Transforming pastoral pursuits into profitable livestock enterprises in southern Africa
Animal Feeding / Cattle / Event report / Feeds / ILRI / Intensification / PIL / PIM / Pro-Poor Livestock / Scaling / Southern Africa / Value Chains / Zimbabwe

Transforming pastoral pursuits into profitable livestock enterprises in southern Africa

At the Ezwilini Conference, experts were trying to find ways to unlock the livestock value chain, finances and access to credit for rural farmers. They probed issues to do with improving the livelihoods of livestock smallholder farmers and other value chain actors through value addition and marketing. Continue reading

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

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

Beef fattening ready for take-off in southern Africa with new financing made available to smallholders
Animal Feeding / Botswana / Cattle / Event report / Feeds / ILRI / Intensification / Malawi / Mozambique / News clipping / PIL / PIM / Pro-Poor Livestock / Scaling / Southern Africa / Tanzania / Value Chains / Zimbabwe

Beef fattening ready for take-off in southern Africa with new financing made available to smallholders

Rural farmers in Zimbabwe and the whole of Southern Africa are set to receive a major boost in their livestock production through the expected launch of the beef value chain finance initiative this year. The initiative, whose pilot project was successfully undertaken in Swaziland, includes a loan scheme for smallholder farmers who want to take up beef fattening for the market. This came out during the on-going International Conference on Livestock Value Chain and Access to Credit being held in Ezulwini, Swaziland. Continue reading

The epidemiological search for Ebola’s hiding places
A4NH / Africa / AHH / Article / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / FSZ / ILRI / Pigs / Uganda / Wildlife / Zoonotic Diseases

The epidemiological search for Ebola’s hiding places

After the recent epidemic, Ebola disappeared. But this relief is only temporary: the virus is hiding somewhere—maybe in forest animals, maybe closer to home. Leigh Cowart joins the hunt. This article was first published by Wellcome on Mosaic and is reproduced here under a Creative Commons licence. Continue reading

Towards a new global research agenda for nourishing—rather than just feeding—people
A4NH / Agri-Health / Article / Consumption / Human Health / Nutrition / Policy / Research

Towards a new global research agenda for nourishing—rather than just feeding—people

The era of commodity research aimed at feeding a starving world is over. A new era has begun that requires us to nourish everyone in ways that can be sustained environmentally, economically and culturally. Policymakers urgently need to recognize that diets are compromising economic productivity and well-being as never before. Continue reading

Fighting climate change in a post-modernist world of pop art politics—Opinion by Phil Thornton
CCAFS / Climate Change / Environment / Europe / ILRI / North America / Opinion piece / Policy / Research / SLS / UK / USA

Fighting climate change in a post-modernist world of pop art politics—Opinion by Phil Thornton

Phil Thornton leads CGIAR research on institutions and policies for climate-resilient food systems. He makes the case for better and closer scientist-citizen engagement in an opinion piece published this week in the wake of this year’s national political election results in Australia, the UK and the USA. Continue reading

An ‘urban zoo’ project in Kenya is helping unpack the spread of disease in urban environments
A4NH / Agri-Health / Article / Disease Control / East Africa / Emerging Diseases / FSZ / Human Health / ILRI / Kenya / Zoonotic Diseases

An ‘urban zoo’ project in Kenya is helping unpack the spread of disease in urban environments

Emerging infectious diseases are a major concern to the global public health community, both in terms of disease burden and economic burden. Understanding the processes that lead to their emergence is therefore a scientific research priority. Over the last five years Eric Fevre has been working with a group of researchers to understand what leads to the introduction of pathogens in urban environments and how those then emerge in the human population. Continue reading