Coping with drought – livestock insurance

Posted on 7 Sep 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

In Kenya, the International Livestock Research Institute, working with partner organisations, has developed an insurance scheme for livestock farmers. The insurance enables farmers to protect their livelihood against the risk of drought. It works through satellite images, which can be used to measure the amount of grazing available in areas covered under the scheme. If … Continue reading →

Drought / East Africa / Food Security / ILRI / Insurance / Kenya

Kenya drought study

Posted on 17 Aug 2010 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

“Northern Kenya can be said to be under a permanent crisis, it’s a region with fewer than 10 medical doctors, no specialists; only the rich can access required healthcare services and many lives are lost daily whether we are in a disaster or not,” Ahmed said. Kenya’s failure to implement a disaster preparedness policy has … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Production / Climate Change / Drought / Livestock / Niger / West Africa

Niger: Forced to sell cattle for a handful of dollars

Posted on 12 Jul 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

Nigeriens are likely to take years to recover from selling their weakened livestock at a fraction of its normal value due to drought in the Sahel region. The drought threatens almost 70 percent of herds, according to rough estimates from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). “It can take up to 10 years … Continue reading →

Climate Change / Drought / ILRI / Insurance / Livestock / Vulnerability

Livestock insurance: reducing vulnerability

Posted on 9 Jul 2010 by Dorine Adhoch • Leave a comment

A severe summer drought, followed by winter temperatures of minus 40-50°C, has resulted in the loss of an estimated 8 million animals – about 17 per cent of Mongolia’s livestock. The extreme conditions, known as dzud, have had a devastating impact in a country where 40 per cent of the population depend on livestock. In … Continue reading →

Climate Change / Drought / Livestock Systems

Livestock: the new key to preventing desertification?

Posted on 15 Jun 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

How many times in the past years have you heard just how terrible livestock is to the Earth? Polluting the atmosphere, overgrazing the grasslands, and destroying ecosystems with their vast presence. But emerging voices are arguing this long standing belief that livestock are the bane of the worlds environmental problems, and instead reminding us that … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Production / Drought / Ethiopia / Insurance / Livestock / Markets

Oromia Insurance Company to offer livestock insurance for Ethiopian farmers

Posted on 12 Jun 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

One year old Oromia Insurance Company (OIC) is to offer livestock insurance for farmers – a new service for Ethiopia. The insurance company is also to introduce crop insurance for farmers selected from three farmer unions of Oromia Regional State. The Bureau of Oromia Cooperative Union has selected the companies based on agro-ecological practices. OIC … Continue reading →

Africa / Drought / East Africa / Environment / Kenya / Livestock Systems / Pastoralism

Maasai pastoralists adopt new habits to cope with climate change

Posted on 2 Jun 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

As they recover from the worst drought in many years, Maasai pastoralists in Kenya’s south Rift Valley are adopting new habits to help them overcome future disasters. As the recent drought tested the coping ability of Maasai communities, the leaders of “group ranches” – large communal grazing areas, each with their own government-appointed chief – … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Production / Climate Change / Drought / Food Security / Livestock / Niger / Pastoralism / West Africa

Millions face hunger in arid belt of Africa

Posted on 1 Jun 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

At this time of year, the Gadabeji Reserve in Niger should be refuge for the nomadic tribes who travel across a moonscape on the edge of the Sahara to graze their cattle. But the grass is meager after a drought killed off the last year’s crops. Now the cattle are too weak to stand and … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Feeding / Animal Production / Burkina Faso / Drought / Livestock / West Africa

Burkina Faso: Feed the cows

Posted on 17 May 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

Erratic rains last year in Burkina, where animal husbandry is the main livelihood in many regions, resulted in widespread shortages of water and pasture. Aid workers and breeders say the poor condition of local livestock – animals that have not already migrated in search of pasture – is hitting families’ food security. The livestock families … Continue reading →

Africa / Climate Change / Drought / East Africa / French / Kenya / Pastoralism

ACTED améliore les capacités de résistance au changement climatique dans l’ouest du Kenya

Posted on 14 May 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

ACTED répond à la crise alimentaire dans l’est du Pokot en conduisant des opération de soutien aux moyens de subsistance et de protection des ressources naturelles dans le district de Churo, avec le soutien financier d’OFDA et d’USAID. Après 9 mois de projet, les communautés ont grandement amélioré leur resistance à la sécheresse et à … Continue reading →