Category Archives: Countries

Drought / Drylands / Event / Food Security / Mali / Niger / Pastoralism / Vulnerability / West Africa

Recurrent drought can encourage, not kill, pastoralism

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Pastoralists take their livestock to sell at a market in Moussoro, Bahr El Ghazal Province, in northern Chad. In 2012 countries across the Sahel region are once again facing a serious food crisis. This ecologically fragile region is becoming increasingly vulnerable to insufficient rainfall, and fluctuating animal and food prices that are affecting millions of pastoral … Continue reading →

Agriculture / CCAFS / Climate Change / Directorate / ILRI / India / South Asia / Southeast Asia / Thailand / Vietnam

Climate change expected to reduce Asia’s food production by as much as 50%

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Indonesian village devastated by flooding; climate change will bring about more severe floods and droughts (photo on Flickr by International Rivers). ‘As Asia’s monsoon season begins, leading climate specialists and agricultural scientists warn that rapid climate change and its potential to intensify droughts and floods could end Southeast Asia’s global dominance in rice production and … Continue reading →

Animal Breeding / Animal Feeding / China / Genetics / Intensification / Pigs / Poultry / Trade / USA

Exporting American livestock genetics to China: Grain to follow?

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Min piglets at the experimental station at the Institute for Animal Science, in Beijing, China (photo credit: ILRI/Stevie Mann). America is breeding farm animals for China, Reuters and the New York Times report, to supply China with more meat. ‘. . . In a country where pork is a staple, the demand for a protein-rich … Continue reading →

Drought / Drylands / East Africa / Ethiopia / Food Security / Kenya / Pastoralism / Somalia / South Sudan / Sudan / Vulnerability / West Africa

FEWS NET says rainfall in Africa’s eastern Horn may be below normal again this year

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FEWS Net Estimated Food Security Conditions for Mar 2012 (map credit: USAID and Famine Early Warning System Network). Bloomberg News has reported a new report from the Famine Early Warning Systems network (FEWS NET) that East African rainfall ‘may be “significantly” below average in the Horn of Africa’s main growing season, potentially threatening a region … Continue reading →

Agriculture / Animal Production / Animal Products / Cattle / East Africa / Ethiopia / ILRI / IPMS / Livestock / Markets / Project / Research

IPMS project updates shared with steering committee

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The Improving Productivity and Market Success (IPMS) project held its semi annual steering committee meeting on April 17, 2012 in Addis Ababa. Representatives from the Oromia, SNNP and Tigray bureau’s of agriculture/research; IPMS rural development officers; CIDA representatives; and IPMS headquarters staff attended. Iain Wright chaired the meeting. The main agenda of the day was … Continue reading →

Animal Production / Animal Products / Cattle / East Africa / Ethiopia / Film and video / IPMS / Livestock / Markets / Value Chains

An innovation story: Livestock fattening in Metema, Ethiopia

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This innovation story narrates the experience of the Improving Productivity and Market Success (IPMS) project on livestock fattening in Ethiopia. The video documents how a 2005 alliance between the local government office of agriculture, the IPMS project, and local livestock farmers and traders in western Ethiopia took advantage of livestock market opportunities in neighbouring Sudan. … Continue reading →

Agriculture / East Africa / Ethiopia / Event report / IPMS

Results-based M&E training for Ethiopia’s regional agricultural officers

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Towards the end of its five-year term, the Improving Productivity and Market Success (IPMS) project recently ran a training of trainers workshop on results-based monitoring and evaluation (M&E). In this video, Berhanu Gebremedhin outlines the main topics covered in the workshop: An introduction to results-based M&E; the development of a logic model and performance framework … Continue reading →

Animal Breeding / Buffalo / Cattle / Dairying / Fodder / India / Project / South Asia

World Bank injects USD352 million into Indian dairy farming

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Measuring milk for sale in India (photo credit: ILRI). ‘The World Bank signs an agreement with India to inject $352 million into the National Dairy Support Project, an initiative designed to revive the flagging fortunes of milk production in the country. Other than being crucial to the nutritional security of the country’s population; dairy farming … Continue reading →

Kenya

SNV Kenya seeks qualified ‘livestock value chain experts’ for long and short term assignments

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SNV is a Dutch based international Development Organization that provides market based solutions for the poor through local institutions and organizations in more than 33 developing countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe.  Started in 1967, SNV program in Kenya is organized in 3 sectors combined with multidisciplinary portfolio teams of about 8 … Continue reading →

Books and chapters / Cattle / Dairying / East Africa / Goats / Human Health / Nutrition / Pastoralism / Small Ruminants / Uganda / Vulnerability

Milk matters are serious matters in northeastern Uganda

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Karamojang woman and child in Kotido, Uganda (photo on Flickr by Courtney Chance). An interesting report on ‘milk matters’ has been produced by the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University, USA, in collaboration with Save the Children. It looks at milk in children’s diets and household livelihoods among the Karamojang, a pastoral tribe in northeastern … Continue reading →