Coping with drought – livestock insurance

Posted on 7 Sep 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

In Kenya, the International Livestock Research Institute, working with partner organisations, has developed an insurance scheme for livestock farmers. The insurance enables farmers to protect their livelihood against the risk of drought. It works through satellite images, which can be used to measure the amount of grazing available in areas covered under the scheme. If … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Production / Ethiopia / Livestock / Pastoralism

Ethiopia: Pastoralism against the odds

Posted on 4 Sep 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

Pastoralists’ disproportionate contribution to Ethiopia’s economy is belied by their marginalized status and by policy assumptions that they would be better off farming. But those who raise livestock tend to make the most of marginal land, according to experts, and are often proficient at adapting to changing circumstances. “People think that pastoralist production systems are … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Disease Control / Pastoralism / Southern Africa

Do present ways of controlling foot-and-mouth disease in southern Africa make sense?

Posted on 23 Aug 2010 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

‘The presence of transboundary animal diseases, and the escalating costs of regulation and meeting export standards, is key to the future of livestock production in Africa . . . and especially meeting the high hopes of the “livestock revolution” . . . . Focusing on the case of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in southern Africa – and … Continue reading →

Livestock Systems / Pastoralism

Political patronage and peasant interests: The case of the livestock sector

Posted on 22 Aug 2010 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

A fascinating discussion by David Leonard and colleagues on patronage issues for the rural poor appears in the May 2010 issue of Development and Change. The authors ask: Is political patronage still relevant to policymaking for the rural poor, and especially livestock producers, in today’s developing world? ‘In this article, we argue that the nature of patronage … Continue reading →

Animal Diseases / Biotechnology / Disease Control / East Africa / ECF / ILRI / Pastoralism / Vaccines

Masai herders buy vaccine to protect their cattle from lethal disease

Posted on 7 Aug 2010 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

Photo credit: ILRI / Mann ‘When asked about the success of vaccination against East Coast fever (ECF) in northern Tanzania, Dr Lieve Lynen, is remarkably modest. And yet more than 500,000 animals have been vaccinated against ECF in Tanzania since 1998, largely due to the work of Lynen’s pharmaceutical company VetAgro Tanzania, which has led … Continue reading →

Animal Feeding / Fodder / ILRI / Kenya / Livestock / Pastoralism

Cactus could feed East African livestock, say scientists

Posted on 28 Jul 2010 by Dorine Adhoch • Leave a comment

A succulent, wild-growing cactus that has been widely dismissed as a noxious weed could sustain African livestock during drought, according to scientists at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI). A paper by John Kang’ara and Josiah Gitari, animal nutritionists at KARI, concludes that Opuntia species — the prickly pear or paddle cacti — have extreme … Continue reading →

East Africa / Livelihoods / Pastoralism / Trade

Freedom of movement to help pastoralist lifestyles in East Africa

Posted on 19 Jul 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

Pastoralists across East Africa are set to benefit as the region’s national borders are relaxed amid joint efforts to mitigate the risks associated with their migration. “With the coming into effect [on 1 July] of the common market protocol, pastoralists like the Maasai, the Pokot and the Somali who do not believe in borders as … Continue reading →

Africa / East Africa / Environment / ILRI / Pastoralism / Wildlife

Masai Mara has lost half its animals

Posted on 19 Jul 2010 by Dorine Adhoch • 1 Comment

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 →

Africa / Climate Change / East Africa / Environment / Pastoralism

Urgent action needed for pastoralists to cope with climate change

Posted on 17 Jul 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

rgent action is needed to help pastoralists cope with the rising impacts of climate change including strategies by governments to facilitate safe passage across borders in the Horn and East Africa region. This is among the key recommendations of a new report launched today by the United Nations (UN) and partners, members of the Security … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Production / Climate Change / Livestock Systems / Pastoralism

Carbon-Friendly beef? Look to Africa, experts say

Posted on 14 Jun 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

Studies in Africa reveal that raising livestock through pastoralism is ‘far more’ ecological than crop production Read more … (Solve Climate Blog) Continue reading →