Bihar is gearing up for a ‘livestock master plan’ being prepared for it by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). ‘It is almost ready and ILRI experts will present its draft to the government here on July 4. The master plan, which will be for a 15–year period, will emphasise on various steps to give a push to dairy, goat-rearing, poultry, piggery and other allied sectors with an aim to improving food security and reducing poverty through better and more sustainable use of livestock. Continue reading
Category Archives: Cattle
Northern Kenya-southern Ethiopia dryland livestock traders gathered in Marsabit for better livestock trade and market links
Enthusiastic traders from several counties in northern Kenya and from across the border in Ethiopia joined a livestock trade facilitation forum in Marsabit, Kenya on May 9. By close of business, participating livestock buyers and sellers signed contracts for a total of 5,373 livestock at a value of $406,774. Continue reading
New studies provide the first accurate estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from East African livestock
The following excerpts are from an article ILRI scientist John Goopy published in late May 2018 reporting on the results of two recent studies that provide more accurate estimates of the greenhouse gases emitted by East African smallholder livestock systems. Continue reading
Green grass and greenhouse gas: Scientists are investigating the links between them
A team of researchers at International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) are testing Napier, Rhodes and Brachiaria grasses for cattle feed, and then physically measuring the emissions in a respiration chamber within the institute’s laboratory. Continue reading
ILRI and its partners celebrate World Milk Day at Tanzania’s first Livestock Expo and Milk Week
ILRI participated in Tanzania’s first National Livestock Expo and Milk Week, held in Arusha 31 May to 1 Jun 2018. ILRI Deputy Director General Iain Wright gave a keynote speech and ILRI’s Country Representative Amos Omore organized an ILRI booth, where participants celebrate World Milk Day on 1 Jun. Continue reading
Accelerating the development of agricultural value chains in Kenya—AVCD Conference Highlights
Twitter Moment highlights of the Accelerated Value Chain Development Conference at ILRI on 26–27 Apr 2018. Continue reading
Mobile pastoralism—A 10,000-year-old practice still robust, if threatened, in the Mediterranean today
Mobile Pastoralism in the Mediterranean: Arguments and evidence for policy reform and its role in combating climate change presents over 100 arguments detailing the benefits of mobile pastoralism to biodiversity, carbon storage, wildfire prevention, climate change, food security and quality, traditional ecological knowledge, rural economies, tourism—to name a few. Continue reading
Investigating fodder as a cash crop—a micro-enterprise for Indian dairy women
ILRI is working with small-scale women dairy producers who are members of a large women’s dairy cooperative in the semi-arid Telengana state of India—the Mulkanoor Women’s Dairy Cooperative. The are growing sorghum for a cash fodder crop. Continue reading
Beef cattle grazing on American rangelands—not feedlots—could be net carbon sink
A new research paper by Michigan State University scientists analyses the impacts of soil carbon sequestration on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions in Midwestern USA beef finishing systems and finds that eEmissions from the multi-paddock grazing system were offset completely by soil carbon sequestration and that soil carbon sequestration from well-managed grazing may help to mitigate climate change. Continue reading
’If you care about agriculture, you care about livestock’—Bill Gates
According to Reuters, the Gates Foundation will pump $40m into research for higher-yielding dairy cows, as well as chickens that lay better quality eggs, livestock vaccines and ‘supercrops’ that can withstand droughts or disease. Continue reading