Category Archives: Africa

Africa / Agriculture / Crop residues / Crop-Livestock / East Africa / Ethiopia / Event / HUMIDTROPICS / ILRI / Intensification / Livestock / Livestock Systems / Project / Research / South Africa / West Africa

Experts meet in Addis Ababa to design new agricultural research project for Ethiopian Highlands

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Around 60 experts are meeting at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Addis Ababa on 30th and 31st January to plan an exciting new research project that aims to transform agricultural systems in the Highland of Ethiopia. As in many part of Africa, farming systems in the Ethiopian Highlands are a mix of crop … Continue reading →

Africa / Agriculture / Capacity Strengthening / East Africa / Ethiopia / ILRI / Innovation Systems / IPMS / Knowledge and Information / Markets

Increasing capacity for knowledge-based smallholder agriculture in Ethiopia

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This working paper by Tesfaye Lemma Tefera, Azage Tegegne and Dirk Hoekstra of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), on Capacity for knowledge-based smallholder agriculture in Ethiopia: Linking graduate programs to market-oriented agricultural development: Challenges, opportunities and IPMS experience was released by ILRI in January 2012. Graduate programs in agriculture and allied disciplines in Ethiopia are expected … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Production / East Africa / Ethiopia / Goats / Livestock / LIVESTOCKFISH / Sheep / Small Ruminants

Ethiopia gets sheep and goat production handbook

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In Ethiopia, sheep and goats have traditionally served as a means of ready cash and a reserve against economic and agricultural production hardship. However, the proximity of Ethiopia to large Middle Eastern markets demanding export quality sheep and goat carcasses and an increase in the domestic demand for small ruminant meat is leading to a … Continue reading →

Africa / Agriculture / Capacity Strengthening / Research

Strategic partnerships needed to build African scientific capacity for agriculture

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A report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies provides an overview of agricultural science cooperation within the African research system; the university system; and the role of partnerships with the private sector. The report identifies four key approaches: Focus on Problems. Achieving results will require serious focus. Focus on the most real and … Continue reading →

Africa / Agriculture / Crop-Livestock / Farming Systems / Ghana / HUMIDTROPICS / ILRI / Intensification / Mali / Project / Research / West Africa

Transforming African agricultural systems through sustainable intensification: Project design workshops

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As part of the US government’s Feed the Future initiative to address global hunger and food security issues in sub-Saharan Africa, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is supporting three multi-stakeholder agricultural research projects to sustainably intensify key African farming systems. Based in three priority agro-ecological zones, the three projects are focused on sites … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Diseases / Australia / BecA / Biotechnology / Cattle / CBPP / Disease Control / Goats / ILRI / PPR / Sheep / Small Ruminants / Vaccines

Australia steps up support for research in Africa to reduce the continent’s heavy livestock disease burden

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ILRI scientist Joerg Jores (right) tells German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who visited the ILRI-BecA labs in July 2011, about his livestock disease research (photo credit: ILRI/Njoroge). ‘Owning large livestock is like money in the bank for African farmers, but major diseases significantly threaten their future. ‘Among these are [peste des petits ruminants], a viral disease … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Breeding / Animal Diseases / Disease Control / East Africa / Epidemiology / Ethiopia / ILRI / Indigenous Breeds / Livestock / Poultry / Project / Research

Tackling poultry diseases in Ethiopia

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Developing countries such as Ethiopia have many indigenous chicken varieties which are well adapted to local environments as they are excellent foragers, better able to avoid predator attacks and demonstrate better immunity to common diseases. However, due to relatively low genetic potential and poor levels of husbandry, most of these indigenous chicken breeds grow slowly … Continue reading →

Africa / Agriculture / Food Security / Research

Be proud, see far, start small, join hands – A new mantra for food security in Africa?

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Is a new wave of development work towards food security underway in Africa? On the last day of the conference ‘Increasing agricultural productivity and enhancing food security in Africa’, Mafa Chipeta, formerly at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), reminded fellow Africans that solutions to food security on the continent lay not outside, in the … Continue reading →

Aflatoxins / Africa / BecA / Biotechnology / East Africa / Genetics / ILRI / Interview / Research / Staff

Segenet Kelemu: On the LiveSTOCK Exchange ‘hard seat’

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During the November 2011 ‘liveSTOCK Exchange’ event at ILRI, Brian Perry interviewed Segenet Kelemu, Director of the Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA) Hub. Watch the video:   On 9 and 10 November 2011, the ILRI Board of Trustees hosted a 2-day ‘liveSTOCK Exchange’ to discuss and reflect on livestock research for development. The event … Continue reading →

Africa / Capacity Strengthening / East Africa / Ethiopia / ILRI / IPMS / Livestock

Livestock capacity development approaches: IPMS project experiences

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For the November 2011 ‘liveSTOCK Exchange’ event at ILRI, Dirk Hoekstra, Azage Tegegne and Berhanu Gebremedhin prepared an issue brief on capacity development approaches in the ‘Improving the Productivity and Market Success of Ethiopian farmers’ (IPMS) project … ‘Capacity to innovate’ by value chain actors was identified as a key factor for a participatory smallholder … Continue reading →