Agriculture can rein in greenhouse gas emissions ‘immediately’, say UN and CGIAR
Agriculture / Article / CCAFS / CGIAR / Climate Change / Dairying / Event report / ILRI / Insurance / Opinion piece / PIL / Policy / Pro-Poor Livestock / SLS

Agriculture can rein in greenhouse gas emissions ‘immediately’, say UN and CGIAR

‘”In the next few years . . . agriculture . . . could produce early results immediately, cost-effectively and all over the world”, René Castro of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) told the COP23 climate talks in Bonn.’ Continue reading

Index-based livestock insurance offers protection against lack of rainfall in Ethiopia’s southern Borena zone
Drought / Drylands / East Africa / Ethiopia / Food Security / ILRI / Insurance / LIVESTOCKCRP / News clipping / Pastoralism / Pro-Poor Livestock / Rangelands / Resilience / SLS / Vulnerability

Index-based livestock insurance offers protection against lack of rainfall in Ethiopia’s southern Borena zone

Initially intended only as insurance against the death of livestock, the insurance scheme has evolved into a product to help pastoralists keep their animals alive, according to Masresha Taye, who coordinates the programme in Ethiopia for the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). Continue reading

Delivering smart climate change adaptation and mitigation options for East African agriculture
CCAFS / CGIAR / Climate Change / East Africa / Event report / ILRI / Insurance / Kenya / Mazingira / Pastoralism / Policy / SLS / Women

Delivering smart climate change adaptation and mitigation options for East African agriculture

On 30 May 2017, the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) held a science seminar at ILRI’s campus in Nairobi on delivering climate change options for the region. Participants shared knowledge and discussed best practices—and persistent gaps—in climate change adaptation and mitigation options for East Africa’s millions of small-scale food producers. Continue reading

Expanding livestock insurance coverage in Turkana—and across all of Kenya’s great dryland pastoral communities
AVCD / Drought / Drylands / East Africa / ILRI / Insurance / Kenya / News clipping / Opinion piece / Pastoralism / Policy / Pro-Poor Livestock / Rangelands / Resilience

Expanding livestock insurance coverage in Turkana—and across all of Kenya’s great dryland pastoral communities

The following excerpts of an opinion piece were written by ILRI’s Andrew Mude and originally published by The Standard newspaper (Kenya): Insurance only way to guard against weather-gone-awry phenomenon, 28 Apr 2017. Continue reading

Food prize puts Kenyan researcher on global map—Kenya’s ‘Business Daily’ newspaper
Article / Award / Communications / Drought / Drylands / East Africa / Ethiopia / ILRI / Insurance / Kenya / Pastoralism / Pro-Poor Livestock / Resilience / SLS / Staff / USA / Vulnerability

Food prize puts Kenyan researcher on global map—Kenya’s ‘Business Daily’ newspaper

Even with the Tuesday announcement that he had won the award, Andrew Mude, who holds a doctorate in economics, remains a modest man committed to resolving the dilemma that pastoral communities, especially in northern Kenya, have endured for decades. When he was named winner of the 2016 World Food Prize’s Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application this week, he could barely hold back his emotions, as the reality of his achievement hit home. Continue reading

Breaking the devastating impacts of drought in the Horn of Africa—Kenyan wins global agricultural research award
Article / Award / CCAFS / Drought / Drylands / East Africa / Ethiopia / ILRI / Interview / Kenya / Pastoralism / Pro-Poor Livestock / Rangelands / Resilience / SLS / Staff / Vulnerability

Breaking the devastating impacts of drought in the Horn of Africa—Kenyan wins global agricultural research award

Kenyan scientist Andrew Mude won the 2016 Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application on Tuesday for developing livestock insurance, using state-of-the-art technologies, for herders in East Africa’s drylands. Continue reading

African livestock and agriculture departments promote new Kenya Livestock Insurance Programme (KLIP)
Article / Drought / Drylands / East Africa / ILRI / Insurance / Kenya / Pastoralism / Rangelands / SLS / Vulnerability

African livestock and agriculture departments promote new Kenya Livestock Insurance Programme (KLIP)

Vincent Ngari and Richard Githaiga of the Departments of Livestock and Agriculture, while making presentations during the Technical Workshop on Agriculture Index Insurance at the College of Insurance, Nairobi, on Friday, advised farmers to take up the new Kenya Livestock Insurance Programme (KLIP). Continue reading

Insurance helps Kenyan livestock herders cope with drought
Article / Drought / Drylands / Ethiopia / ILRI / Insurance / Kenya / LIVESTOCKFISH / North Africa / Pastoralism / Pro-Poor Livestock / Project / Rangelands / SLS / Vulnerability

Insurance helps Kenyan livestock herders cope with drought

‘The index-based insurance program is run by the Kenya-based International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and funded by the British, U.S. and Australian governments and the European Union. The donors subsidize the cover to make it affordable for pastoralists. Continue reading