Livestock (cattle) the world over release about 18 per cent of carbon dioxide equivalent of methane through digestive and respiratory systems. Pune-based BAIF Development Research Foundation has published a concept paper taking note of this significant and dangerous contribution to global warming and how to cut down emission of methane by these animals using proper … Continue reading
Category Archives: Regions
Genetic documentation battling livestock extinction in India
With the country’s rich pool of livestock resources facing threat from extinction due to loss of habitat and shortage of green fodder, a unique initiative to retain and register genetic characteristics through documentation has helped in reviving many breed. Read more … (Financial Express) National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources Continue reading
Livestock insurance for milk farmers in Malawi
Insuring livestock against risks and uncertainties is the only way that will boost Malawi’s dairy farming. Nico General Insurance, Marketing Manager Mr. Harry Mhone said this Tuesday when Land O’Lakes handed over a milk cooling tank for farmers in Mzuzu. The beneficiaries, Kapacha Milk Bulking Group, will use the tank to store milk before and … Continue reading
Deadly livestock pest could soon be history in Rift area
The last of the tsetse fly may soon be wiped out of the hot and arid lands of Lake Bogoria in Baringo District of Rift Valley. A protracted campaign against the deadly insect, which causes fatal diseases in humans and livestock, is is finally paying off. It has involved the ministries of Livestock Development, Public … Continue reading
Livestock insurance: Learning from India and the world
Around 50 million households in India depend on livestock for sustenance. Livestock acts as insurance for households that depend on agriculture for income. For close to 18 million households, livestock is the primary source of income. While the share of agriculture in the GDP has declined over the years, the share of livestock in agriculture … Continue reading
NFU helping the under privileged
Food security in Western Kenya has been given a massive boost following fundraising from the NFU and the rest of the agriculture industry. The £200,000 raised from the Africa 100 Appeal is now supporting a new project which is benefitting over 12,000 people. The cash is helping farmers to grow stronger, disease-free crops of cassava, … Continue reading
Ontario: Where goat is hot
Goat for sale in a market in Nigeria (photo by ILRI/Mann). ‘. . . In Ontario agriculture, there’s no question: 2010 is the Year of the Goat. ‘Ontario farmers are catching up with the rest of the world by discovering the virtues of goats as livestock. The province has long had a strong livestock sector, … Continue reading
Pakistan’s national livestock herds imperiled by flooding
Happy Herding, a picture taken by Benny Lin in Pakistan on 18 January 2010, a half year before the great floods came. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) says there is urgent need for animal feed in Pakistan to prevent further economic destruction in the aftermath of the disastrous flooding. ‘Millions … Continue reading
Dubai camel dairy hopes to milk health food market
European Union health regulators in July cleared the United Arab Emirates to become the first major exporter of camel milk products to the 27-nation bloc. If onsite inspections and other EU tests pass muster, the first batches of powdered camel milk could be heading to European shelves next year — and at some point possibly … Continue reading
Do present ways of controlling foot-and-mouth disease in southern Africa make sense?
‘The presence of transboundary animal diseases, and the escalating costs of regulation and meeting export standards, is key to the future of livestock production in Africa . . . and especially meeting the high hopes of the “livestock revolution” . . . . Focusing on the case of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in southern Africa – and … Continue reading