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.
Insurers will use satellite images of vegetation to assess Kenyan farmers’ claims for cattle deaths during drought. In a pilot project due to start in early 2010, the Kenya-based International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) will analyse freely-available satellite data to observe changes in vegetation in northern Kenya. The technology works by detecting changes in light … Continue reading
Setting: A casino in a luxury space cruiser currently in the vicinity of the star that Earthlings call “The Sun.” Characters: Four rich aliens from different planets in the galaxy; they are standing by a window, looking out at the Earth. First alien: What a beautiful planet! Don’t you like the way the clouds swirl? … Continue reading
SCIENTISTS have grown meat in the laboratory for the first time. Experts in Holland used cells from a live pig to replicate growth in a petri dish. The advent of so-called “in-vitro” or cultured meat could reduce the billions of tons of greenhouse gases emitted each year by farm animals — if people are willing … Continue reading
Exporters of live animals to Mauritius are preparing to resume the business following the recent rainfall that has improved pasture in Coast province. The growing demand for live Kenyan animals in Mauritius was interrupted by the recent drought that affected many parts in the country, leading traders to suspend exports since they could not get … Continue reading
Harare — GLOBALLY, livestock farming is fast becoming agriculture’s most economically important sub-sector with demand for animal products projected to double over the next 20 years, especially in the developing countries, findings by the International Livestock Research Institute have indicated. It is against this backdrop that developing economies need to direct their focus on research … Continue reading
Australian scientists have said they are hoping to breed sheep that burp less as part of efforts to tackle climate change. The scientists have been trying to identify a genetic link that causes some sheep to belch less than others. Burping is a far greater cause of emissions in sheep than flatulence, they say. Read … Continue reading
Sometime soon, rinderpest will officially be declared extinct, marking the first time mankind has ever eradicated an animal disease In animal health circles, it’s the equivalent of the Apollo 11 moon landing: some time in the next 18 months, FAO jointly with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and other partners will officially declare one … Continue reading
Raising livestock in remote, environmentally harsh areas such as Karamoja in northern Uganda is difficult, not least because there are few animal health services. Recently, however, several NGOs have begun helping communities identify and treat livestock diseases. Pius Sawa speaks to some of those involved. Read (and listen) … (AGFAX) Continue reading
Sir Paul McCartney will this week throw his weight behind a growing campaign to address global warming by reducing the amount of meat we eat, lobbying EU politicians for their backing. The former Beatle will interrupt a European tour to fly to Brussels on Thursday, where he will make his case at a special hearing … Continue reading
Lured by a new business model, wealthy nations flock to farmland in Ethiopia, locking in food supplies grown half a world away BAKO, ETHIOPIA — In recent months, the Ethiopian government began marketing abroad one of the hottest commodities in an increasingly crowded and hungry world: farmland. “Why Attractive?” reads one glossy poster with photos … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 