Why Melinda and Bill Gates are betting big on chickens (hint: ‘the ATM of the poor’)
ACGG / Animal Breeding / Article / Chickens / Ethiopia / Film and video / Genetics / ILRI / Interview / LiveGene / Livelihoods / LIVESTOCKFISH / Nigeria / Opinion piece / Poultry / Pro-Poor Livestock / Tanzania / Women

Why Melinda and Bill Gates are betting big on chickens (hint: ‘the ATM of the poor’)

Our foundation is betting on chickens. Alongside partners throughout sub-Saharan Africa, we are working to create sustainable market systems for poultry. It’s especially important for these systems to make sure farmers can buy birds that have been properly vaccinated and are well suited to the local growing conditions. Our goal: to eventually help 30 percent of the rural families in sub-Saharan Africa raise improved breeds of vaccinated chickens, up from just 5 percent now. . . . Continue reading

On making the livestock sector more efficient, equitable and sustainable–Francois Le Gall, Livestock Global Alliance
Climate Change / Communications / Directorate / Environment / Food Security / Human Health / Knowledge and Information / Livelihoods / Livestock Systems / Opinion piece / Pastoralism / Pro-Poor Livestock

On making the livestock sector more efficient, equitable and sustainable–Francois Le Gall, Livestock Global Alliance

The following opinion piece by World Bank livestock advisor François Le Gall was published last week on the launch of an advocacy brief by an alliance of leading organizations in global livestock issues. Chaired by Le Gall, the Livestock Global Alliance aims to bring the often overlooked livestock sector to the forefront of solutions to global development challenges such as food security, health, economic growth and climate change. Continue reading

Livestock are coming to the fore of sustainable development to-do lists
Article / CCAFS / Climate Change / Environment / ILRI / Intensification / Pro-Poor Livestock / SLS

Livestock are coming to the fore of sustainable development to-do lists

Analysis published in Nature Climate Change estimates that livestock could account for up to half of the mitigation potential of the global agricultural, forestry and land-use sectors, which are the second largest source of emissions globally, after the energy sector. Continue reading

Milk production: A nutritional buffer for households in times of conflict and other stress
Agri-Health / Animal Products / Buffalo / Cattle / CGIAR / Consumption / Dairying / Food Security / Human Health / Nutrition / PIM / Pro-Poor Livestock / Report / Research / South Asia / Vulnerability

Milk production: A nutritional buffer for households in times of conflict and other stress

A new discussion paper from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) recommends that livestock-oriented policies to improve child nutrition be designed to mitigate the harmful impacts of conflicts or related events, such as climate change or natural disasters, and that doing so will lead to healthier, more resilient children and communities. Continue reading

Insurance helps Kenyan livestock herders cope with drought
Article / Drought / Drylands / Ethiopia / ILRI / Insurance / Kenya / LIVESTOCKFISH / North Africa / Pastoralism / Pro-Poor Livestock / Project / Rangelands / SLS / Vulnerability

Insurance helps Kenyan livestock herders cope with drought

‘The index-based insurance program is run by the Kenya-based International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and funded by the British, U.S. and Australian governments and the European Union. The donors subsidize the cover to make it affordable for pastoralists. Continue reading

Unpacking transdisciplinary research (the REALLY hard science)
A4NH / Africa / Agri-Health / Animal Diseases / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Environment / Epidemiology / Event report / FSZ / Human Health / ILRI / Opinion piece / Pests / Pro-Poor Livestock / Research / RVF / Trypanosomiasis / Zoonotic Diseases

Unpacking transdisciplinary research (the REALLY hard science)

The following excerpt is the beginning of a candid and thoughtful article by Ian Scoones, of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), at Sussex University, about an international symposium, One Health for the Real World: zoonoses, ecosystems and wellbeing, that took place at the Zoological Society of London last week (17–18 Mar 2016). Continue reading

Goat business is big business in India’s Odisha State—Bishnupada Sethi
Animal Production / Article / ASSP / Goats / ILRI / India / Livestock Systems / LIVESTOCKFISH / Pro-Poor Livestock / Small Ruminants / South Asia

Goat business is big business in India’s Odisha State—Bishnupada Sethi

Inaugurating a day-long seminar on Public-Private-Producer-Partnership for small ruminant development in Odisha, Sethi said consultations with experts, policy analysts and the cross-section of stakeholders including farmers are on to finalise the Odisha Small Animal Development Policy. Continue reading

Animal Products / Article / Climate Change / Farming Systems / ILRI / Livestock Systems / Pro-Poor Livestock / SLS / Soils / UK

Manure: A valuable resource—a 3-part webinar on a ‘win-win-win-win-win’ coming this February

The Livestock and Manure Management project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Wageningen University & Research Centre (Wageningen UR) invite you to join a series of three webinars—on Wednesdays, 3, 17 and 24 Feb 2016—on ‘Manure: a valuable resource’. Continue reading

American agricultural economist Steve Staal leads livestock policy, trade and value chain research at ILRI
Animal Production / Crop-Livestock / Farming Systems / ILRI / Kenya / Philippines / PIL / Policy / Pro-Poor Livestock / Research / Scholarship / Trade / Value Chains

American agricultural economist Steve Staal leads livestock policy, trade and value chain research at ILRI

Steve Staal, who for the past 15 months has served the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Los Baños, the Philippines, as regional representative for East and South Asia, this month takes up leadership of ILRI’s Policy, Trade and Value Chains program and is now based in Nairobi. Continue reading

PRIME(ing) resilience among Ethiopia’s pastoral communities
Animal Health / Article / Disease Control / East Africa / Ethiopia / Extension / Livestock / Markets / Pastoralism / Pro-Poor Livestock / Project / Resilience

PRIME(ing) resilience among Ethiopia’s pastoral communities

PRIME helps farmers with livestock become more resilient to shocks. It also supports better management of existing water resources through more efficient rain harvesting techniques, better early warning systems and information sharing, and improved governance of communal lands and water spots. By improving linkages in the livestock value chain, PRIME also helps ensure profitable outlets for livestock sales when there is not enough feed available to support existing herd sizes. Continue reading