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.
Africa’s Scientists and researchers can now access latest equipment and technologies related to science at a new world-class research facility in Nairobi. The facility which is based at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) will afford Africa’s scientists an opportunity to venture into new research areas without prohibitive costs and regulations to conduct the same … Continue reading
What happens here in Kenya could change the way the world views genetically modified food. Whether it really makes a positive difference in the lives of Africans remains to be seen. Why is Kenya key? Read more… (Pulitzer Gateway) Continue reading
This working paper has been prepared jointly for the Intergovernmental Authority on Development Livestock Policy Initiative (IGAD LPI) and the Pro-Poor Livestock Policy Initiative (PPLPI). The work described in this paper contributes towards making available standardised spatial data to help analyse policy options, to target policy interventions and to evaluate their impact – contributing to … Continue reading
This report assesses the efficiency and effectiveness of contract farming as an institution for integrating rural smallholders in markets for livestock products, using detailed reviews of particular case studies on contract farming in India, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. Read more … (Pro-Poor Livestock Policy Initiative) Continue reading
New ideas for raising money for medical care—and spending it In the old days, the job of eradicating disease fell to governments and inter-governmental bodies. Then charities, often led by celebrities or entrepreneurs, joined in. Finally, in the Western world at least, governments accepted the need to pool their efforts with those of private donors, … Continue reading
A recent issue of the magazine ‘Rural 21’ is dedicated to livestock and development. Articles include: The livestock challenge Livestock and the MDGs (ILRI paper) Making livestock policy pro-poor Livestock and climate change (ILRI paper) One World, One Health? The role of livestock in African agriculture Continue reading
For people who see stopping deforestation as the quickest climate-change win, Copenhagen seemed a success. Although there is still work to be done on the initiative known as REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), the deal struck in Copenhagen made it into a real thing, not just an idea. The notion of reducing … Continue reading
The rapid growth in demand for pork in Vietnam represents an opportunity for smallholders to improve their incomes. But limited access to improved breeds, inputs, veterinary services and markets has constrained smallholders from benefiting fully from market opportunities presented by this rising demand. Recent pronouncements on government policy have also favoured the development of larger-scale, … Continue reading
This guide is designed to help communities and policy-makers at local and national levels make informed choices regarding land use, business ventures, and public policy in pastoral areas, particularly the Maasai Steppe and other semi-arid parts of East Africa. This decision support tool, Sustaining communities, livestock and wildlife stems from work by the Food and … Continue reading
The refurbished CG Ongoing Research map has new functionalities such as: A more targeted and friendly search engine, project overviews, and links to project documentations among others, which will be sure to revolutionize the way we share research information and make browsing even more interesting. We are currently working on completing these additional project details. … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 