In this pictorial essay, 10 farmers in Kenya explain how fodder shrubs have increased their incomes and enabled them to diversify their livelihoods. In addition to better earnings and increased milk production, fodder shrubs have helped to increase the confidence and status of women. Read more … (New Agriculturist) Continue reading
In the arid, dusty Marsabit region of northern Kenya, most people rely on livestock — for food, milk and income — to survive. So when a drought hits the already desertlike area and plants and animals begin to die, the entire population is at risk of famine. And because northern Kenya experiences drought about every … Continue reading
Temperatures seem set to soar to perilously high levels because of climate change. In another 40 years, would maize still be the staple food in Kenya, already hit by five failed rainy seasons? If not, what could people grow and eat? And if you could grow maize, how much water and fertilizer would it need? … Continue reading
Kleinbauern in Afrika können ihr Vieh neuerdings gegen Dürren versichern Der Marsabit-Distrikt in Kenia ist nicht unbedingt eine Touristengegend. Es gibt zwar um den verloschenen Vulkan gleichen Namens herum einen Nationalpark mit Löwen, Leoparden, Zebras und Elefanten. Aber das Tiefland am Ufer des Turkana-Sees und an der Grenze zu Äthiopien ist eintönig und flach, steinig … Continue reading
ILRI’s Research of 2009 is again reported on the ‘Dynamics of Mara-Serengeti ungulates to land use changes’. A former project member, Dickson Ole Kaelo, speaking on the importance of conservancies in sustaining the Mara’s wildlife, is quoted saying, “This land is critical to the survival of most resident and migratory wildlife species such as … Continue reading
A new paper published in Science, an international magazine, warned that billions of dollars promised to fund programmes to boost small-scale agriculture in developing countries are likely to fail in feeding the world’s increasing populations, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), reported here in a statement on Saturday. ILRI said the failure to feed the … Continue reading
A multi-million dollar laboratory expected to boost research and put Africa at par with the world’s most advanced research institutions has opened its doors to African researchers. The laboratory — hosted under the Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA) hub — is based at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi. It is the … Continue reading
The droughts in the Turkana region were less severe when she was growing up, says Laura Letapalel, and pastoralists could still find some grass and water for their animals. Now, she laments, the droughts are longer and there is nothing to eat. Andrew Mude, an economist with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), says drought … Continue reading
African scientists and students now have access to world-class laboratory facilities, with the opening of an agricultural biosciences research facility at the International Livestock Research Institute’s (ILRI) campus in Nairobi, Kenya. The laboratory facility meets the standards of the world’s most developed countries, said an ILRI spokesperson, and will enable Africans to “venture into new … Continue reading
A world-class bioscience research facility that has opened its doors in Nairobi is set to move Africa closer to the developed world in agricultural technology. The aptly named Biosciences Eastern and Central Africa (BecA) centre at the International Livestock Research Institute hub brings together a critical mass of scientists from Africa and abroad and is … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 