Category Archives: Agriculture

Africa / Agriculture / East Africa / Ethiopia / ILRI / IPMS / Knowledge and Information / Participation

IPMS – Farm Radio Participatory Agricultural Radio Series in Ethiopia: Sidama

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In 2011, Farm Radio international conducted a Participatory Agricultural Radio Series (PARS) related to two of the commodity value chains of the Improving Productivity and Marketing Success (IPMS) project of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). The series focused on apiculture in the Tigray region and fruit tree production in Sidama region. The PARS was implemented … Continue reading →

Agriculture / Capacity Strengthening / East Africa / Event / Farming Systems / Food Security / Livelihoods / Southern Africa

New Australian International Food Security Centre seeks partnerships in Africa

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Mellissa Wood (4th left), of the Australian International Food Security Centre, and other members of the the Commission for International Agricultural Research on a visit to ILRI in March 2012 (photo credit: ILRI). A new initiative has been launched by the Australian International Food Security Centre to improve food security in Africa. The centre, which falls … Continue reading →

Agriculture / Brazil / China / Event report / India / Opinion piece / Policy

Rio+20 ‘ducked’ political realities: Time for South to show ‘political muscle and imaginative thinking’

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Happy dragon in Fengdu, China (photo on Flickr by Major Clanger). SciDevNet’s David Dickson argues in an opinion piece last week that the outcomes of the June Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development illustrate that leadership from developing countries will be key to global sustainable development. Dickson says that the result of Rio-20 was ‘the … Continue reading →

Agriculture / Animal Diseases / Asia / CSF / ILRI / India / Pigs / Policy / South Asia / Vaccines

Preventing and controlling classical swine fever in northeast India

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Classical swine fever is a highly contagious, potentially fatal viral disease that affects pigs. This disease is a major constraint to the development of pig farming systems in northeast India where pig farming is a main source of livelihood for most households. About 80 per cent of households in northeast India rear pigs and pork … Continue reading →

Agriculture / Environment / Event report / Food Security / Policy

The road back to Rio: Scientists find final ‘The Future We Want’ document to be ‘science light’

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Scientists complain that the new Rio+20 accord barely mentions the scientific inputs needed for sustainable development (photo on Flickr by CGIAR Climate/CCAFS). ‘The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) ended last Friday (22 June) with an international agreement on the need for all countries to commit themselves to achieving sustainable development. ‘The agreement immediately … Continue reading →

Agriculture / CGIAR / Event / Research

The road back to Rio: USD1 billlion CGIAR work agenda presented for a food-secure future

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Donut diagram by Oxfam’s Kate Raworth illustrating a safe and just space for humanity, inspired by Rockström’s 2009 diagram of nine planetary boundaries constituting an environmental ceiling, or ‘a safe operating space for humanity’ (source: ‘Can we live inside the doughnut?‘).  SciDevNet this week reports that ‘Beginning in 2013, CGIAR will pump an extra $US … Continue reading →

Agriculture / Asia / Extension / ILRI / ILRIComms / India / Knowledge and Information / South Asia

m-Kisan: Using mobile technologies to strengthen farmer-extension-expert-linkages in India

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This week, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) joins partners in India for the launch of the m-kisan project, part of an mFarmer Initiative funded by GSMA (the worldwide association of mobile operators). In partnership with Handygo Technologies, a mobile value adding service provider for major network operators, ILRI will provide quality content mainly for small … Continue reading →

Agriculture / Environment / Event / Food Security

The road back to Rio: Will an opportunity for a safer, fairer, more united world be squandered?

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Rain clouds over a farming village near Iringa, Tanzania; time is running out for forging a new pact at Rio+20 this month for the world’s sustainable development and food security (photo on Flickr by United Nations/Wolff). The BBC environment correspondent Richard Black reports today that time is running out for countries now negotiating key issues … Continue reading →

Agriculture / Crop-Livestock / Event / HUMIDTROPICS / ILRI / Intensification

Integration, intensification, innovation – CGIAR humid tropics research program takes shape

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Last week the CGIAR Humid Tropics research program held a planning Workshop in Nairobi. Alan Duncan, ILRI’s contact person for the program shares his reflections on the design of the program: One could argue that the ‘integrating’ systems research programs like this one are what CGIAR reform was meant to achieve: Different centers pooling expertise, … Continue reading →

Agriculture / CCAFS / CGIAR / Food Security / Interview / Knowledge and Information / Research

At Rio+20 agriculture and environment must become ‘best friends’ – Frank Rijsberman

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Farm landscape in Lalibela, northern Ethiopia (photo on Flickr by Philip Kromer). ‘In the run-up to RIO+20, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), CGIAR, the global agricultural research partnership, issued a call-to-action. In this seven-point plan, CGIAR outlines how agricultural research for development can contribute to a more sustainable, food-secure future. ‘Bruce Campbell, Director … Continue reading →