Sir Paul McCartney arrived in Brussels yesterday to recruit support for his “meat-free Mondays” campaign. The argument seems so easy: cut down meat consumption and the planet will be saved. But even if a world without roast beef was one in which we all wanted to live (please count me out), we need to think … Continue reading
Category Archives: Livestock
Agriculture / Cattle / East Africa / ILRI / Insurance / Kenya / Livestock / Livestock Systems / Pastoralism / Vulnerability
Pastoralists enter safety zone with insurance cover
…Pastoralists will be compensated for loss of their animals from January after a livestock insurance product is launched in Kenya. However, details of the exact amount of premium to be paid will depend on the insurance company that have agreed to partner with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the institution that developed the product. … Continue reading
Agriculture / East Africa / Food Security / ILRI / Kenya / Livestock / Tanzania / Uganda
Food security in East Africa is ‘within reach’
East Africa will face both crop gains and losses as a result of climate change, but food security is an achievable goal if new farming technologies are embraced, says a study. The research, published in Agricultural Systems this month (3 November), predicts that yields of staples like maize and beans will double in the region’s … Continue reading
Canada / Cattle / Climate Change / East Africa / Environment / ILRI / Insurance / Kenya / Livestock / USA
Kenya to use satellites to fight climate change
Satellite-based insurance for livestock has been developed in Kenya to measure the country’s “greenness,” safeguarding herders against droughts and other effects of climate change. Slated to begin in early 2010, Kenya will be the first developing nation to set up a satellite insurance mechanism. Specialists will study satellite images measuring the greenness of vegetation in … Continue reading
The livestock sector – our key to regional economic integration
The Executive Secretary of IGAD, Eng. Mahboub Maalim, underscored the central role that the livestock sector is playing in delivering IGAD’s revitalised agenda of regional economic integration. He further commended the IGAD Livestock Policy Initiative for its progress as the secretariat’s de facto livestock arm, in forging regional cooperation and harmonisation. Speaking in a meeting … Continue reading
Yemen: Ramping up the fight against screw worm
Yemen’s Agriculture Ministry is boosting efforts to combat the livestock disease screw worm, which is threatening the livelihoods of rural inhabitants, particularly in coastal and central regions, according to ministry officials. Read more … (IRIN) Continue reading
Climate change threatens region’s most traded crops
Maize and beans, East Africa’s most traded and consumed commodities, are being threatened by climate changes. A new study published in the peer-review journal on Agricultural Systems, projects that climate change will have highly variable impacts on East Africa’s vital maize and bean harvests over the next two to four decades. This is presenting growers … Continue reading
Agriculture / Climate Change / ILRI / Livestock / Research
No simple solution to livestock and climate change
For many people the terms ‘greenhouse gas’ and ‘climate change’ conjure up images of smokestacks billowing noxious clouds, gridlocked traffic, the cracked bottom of a dried-up lake bed, or a polar bear clinging to a melting ice floe. Rarely do you see images of farmers ploughing fields, planting seeds or feeding animals. Indeed, until recently, … Continue reading
Agriculture / Drought / East Africa / Environment / Livestock / Somalia / Trade
Somalia: Livestock-based economy receives major boost
Somalia’s livestock-based economy has received a major boost as its major market, Saudi Arabia lifts its 11 year ban on imported livestock from Somalia. The lift comes after many Somali farmers suffered from the severe east African droughts that dried the soil and dehydrated livestock to death. Last month, a U.S. based NGO embarked on … Continue reading
Biotechnology / ILRI / Livestock / Research
Calving tool may boost livestock
Scientists from the International Livestock Research Institute and the University of Nairobi recently bred a test-tube calf using a technique called in vitro embryo production (IVEP). The technology, they say makes it possible to rapidly multiply and breed genetically superior cattle within a short generation interval. Is this much different from previous technologies? IVEP does … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 