank’s efforts to attract and build the capacity of local talent and the African Diaspora across the globe. The program will target highly talented and promising Ph.D. candidates, African or of African descent, and the program will help … Continue reading →

Agriculture / Animal Feeding / Colombia / Environment / Forages / ILRIComms / Latin America / LIVESTOCKFISH / Project

Making grass greener: CIAT breeds tropical pasture that suppresses greenhouse gas emissions

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Guillermo Sotelo of CIAT’s entomology team, working with brachiaria grass in a greenhouse at the institution’s headquarters in Colombia (picture credit: CIAT/Neil Palmer). ‘. . . On 13 September, researchers announced that they have bred a tropical pasture grass that can significantly suppress greenhouse-gas emissions. The team, from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) … Continue reading →

Agriculture / Award / CapDev / Scholarship

Australia Awards in Africa: Apply for 2014/15 opportunities

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Australia Awards, a cornerstone of the Australian Government’s development assistance program for Africa, provide access to postgraduate education, training and professional development opportunities for suitably qualified Africans from eligible countries. On their return to the workplace, Australia Awards Alumni are expected to contribute actively to development in their home countries. Applications for 2014/15 are now … Continue reading →

Agriculture / CCAFS / CGIAR / Climate Change / East Africa / Environment / Geodata / ILRI / ILRIComms / Interview / Kenya / SLS

Greenhouse gases produced by Kenyan farmers: Project to measure village emission levels

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Typical smallholder’s farm in Busia, in western Kenya, where farmers mix crop growing with livestock raising (photo credit: ILRI/Pye-Smith). A team of scientists is collecting information on the level of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced by smallholder farmers. Scientists from CGIAR centres under the Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) said the project’s key … Continue reading →

Agriculture / Animal Production / Australia / Directorate / Food Security / ILRI / ILRIComms / Intensification / Interview / Pro-Poor Livestock

Supporting the world’s smallholder livestock keepers can increase food supplies while reducing absolute poverty

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A young boy in Kenya feeds his family’s improved dairy cows (photo credit: East Africa Dairy Development project). ‘The head of the global livestock research centre (ILRI) in Kenya says smallholder farmers will be essential in providing the animal protein needed to feed nine billion people by 2050. ‘Dr Jimmy Smith’s comments are in response … Continue reading →