Category Archives: Climate Change

Africa / Agriculture / Animal Production / Climate Change / Crop-Livestock / Environment / ILRI / Livestock Systems / Poultry

Turkeys and spinach: Green foodies beware–the foods in our food systems are not always what they seem

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Seen at the Barrington Living History Farm (USA), this is most likely a Black-Spanish turkey, which was a common breed in the 19th century (photo credit: Big Grey Mare’s Photostream on Flickr / Carol Von Canon). Agricultural systems analyst Philip Thornton, of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), was interviewed last week by the American … Continue reading →

Africa / Climate Change / ILRI

Forscher warnen: Vier Grad sind zwei zu viel

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‘Um nicht mehr als zwei Grad Celsius soll sich die Erde erwärmen. Darauf hatten sich die Teilnehmer des letzten Klimagipfels verständigt. Zu Beginn des diesjährigen UN-Klimatreffens im mexikanischen Cancún an diesem Montag ist allerdings fraglicher denn je, ob dieses unverbindliche Minimalziel überhaupt noch erreicht werden kann. Zum einen, weil weiter verbindliche Ziele zur Treibhausgasminderung fehlen. ‘Zum … Continue reading →

Africa / Climate Change / Crop-Livestock / Directorate / Food Security / ILRI

Could rising temperatures overwhelm Africa’s adaptive capacity and resilience?

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‘A new study warns of the potential problems Africa faces from rising temperatures. ‘The Nairobi-based International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) says the continent must learn to adapt to shorter growing seasons. The report was released as the U.N. Climate Change Conference is held in Cancun, Mexico. ‘Most warnings about climate change are based on a … Continue reading →

Africa / Climate Change / Crop-Livestock / Directorate / Food Security / ILRI / Livelihoods

Climate change may force many southern African crop-and-livestock farmers to migrate–ILRI director general Carlos Sere

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‘The unsolved puzzle of what to do with people forced from their homes by the effects of climate change—a hot topic a couple of years ago—seems to have slid down the agendas of aid agencies, policy makers and the media. . . . [A] comprehensive international framework for dealing with environmental migrants is still a … Continue reading →

Africa / Climate Change / Food Security / ILRI

Shorter growing season for sub-Saharan Africa – ILRI systems analyst Philip Thornton

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‘. . . [T]he UK’s Royal Society has published detailed study of how the world will look when it is 4 °C warmer. . . . ‘Most of sub-Saharan Africa will see shorter growing seasons, according to Philip Thornton of the International Livestock Research Institute in Nairobi, Kenya, and colleagues. As a result, average maize … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Production / Climate Change / Goats / Livestock / Mozambique / Small Ruminants / Southern Africa

Mozambique adapting to climate change with goats

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People in the floodplains of Mozambique’s Zambezi Valley have always relied on the rains October and November so they could sow their seeds for a good harvest in the New Year. But, there are droughts and the rains are erratic, often coming very late and falling so heavily that everything is washed away. Crops fail, … Continue reading →

Climate Change

Connecting the dots at Cancun

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Delegates arrive at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 15) in Copenhagen, Denmark, one year ago, in December 2009 (photo credit: Neil Palmer/CIAT). Kenyan environmentalist, tree planter and Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai writes in the Guardian today that the latest meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 16), being held … Continue reading →

Africa / CCAFS / Climate Change / Drylands / DRYLANDSCRP / ILRI

Climate change scientists warn of 4-degree global temperature rise

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Dryland in Marsabit District, northern Kenya; 80 per cent of Kenya’s lands are dry or semi-dry; some of these drylands are predicted to get drier still in this century as a result of climate change (photo credit: ILRI/Mude). Philip Thornton, an agricultural systems analyst with the International Livestock Research Institute, is quoted in the Guardian … Continue reading →

Animal Production / Climate Change / Livestock / Livestock Systems

Livestock-Climate Newsletter released

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The first issue of Chronicles, the quarterly newsletter of the Livestock-Climate Change Collaborative Research Support Program is now available on line and in paper formats. The Adapting Livestock Systems to Climate Change Collaborative Research Support Program (ALS-CC CRSP) was established in 2010. The goal of the Livestock-Climate CRSP is to to reduce vulnerability, increase adaptive … Continue reading →