Livestock development, food policy and tropical agriculture leaders gather in Minnesota to discuss sustainable food production

Posted on 15 Oct 2010 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

‘. . . Three leaders of worldwide agricultural research centers will discuss “Sustainably Feeding the World” at a University of Minnesota forum on Monday. ‘All three panelists are directors-general of international research institutes that are part of the 15-member network known as the Consultative Group on International Research Centers. ‘They include Carlos Seré, who leads … Continue reading →

Africa / Agriculture / Asia / Directorate / Farming Systems / Food Security / ILRI / Mozambique / Niger / South Asia

Backing smallholder farmers today could avert food crises tomorrow

Posted on 14 Oct 2010 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

The Guardian‘s Poverty Matters blog today (14 October 2010) published the following opinion piece by Carlos Seré, director general of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). ‘Agribusiness investment would not only transform the lives of farmers in south Asia and Africa, but boost global food security. ‘As food riots continue in Mozambique and food crises … Continue reading →

Africa / Asia / Food Security / Insurance / Latin America / Nutrition / Women

Numbers of hungry fall for first time in 15 years, but are higher than before the food crisis of 2008

Posted on 13 Oct 2010 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

Kadidja Kimba pounds millet whilst caring for Khadi Boubacar in Katanga Village, near Fakara, Niger (credit: ILRI/Mann). The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has made FAO’s State of Food Security available. The report says the number of undernourished people in the world remains unacceptably high at close to one billion in 2010 despite … Continue reading →

Africa / Agriculture / East Africa / Food Security / Kenya

Kenya receives Sh2.5b aid to boost food security

Posted on 1 Oct 2010 by ILRI Communications • Leave a comment

Kenya has received Sh2.5 billion from the US Government to boost the country’s food security and eradicate hunger. Part of the funds will be used to fund agricultural related activities and nutrition. Speaking on Wednesday during the signing ceremony of a Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) in Nairobi, US ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger … Continue reading →

Africa / Asia / Farming Systems / Food Safety / Food Security / Latin America / Nutrition

Where should urban livestock raising be practiced? Where curtailed?

Posted on 27 Sep 2010 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

Dairy cows, buffaloes and other livestock are kept in India’s urban as well as rural areas (photo by ILRI/MacMillan). ‘. . . Urban agriculture can . . . have important benefits for food security. Although the impact might be small, it can be crucial for some groups of society, such as the urban poor as … Continue reading →

Agriculture / Environment / Farming Systems / Food Security / NRM / WLE

A viable food future?

Posted on 21 Sep 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

What kind of food production can: drastically reduce poverty, reduce climate change and cool the planet, restore biodiversity, soil fertility and water resources, improve livelihoods and provide employment for billions of people, produce enough, good, and nutritious food for 9 billion people or more? Find out what the Development Fund (of Norway) thinks Continue reading →

Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Disease Control / Europe / Food Security / Livestock

Immense demand for disease control in developing countries

Posted on 16 Sep 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

The International Federation for Animal Health–Europe annual conference, held in June 2010 in Brussels, Belgium, was devoted to the role of the animal health industry in the context of the food security challenge in the 21st century. One of the speakers—Baptiste Dungu—highlighted the need for animal disease control in developing countries. Read more … (Vetsweb) Continue reading →

Africa / Agriculture / Asia / CCAFS / Climate Change / Dairying / Environment / Food Security / ILRI / Latin America / Livestock

Tropical farming the climate-friendly way

Posted on 14 Sep 2010 by ILRI Communications • Leave a comment

Changing tropical farming methods could cut emissions of methane and carbon dioxide by up to 417 Mt of carbon dioxide-equivalent by 2030, around 12% of livestock-related worldwide emissions of the greenhouse gases. That’s according to a team from Copenhagen and Kenya, who believe that the most likely levels of emissions cuts could be worth $1.3 … Continue reading →

Africa / Agriculture / Brazil / Cattle / Environment / Food Security / Latin America / Livestock / North America / NRM / Research / Soils / Water / WLE

The miracle of the cerrado

Posted on 2 Sep 2010 by ILRI Communications • Leave a comment

Brazil has revolutionized its own farms. Can it do the same for others? IN A remote corner of Bahia state, in north-eastern Brazil, a vast new farm is springing out of the dry bush. Thirty years ago eucalyptus and pine were planted in this part of the cerrado (Brazil’s savannah). Native shrubs later reclaimed some … Continue reading →

Africa / Agriculture / Cattle / Crop-Livestock / East Africa / Food Security / Kenya

NFU helping the under privileged

Posted on 25 Aug 2010 by ILRI Communications • Leave a comment

Food security in Western Kenya has been given a massive boost following fundraising from the NFU and the rest of the agriculture industry. The £200,000 raised from the Africa 100 Appeal is now supporting a new project which is benefitting over 12,000 people. The cash is helping farmers to grow stronger, disease-free crops of cassava, … Continue reading →