The Ethiopian Society of Animal Production celebrates its silver jubilee with several awards to ILRI and partners
ACGG / Animal Production / Award / BecA / East Africa / Ethiopia / Event / Event report / ILRI / LIVES / Livestock / Research

The Ethiopian Society of Animal Production celebrates its silver jubilee with several awards to ILRI and partners

The Ethiopian Society of Animal Production (ESAP) celebrated its silver jubilee last month. The event was marked on 24-25 August 2017 at Haramaya University where ESAP held its 25th Annual Conference on the subject ‘Livestock – a driver for economic development’. Continue reading

Climate-smart Brachiaria grass helps Kenyan farmers withstand global warming effects
Article / BecA / Climate Change / Drylands / East Africa / Fodder / Forages / Kenya / Livestock / Research / Soils

Climate-smart Brachiaria grass helps Kenyan farmers withstand global warming effects

A recent study by the Biosciences eastern and central Africa-International Livestock Research Institute Hub (BecA-ILRI Hub) and the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) shows that farmers in semi-arid region of Kenya could stall the adverse effects of climate change on their farms by planting drought-tolerant Brachiaria grass. Continue reading

Out of Africa genetics: How the giraffe got its long neck (and other biological curiosities and exuberances)
Africa / Article / BecA / Genetics / ILRI / LiveGene / Wildlife

Out of Africa genetics: How the giraffe got its long neck (and other biological curiosities and exuberances)

Morris Agaba’s newest passion is the molecular genetics of the giraffe, specifically the genes responsible for the animal’s impossibly long neck and legs—and the highly adaptive cardiovascular system this animal has evolved to manage its formidable biological obstacles. Continue reading

ILRI biosciences hub and vaccine development named global public goods by heads of BMGF and DFID
Africa / Agriculture / Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Article / BecA / Biotechnology / Capacity Strengthening / Disease Control / ECF / ILRI / ILVAC / LIVESTOCKFISH / Opinion piece / Research

ILRI biosciences hub and vaccine development named global public goods by heads of BMGF and DFID

Sue Desmond-Hellmann, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), and Nick Hurd, international development minister for Britain’s Department for International Development (DFID), argue in the Guardian’s Global Development blog this month that the world needs to put science at the heart of development. Two of the examples of success that they cite are initiatives of ILRI. Continue reading

ILRI scientist to direct USAID international project to reduce post-harvest food losses
Agriculture / Article / Bangladesh / BecA / Consumption / Ethiopia / Food Security / Gambia / ILRI / Nutrition / Pests

ILRI scientist to direct USAID international project to reduce post-harvest food losses

Jagger Harvey will lead the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Feed the Future Innovation Lab for the Reduction of Post-Harvest Loss at the university. The $8.5 million project is helping the countries of Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana and Guatemala reduce the amount of food that is lost or contaminated after harvest. Continue reading

Award / BecA / Food Safety / Food Security / Knowledge and Information / Scholarship

Africa Biosciences Challenge Fund (ABCF) – Call for applications 2015

The Biosciences eastern and central Africa-International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub capacity building program, which is also known as the Africa Biosciences Challenge Fund (ABCF), is seeking applications for short- to medium-term research projects that can be undertaken at the BecA-ILRI Hub in Nairobi, Kenya. Continue reading

Agriculture / Article / Australia / BecA / Central Africa / East Africa / Goats / ILRI / Research / Sweden

African biosciences research critical for transforming African smallholder agriculture

Gity Behrevan during the BecA-ILRI-Sweden partnership review in Nairobi, November 2013 (photo credit: BecA-ILRI Hub/Tim Hall). ‘Biosciences research could transform Africa’s agriculture and lead to food and nutrition security, but little is being done locally to support its funding, experts say. ‘Researchers and policymakers who attended a review meeting of the Biosciences eastern and central … Continue reading

A4NH / Aflatoxins / Agri-Health / Article / BecA / Diagnostics / Disease Control / East Africa / Food Safety / FSZ / ILRI / Kenya

Kenya, hotspot for aflatoxin poisoning, opens aflatoxin lab and ‘aflasafe’ facility for biocontrol of this fungal toxin

‘In an effort to address aflatoxin poisoning, which has killed more than 100 people in the country, the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (Kalro) has launched the first ever Aflatoxin lab in Kenya.’ Continue reading