Sweden funds innovations to drive crop production in 6 East African countries

Posted on 11 Apr 2011 by Susan MacMillan • 1 Comment

Swedish aid and diplomatic colleagues at the official launch of the Bio-Innovate Program in March at ILRI, with Claes Kjellström, representative of the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) at the Embassy of Sweden in Nairobi (middle); Kikki Nordin, Regional Team Leader of SIDA’s Environment and Economic Development department (left); and Björn Häggmark, Deputy Head of Mission at … Continue reading →

Animal Diseases / BecA / Diagnostics / Disease Control / East Africa / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / ILRI / Kenya / Wildlife / Zoonotic Diseases

Forestalling the next plague: Building a first picture of all diseases afflicting people and animals in Africa

Posted on 11 Apr 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

A project funded by the Wellcome Trust on zoonotic diseases was broadcast on an Australian television program called ‘Catalyst’ on 10 March 2011. The research described in the program is supported by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), where the project’s principal investigator, Eric Fevre, is hosted. The television program interviews Fevre and his colleagues … Continue reading →

BecA / Biotechnology / Burundi / Capacity Strengthening / East Africa / Ethiopia / ILRI / Kenya / Rwanda / Tanzania / Uganda

Biosciences hub for East African agricultural innovations launched

Posted on 8 Apr 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

Poster announcing the official launch of the Bi-Innovate Program at ILRI (photo credit: ILRI). SciDev.Dev this week reports on the official launch of a new biosciences hub operating in Nairobi, Kenya, and serving 6 countries in East Africa. ‘A hub to connect and fund East African agricultural researchers, and assist them in reaching out to … Continue reading →

Agriculture / Biotechnology / Burundi / East Africa / Ethiopia / ILRI / Kenya / Rwanda / Tanzania / Uganda

Using East Africa’s bio-resources to increase and sustain the region’s food production

Posted on 5 Apr 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

Seyoum Leta, manager of the Bio-Innovate Program (photo credit: ILRI/MacMillan). Last month, the Zecco (Trading) website published news of the official launch of a Bio-Innovate Program that will work on smart ways to use the region’s bio-resources to increase food production in sustainable ways in six countries in eastern Africa. Bio-Innovate is funded by the … Continue reading →

Disease Control / ILRI / Malaysia / Markets / Middle East / Somalia

Saudi Kingdom to double livestock imports from the Horn of Africa

Posted on 1 Apr 2011 by Susan MacMillan • 1 Comment

‘Livestock traders in Somaliland welcomed the latest development in Saudi Arabia after the kingdom announced on Friday it will increase livestock imports from the Horn of Africa by two-fold by 2012. ‘A press release from the Ministry of Agriculture and Water said Saudi Arabia plans to import close to 2 million heads of a livestock … Continue reading →

Africa / Asia / BecA / CGIAR / Directorate / Film and video / Latin America / Research

CGIAR ‘Voices for Change’ short film inspires visions of the future

Posted on 31 Mar 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

A short (4:25-minute) film, ‘Voices for Change’, produced by the Fund Office of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), was launched at the CGIAR 2009 Business Meeting in Washington DC. This video aims to inspire CGIAR stakeholders to shape a future that they want to see through the work of the CGIAR and … Continue reading →

Africa / Agriculture / Asia / CCAFS / Drylands / DRYLANDSCRP / ILRI / Impact Assessment / Latin America / LIVESTOCKFISH / Research

40 impacts of 40 years of CGIAR Research: 1971–2011–and an update

Posted on 30 Mar 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

The Fund Office of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) recently produced two publications summing up past and current accomplishments in the CGIAR. What the CGIAR has accomplished in 4 decades First is a brochure celebrating, and listing, 40 impacts of 40 years of CGIAR Research: 1971–2011, which provides the following assessment. ‘The … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Production / Drought / ILRI / Pastoralism

Killing the ‘crisis narrative’ in African pastoralism

Posted on 28 Mar 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

Dan Murphy, a food-industry journalist and commentator, picked up the story we recently ran on a Future of Pastoralism in Africa Conference, held at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and says the following in Drovers CattleNetwork. ‘Dry, dusty, deserted. ‘Those would be apt descriptions of the photos and descriptions most … Continue reading →

Africa / Agriculture / BecA / Biotechnology / Burundi / Capacity Strengthening / Directorate / East Africa / Ethiopia / ILRI / Kenya / Rwanda / Tanzania / Uganda

‘Bio-Innovate Program is opportunity for Kenya and the region’–Shaukat Abdul Razak (NCST)

Posted on 28 Mar 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

Shaukat Abdul Razak and Björn Häggmark cut a cake to celebrate the launch the Bio-Innovate Program on 16 March 2011; looking on is ILRI director general Carlos Seré (right) and other invited guests (photo credit: ILRI/Mungai). The Africa Science News Service reports on a recently launched Bio-Innovate Program at the InternationalLivestock Research Institute (ILRI). ‘. … Continue reading →

Animal Breeding / Dairying / East Africa / Genetics / ILRI / Kenya / Uganda

Top-quality cows for local East African environments

Posted on 26 Mar 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

SciDevNet this week carries a dairy genetics story. ‘Dairy farmers in East Africa could soon benefit from superior, affordable cattle breeds through a US$1 million research project. ‘The Dairy Genetics East Africa (DGEA) initiative aims to help smallholders take full advantage of the region’s booming dairy sector and improve their incomes by giving them access … Continue reading →