Goat business is big business in India’s Odisha State—Bishnupada Sethi
Animal Production / Article / ASSP / Goats / ILRI / India / Livestock Systems / LIVESTOCKFISH / Pro-Poor Livestock / Small Ruminants / South Asia

Goat business is big business in India’s Odisha State—Bishnupada Sethi

Inaugurating a day-long seminar on Public-Private-Producer-Partnership for small ruminant development in Odisha, Sethi said consultations with experts, policy analysts and the cross-section of stakeholders including farmers are on to finalise the Odisha Small Animal Development Policy. Continue reading

This March: ‘One Health for the Real World: Zoonoses, Ecosystems and Wellbeing’ symposium
A4NH / Agri-Health / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / Event / FSZ / Human Health / ILRI / RVF / Zoonotic Diseases

This March: ‘One Health for the Real World: Zoonoses, Ecosystems and Wellbeing’ symposium

One Health for the Real World: zoonoses, ecosystems and wellbeing
17–18 Mar 2016

This symposium will bring together leading experts from different fields to discuss the topic ‘Healthy ecosystems, healthy people’. Continue reading

African camels could hold a key to controlling the spread of the MERS virus
A4NH / Agri-Health / Article / Camels / CBPP / Diagnostics / Disease Control / East Africa / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / FSZ / Human Health / ILRI / Kenya / MERS / Middle East / Zoonotic Diseases

African camels could hold a key to controlling the spread of the MERS virus

African camels could hold important clues to controlling the potential spread of a respiratory disease transmitted by the animals. For many years African camels have lived with the disease and the risk of it spreading to humans is still low. But more research is necessary to understand the disease better. This is even more important given the confirmation that the chains of transmission of the human Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection originated from contact with camels. Continue reading

New Tanzania project launched to curb disease transmission from consumption of bushmeat
A4NH / Agri-Health / Article / Disease Control / East Africa / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / FSZ / ILRI / Southern Africa / Tanzania / Zoonotic Diseases

New Tanzania project launched to curb disease transmission from consumption of bushmeat

‘Members of communities that live in forests and depend on hunting for survival have been reported to be at risk because bush meat, widely used as their source of food, can be a source of deadly pathogens from wild animals to humans. The Arusha-based, Nelson Mandela University and the US Centre[s] for Disease Control have now entered into a project aimed at curbing the transmission of diseases from wild animals to human beings.’ Continue reading

Slum farming and superbugs—An ‘Urban Zoo’ science project tracks bacterial routes in complex environments
A4NH / Agri-Health / Article / Disease Control / East Africa / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / Food Safety / FSZ / Human Health / ILRI / Kenya / Zoonotic Diseases

Slum farming and superbugs—An ‘Urban Zoo’ science project tracks bacterial routes in complex environments

The Urban Zoo project is visiting 99 households across Nairobi, rich and poor, with livestock and without. They’re taking samples from people, their animals, and whatever wildlife they can find nearby (and catch): storks, mice, bats, et cetera. They’re sampling the ground around homes, yards and livestock pens with white paper booties. ‘The aim, says University of Liverpool veterinarian Judy Bettridge, is “to try and understand on a small scale how those bacteria are shared” among each household’s people, livestock and environment. “And then when we scale it up, are the bacteria here being shared with the household that’s 50 meters over there? Or 100 meters over there? So, how far can they actually spread?” . . . Continue reading

Winners of the Humidtropics Innovation Platform Case Study Competition
Agriculture / Animal Production / ASSP / Award / Buffalo / Cattle / Humid Tropics / HUMIDTROPICS / ILRI / India / Innovation Systems / Markets / Uganda

Winners of the Humidtropics Innovation Platform Case Study Competition

Three projects on innovative farmers’ cooperatives, best farming practices in hilly areas and better marketing of milk were winners at recent awards for Innovation Platforms (IP) Case Study Competitions held in Kampala. Continue reading

DID YOU MISS IT? Who’s developing African cattle resistant to sleeping sickness—and why it matters—by Tamar Haspel
Africa / Animal Health / Article / Disease Control / Human Health / ILRI / Kenya / LiveGene / LIVESTOCKFISH / Trypanosomiasis / Zoonotic Diseases

DID YOU MISS IT? Who’s developing African cattle resistant to sleeping sickness—and why it matters—by Tamar Haspel

In case you missed it, earlier this year, Washington Post food–science columnist Tamar Haspel served up an interesting story in The Plate, a blog of National Geographic’s Future of Food series. Her story’s about a long-term research project’s attempt to develop disease-resistant cattle for African farmers. Continue reading

Injection of new genetics funding to boost the health and productivity of Africa’s farm animals
Africa / Animal Breeding / Biodiversity / Biotechnology / Cattle / Chickens / Climate Change / Genetics / Goats / ILRI / Indigenous Breeds / LiveGene / LIVESTOCKFISH / Pro-Poor Livestock / Project / Research / Sheep / Small Ruminants / Southern Africa / UK

Injection of new genetics funding to boost the health and productivity of Africa’s farm animals

Scientists will use funds from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to look at how genetic information can improve the health and productivity of farmed animals in tropical climates. The institutions in Scotland and Africa where the researchers are based are also making additional contributions, taking the total funding pot to £20 million over the next five years. Continue reading