A recent article in The New York Times highlights the findings of a research project focused on improving pig production and health in western Kenya that the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) played a role in supporting. ILRI has been involved for several years in the efforts of the Cysticercosis Working Group of Central and … Continue reading
Category Archives: ILRI
Imported cattle threaten African livestock diversity and continent’s food supply
‘Even though locally-adapted, diversified agriculture and farming is a key component of both food security today and in a warmer more climate-stressed future, the Big Ag trend is still towards less crop diversity and more uniformity. Here’s a perfect example of the downside of that: The International Livestock Research Institute says urgent action is needed … Continue reading
Experts warn rapid losses of Africa’s native livestock threaten continent’s food supply
Resilient disease-resistant, ‘ancient’ West African cattle among breeds at risk of extinction as imported animals supplant valuable native livestock Urgent action is needed to stop the rapid and alarming loss of genetic diversity of African livestock that provide food and income to 70 percent of rural Africans and include a treasure-trove of drought- and disease-resistant … Continue reading
Africa / East Africa / Environment / ILRI / Pastoralism / Wildlife
Masai Mara has lost half its animals
The Maasai Mara has lost almost 60 per cent of its large animals, including lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards and rhinos, according to the United Nations Environmental Programme. A continent-wide study, released last week found big mammal populations inside national parks, including Kenya’s Maasai Mara and Tanzania’s Serengeti to have declined by an average of 59 … Continue reading
CGIAR / Climate Change / ILRI
Climate models paint bleak picture for east Africa-scientist
Climate change is expected to bring greater extremes in weather conditions, but climate models disagree about which problems – droughts, flooding, temperature increases – are most likely in much of northern, central and western Africa. In east Africa, however, the models largely agree: dry areas will suffer more prolonged droughts and wet areas will see … Continue reading
Learning for change: a logical approach for fodder innovation?
Tracking the right evidence to demonstrate impact is a conundrum common to many development projects. Providing evidence for change proves particularly challenging for projects where outcomes are unpredictable and changes that result from innovation processes are not immediately visible and are difficult to quantify. However, despite these challenges, adopting a ‘learning by doing’ approach and … Continue reading
Climate Change / Drought / ILRI / Insurance / Livestock / Vulnerability
Livestock insurance: reducing vulnerability
A severe summer drought, followed by winter temperatures of minus 40-50°C, has resulted in the loss of an estimated 8 million animals – about 17 per cent of Mongolia’s livestock. The extreme conditions, known as dzud, have had a devastating impact in a country where 40 per cent of the population depend on livestock. In … Continue reading
Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Disease Control / ECF / ILRI / Livestock / Vaccines
Protecting cattle from East Coast fever
… Every year, over one million cattle in east and southern Africa die from East Coast fever – that’s about one cow every thirty seconds. The hardship caused by the disease to livestock keepers and their families is terrible, and financially, the loss to east Africa alone is around 190 million US dollars each year. … Continue reading
Livestock input supply and service provision in Ethiopia: challenges and opportunities for market-oriented development
This working paper by Azage Tegegne, Berhanu Gebremedhin and Dirk Hoekstra on Livestock input supply and service provision in Ethiopia: challenges and opportunities for market-oriented development was released on 23 June, 2010 Livestock production in Ethiopia has, for long, remained subsistence with limited market-orientation and poor institutional support. Producing for the market requires re-orientation of … Continue reading
African livestock offers ‘untapped genetic resource’
The genetic diversity of Africa’s indigenous livestock needs to be tapped before it is lost forever, researchers have warned. They said native breeds had adapted to tolerate parasites or produce “robust” milk yields in harsh conditions. Writing in the journal science, they added that these traits had yet to be unlocked by the scientific community. … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 