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.
Ian Scoones and Andrew Adwera of the Future Agricultures Consortium report from a March 2009 meeting of over 50 pastoralists from across southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya. Gathered in the Borana lowlands at the ‘University of the Bush,’ they debated key pastoral development issues and the question of innovation in pastoral systems. Meeting in several languages, participants … Continue reading
In July this year, Pastoralist Consultants International published a summary of their recent study into pastoralist livelihoods in Ethiopia. It discusses discusses the role of diverse voices in developing secure livelihoods in pastoralist areas of Ethiopia. The paper shows how Ethiopian pastoralists value being able to speak, be heard and be connected. Download the PDF … Continue reading
Grassland farmers can make a considerable contribution to food security while continuing to reduce their environmental impact and make a contribution to climate change, according to a report released by the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE). The report, Reducing Emissions from Livestock, has been written by independent livestock scientist, Dr David Garwes, and published … Continue reading
Pilot projects in India and Nigeria point to possible benefits of a new approach to agricultural innovation, say Andy Hall and Susanna Thorp. Read more … (SciDev.net) Continue reading
Climate change targets will see Europe enter a new era of agriculture where things will never be the same again. Mariann Fischer Boel, EU Agriculture Commissioner, told Europe’s agriculture ministers that every farm policy from now on will have to take into account its effect on climate change. Read more … (Farmers Guardian) Continue reading
The BBC reports that “researchers have developed a new tool in the fight against the illegal hunting and trading of wild animals.” Read more … Continue reading
China is threatening to cut off imports of American chicken, but poultry experts have at least one reason to suspect it may be an empty threat: Many Chinese consumers would miss the scrumptious chicken feet they get from the USA. “We have these jumbo, juicy paws the Chinese really love,” said Paul W. Aho, a … Continue reading
Putting aside for the moment the advisability of trying to make a living milking camels, you would not think it a particularly difficult business. But you would be wrong. The camels grazing outside of Den Bosch may look happy enough. But milking them is another story; moody camels are known to spit and kick, and … Continue reading
Summary Global demands for food are expected to increase 100% by 2050 driven by an increase in global population to 9+ billion and a growth in affluence primarily in China, India, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Twenty percent of this increased food demand can come from increased land put into production; however, environmental concerns and … Continue reading
Children are starving, cattle are dropping dead, crops are withered, lakes are empty, and still the rains haven’t come. Kenya is on the verge of a catastrophe of Biblical proportions. Read more … (Part one in a two part look at the crisis in Kenya. The next article will focus on how the drought is … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 