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 world’s top authority in farm animal health announced on Thursday it would launch a study into the role of meat in climate change. The report, carried out by independent experts, is expected to be published “by the summer,” Bernard Vallat, head of the World Organisation for Animal Health, known by its French acronym of … Continue reading
Fast-food chain McDonalds is on the hunt for new methods to produce a climate-friendly beef burger. The burger giant, which sources 350,000 cows from over 16,000 British and Irish farms every year, has launched a three-year study to cut methane emissions from its livestock. The study will take place on 350 farms across Britain and … Continue reading
A new book by two of the UK’s leading international development thinkers is a landmark in development thinking and practice. Science and Innovation for Development demonstrates how science and innovation can be harnessed to tackle today’s biggest challenges in poor countries, including climate change, HIV/AIDS and illiteracy. Case studies are described, including the use of … Continue reading
Africa missed on the “Green Revolution” that drove Asia; the West and the larger America out of food insecurity five decades ago, but Agricultural Scientists in Kenya say, it should not miss out on the “Gene Revolution” seen to transform food production policy in the continent. First, the statement marks the progress Agriculture Science has … Continue reading
The main aim of this study is to provide an analytical framework for the assessment of barriers to market access for poor livestock producers that can be used for the development of public policy that works to the advantage of those poor producers that attempt to enter specific product markets. The paper proceeds to demonstrate … Continue reading
The traditional parks model of closing off areas and keeping people out simply may not work in Africa, where human demands on the land are great. Instead, what’s needed is an approach that finds ways to enable people and animals to co-exist. “Pastoralists had herded their cattle in harmony with wildlife for thousands of years,” … Continue reading
A new report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says grasslands have vast untapped potential to limit climate change by absorbing and storing carbon dioxide. The report says proper land use can also help one billion people who depend on livestock. The United Nations report says if pastures and rangelands are properly managed, … Continue reading
Zimbabwe’s Agriculture Ministry on Tuesday reported a fresh outbreak of anthrax in some parts of the country. Veterinary Services director Stewart Hargreaves told ZimOnline that his department has recorded fresh reports of an outbreak of the deadly livestock disease. “There has been an outbreak over the past two weeks. The outbreak has been recorded in … Continue reading
FAO’s latest State of Food and Agriculture report on “Livestock in the balance” will be launched during January 2010. Read more … (SLP) Continue reading
Uganda’s dairy industry is one sector likely to cash in on the limited trade barriers as the East African Community integrates further. The country is expected to exploit its wealth of resources to upstage its neighbours in winning over new markets. There continues to be fears that the launch of the uniform East African Customs … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 