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.
New Zealand will support developing countries getting benefits from its Global Research Alliance on agricultural greenhouse gases for free, Prime Minister John Key says. The government launched the alliance last year and the first meeting of member countries began in Wellington on Wednesday. The alliance was expected initially to divide its work into four sectors: … Continue reading
The first Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development in Montpellier, France, provided a special opportunity to engage with partners and stakeholders of the CGIAR. An estimated 1,000 participants gathered in Montpellier, including researchers, policymakers, farmers, donors, and members of civil society from every region of the world. We would like to thank our partners, … Continue reading
For the last four years, media outlets such as The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and Fox News have repeatedly cited a United Nations study which found that livestock production is responsible for about 18 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions—a larger share than comes from all planes, trains, and automobiles combined. Last week, … Continue reading
On 1 April a new journal World Agriculture was launched in London. A peer-reviewed, completely independent, non-profit, journal, it will explore scientific, economic and social evidence concerning agriculture and its interaction with forestry, climate change, population growth, migration, disease and ecology. Chairman of the Editorial Board, Professor Sir Colin Spedding, explained: “World Agriculture is not another specialist … Continue reading
The African Union Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) recently released a new strategic plan covering 2010-2014. According to the AU-IBAR Director: “The challenges and the changing global environment in which we operate demand new ways of management, organisation and stronger partnerships. This Strategic Plan marks a paradigm shift and a commitment that an energetic, … Continue reading
According to new research (see related article), African farms with both crops and livestock could be more resilient to climate change than farms that only grow crops. The research suggests that policy makers should support farmers in making the switch to integrated farming. Read more … (European Commission) Continue reading
An Australian scientist Friday launched what he called a “reef and beef” study into whether feeding cows seaweed would reduce their flatulent carbon emissions, in a move that could help save the Great Barrier Reef. Tony Parker, from James Cook University, said cattle produced up to 20 per cent of global man-made methane emissions, and … Continue reading
HAMDALLAYE, Niger, Mar 31, 2010 (IPS) – The cows Djibo Hama looks after belong to someone else, but he is diligent. Anticipating a severe shortage of good grazing in 2010, he secured cattle feed for the 35 that remain. “I have purchased a large quantity of feed for my cattle, with the proceeds from selling … Continue reading
Later this month, many staff, partners and members of the board of trustees of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) will gather in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the institute’s annual program meeting. On the ILRI blog, Alan Duncan, chair of the organizing committee, introduces the theme of this year’s meeting: ‘Livestock: The good, the bad … Continue reading
In a new article in Livestock Science, B. Gummow examines some historical disease outbreaks and the factors that played a role in their emergence and compares these with recent emerging diseases. In doing so it highlights certain challenges that face livestock producers and decision makers today as they grapple with emerging diseases. One of the … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 