Virtual City using Microsoft technology, it uses radio frequency identification (RFID) to keep track of cattle in Kenya, according to a Microsoft blog post. The tag goes in the cow’s stomach (no word on which one, or how it doesn’t end up coming out again) and keeps information on the cow’s origin, previous owners and … Continue reading
Category Archives: Countries
Africa / Climate Change / Drought / East Africa / ILRI / Indigenous Breeds / Kenya
Dry future for Kenyan farms
Life in Kenya’s famine-prone fringe areas will get worse with total crop failure within the next four decades, according to a new study. The study carried out by the International Livestock Research Institute says drought-tolerant maize and even the much more resilient millet will hardly survive hotter weather and rainfall shifts in the areas. It … Continue reading
India forgets its milk revolution hero
I had just entered my teenage years when I discovered the power of the idiot box. As we sat huddled before the eye-popping technology in a rectangular shape , my first memories are those of hearing a deep baritone voice, intellectually refined , possessing extraordinary depth and talking esoteric stuff. I did not understand much, … Continue reading
Animal Feeding / Fodder / ILRI / India / Innovation Systems / Livestock / Nigeria
Innovation systems: A testing process
It is a time of new opportunities as new technologies allow people to easily obtain new and more information, and local and global markets become more accessible. But coping with change is a complex process and it is unfortunate that a business-as-usual approach in agriculture and rural development often results in these opportunities being under-exploited. … Continue reading
Africa / Books and chapters / East Africa / Geodata / ILRI / Livestock / NRM / Regions / Uganda / WLE
Mapping a better future: How spatial analysis can benefit wetlands and reduce poverty in Uganda
This Publication by ILRI on Mapping a better future: how spatial analysis can benefit wetlands and reduce poverty in Uganda was released on 25 May, 2009 This publication presents results of a study carried on Ugandan abundant natural wealth. Its varied wetlands, including grass swamps, mountain bogs, seasonal floodplains, and swamp forests, provide services and … Continue reading
DNA blueprint for healthier and more efficient cows
Latest findings from the Bovine Genome Sequencing Project: Ground breaking findings by an international consortium of scientists who sequenced and analysed the bovine genome, could result in more sustainable food production. The findings, published in two reports in the journal Science today, will have a profound impact on Australia’s livestock industry. CSIRO scientists were among … Continue reading
East Africa / Kenya / Wildlife
Mara wildlife in serious decline
Wild grazing animals in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve are steadily disappearing, a study has found. Numbers of giraffe, warthog, impala, topi and hartebeest fell by 50% or more between 1979 and 2002. The falls are linked to rapid growth of Maasai settlements around the reserve, say scientists from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). … Continue reading
Environment / Kenya / Wildlife
Giraffe numbers in Masai Mara down 95%
The giraffe population of Kenya’s famous Maasai Mara reserve has declined by up to 95% because of increased human settlement around the unfenced park, according to a new study. Scientists at the Nairobi-based International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) found that the numbers of giraffes, hartebeest, impala, warthogs, topis and waterbuck all fell “markedly and persistently” throughout … Continue reading
New study shows steep declines in populations of giraffes and other animals at Kenya’s Masai Mara reserve
A 15-year study of the grazing wildlife in Kenya’s famed Masai Mara reserve has revealed a startling drop in the reserve’s giraffe, warthog, impala, hartebeest, topi and waterbuck populations. The study, published in the May issue of the British Journal of Zoology, is based on researchers’ analysis of data gathered from monthly monitoring of seven … Continue reading
Mara wildlife in serious decline
Wild grazing animals in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve are steadily disappearing, a study has found. Numbers of giraffe, warthog, impala, topi and hartebeest fell by 50% or more between 1979 and 2002. The falls are linked to rapid growth of Maasai settlements around the reserve, say scientists from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 