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.
The following is the sixth and final post in a series of reports from the Ethiopian village of Koraro, an important testing ground for the Millennium Village Project, an experiment in global development strategy spearheaded by economist Jeffrey Sachs. The reports, written by Jeff Marlow, a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology, consider … Continue reading
African scientists and students now have access to world-class laboratory facilities, with the opening of an agricultural biosciences research facility at the International Livestock Research Institute’s (ILRI) campus in Nairobi, Kenya. The laboratory facility meets the standards of the world’s most developed countries, said an ILRI spokesperson, and will enable Africans to “venture into new … Continue reading
A world-class bioscience research facility that has opened its doors in Nairobi is set to move Africa closer to the developed world in agricultural technology. The aptly named Biosciences Eastern and Central Africa (BecA) centre at the International Livestock Research Institute hub brings together a critical mass of scientists from Africa and abroad and is … Continue reading
The Emerging Pathogens Institute at the University of Florida was officially dedicated Tuesday, with deans from eight colleges manning the scissors for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Within the 80,000-square-foot building, researchers are already at work, preparing for battle against the next wave of infectious diseases that could plague our times. The new facility draws faculty from … Continue reading
CIAT is seeking applications for the position of a Forage and Livestock Systems Specialist. The position will be based at the Regional Office of CIAT in Asia, in Vientiane, Lao PDR, and will be housed within the Tropical Forages Program of CIAT. Read more … (CIAT) Continue reading
In the second annual letter he has issued to the public to discuss his and his wife’s philanthropic work through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Microsoft founder Bill Gates issued an upbeat assessment on the prospects of overcoming the challenges faced by the world’s poorest people—many in Africa—in the fields of health and agriculture. … Continue reading
Livestock production in developing and developed countries are different. Livestock beneficial for developing nations is harmful for developed countries. While rising consumption of meat, milk and eggs is one of the factors in epidemics of obesity and heart disease in developed countries, consumption of meat and milk in developing countries is associated with good rather … Continue reading
Livestock farmers in North Eastern Kenya will be compensated against loss of their animals from drought following the launch of an insurance product targeting the sector. The compensation will ensure that pastoralists do not suffer losses when their livestock die from drought, disease or flooding. Read more … (Kenya Broadcasting Corporation) Continue reading
Agriculture insurance has finally been launched for the first time in Botswana with the facilitation of the Agricultural Hub, as the sector tries to move towards full commercialisation. This week, Agrinsure Botswana a joint venture effort between South Africa’s Farmers Technical Insurance Services Company (FTISC) and Alexandra Forbes Botswana, was officially unveiled to stakeholders in … Continue reading
Delegates arriving at the gates of the climate conference in Copenhagen last month were met by women in furry animal suits holding placards showing pictures of lambs, cows and pigs and warning, “Don’t Eat Me.” But the virtues of vegetarianism as part of the battle to curb climate change are far from being an issue … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 