Category Archives: Animal Production

Africa / Agriculture / Animal Production / Crop-Livestock / East Africa / ILRI / Intensification / Livestock Systems / Pastoralism / West Africa

Sustainable development of animal production systems: Assessing options and strategies

Posted on by • Leave a comment

The July 2011 issue of Livestock Science is a compilation of papers addressing different aspects of the sustainability of animal production systems. According to the editorial introduction, animal production systems are facing large challenges because of their effects on the environment, emerging zoonotic diseases, welfare issues and negative contribution to human health. Unfortunately these negative … Continue reading →

Africa / Agriculture / Animal Production / Ethiopia / ILRI / Innovation Systems / IPMS / Livestock / Value Chains

Daily Tail – IPMS special on market-oriented smallholder development in Ethiopia

Posted on by • Leave a comment

Warm welcome The ‘Improving the Productivity and Market Success of Ethiopian farmers (IPMS)’ project held its ‘Experience-Sharing workshop’ on June 2 and 3 at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Addis Ababa. After 5 years of continuous engagement in 10 Pilot Learning Woredas (PLW), it was time to take stock of the results. Welcome … Continue reading →

Africa / Agriculture / Animal Production / Ethiopia / Extension / ILRI / Innovation Systems / IPMS / Livestock / Markets / Value Chains

Market-oriented agricultural development central to Ethiopia’s Growth and Transformation Plan

Posted on by • 1 Comment

Speech by Edmalem Shetaye on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture at the opening of the IPMS experience-sharing workshop held at ILRI on 2 and 3 June 2011. Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen: It is a privilege and honor to welcome you all to this workshop entitles ‘Market-oriented smallholder Development in support of the … Continue reading →

Animal Production / Drylands / DRYLANDSCRP / ILRI / India / Innovation Systems / Mozambique / South Asia / Southern Africa / Trade / Value Chains / Women

Reducing hunger and poverty through goat ‘value chains’ in India and Mozambique

Posted on by • Leave a comment

In many of the world’s dry areas, goats provide poor people with nutrition and livelihoods. An imGoats Project is working to transform the lives of goat keepers in India and Mozambique by turning their subsistence-level goat production into viable and profitable enterprises. This two-year (2011–2012) project aims to improve the performance of small ruminant value … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Production / Livestock Systems / Pastoralism / Vulnerability

Pastoralism ‘alive and well’: Reflections from the Future Agricultures Consortium conference on pastoralism in Africa

Posted on by • Leave a comment

In March this year, the Future Agricultures Consortium and Tufts University organized a conference on the future of pastoralism in Africa. We invited some participants to reflect on the discussions in a short video interview. Ian Scoones from the Institute of Development Studies and the Future Agricultures Consortium concludes that pastoralism is ‘alive and well’ … Continue reading →

Animal Production / Climate Change / Environment

‘Livestock’s Long Shadow’ rebutted: On the dangers of comparing apples and oranges – and lumping production practices of rich and poor

Posted on by • Leave a comment

The 2006 publication of Livestock’s Long Shadow by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has stirred considerable controversy. Here is the latest rebuttal, showing the fallacy of treating all the world’s animal production as the same kind of ‘beast’. ‘How long is your shadow? The answer, of course, depends, and differs whether you are standing … Continue reading →

Animal Production / Australia / Livestock / Markets

Strategic goals for livestock enterprises in the semi-arid tropics

Posted on by • Leave a comment

Australia needs to invigorate its livestock enterprises in the tropics and boost its national and international agricultural services to keep up with growing demand, says expert in the research and development community. According to Dr Greg Harper, Deputy Chief of CSIRO’s Division of Livestock Industries, Australian livestock products are increasingly sought-after from both established and … Continue reading →

Africa / Agriculture / Animal Production / Crop-Livestock / Dairying / East Africa / Livestock Systems

Sustainable intensification: increasing productivity in African food and agricultural systems

Posted on by • Leave a comment

The February 2011 issue of the journal International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability contains a series of case studies from Africa on ‘sustainable agricultural intensification’ -“defined as producing more output from the same area of land while reducing the negative environmental impacts and at the same time increasing contributions to natural capital and the flow of environmental … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Production / Drought / ILRI / Pastoralism

Killing the ‘crisis narrative’ in African pastoralism

Posted on by • Leave a comment

Dan Murphy, a food-industry journalist and commentator, picked up the story we recently ran on a Future of Pastoralism in Africa Conference, held at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and says the following in Drovers CattleNetwork. ‘Dry, dusty, deserted. ‘Those would be apt descriptions of the photos and descriptions most … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Production / East Africa / Livestock / Livestock Systems / Pro-Poor Livestock

Focus of livestock policies in Horn of Africa can be sharpened

Posted on by • Leave a comment

The IGAD Livestock Policy Initiative just published a working paper on “Livestock and Livelihoods in the IGAD Region: A Policy and Institutional Analysis.” The paper recommends that first and foremost, the dominant ‘production and market access’ narrative should be enhanced by a development paradigm that also appreciates the many livelihoods services provided by livestock, including … Continue reading →