For people living in absolute poverty and chronic hunger, the solution is not to rid the world of livestock, but to find ways to farm animals more efficiently and more sustainably
We need to conserve the most important livestock genetic diversity for possible future use – by poor and rich farmers alike
Livestock feed is a key constraint to the commercialization of smallholder livestock production
While vaccines remain the most cost-effective medical and veterinary interventions for controlling disease, opportunities also exist to improve animal health by improving existing veterinary services and access by poor livestock keepers to those services
Mixed crop-and-livestock farms will, more than the traditional breadbaskets and rice bowls of the past, feed the developing world over the next few decades
Human, livestock and environmental health are inextricably linked, Sixty-one per cent of all diseases are ‘zoonotic’ –that is, transmissible between animals and humans.
Making smallholder production more competitive is a powerful tool to reduce poverty, raise nutrition levels and improve the livelihoods of rural people in many developing countries
Expert opinion agrees that the best way to tap into the potential of the drylands is to build on the foundation of their livestock economies rather than ignoring them or seeking to replace them.
‘A British panel issued a sweeping exoneration on Wednesday of scientists caught up in the controversy known as Climategate, saying it found no evidence that they had manipulated their research to support preconceived ideas about global warming. ‘The researcher at the center of the controversy, a leading climatologist named Phil Jones, was immediately reinstated to … Continue reading
‘African livestock breeds have successfully adapted to many diseases and climatic changes ‘The genetically diverse and “exquisitely well adapted” traits of Africa’s livestock should be better harnessed to meet the continent’s needs. ‘Seventy per cent of Africa’s rural poor keep livestock and 200 million people depend on the animals for their livelihoods. ‘African livestock breeds … Continue reading
‘Die genetische Vielfalt von afrikanischem Vieh muss unbedingt und raschest in Bio-Banken gespeichert werden. ‘Das fordern Forscher in einem Artikel im Wissenschaftsmagazin Science. “Die in Afrika vorhandenen nativen Zuchten haben sich den zum Teil sehr schwierigen Lebensbedingungen gut anpassen können”, so Studien Co-Autor Olivier Hanotte, Professor für Genetik an der University of Nottingham im pressetext-Interview. … Continue reading
Zebra-scented cattle will be roaming East Africa in increasing numbers over the next three years thanks to a grant to perfect a technology that keeps tsetse flies away. Researchers have developed repellent collars containing the synthetic equivalents of the odours of animals that tsetse flies tend to avoid — such as zebra. “We decided to … Continue reading
With Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), or blue ear disease, spreading across Vietnam, large numbers of pig farmers are facing financial difficulty. Pork shortages due to the culling of pigs, or deaths from the disease, combined with restrictions in the movement of animals and public concern over the safety of pork products have seen … Continue reading
The Huffington Post last week (25 June 2010) published an opinion piece by Sylvia Mathews Burwell, president of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Development Program. She argued the need for ‘big talk’ at forthcoming ‘big meetings’ to remain focused on meeting the needs of the world’s small farmers. ‘The season of big meetings … Continue reading
‘Chad is dirt poor because its dirt is poor. Germany is relatively rich because its soil is rich. That’s the provocative conclusion flowing from a new study, which suggests that just two fundamental factors—soil type and climate—can largely explain why humans have prospered in some places but not in others. The finding, drawn from a … Continue reading
‘Few companies spin financial growth out of crop growth better than Monsanto. By making an early, successful R&D-heavy bet on biotechnology, Monsanto transformed itself from an agricultural-chemicals company in an increasingly commoditized sector into a cutting-edge seed-and-biotech firm. Because its rivals are still catching up to its prowess in creating biotech traits — the software … Continue reading
‘The world’s newest common market was created [1 July 2010] when a regional bloc of five east African countries freed up the movement of people, products and capital across borders, furthering East Africa’s dream of broad political unification. ‘The transformation and growth of the bloc, known as the East African Community, has been unfolding quickly … Continue reading
This working paper by Azage Tegegne, Berhanu Gebremedhin and Dirk Hoekstra on Livestock input supply and service provision in Ethiopia: challenges and opportunities for market-oriented development was released on 23 June, 2010 Livestock production in Ethiopia has, for long, remained subsistence with limited market-orientation and poor institutional support. Producing for the market requires re-orientation of … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 