National Geographic weighs in on (several) inconvenient truths and (several different sides) of the ‘beef debate’
Animal Feeding / Animal Health / Animal Production / Article / Cattle / Consumption / Environment / Farming Systems / Intensification / Livestock Systems / North America / USA

National Geographic weighs in on (several) inconvenient truths and (several different sides) of the ‘beef debate’

There’s a new feature article in National Geographic this month titled: Carnivore’s Dilemma. Written by Robert Kunzig and photographed by Brian Finke, the feature asks, and attempts to answer, the question: ‘Is America’s appetite for meat bad for the planet?’ Continue reading

Agriculture / Article / Directorate / East Africa / ILRI / ILRI40 / Kenya / Markets / Policy / Pro-Poor Livestock / Uganda

FAO’s Modibo Traore and Uganda’s Bright Rwamirama at ILRI@40 Nairobi conference (1 Oct)

Bright Rwamirama, Honourable State Minister for Animal Industry, Uganda (left), and Modibo Traoré, FAO sub-regional coordinator for eastern Africa and representative to Ethiopia, the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, at the ILRI@40 conference in Nairobi, 1 Oct 2014 (photo credit: ILRI/Paul Karaimu). Which matters most to Africa’s agricultural development? Research … Continue reading

Africa / Animal Feeding / Article / ASSP / Crop residues / Feeds / FFD / Fodder / GLDC / ILRI / Intensification / LIVESTOCKFISH / Markets / South Asia

Breeding legumes for livestock feed (biomass) as well as human food (grain)

Cowpea fodder bundles stacked in Niger for livestock feed (photo credit: ILRI). ‘Of the many virtues of grain legumes, one is little recognized. Visitors to the livestock fodder markets of West Africa are always surprised to see groundnut and cowpea haulms (stalks and stems of legume plants) sold at prices that exceed that of cereal … Continue reading

Article / Drought / Drylands / East Africa / Ethiopia / Kenya / Pastoralism / Resilience / Uganda / Vulnerability

New World Bank funds target Ethiopian pastoralists in IGAD project

The World Bank has proved an additional credit of $US75 million to improve the livelihoods and resilience of pastoralists in the Horn of Africa. The funds will help to strengthen the organizational capacity of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD). Continue reading

A4NH / Agri-Health / Animal Health / Article / East Africa / Emerging Diseases / Environment / Epidemiology / FSZ / Human Health / Kenya / Research

New Scientist reports on Nairobi study mapping out role of urbanization in zoonotic pathogen transmission

A study by 12 Kenyan and UK institutions, including the University of Liverpool, ILRI and the University of Nairobi, is investigating the role of urbanization in the origin and spread of zoonotic pathogens in Nairobi. Continue reading

A4NH / Agri-Health / Animal Health / Article / ASF / Brucellosis / Dairying / Disease Control / East Africa / Emerging Diseases / FSZ / Human Health / ILRI / Kenya / Pigs / Uganda / Zoonotic Diseases

‘Ecohealth’ approaches linking human and environmental health in Kenya

ILRI is leading most ecohealth approaches in Kenya, in collaboration with the International Development Research Centre, a Canadian corporation that supports research in developing countries, and has regional offices in Nairobi. Continue reading

Animal Production / Article / Geodata / ILRI / ILRIComms / Livestock Systems / Pigs / SLS

Global pig and hunger maps published on Vox.com

‘Timothy Robinson and his co-authors put together a series of maps showing the global distribution of various widely eaten animals. This map shows where the world’s pigs live, and makes the point that the taste for delicious pork varies widely around the world. North Americans, Europeans, and Chinese people all eat pigs, but China’s enormous … Continue reading