Rain rules the lives and wellbeing of rural people in most developing countries: it determines whether they will have enough to eat, be able to provide basic necessities and earn a living, but climate change has made rainfall more erratic in many parts of the world. “What is scary is how fast things have been … Continue reading
Category Archives: Regions
Nigeria: Climate change and food challenge
Climate change has gradually dominated discussion in almost every country of the world because of the challenge it poses to the survival of individuals and whole nations. In recent times, whole countries have been threatened by changes in climatic conditions ranging from draught, delayed rainfall, continuous melting of the polar region causing severe flood in … Continue reading
East Africa / ILRI / Insurance / Kenya / Livestock
Insurance. Grasslands. What could they have in common?
Insurance is about protection against loss — and so, in many ways, is conservation. The similarities between these two industries mean both could gain from a closer relationship. The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) recently announced the trial of an innovative insurance scheme for traditional herders in northern Kenya. There’s a severe need for such … Continue reading
Africa / Animal Diseases / Ghana / Livestock / West Africa
UGCACS launches School of Veterinary Medicine
Accra, April 13, GNA – Authorities of University of Ghana College of Agriculture and Consumer Science (UGCACS) on Tuesday launched the School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) to train world class veterinarians in Ghana. Dr Alfred Sugri Tia, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) in-charge of Livestock, said at the launch that Ghana had relied … Continue reading
Climate change increasing poverty and vulnerability in Ethiopia
Small-scale farmers and pastoralists in Ethiopia are likely to bear the brunt of the negative impacts of climate change in the region, which will include increased poverty, water scarcity, and food insecurity, according to a new Oxfam International report released today. The international development agency’s report, “The Rain Doesn’t Come on Time Anymore: Poverty, Vulnerability, … Continue reading
South African dairy goes green with manure power
Thandeka Mabuza’s small-scale dairy farm, on the banks of the Olifants River, gives off hardly any of the earthy smell you might expect from a thriving dairy operation. But the lack of manure odour is hardly the only benefit from the farm’s pioneering biogas dairy. By using vats to digest cow dung and then harvesting … Continue reading
Regional workshop on sustainable management of animal genetic resources in Central and West Africa
FAO, in collaboration with the regional project on sustainable management of endemic ruminant livestock (PROGEBE), organized on 22–25 March 2010, in Dakar, Senegal, a regional workshop on sustainable management of animal genetic resources in West and Central Africa. The workshop was preceded by an electronic forum hosted by DAD-Net West Africa, which took place between … Continue reading
Asia / Bird flu / Disease Control / Livestock / Southeast Asia / Trade / Zoonotic Diseases
FAO studies cross-border trade of poultry commodities to improve risk management of avian influenza in the Greater Mekong Subregion
The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) includes Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet Nam and the southern provinces of China. In the GMS, the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in early 2003 and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) from 2004 to 2010 has marked this region as a hotspot for emerging infectious diseases. Animal … Continue reading
Asia / Climate Change / Drought / Livestock
Strike of the Dzud: How conservation can help Mongolia’s herders
Mongolia is currently in the midst of a major natural disaster that we’ve heard little about in the news, but that has already resulted in the death of 4.5 million livestock animals, 10% of the country’s livestock population. The United Nations estimates 120,000 Mongolian herders have lost more than one-half of their herds in the … Continue reading
Asia / Climate Change / Drought / Livestock
Strike of the Dzud: How Conservation Can Help Mongolia’s Herders
Mongolia is currently in the midst of a major natural disaster that we’ve heard little about in the news, but that has already resulted in the death of 4.5 million livestock animals, 10% of the country’s livestock population. The United Nations estimates 120,000 Mongolian herders have lost more than one-half of their herds in the … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 