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 Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has commissioned Civic Consulting to conduct a study on the Cost of National Prevention Systems for Animal Diseases and Zoonoses in developing and transition countries. The aims of the study are twofold: (a) estimating the “peace time” costs of veterinary services allowing early detection and rapid response to … Continue reading
With children severely malnourished, animals weak or dying, and people struggling to find water, exceptionally dry conditions in the Horn of Africa have added to the cumulative effect of three to four consecutive seasons of poor or failed rains. Severe shortages of pasture and water, combined with high food prices, have left an estimated 24 … Continue reading
In hopes of preventing the next global pandemic and a possible death toll into the millions, UC Davis today launches an unprecedented international effort to find and control diseases that move between wildlife and people. Read more … (ScienceDaily) Continue reading
THE first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics, Elinor Ostrom, is not even an economist, but a political scientist. For professional economists, it is a reminder that their profession has no monopoly in explaining the economic behavior of human beings. Indeed, the marriage between political science and economics into the compound discipline now … Continue reading
Satellites measuring the greenness of Kenya from space are set to help insure livestock herders against droughts and mitigate the effects of climate change, experts said Friday. “This is a new approach to tackle an old problem,” Carlos Seré, director general of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), said of the satellite-based insurance for cattle, … Continue reading
The issues Wha t kind of inves tments? Most of the investment, both in primary agriculture and downstream sectors, will have to come from private sources, primarily farmers themselves purchasing implements and machinery, improving soil fertility, etc. For a better functioning agricultural system and improved food security, three kinds of public investments are also needed: … Continue reading
Early morning light finds Mr Njuguna, a trader in Githurai Market, on the move. He is laden with produce but he carries it all with a light heart. It is no longer a wait-and-see business; every new message on his phone makes his heart sing — someone wants his produce, and now. In Emuhaya, Mr … Continue reading
On the occasion of World Food Week, FAO launched a new website on hunger. The FAO Hunger Portal features country specific statistics and an interactive world map to visualize the prevalence of hunger around the globe. A set of “Frequently Asked Questions” responds to standard queries on undernourishment. For those interested in deeper analyzes, the … Continue reading
Did you know that: In Africa and Latin America, a 1 percentage-point increase in the ratio of remittances to GDP results in 0.29 percent and 0.37 percent declines, respectively, in the number of people living below the poverty line?. The impact of the financial crisis on remittances and more is discussed in this annual publication … Continue reading
Minister of State for Overseas Development, Mr Peter Power, T.D., today launched an exhibition highlighting the potential of science for Africa’s smallholder farmers at the Irish Aid Volunteering and Information Centre in Dublin. Leading international agricultural researchers, such as Dr Carlos Seré, Director General of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and Dr Richard Jones, … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 