Goat for sale in a market in Nigeria (photo by ILRI/Mann). ‘. . . In Ontario agriculture, there’s no question: 2010 is the Year of the Goat. ‘Ontario farmers are catching up with the rest of the world by discovering the virtues of goats as livestock. The province has long had a strong livestock sector, … Continue reading
Category Archives: Animal Production
Pakistan’s national livestock herds imperiled by flooding
Happy Herding, a picture taken by Benny Lin in Pakistan on 18 January 2010, a half year before the great floods came. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) says there is urgent need for animal feed in Pakistan to prevent further economic destruction in the aftermath of the disastrous flooding. ‘Millions … Continue reading
Animal Production / Asia / Bangladesh / Dairying / Livestock / South Asia
Using cows to pull Bangladeshi farmers out of poverty
More than 115 million Bangladeshis live in rural villages. Those villagers don’t have much, but many do own a cow. In fact, Bangladesh has the third-largest cattle population in Asia (and the 12th-largest in the world). In theory, those bovines were the most valuable and profitable asset that poor Bangladeshis owned. The problem was that … 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
Africa / Animal Production / Animal Products / Environment / Food Safety / Ghana / Livestock / West Africa
Confronting livestock on the streets of Accra
The vision of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to transform Accra, the capital city to a millennium city is laudable and has won accolades from many stakeholders. However one would least expect to find livestock roaming the streets of Accra, in a merry-go-round style, in the official gateway to the country. What is worrying is the … Continue reading
SADC short of meat, dairy products
Though southern African countries under SADC have made progress in livestock production over the past decade, they remain a net importer of meat, milk and eggs. “SADC remains a net importer of these products, which means we still have to do a lot more and there is potential for us to even meet the regional … Continue reading
Africa / Animal Production / Ethiopia / Goats / ILRI / IPMS / Livestock / Markets / Report / Sheep / Small Ruminants
Sheep and goat production and marketing systems in Ethiopia: characteristics and strategies for improvement
This working paper by Solomon Gizaw, Azage Tegegne, Berhanu Gebremedhin and Dirk Hoekstra on Sheep and goat production and marketing systems in Ethiopia: characteristics and strategies for improvement was released on 12 August, 2010. Ethiopia is home for a large and diverse livestock resources and favourable production environments. The vast majority of the rural population’s … Continue reading
Exceptional–dead–cattle now cloned in the US
‘Some of the cattle cloned to boost food production in the US have been created from the cells of dead animals, according to a US cloning company. Farmers say it is being done because it is only possible to tell that the animal’s meat is of exceptionally high quality by inspecting its carcass. ‘US scientists are … Continue reading
Large-scale American livestock farmers and animal rights activists agree to compromise
‘Concessions by farmers in this state [Ohio] to sharply restrict the close confinement of hens, hogs and veal calves are the latest sign that so-called factory farming — a staple of modern agriculture that is seen by critics as inhumane and a threat to the environment and health — is on the verge of significant … Continue reading
Meat and markets: Can a global trade in livestock deliver southern Africa out of poverty?
Trading livestock domestically and regionally, rather than globally, offers the best route out of poverty for southern Africa, according to recent research from the STEPS Centre based at IDS. The work, funded by the Wellcome Trust’s Livestock for Life programme, looked at the beef industry in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, and questioned whether … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 