Category Archives: ILRI

Africa / Agriculture / Capacity Strengthening / East Africa / Ethiopia / ILRI / Innovation Systems / IPMS / Knowledge and Information / Markets

Increasing capacity for knowledge-based smallholder agriculture in Ethiopia

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This working paper by Tesfaye Lemma Tefera, Azage Tegegne and Dirk Hoekstra of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), on Capacity for knowledge-based smallholder agriculture in Ethiopia: Linking graduate programs to market-oriented agricultural development: Challenges, opportunities and IPMS experience was released by ILRI in January 2012. Graduate programs in agriculture and allied disciplines in Ethiopia are expected … Continue reading →

Biodiversity / Books and chapters / Drylands / East Africa / Environment / Geodata / ILRI / Kenya / Knowledge and Information / NRM / Policy / Water / Wildlife

ILRI scientists map Kenyan watershed services to benefit people, crops, livestock and wildlife

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A map of land use in the Ewaso Ng’iro watershed, taken from Mapping and Valuing Ecosystem Services in the Ewaso Ng’iro Watershed, published in 2011 by ILRI. From Ecosystem Marketplace comes this review of a new publication from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). ‘. . . As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of floods … Continue reading →

Directorate / Drought / Drylands / East Africa / Food Security / ILRI / Kenya / Opinion piece / Pastoralism / Vulnerability

Are politicians making political hay – and pastoral havoc – out of diminishing dryland resources in northern Kenya?

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Northern Kenya from the air (photo on Flickr by Neil Palmer [CIAT]). ‘The chairman of [Kenya’s] National Cohesion and Integration Commission, Dr Mzalendo Kibunjia, has singled out divisive politicians as the main cause of recent ethnic violence among some pastoral communities. He warned that stern action will be taken against such people. ‘Dr Kibunjia’s observation … Continue reading →

Africa / Agriculture / Crop-Livestock / Farming Systems / Ghana / HUMIDTROPICS / ILRI / Intensification / Mali / Project / Research / West Africa

Transforming African agricultural systems through sustainable intensification: Project design workshops

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As part of the US government’s Feed the Future initiative to address global hunger and food security issues in sub-Saharan Africa, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is supporting three multi-stakeholder agricultural research projects to sustainably intensify key African farming systems. Based in three priority agro-ecological zones, the three projects are focused on sites … Continue reading →

East Africa / Ethiopia / Film and video / ILRI / Kenya / Research

ILRI campus life in Ethiopia and Kenya – Virtual tours

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What’s it like working and visiting the campus of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)? Our human resources team recently commissioned two short films … with staff members as your guides. Visit the Kenya campus in Nairobi with Kim Kariuki: Visit the Ethiopia campus in Addis Ababa with Tsehay Gashaw: Practical information on the Addis … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Diseases / Australia / BecA / Biotechnology / Cattle / CBPP / Disease Control / Goats / ILRI / PPR / Sheep / Small Ruminants / Vaccines

Australia steps up support for research in Africa to reduce the continent’s heavy livestock disease burden

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ILRI scientist Joerg Jores (right) tells German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who visited the ILRI-BecA labs in July 2011, about his livestock disease research (photo credit: ILRI/Njoroge). ‘Owning large livestock is like money in the bank for African farmers, but major diseases significantly threaten their future. ‘Among these are [peste des petits ruminants], a viral disease … Continue reading →

Drought / Drylands / East Africa / Ethiopia / Food Security / ILRI / Insurance / Kenya / Pastoralism / Pro-Poor Livestock / Project / Vulnerability

To insure or not to insure: That is the question for Kenyan herders restocking after the great drought of 2011

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The first payouts for livestock insurance being made in Marsabit District, in northern Kenya (photo on Flickr by Jeff Haskins). From Reuters AlertNet comes this update on how the livestock herders of Kenya’s Marsabit District are faring. Some bought an innovative livestock insurance product this year that is being piloted by the International Livestock Research … Continue reading →

Environment / Food Security / ILRI / Intensification / Opinion piece / Pro-Poor Livestock

NGO of ‘eat less meat’ mantra takes holistic view of livestock’s role in meeting global eco- and nutritional challenges

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Ethiopian livestock-keeping family (photo credit: ILRI/Apollo Habtamu). Dan Murphy, a food industry journalist, has published a commentary on a Pork Network website about a livestock chapter in the State of the World 2011: Innovations That Nourish the Planet, published by the Worldwatch Institute, in the USA. ‘The book aims to provide a blueprint for coping with … Continue reading →

Article / Capacity Strengthening / Drought / East Africa / Ethiopia / ILRI / Pastoralism / Vulnerability / Women

Capacity building helps Ethiopia’s pastoral women transform their impoverished, drought-ravaged communities

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Borana girl (photo on Flickr by Gustavo Jeronimo). Layne Coppock, of Utah State University, and Solomon Desta, Seyoum Tezera and Getachew Gebru, of Managing Risk for Improved Livelihoods, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, report in the journal Science this month on a project they conducted in southern pastoral Ethiopia that indicates that capacity building can, and should, ‘set … Continue reading →

A4NH / Agri-Health / Animal Diseases / East Africa / Emerging Diseases / Event report / Human Health / ILRI / Livestock / Research / Zoonotic Diseases

Livestock and human health – directions for ILRI

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As part of a session on ‘livestock and human health’ at the recent ‘LiveSTOCK Exchange’ event, Brian Perry interviewed a panel of ILRI staff on future research in this area as part of the new CGIAR Research Program (CRP4) on Agriculture for Improved Nutrition and Health. Topics addressed by Delia Grace include the topical and … Continue reading →