US President Barack Obama delivered a speech this week (21 September 2010) at the United Nations Summit on the Millennium Development goals that ‘mixed soaring rhetoric with ground-level truths’. Obama said that providing aid to the poorest countries can directly contribute to the security and prosperity of the wealthiest countries–a framework for a new policy … Continue reading
Category Archives: Research
Agriculture / Climate Change / East Africa / Farming Systems / ILRI / Kenya / Livestock / Research
Preying on small uneducated farmers
A new study by the International Livestock Research Institute has found that reductions in greenhouse gases could be worth $1 billion dollars to poor livestock farmers if they could sell saved carbon on international markets. Greenhouse gas emissions caused by livestock operations in tropical countries — a major contributor to climate change — could be … Continue reading
Africa / Animal Diseases / Capacity Strengthening / Central Africa / Disease Control / East Africa / Emerging Diseases / Research / Uganda / Zoonotic Diseases
Makerere-North Dakota to tackle zoonoses and vector-borne diseases in Eastern and Central Africa
Under a new initiative by the United States Agency for International Development and Higher Education for Development, 11 innovative new partnerships between 22 universities in Africa and the United States have each been awarded up to US$1.1 million to address food security and other issues in Africa. These partnerships will maximize the resources of US … Continue reading
Africa / Agriculture / Brazil / Cattle / Environment / Food Security / Latin America / Livestock / North America / NRM / Research / Soils / Water / WLE
The miracle of the cerrado
Brazil has revolutionized its own farms. Can it do the same for others? IN A remote corner of Bahia state, in north-eastern Brazil, a vast new farm is springing out of the dry bush. Thirty years ago eucalyptus and pine were planted in this part of the cerrado (Brazil’s savannah). Native shrubs later reclaimed some … Continue reading
Agriculture / CGIAR / Impact Assessment / Markets / NRM / PIM / Policy / Research / WLE
And the winner is . . . New review of the impacts of international agricultural research
An interesting paper has appeared this week, published in the science journal Food Policy. It reviews evidence of the impacts of research conducted since 2000 by 15 centres belonging to the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), one of which is the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), based in Africa. Below is a glossary … Continue reading
Agriculture / Consumption / North America / Research / USA
‘Food miles’ can be ‘false miles’ when total energy expenditures are taken into account
American science and history writer Stephen Budiansky published a tonic op-ed in the New York Times last week on the dangers of simplifying such inherently complex issues as total energy expenditures in the production, transportation and marketing of food. As his article tellingly points out (see excerpts below), making arbitrary rules about our food systems, … Continue reading
Artificial meat? Food for thought by 2050
Leading scientists say meat grown in vats may be necessary to feed 9 billion people expected to be alive by middle of century Artificial meat grown in vats may be needed if the 9 billion people expected to be alive in 2050 are to be adequately fed without destroying the earth, some of the … Continue reading
Publish or post? Paradigm shift for scientific publishing advocated
‘As the news release for LiquidPublication simply states: “Don’t print it; post it.” To disseminate the information, the program has a software platform that lets other scientists search for what’s been posted, leave comments, link related works, and gather papers and information into their own personalized online journals — all for free. ‘”I think it’s … Continue reading
Africa / Agriculture / Farming Systems / Fish / ILRI / Livelihoods / Livestock / LIVESTOCKFISH / Research
Can smallholder farmers feed a growing Africa?—Yes, under the right conditions
Peter Karanja sells eggs in Nairobi (credit: ILRI / Mann) Intense proposal development work by the 15 centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and their many research partners is coming down to the wire this month, with the deadline for submitting these proposals, 1 September 2010, fast approaching. The proposals are … Continue reading
Help shape the CGIAR’s livestock and fish research mega program
The CGIAR is currently undergoing a major change process – the largest in its 39 year history. The new CGIAR approach is being operationalized through a number of ‘Mega Programs’, each of which is currently being developed by several Centers working closely together. One of the first Mega Programs is focused on improving the productivity … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 