Culture of the cow: Curds in the city—Better living through smallholder dairying in northern India
Agriculture / Animal Breeding / Animal Production / Animal Products / Biotechnology / Breeds / Buffalo / Cattle / Dairying / Event / Genetics / ILRI / India / Livelihoods / Livestock / Photo / Report / Research / South Asia / Spotlight / Trade

Culture of the cow: Curds in the city—Better living through smallholder dairying in northern India

This is the third in a series of articles on ‘Curds and goats, lives and livelihoods—A dozen stories from northern and eastern India’. Continue reading

Serious rain: East Africa’s annual Easter resurrection
Drought / East Africa / Food Security / ILRI / Kenya / Opinion Piece / Spotlight / Water

Serious rain: East Africa’s annual Easter resurrection

Exactly four days following Easter Sunday this year, the ‘long rains’ arrived in Nairobi, watering the earth, flooding the streets, pounding the rooftops. All night that night, and all night the following nights, the kusi monsoon, blowing inland from across the Indian Ocean, has delivered the beating rain. Continue reading

Reverse vaccinology identifies candidates for an improved vaccine against cattle pneumonia in Africa
Africa / Article / Biotechnology / Cattle / CBPP / Disease Control / ILRI / ILVAC / Kenya / LIVESTOCKFISH / Spotlight / Vaccines

Reverse vaccinology identifies candidates for an improved vaccine against cattle pneumonia in Africa

We used a reverse vaccinology approach to identify 66 Mmm potential vaccine candidates. The selection and grouping of the antigens was based on the presence of specific antibodies in sera from CBPP-positive animals. The antigens were used to immunize male Boran cattle (Bos indicus) followed by a challenge with the Mmm strain Afadé. Continue reading

Colourful convocation: Jimmy Smith addresses graduates of India’s prestigious National Dairy Research Institute
Dairying / Directorate / Event Report / ILRI / ILRIComms / India / Presentation / Pro-Poor Livestock / South Asia / Spotlight

Colourful convocation: Jimmy Smith addresses graduates of India’s prestigious National Dairy Research Institute

ILRI Director General Jimmy Smith was in Haryana, India, to give the convocation address (aka ‘the commencement speech’ in North America) at NDRI’s 14th graduation ceremony. Smith was also being awarded an honorary degree (honoris causa) for his contributions to livestock research for development. Continue reading

CGIAR Rwanda Climate Services for Agriculture project launches today, #WorldMetDay
Agriculture / CCAFS / Central Africa / Climate Change / East Africa / Geodata / ILRI / Launch / Rwanda / SLS / Spotlight

CGIAR Rwanda Climate Services for Agriculture project launches today, #WorldMetDay

A new project is reconstructing Rwanda’s incomplete meteorological data record using cutting-edge climate science and developing climate information products and services based on the expressed needs of the country’s farmers and other end users. The work is carried out by RAB and Meteo Rwanda, in collaboration with CCAFS, IRI at Columbia University, ICRAF and ILRI, with funding from USAID. Continue reading

Livestock can significantly reduce greenhouse gases AND deliver benefits to the poor–Nature Climate Change
Animal Production / Article / CCAFS / Climate Change / Environment / ILRI / Intensification / Livestock Systems / Policy / Pro-Poor Livestock / SLS / Spotlight

Livestock can significantly reduce greenhouse gases AND deliver benefits to the poor–Nature Climate Change

Mario Herrero, chief research scientist for Food Systems and the Environment at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), in Australia, and colleagues have published a paper in Nature Climate Change on Greenhouse gas mitigation potentials in the livestock sector. Continue reading

MERS-CoV antibodies found in two people in eastern Kenya
A4NH / Agri-Health / Article / Camels / Disease Control / East Africa / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / FSZ / Human Health / ILRI / ILVAC / Kenya / LIVESTOCKFISH / MERS / Spotlight / Zoonotic Diseases

MERS-CoV antibodies found in two people in eastern Kenya

A new study published in the science journal Emerging Infectious Diseases reports that two individuals in Kenya have tested positive for the presence of antibodies to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus (MERS-CoV). Neither person is ill nor do they recall having any symptoms associated with MERS. There is no evidence of a public health threat and scientists concluded that the infections caused little or no clinical signs of illness. But they plan follow-up studies, as this is the first indication of a MERS-CoV infection that is not connected to primary infections in the Middle East. Continue reading

Livestock and the Sustainable Development Goals
CGIAR / Consumption / Directorate / Environment / Food Security / ILRI / ILRIComms / Livelihoods / Pro-Poor Livestock / Report / Research / Spotlight

Livestock and the Sustainable Development Goals

CGIAR livestock scientists are working actively to help the world meet the SDGs. We are intentionally tailoring our livestock-related knowledge products, technologies, institutional arrangements and policy support to provide new options for meeting specific SDGs by addressing developing world livestock problems and opportunities. Continue reading

Persuasion: Towards a calculus of influence in livestock research for development
Capacity Strengthening / Communications / Directorate / Event Report / ILRI / ILRIComms / Knowledge and Information / Policy / Pro-Poor Livestock / Spotlight

Persuasion: Towards a calculus of influence in livestock research for development

In November last year (2015), a group of livestock-related communications professionals from non-governmental, regional and international institutions met for 2.5 days in Addis Ababa to begin to think through ‘advocacy-oriented’ kinds of communications to support sustainable livestock development in poor countries worldwide. Continue reading