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.
Research shows the developing world undergoing a ‘livestock revolution’ characterized by accelerating demand for livestock products due to increasing populations and incomes. This livestock revolution is creating new opportunities for rural producers to participate in income-generating livestock enterprises. Two regions that experts regard as the most critical for reaching the poorest are sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
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Africa’s consumption of animal protein is skyrocketing. Most rural households are poor and keep livestock. Africa’s growth in demand for animal protein can provide major business opportunities and also greatly reduce poverty. Research shows that policies and investments should target both livelihood-oriented and business-oriented livestock keepers. Continue reading
‘Timothy Robinson and his co-authors put together a series of maps showing the global distribution of various widely eaten animals. This map shows where the world’s pigs live, and makes the point that the taste for delicious pork varies widely around the world. North Americans, Europeans, and Chinese people all eat pigs, but China’s enormous … Continue reading
Wildlife populations are declining severely in many protected areas and unprotected pastoral areas of Africa, researchers from leading universities and international research institutes said. Continue reading
A team of biosciences program staff represents the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) at the 12th Biennial Conference of the Society for Tropical Veterinary Medicine (STVM) and the VIII International Conference on Ticks and Tick-borne Pathogens (TTP8). The joint conference is held in Cape Town, South Africa, 24–29 August 2014. The aim of the conference … Continue reading
Join a one day meeting (21 October, Hatfield, UK) with world experts to discuss these issue and celebrate the work and dedication of Professor Declan McKeever, a renowned veterinary immunologist, who died prematurely this year. Continue reading
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for the 2015 Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship Program. Continue reading
The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), together with the Animal Production Society of Kenya (APSK), the Kenya Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MoALF), the All Africa Society for Animal Production (AASAP) and other partners, is helping to organize the 6th All Africa Conference on Animal Agriculture (AACAA). Held every four years, the conference will take place 27–30 Oct 2014 at the Kenyatta international Convention Centre, in Nairobi’s central business district. Continue reading
Recognising that complex challenges within livestock science require an interdisciplinary approach, Iain Wright describes the importance of investing in ‘upstream’ and applied research to increase food security and reduce poverty. Continue reading
The Platform for African-European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development (PAEPARD) has announced funding and fellowship opportunities as follows. Agriculture IPNI Science Award 2014 The International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) Science Award recognizes and promotes distinguished contributions by scientists involved with global ecological intensification of crop production. The award, of US$5,000, is presented each year … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 