‘A mandate created by the 193 participating nations, of which the United States is not a part, has ensured that countries will now have full jurisdiction over their genetic resources, and the resulting profits. ‘Countries will be able to collect compensation or royalties on any product made from a genetic resource within their borders. ‘This … Continue reading
Category Archives: Indigenous Breeds
Under animal genetic resources, we work on priority setting for conservation, appropriate methodologies of conservation, reproductive technologies for fast deployment of improved genotypes, and appropriate breeding approaches for smallholder systems.
ICARDA-ILRI-BOKU project hosts sheep breeding workshop in Addis Ababa
ICARDA-ILRI-BOKU project workshop – Dr. Azage Tegegne (group discussion report) On 29 October 2010, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) hosted a workshop as part of a project entitled ‘designing community-based breeding strategies for indigenous sheep breeds of smallholders in Ethiopia.’ The main objectives of the event were: share the achievement of the completed project … Continue reading
Africa / Asia / Biodiversity / CGIAR / Environment / Indigenous Breeds / Latin America
Crop and livestock agricultural research centres welcome Nagoya Protocol
A herdsboy rides one of his small native mountain buffaloes in northern Viet Nam (photo credit: ILRI/Mann). Bioversity International and the other 14 centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), including the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), welcome the Nagoya Protocol that was hammered out at the eleventh hour in the central … Continue reading
To be or not to be: The fate of a whole lot of species hangs in the balance today
The Lung Pu is an indigenous black pig of northern Viet Nam; this one is maintained on a biodiversity farm near the northern town of Meo Vac (photo credit: ILRI/Mann). From Agence France-Presse comes this cliffhanger of a news report today (20 October 2010), the final day of a 12-day United Nations summit on biodiversity. … Continue reading
Biodiversity: Nagoya talks stall on who should pay for it
West Africa’s ancient (humpless) N’Dama and East Africa’s Improved Boran cattle are two of the continent’s important indigenous breeds (photo credit ILRI/Elsworth). The Economist reports in its current issue (21 October 2010) that things are not going so well at the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity, … Continue reading
Africa / Asia / Biodiversity / CGIAR / Genebank / Indigenous Breeds / Latin America / Uganda / Vietnam
At the UN biodiversity meeting in Japan this week: Should endangered livestock breeds as well as crop varieties be saved?
Africa’s native Ankole cattle, in Uganda (photo credit: East African Dairy Development project). Jeremy Cherfas, of Bioversity International, one of 15 centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), headquartered in Rome, summarizes below the importance of conserving animal genetic resources in material the CGIAR is exhibiting at the meeting of the United … Continue reading
We have just ten years to stem biodiversity losses, UN Nagoya meeting hears
A native chicken of Mozambique (photo credit: ILRI/Mann). Richard Black, the environment reporter at the BBC, reports from Nagoya, Japan, yesterday (18 October 2010) that delegates at the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity will consider adopting new set of targets for 2020 that aim to tackle biodiversity loss. ‘The UN biodiversity convention meeting has … Continue reading
Africa / Animal Production / Animal Products / Asia / Biodiversity / India / Indigenous Breeds / Latin America / Livestock / Markets / Somalia / South Africa
Marketing local breeds to improve livestock diversity and livelihoods
Throughout the world and over centuries, small-scale livestock keepers and pastoralists have developed animal breeds that are well suited to their local conditions. These breeds are hardy and disease-resistant; they can survive on little water and scant vegetation. They can continue producing meat and milk in areas where modern, imported breeds succumb without expensive housing, … Continue reading
How cattle colonized the world
Cattle and other livestock being trekked north in a great annual transhumance that takes place during the cropping season in Niger (photo by ILRI/Mann). Over at Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog, Luigi Guarino has this to say about a new paper in Evolutionary Anthropology summarizing the history of domestic cattle, based on the latest molecular marker data. … Continue reading
Animal Breeding / Asia / Biodiversity / India / Indigenous Breeds / Knowledge and Information / Livestock / South Asia
Genetic documentation battling livestock extinction in India
With the country’s rich pool of livestock resources facing threat from extinction due to loss of habitat and shortage of green fodder, a unique initiative to retain and register genetic characteristics through documentation has helped in reviving many breed. Read more … (Financial Express) National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 