Reducing the vulnerability of dryland pastoralism
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.
Latest Entries
Agri-Health / Article / Consumption / CRP4 / East Africa / FSZ / ILRI / Kenya / Nutrition / Policy / Spotlight
What stops greater consumption of meat, milk and eggs in low-income areas of Nairobi? Price, mostly
A new research paper by scientists at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and partner organizations confirms that milk, meat and eggs are widely consumed by poor people in Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi: these animal-source goods make up nearly 40% of the food budget and half of this is spent on dairy products. Economic analysis revealed a high propensity to consume animal-source foods and elasticities showed that, if their prices could be lowered, consumption of animal-source foods would rocket, benefiting both the nutritional status of poor consumers and the livelihoods of small-scale livestock producers. Continue reading
Article / Biodiversity / East Africa / ILRI / Kenya / Pastoralism / PLE / Policy / Rangelands / Spotlight / Wildlife
Fragmentation of the Athi-Kaputiei plains, outside Nairobi, has caused rapid declines in both pastoralism and wildlife
A new paper on the consequences of land fragmentation and fencing on rangelands outside Nairobi, Kenya, formerly rich with wildlife and critical for the functioning of Nairobi’s famed national park, has been published. All of the authors are former staff, and one former partner, of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), where this research work was conducted. Continue reading
Article / Climate Change / CRP37 / CRP7 / Drought / Drylands / East Africa / Ethiopia / ILRI / Insurance / Kenya / Livelihoods / LSE / Opinion Piece / Pastoralism / Pro-Poor Livestock / Rangelands / Resilience / Spotlight / Vulnerability
On selling insurance (not lottery tickets) to Africa’s struggling (stargazing) livestock herders–New York Times
Insurance that pays out when forage coverage drops—known as index-based livestock insurance—is an elegant idea. Andrew Mude, an economist and principal scientist at ILRI, last month was awarded the Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application. The award, a major prize in agricultural research, is given by the World Food Prize Foundation and financed by the Rockefeller Foundation. Tina Rosenberg covers the story in the New York Times. Continue reading
Consumption / CRP4 / Directorate / Event Report / Food Safety / Food Security / FSZ / Gender / Health (Human) / ILRI / Markets / Nutrition / Presentation / Pro-Poor Livestock / Spotlight / Trade / Women / Zoonotic Diseases
Unpacking the tensions between the nutritional and economic goals of pro-poor livestock development
Discussants at this event unpacked the tensions inherent between developing livestock markets to meet economic goals of the poor and meeting the nutritional needs of poor households raising livestock. Continue reading
Climate Change / Communications / Consumption / CRP7 / Directorate / Environment / ILRI / ILRIComms / LSE / Opinion Piece / Policy / Pro-Poor Livestock / Spotlight
‘Meating’ in the middle on the ‘meat vs vegetarian’ diet debate at the climate change summit this week
What might seem like a silver bullet to reduce greenhouse gas emissions risks undermining other development goals such as ending hunger, improving health and eliminating poverty. We cannot ignore the important role that animal-source foods play, especially in developing countries, when we talk about tackling climate change. Instead we need to find a middle ground. Continue reading
Agri-Health / Directorate / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Environment / Epidemiology / Event / Film and Video / ILRI / Spotlight / Zoonotic Diseases
Honouring One Health Day–short video statement from Nobel Laureate and ILRI Patron Peter Doherty
Peter Doherty, an Australian veterinarian surgeon and researcher working in the field of medicine, who with his colleague Rolf Zinkernagel won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1996 and who today serves as a patron of ILRI, also supports the integrated work—and the tearing down of disciplinary silos—that One Health approaches demand. Continue reading
Animal Production / Consumption / Food Security / Gender / ILRI / Impact Assessment / LGI / Livelihoods / Markets / Nutrition / Policy / Poverty / Pro-Poor Livestock / PTVC / Value Chains / Women
A first look at ILRI’s new research programs: Policy, Value Chains and Livelihoods
A first look at a revamped ILRI program: Policy, Value Chains and Livelihoods Continue reading
