Category Archives: Crop-Livestock

Under Sustainable intensification in smallholder crop/livestock systems, we work to improve system efficiency through better feed quality, health and animal performance – in a context of increasing competition for land and other resources (eg biofuels)

CGIAR integrated systems research for sustainable agricultural development in the Mekong—New book
Agriculture / Books and chapters / Capacity Strengthening / CGIAR / China / Crop-Livestock / Environment / Farming Systems / Humid Tropics / HUMIDTROPICS / ILRI / Impact Assessment / Innovation Systems / Intensification / Laos / Markets / NRM / Participation / PIL / Policy / Report / Soils / Southeast Asia / Thailand / Value Chains / Vietnam

CGIAR integrated systems research for sustainable agricultural development in the Mekong—New book

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The CGIAR Research Program on Integrated Systems for the Humid Tropics (Humidtropics) was an agricultural research for development program that aimed for sustainable intensification of agricultural systems to improve the livelihoods of farm households. The Central Mekong Action Area was primarily focused on the complex of rice and non-rice farming systems (plus areas with other land uses) in the non-flood-prone lowlands, uplands and highlands. The Action Area covered six countries (Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam). Continue reading →

Animal Feeding / Crop-Livestock / Drylands / DRYLANDS-CRP / Extension / Feeds / Forages / ILRI / Legumes / LIVESTOCK-CRP / Research / SLS / Southern Africa / Zimbabwe

Guide to haymaking using tropical grasses and legumes

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A new extension brief by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) explains the principles of haymaking using tropical grasses and legumes. Produced by ILRI researchers and partners in Zimbabwe, the brief gives practical steps on how smallholder farmers can make hay from grasses and legumes such as cowpeas, velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) lablab (Lablab purpureus) including … Continue reading →

US ambassador to Burkina Faso visits ILRI-led Feed the Future Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab project
Agriculture / Article / Burkina Faso / Crop-Livestock / Farming Systems / ILRI / Intensification / SLS / West Africa

US ambassador to Burkina Faso visits ILRI-led Feed the Future Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab project

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On 6 October 2016 the Ambassador of the United States to Burkina Faso, H E Tulinabo S Mushingi, visited Ziga in Yatenga Province, one of the implementation sites of the Feed the Future Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab (SIIL) project in the country. Continue reading →

American agricultural economist Steve Staal leads livestock policy, trade and value chain research at ILRI
Animal Production / Crop-Livestock / Farming Systems / ILRI / Kenya / Philippines / PIL / Policy / Pro-Poor Livestock / Research / Scholarship / Trade / Value Chains

American agricultural economist Steve Staal leads livestock policy, trade and value chain research at ILRI

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Steve Staal, who for the past 15 months has served the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Los Baños, the Philippines, as regional representative for East and South Asia, this month takes up leadership of ILRI’s Policy, Trade and Value Chains program and is now based in Nairobi. Continue reading →

Africa’s Cinderella story: $700 billion could be picked up in farmers’ fields–The Economist
Africa / Agriculture / Article / Crop-Livestock / Dairying / Intensification

Africa’s Cinderella story: $700 billion could be picked up in farmers’ fields–The Economist

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It should be possible to grow much more in Africa. . . . Five decades ago it was one of the world’s great crop-exporters. Ghana grew most of the world’s cocoa, Nigeria was the biggest exporter of palm oil and peanuts, and Africa grew a quarter of all the coffee people slurped. Since then it has shifted from being a net exporter of food to an importer. Continue reading →

‘Mixing it up’ down on the farm to better adapt to climate change
Africa / Article / CCAFS / CGIAR / Climate Change / Crop-Livestock / Farming Systems / ILRI / Livestock Systems / SLS

‘Mixing it up’ down on the farm to better adapt to climate change

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A recent perspective piece published in Nature Climate Change by researchers Philip Thornton and Mario Herrero suggests that we still know very little about how climate change will impact these mixed farms and especially the interactions between crops and livestock. This is alarming as mixed farming systems form the backbone of smallholder production in developing countries,producing over 90% of the world’s milk supply and 80% of the meat from ruminants. Continue reading →