LOKE, Ethiopia — Standing amidst a group of scrawny fellow Ethiopian farmers, Tuke Shika points to the scorching sun when asked why his food reserves have dwindled this year. “The weather has changed, it’s not as it used to be before,” he laments. “The rains are increasingly erratic, and we are getting less and less … Continue reading
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’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
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
A parasite researcher from NYU is hoping to tackle African sleeping sickness in Kenya by creating genetically enhanced cows that cannot catch or transmit the disease. Jayne Raper believes that to truly help people, sometimes you have to start with another species. In this case, cows. Unlike Raper, a parasite researcher at New York University, most … Continue reading
In the Horn of Africa region, millions of families are desperate for food and water. Several seasons of failed rains is slowly turning into a major catastrophe. In Kenya an estimated 100,000 livestock have been lost to the current season. Read more … (World Sentinel) Continue reading
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
Globalization has proven that what happens in one area of the world invariably affects the whole planet. Right now in Kenya, Djibouti, Somalia, and numerous other countries, people are experiencing severe droughts and flooding to an extent beyond anything they have ever witnessed before. Rising temperatures all over the world are causing malnourishment, starvation, and … Continue reading
As African leaders prepare to present an ambitious proposal to industrialized countries for coping with climate change in the part of the world that is most vulnerable to its impacts, a new study points to where and how some of this money should be spent. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Agricultural Systems, the study projects … Continue reading
“The workshop concluded with visits to local research facilities, including the International Livestock Research Institute’s Biosciences of Eastern and Central Africa (BecA) Hub. Private donors and investors have provided more than $10 million in funding for expansion of the facilities and training. “The BecA Hub showed me the country was actively seeking solutions,” Monteros said. … Continue reading
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