Category Archives: Regions

Africa / Animal Feeding / ASSP / Capacity Strengthening / CCAFS / East Africa / Ethiopia / Event / Feeds / Forages / ILRI / Seeds

FeedSeed project trains forage seed entrepreneurs in Ethiopia

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The ‘FeedSeed’ project at the International Livestock Research Institute is working with public and private partners to help create a sustainable forage seed supply system in Ethiopia. The idea is to help local entrepreneurs start up forage seed businesses, mainly by establishing a public business incubator that can provide training and mentoring to the entrepreneurs. From 7-11 April 2014, the project organized a technical and business skills development training course for potential forage seed entrepreneurs. Continue reading →

Dairying / Environment / Mali / Research / West Africa

Assessing the efficiency of extensive livestock systems in harsh environments

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The livestock sector will need to provide meat and milk for a growing population, while at the same time limiting its environmental impacts. A recent policy brief from CIRAD shows that extensive dairy systems in Mali can be more efficient than intensive systems in Reunion Island, and just as efficient as semi-intensive systems in western France. Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Products / Dairying / East Africa / Livestock / PIL

White gold: Experts assess dairy opportunities in East Africa and Ethiopia

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The Inter-Agency Donor Group on pro-poor livestock research and development (IADG) recently completed a successful Dairy Expert Consultation in Uganda. The three-day event in Masaka-Mbarara gathered over 50 dairy experts from six East African countries and beyond, and took place from April 1-3, 2014. Continue reading →

East Africa / Ethiopia / Gender / Livestock-Water / NRM / WLE / Women

Beyond fetching water for livestock: A gendered sustainable livelihood framework to assess livestock water productivity

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A sourcebook from the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food, entitled ‘Addressing Water, Food and Poverty Problems Together—Methods, Tools and Lessons’ presents more than 50 articles on how to improve ecological and social resilience. One of the articles looks at ‘A gendered sustainable livelihood framework to assess livestock water productivity’. Continue reading →

Australia / Drought / Drylands / DRYLANDSCRP / East Africa / Event / ILRI / ILRIComms / Insurance / Kenya / Launch / PIL / UK

Of cows, camels and ‘charity insurance’ on Kenya’s Somali frontier–The Economist

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Insuring animals who range with semi-nomadic herders across some of the harshest terrain on earth had defeated all previous efforts. Eventually he came across the work of a Kenyan economist, Andrew Mude of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), based in Nairobi. Mr Mude has developed an insurance model that uses satellite images to assess the impact of drought on the vegetation that camels, cows and goats need to survive. . . . Continue reading →

Asia / HUMIDTROPICS / Markets / PIL / Southeast Asia / Value Chains / Vietnam

Linking smallholder farmers to markets in Northwest Vietnam

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A value chain assessment on four agricultural products in Son La Province of Vietnam provides insights into business models linking smallholder farmers to dynamic markets. These are helping us suggest future Humidtropics research-for-development interventions on policies, institutions and markets. Continue reading →

Australia / Drought / Drylands / DRYLANDSCRP / East Africa / Event / ILRI / ILRIComms / Insurance / Kenya / Launch / Pastoralism / PIL / UK / USA

Shelter from the storm (literally): As remote herders get drought-related insurance payments, the heaven’s open

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Livestock market in Wajir, where Kenya’s remote, never-before-insured livestock herders are getting their first protection from drought (photo credit: ILRI/Riccardo Gangale). ‘It was almost inevitable that the day chosen to make the first drought insurance payments in Wajir, in the arid north-east of Kenya, would be the same day the rains came. ‘Herders who lost sheep, cattle … Continue reading →

A4NH / East Africa / Feeds / Finland / Food Safety / FSZ / Human Health / ILRI / ILRIComms / Kenya / Project

Kenya is hotspot for alfatoxin-related deaths–Report

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‘The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) has commissioned a research project that will ascertain the levels of aflatoxins in the milk consumed in Kenya. ‘Kenyans consume more than 145 litres of milk per person annually increasing the risks associated with milk-related aflatoxins. Because of the higher milk consumption, especially by young children, pregnant and nursing … Continue reading →