Category Archives: Regions

Africa / Asia / Biodiversity / Climate Change / Ethiopia / Fodder / Forages / Genebank / ILRI / Latin America / Seeds

ILRI forage germplasm stored in Addis genebank travels to the Arctic’s Svalbard Global Seed Vault

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‘The Svalbard Global Seed Vault celebrated its third anniversary with the arrival of seeds for rare lima beans, blight-resistant cantaloupe, and progenitors of antioxidant-rich red tomatoes from Peru and the Galapagos Islands. The arrival of these collections, including many drought- and flood-resistant varieties, comes at a time when natural and man-made risks to agriculture have … Continue reading →

Animal Production / Environment / Europe / Livestock

EU publishes study on livestock emissions

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A study on the ‘evaluation of the livestock sector’s contribution to the EU greenhouse gas emissions’ was commissioned by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. It estimates emissions from all livestock sectors in Europe. UK National Farmers Union Director of Policy Martin Haworth said: “This recent evaluation from the EU builds upon previous … Continue reading →

Animal Products / Dairying / Livestock Systems / Middle East

IFAD to help boost dairy production in Syria

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A new US$73.13 million IFAD-supported project will help reduce poverty mainly in marginal dry areas of the Syrian Arab Republic. The Integrated Livestock Development Project will benefit around 311,000 poor rural households: small sheep, cattle and buffalo holders; small milk producers, collectors and processors living in poverty-stricken seasonal settlements in the Badia and in settled … Continue reading →

Asia / Dairying / Food Safety / ILRI / India / Markets / South Asia

Adulteration of milk in northeast India addressed by innovative platform

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A consultant to the European Commission, Wyn Richards, this week expressed satisfaction at the methodology adopted in India ‘for sensitizing the stakeholders on hygienic handling and distribution of unadulterated milk’ in Guwahati, the capital of the state of Assam. The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) is providing technical support to this project. ‘Milk though is … Continue reading →

Animal Breeding / Drylands / DRYLANDSCRP / East Africa / ILRI / Indigenous Breeds / Kenya / Pastoralism / Sheep / Small Ruminants

Shepherds saving sheep

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The ‘hairless’ (non-wool-producing), native and worm-resistant red Maasai sheep of East Africa (photo credit: ILRI). An article this week in InterPress Service tells of Samburu pastoral herders working to bring back their native Red Maasai sheep because it does better than other, exotic, breeds, in the increasingly variable climate of northern Kenya. ‘. . . … Continue reading →

Animal Production / Mozambique / Poultry / Southern Africa

Transforming Mozambique’s poultry sector

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Speaking at a recent meeting on the ‘Impact of U.S. Support on Farming, Poverty and Stability in Mozambique’, Florencia Cipriano, Head of Veterinary Services in Mozambique, described the country’s poultry sector transformation. This transformation included the establishment of the Mozambican Aviculture Association (AMA) that “enabled new poultry farmers to form sustainable businesses, helping them understand … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Diseases / Animal Health / CBPP / Disease Control / Vaccines

Paying for outcomes: Protecting human and animal health in Africa

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A new report from the Milken Institute, “Paying for Outcomes: Protecting Human and Animal Health in Sub-Saharan Africa“ looks at two of the primary threats to sustainable agricultural development in the region and suggests how donors can break through challenges in vaccination and crop safety. The two specific issues examined are contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) … Continue reading →

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

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

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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

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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

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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 →