Biotechnology / Cattle / Disease Control / East Africa / ILRI / ILRIComms / Kenya / LiveGene / LIVESTOCKFISH / Trypanosomiasis

Disease-resistant cattle for Africa

Boran cattle grazing at Kapiti Ranch, in Kenya (photo credit: ILRI). ‘Plans are under way to develop a cow that is resistant to trypanosomiasis at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). ‘The disease is known as nagana in animals and sleeping sickness in human beings. ‘“Since animals carry parasites that cause trypanosomiasis, a resistant cow … Continue reading

Directorate / Film and video / Food Security / ILRI / ILRIComms / LIVESTOCKFISH / Nutrition / Policy / Presentation / Pro-Poor Livestock

Three short strategic films from livestock institute chart ways forward for ‘better lives through livestock’

‘This video from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), features ILRI director general Jimmy Smith talking on the role of livestock in the global development agenda. ‘The 13 minute film points out that 4 of the top 5 agricultural commodities by value are livestock, and that in Africa, 4 of the top 10 agricultural commodities are … Continue reading

A4NH / Disease Control / East Africa / Emerging Diseases / FSZ / ILRI / ILRIComms / RVF / South Sudan / Zoonotic Diseases

News media correction requested regarding recent misreport of Rift Valley fever outbreak

On 16 Oct 2013, a news release titled Outbreak of rift valley fever disease reported in RSS reported that there is an outbreak of Rift Valley fever in South Sudan. This is inaccurate. There is no outbreak of Rift Valley fever in South Sudan that we know of. Those quoted in the news release were participants … Continue reading

Event / Livestock / PIL / PIM / Policy / Value Chains

Mainstreaming livestock value chains: Conference to discuss bridging research gaps between households and policies

Research into developing country livestock systems is primarily micro-economic and sectoral with limited interaction with formal multi-market and macro-economic models. This results in analysis and advocacy that are frequently not linked to broader formal policy models nor to the workings of public policy and the international trading environment. On 5 and 6 November 2013, the … Continue reading

Award / CCAFS / Central Asia / China / Climate Change / Environment / Germany / ILRI / ILRIComms / Sheep / SLS / Staff

Klaus Butterbach-Bahl and ecosystems-climate research team win Stifterverband Science Award–Schrödinger Prize

Sheep graze pasture in Inner Mongolia; a long-term research study shows that large-area grazing on steppes actually reduces, rather than increases, nitrous oxide emissions into the atmosphere (photo credit: ILRI/Stevie Mann). Five ecosystems-climate researchers, including Klaus Butterbach-Bahl, of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), have been honoured for outstanding interdisciplinary research on nitrous oxide emissions. Butterbach-Bahl … Continue reading

Agriculture / Animal Feeding / Colombia / Environment / Forages / ILRIComms / Latin America / LIVESTOCKFISH / Project

Making grass greener: CIAT breeds tropical pasture that suppresses greenhouse gas emissions

Guillermo Sotelo of CIAT’s entomology team, working with brachiaria grass in a greenhouse at the institution’s headquarters in Colombia (picture credit: CIAT/Neil Palmer). ‘. . . On 13 September, researchers announced that they have bred a tropical pasture grass that can significantly suppress greenhouse-gas emissions. The team, from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) … Continue reading

Agriculture / CCAFS / CGIAR / Climate Change / East Africa / Environment / Geodata / ILRI / ILRIComms / Interview / Kenya / SLS

Greenhouse gases produced by Kenyan farmers: Project to measure village emission levels

Typical smallholder’s farm in Busia, in western Kenya, where farmers mix crop growing with livestock raising (photo credit: ILRI/Pye-Smith). A team of scientists is collecting information on the level of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced by smallholder farmers. Scientists from CGIAR centres under the Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) said the project’s key … Continue reading

Animal Feeding / CGIAR / East Africa / ILRI / ILRIComms / LIVESTOCKFISH / South America

Secrets of Brachiaria: An African pasture grass holds enormous promise for reducing greenhouse gases

Brachiaria trials at CIAT’s headquarters in Colombia. This improved forage grass has been shown to inhibit nitrification, helping to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture (photo credit: CIAT/Neil Palmer). ‘Much has been written about why eating more red meat could be bad for your health while also harming the environment. But new studies to … Continue reading

Animal Breeding / ASSP / Australia / Cattle / Dairying / East Africa / Ethiopia / Genetics / ILRI / ILRIComms / Indigenous Breeds / Kenya / LIVESTOCKFISH / Project / Tanzania / Uganda

Gates Foundation awards grant to improve dairy cattle breeds and reduce poverty in East Africa

Staff of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) visited a field site of the Dairy Genetics East Africa (DGEA) project in June 2011 (photo credit: BMGF/Lee Klejtnot). The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded a USD1.3-million grant to researchers at the School of Environmental and Rural Science at the University of New England (UNE),  in Australia, … Continue reading

Animal Feeding / Crop residues / Crop-Livestock / FFD / ILRIComms / India / Intensification / LIVESTOCKFISH / MAIZECRP / South Asia / Trade

Underused maize stover could (should) replace popular sorghum stover as livestock feed in parts of rainfed India

Maize harvest in the village home of Jashvir Singh Tomar, in northern India, which ILRI scientists visited during a field day held as part of a workshop to develop a tool for feed technology screening and prioritization in Dehradun, India (photo credit: ILRI/Peter Ballantyne). New research by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the the International … Continue reading