Africa / Animal Production / Article / Cattle / Dairying / Kenya / Livelihoods / Markets / Pastoralism / PIL / Value Chains

East Africa Dairy Development Project featured in Kenya Airways’ February 2014 Msafiri in-flight magazine

I was travelling on a short flight from Nairobi to Mombasa yesterday and was glad to read about the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and its partners of the East Africa Dairy Development (EADD) Project in the Kenya Airways in-flight magazine in the seat pocket in front of me. A four-page full-feature article (see pages 100-104) … Continue reading

Agriculture / Asia / Crop-Livestock / Event / Farming Systems / Humid Tropics / HUMIDTROPICS / PIL / Research / Vietnam

Condensing lots of information into a situational analysis report: think about key messages

As promised six months ago, the Humidtropics situational analysis being conducted in the Northwest Vietnam action site is now ready to share its first lessons. This preliminary research activity of the Humidtropics CGIAR research program has been coordinated by Steve Staal, Regional Representative for Southeast Asia of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). It has … Continue reading

Africa / Animal Feeding / Biodiversity / Crop residues / East Africa / Ethiopia / Event / Feeds / Forages / Genebank

ILRI upgrades its nutrition analysis laboratories in Addis Ababa

On 10 January, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) inaugurated new nutrition laboratories at its Addis Ababa campus. Feed quality is in good hands again. The importance of feed quality Feed quality reflects the ability of a given feed to meet the daily nutrient needs of animals consuming the feed. Tremendous variation exists in nutrient … Continue reading

Agriculture / Animal Production / Article / East Africa / Livelihoods / Livestock / PIL / Pro-Poor Livestock / Tanzania / Value Chains

In Africa, livestock are a catalyst for economic growth—Livestock data study findings

Investing in smallholder farmers who own livestock in rural Africa, such as these women in Tanzania, is a catalyst for economic growth (photo credit: ILRI/Deo Gratias Shayo). Last October (2013), the World Bank reported on the findings of a case study on ‘Livestock and Livelihoods in Rural Tanzania.’ The study assessed opportunities and barriers to … Continue reading

Biodiversity / East Africa / Ethiopia / FFD / Forages / Genebank / ILRI / Seeds

Collaboration with Brazil expands Napier grass diversity in ILRI’s forage genebank

From May 2011 to May 2013, the Africa-Brazil Marketplace sponsored a project to introduce Napier grass elite lines for screening for stunt resistance to provide feed for improved smallholder dairy productivity. The project was a partnership between the Forage genebank of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and EMBRAPA Dairy Cattle … Continue reading

Africa / Animal Breeding / Biodiversity / Botswana / Capacity Strengthening / CapDev / Event / ILRI / Indigenous Breeds / LIVESTOCKFISH / Southern Africa

Animal genetic resources workshop: Uniting Africa in preserving our future

A workshop on Animal Genetic Resources in Sub-Saharan Africa was recently held in Gaborone, as an ILRI-SLU capacity building Project in collaboration with the FAO, AU/IBAR and Team Africa. The workshop ran from 26 to 29 November 2013 with the main objectives of catalyzing and enhancing regional collaboration in order to improve training in animal breeding and genetics for sustainable use of Animal Genetic Resources (AnGR), plan and undertake research for development in prioritized areas of AnGR and improve capacity development including outreach activities in the relevant areas among others. Continue reading

Animal Feeding / Article / ASSP / Crop residues / Crop-Livestock / East Africa / Feeds / LIVESTOCKFISH / South Asia

Field Crops Research special issue on dual-purpose maize for food and feed

The inability of livestock keepers to feed their animals adequately throughout the year remains the major technical constraint in most livestock systems, particularly in smallholder systems in emerging countries. Meeting the demand for meat and milk in a way that poor livestock keepers benefit more from their animal assets will require sustainable production of more … Continue reading

CCAFS / Drought / Drylands / East Africa / Ethiopia / ILRI / ILRIComms / Insurance / Kenya / Pastoralism / PIL / Project / Vulnerability

First insurance for pastoralist herders in Kenya now available in Isiolo and Wajir

Goat herds return home at sunset in northern Kenya (photo credit: USAID/Donatella Lorch). ‘[Hussein] Ahmed, a pastoralist in Marsabit district in arid and semi-arid northern Kenya, lost all his animals in 2011 during one of the worst droughts in the region for over 60 years. . . .  “Before that [I lost my animals] to cattle rustlers … Continue reading