Get local livestock keepers involved in disease surveillance–ILRI’s John McDermott

Posted on 13 Feb 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

Participants at a conference on ‘Leveraging Agriculture for Human Nutrition and Health’, which has just ended in New Delhi, heard that livestock intensification in developing countries, especially in Africa and Asia, may increase the incidence of epidemics that kill both humans and animals. ‘”The increase in density leads to increased contact between humans and animals—leading … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Directorate / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / ILRI / Nigeria / Zoonotic Diseases

ILRI report says Africa’s veterinary services inadequate to deal with new disease threats

Posted on 13 Feb 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

Nigeria’s Vanguard newspaper reports on warning given by scientists about the insufficient capacity of Africa’s current veterinary services to deal with new disease threats. ‘According to new assessments, reported yesterday at the International Conference on Leveraging Agriculture for Improving Nutrition & Health in New Delhi, India, “Wealthy countries are effectively dealing with livestock diseases, but … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Products / Dairying / Livestock / Southern Africa / Tanzania / Value Chains

Plan launched to increase incomes for Tanzanian dairy farmers

Posted on 12 Feb 2011 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

Land O’Lakes International Development has launched a new $8 million, three-year USDA-funded dairy development programme in the country that is expected to directly improve incomes and strengthen food security for nearly 18,000 farmers and agricultural input and service providers. The programme, to be funded by the USAID, will also indirectly benefit an additional 87,000 family … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Asia / Directorate / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / ILRI / Latin America / Zoonotic Diseases

Animals, not people, should serve as sentinels of infectious diseases of both–Delia Grace

Posted on 12 Feb 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

A girl shares the entrance to her house with a family of chickens in Oyo State, Nigeria (photo credit: ILRI/Mann). Researchers at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) argue in an opinion piece published yesterday on the Guardian‘s Poverty Matters Blog (11 February 2011) that the best way to reduce the threat of infectious diseases … Continue reading →

Africa / Agriculture / Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Asia / Directorate / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / ILRI / India / Latin America / Research / Zoonotic Diseases

Close the gaps between agriculture, health and nutrition–Indian Prime Minister

Posted on 12 Feb 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

During the inaugural session of an international conference in New Delhi that is closing today, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for greater investments to close the gaps in knowledge of how agriculture, nutrition and health are linked. The conference is organized by the International Food Policy Research Institute. The CGIAR in Action blog reports … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Asia / Directorate / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / ILRI / Latin America / Zoonotic Diseases

Growing number of farm animals spawn new diseases

Posted on 11 Feb 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

From Hong Kong comes this report from MSNBC about research conducted by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). ‘A growing number of livestock, such as cows and pigs, are fuelling new animal epidemics worldwide and posing more severe problems in developing countries as it threatens their food security, according to a report released on Friday. … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Asia / Directorate / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / Latin America / Zoonotic Diseases

ILRI warns of health dangers of global livestock boom

Posted on 11 Feb 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

‘The livestock boom could increase the number of animal plagues while further compromising food security. ‘The Deputy Director General of research at the International Livestock Research Institute – ILRI John McDermott said increasing the numbers of domestic livestock through resource-intensive production methods is increasing animal epidemics around the world. ‘McDermott says the problem is more … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Diseases / Animal Production / Botswana / Disease Control / Livestock / Southern Africa / Vaccines

Botswana’s cattle industry: an uncertain future despite vaccine breakthrough

Posted on 10 Feb 2011 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

One chief facet of the country’s domestic agriculture industry remains cattle raising (though agriculture and livestock production account for between only 2-4% of GDP, while employing approximately 25% of the country’s labor force) and the export of beef to international markets such as the European Union (EU) and South Africa, although production has admittedly sagged … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Diseases / Asia / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / ILRI / India / South Asia / Zoonotic Diseases

Of plagues and livestock–The Economist reports on ILRI research at the animal-human interface

Posted on 10 Feb 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

A pig scavenges for food in trash outside a poor household in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India (photo credit: ILRI/Mann). The Economist today (10 February 2011) reports on news from the International Livestock Research Institute, being discussed this week at an international conference on agriculture, nutrition and health in New Delhi, India, of the critical need … Continue reading →

Africa / Livelihoods / NRM / WLE

If medicine is the ‘hardware’ of development, what’s the software?