Sam Dryden, an investor and entrepreneur, was named Friday to be the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s new director of agricultural development. Dryden, a managing director of New York-based Wolfensohn & Company, an investment firm, will begin the new post on Feb. 1. He replaces Dr. Rajiv Shah, who was sworn in Thursday as the … Continue reading
Category Archives: Agriculture
Feeding the future …
Writing in the December 2009 issue of Livestock Research for Rural Development, University of Queensland Professor David Farrell reflects on the feed, food and land area that the world will require by 2016-2018. “The alarming increase in biofuel production, the projected demand for livestock products, and the estimated food to feed the additional 700 million … Continue reading
Agriculture / CCAFS / CGIAR / Climate Change / Research
Climate, agriculture and food security: A strategy for change
Climate has been central to much of the work of the CGIAR centres, variable and uncertain weather being one of the greatest challenges to small-scale farmers and other resource managers. New technologies and knowledge resulting from this work include hardier crops and better ways to manage trees, livestock, water, soil and fish. The CGIAR Challenge … Continue reading
Africa / Agriculture / Central Africa / East Africa / ILRI / Research
The influence of current and future climate-induced risk on the agricultural sector in East and Central Africa: Sensitizing the ASARECA strategic plan to climate change
This Research Report by Jeannette van de Steeg, Mario Herrero, James Kinyangi, Philip Thornton, K.P.C. Rao, Roger Stern, and Peter Cooper on The influence of current and future climate-induced risk on the agricultural sector in East and Central Africa: Sensitizing the ASARECA strategic plan to climate change was released on 23 December, 2009. Rainfed agriculture … Continue reading
Reducing livestock’s emissions shadow
Federated Farmers has enthusiastically welcomed news that the Global Research Alliance on agricultural greenhouse gases is starting to get the financial means to take flight, with over $200 million pledged from New Zealand, the United States and Canada. “We’re ecstatic to see the United States contributing $125 million worth of research over four years, while … Continue reading
Global research alliance launched at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen
On 16 December in Copenhagen, agricultural research took center stage at the United Nations Climate Change Conference when Ministers from 18 countries launched a Global Research Alliance that will help us better understand how agriculture can help reduce greenhouse gases while also growing more food. USDA will commit up to $90 Million over four years towards … Continue reading
Agriculture / Ethiopia / Livestock / Trade
Meeting over low meat export draws blood
A meeting between Abera Deressa(PhD), state minister for Agriculture and Rural Development (MoARD), and meat exporters ended in disagreement over low meat export. The meat exporters could go back to the Prime Minister’s Office who prompted the meeting by expressing his dissatisfaction over poor export performance at the monthly meeting of the National Export Coordination … Continue reading
Summary of Agriculture and Rural Development Day
The Agriculture and Rural Development Day event was held at the University of Copenhagen, in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Saturday, 12 December 2009. The event took place in parallel with the United Nations Climate Change Conference, including the fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate … Continue reading
Africa / Agriculture / Ethiopia / Food Security / Livestock
Commercialisation of livestock agriculture in Africa: Challenges and opportunities
For too long, the potential of the livestock sector in Africa has not received the attention it deserves. Policies and other institutions promoting livestock development have been weak or absent in most African countries. Commercialization has not been a focus and livestock production remained predominantly subsistence-oriented. Commercially oriented animal production systems are more likely to … Continue reading
Agriculture / CGIAR / Research
CGIAR unveils agricultural research ‘masterplan’
A “masterplan” for agricultural research and technology transfer was unveiled at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen today by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the world’s largest alliance of agricultural scientists. The 45-page strategy calls for, on the one hand, action that harnesses multiple advances that the group says are waiting … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 