Category Archives: ILRI

Africa / Animal Feeding / ASSP / Capacity Strengthening / CapDev / Drylands / Event report / Farming Systems / Film and video / Fodder / ILRI / Innovation Systems / Intensification / Interview / Nigeria / Uganda / Vulnerability / Zimbabwe

Voices from the sixth Africa Agriculture Science Week 2013

Posted on by • Leave a comment

Change mindsets, embed policymaking, make efficient use of declining biomass, engage the private sector. These and other recommendations of four participants attending the ongoing sixth Africa Agriculture Science Week (AASW6) are captured in this short (2:40-minute) video. This science week, organized by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), is being held in Accra, … Continue reading →

Africa / Agriculture / CCAFS / Climate Change / East Africa / Ethiopia / Event / ILRIComms / Innovation Systems / Kenya / Knowledge and Information / Research / South Asia / Southern Africa / West Africa

Next steps for climate change social learning initiative – implementation, incubation, partnering, testing, scaling…

Posted on by • Leave a comment

Climate change is a wicked problem, it requires wicked solutions, not business-as-usual. The CGIAR research program on climate change, agriculture and food security (CCAFS) recognised this when they joined up with International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and other partners to look at the potential of social learning and communication approaches to support decision-making on climate change adaptation … Continue reading →

Directorate / East Africa / Environment / Event / Food Security / ILRI / Kenya / Policy / Pro-Poor Livestock / Southern Africa

Invest in Africa’s fast-growing livestock sector: The time is now, says ILRI’s Jimmy Smith

Posted on by • Leave a comment

Florence Chepkirui, a blind dairy farmer in Saoset village in Kenya’s Bomet District (photo credit: ILRI/Paul Karaimu). The director general of the International Livestock Institute (ILRI) has called for significant investments in the development of Africa’s livestock sector, which he said is rapidly growing. Jimmy Smith told the told participants of a recent three-day Africa … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Breeding / Biotechnology / Film and video / Genetics / ILRI / Indigenous Breeds / Interview / LiveGene

Saving the world’s genetic wealth: Scientists in Kenya propose plans for first livestock genebank

Posted on by • Leave a comment

The indigenous, worm-resistant (and non-wool-producing) red Maasai sheep of East Africa (photo credit: ILRI). SciDevNet reports on a ‘livestock genebank’ that’s needed to help conserve breeds and populations of farm animals, especially the wealth of diversity remaining in Africa and other developing regions, that are fast being eroded through cross-breeding and importations of exotic stock. … Continue reading →

ILRI / ILRIComms / Knowledge and Information / Livestock / Roundup

Livestock Matter(s): ILRI news ‘roundup’, June 2013

Posted on by • Leave a comment

The June issue of ‘Livestock Matter(s), explores a round-up of livestock development news, publications, presentations, images and upcoming events from ILRI and its partners. Download a print version – or sign up to get Livestock Matter(s) in your mailbox each month. Corporate news Entrepreneurs: Your livestock business is growing–but only in Africa and other developing regions Jimmy Smith, director general of … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Production / BecA / Biodiversity / Cameroon / Central Africa / Congo-DR / East Africa / Genetics / ILRI / Innovation Systems / Livestock / LIVESTOCKFISH

Molecular study makes a difference to guinea pig producers in eastern Congo

Posted on by • Leave a comment

Domestic cavies (or guinea pigs) provide a high-quality meat source with high levels of protein in similar quantity as chicken meat. Here, Brigitte Maass explains how an innovation platform linking cavy producers and other organizations is helping to bridge molecular science with livestock production. An Africa Biosciences Challenge Fund (ACBF) project (led by the BecA-ILRI … Continue reading →

Agriculture / CGIAR / Event report / Gender / ILRI / LIVESTOCKFISH / PIL / Research / Women

Experts set minimum standards for gender equity in agricultural research for development

Posted on by • Leave a comment

Photo credit: CIAT/Neil Palmer. Last week, while leaders of CGIAR research program were meeting with donors and partners in Montpellier, France, to discuss progress and directions for their programs, gender specialists in agricultural research for development were also meeting in this Mediterranean coastal city. The gender experts came from the CGIAR Consortium, centres and programs, … Continue reading →

CGIAR / Drylands / DRYLANDSCRP / Geodata / HUMIDTROPICS / ILRI / Intensification / Livestock Systems / Markets / NRM / Pastoralism / PIL / Policy / Project / Senegal / Vulnerability / West Africa

Africa’s dryland agricultural systems research: When East meets West (and when it doesn’t)

Posted on by • Leave a comment

I have been working for nine months as an agricultural economist at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) headquarters, in Nairobi, Kenya. I have come to realize that there are not enough bridges between West and East African agricultural research communities. Is it a problem of history? Different languages? Or perhaps inter-African communication links are … Continue reading →

Dairying / East Africa / Event / ILRI / Kenya / Livelihoods / Livestock / LIVESTOCKFISH / Rwanda / Uganda

Dairy hubs in East Africa — Lessons from the East Africa Dairy Development project: ‘Livestock live talk’ at ILRI, 26 Jun 2013

Posted on by • 1 Comment

On Wednesday 26 Jun 2013, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) hosts a ‘livestock live talk’ on Dairy hubs in East Africa: Lessons from the East Africa Dairy Development project. The talk by Isabelle Baltenweck, an agricultural economist at ILRI, and Gerald Mutinda, the East Africa Dairy Development (EADD) project’s regional manager in charge of … Continue reading →

GIS / Humid Tropics / Interview / Opinion piece / Regions / Report / WLE

Small ruminants contribute to food security and nutrition in Zimbabwe

Posted on by • Leave a comment

“In addition to providing high-quality food products (meat and milk), livestock is the most important source of on-farm income and insurance in the low-input farming systems of semi-arid southern Africa.” ILRI’s sister center the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is a long term partner where crops and livestock intersect in southern … Continue reading →