Award-winning paper establishes links between women’s empowerment and crop seed improvement and governance in pre-war Syria
Agriculture / Award / CGIAR / Crops / Drylands / Extension / Food Security / Gender / Impact Assessment / Knowledge and Information / Middle East / Participation / Policy / Science paper / Seeds / Spotlight / Staff / Vulnerability / Women

Award-winning paper establishes links between women’s empowerment and crop seed improvement and governance in pre-war Syria

Alessandra Galiè, a social scientist specializing in gender issues in agricultural research who now works in Nairobi, Kenya, at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), conducted her doctoral research in Aleppo, Syria, at ILRI’s sister CGIAR institution, the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). This week Galiè received a prestigious award for an academic paper she published documenting how ICARDA’s participatory barley breeding program in pre-war Syria impacted women’s empowerment. Continue reading

On what (and how and when) to measure when measuring impacts of agricultural research for development
Africa / Agriculture / Asia / Capacity Strengthening / CGIAR / Directorate / Environment / Event Report / Food Security / Gender / ILRI / Impact Assessment / NRM / Nutrition / PIM / Policy / Poverty / Presentation / Research / Scaling / Spotlight

On what (and how and when) to measure when measuring impacts of agricultural research for development

By ILRI’s Iain Wright: On 6–8 Jul 2017, I attended a conference at ICRAF on Impacts of International Agricultural Research: Rigorous Evidence for Policy organized jointly by the CGIAR ISPC’s SPIA and PIM. I welcomed the delegates at this meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, on behalf of ICRAF and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the two CGIAR centres headquartered in Nairobi. A modified version of my address and personal reflections on impact assessment in CGIAR follows. Continue reading

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals—the roles of livestock
Advocacy / Animal Production / CGIAR / Directorate / Event / Gender / GLAD / Human Health / ILRI / Livelihoods / Livestock

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals—the roles of livestock

On Friday 14 July, the role of livestock in achieving the SDGs is the focus of a special event at the High-Level Forum on Sustainable Development. Organized by the International Livestock Research Institute, Heifer International, the Livestock Global Alliance and the Global Agenda on Sustainable Livestock, the session explores why livestock are essential for Agenda 2030. Continue reading

Coming up 13 Jul: ‘Agriculture and Food Day’ at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
Advocacy / Agriculture / CGIAR / Directorate / Event / Food Security / Gender / GLAD / Human Health / ILRI / Policy / Poverty / Spotlight / Women

Coming up 13 Jul: ‘Agriculture and Food Day’ at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

The director general of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Jimmy Smith, will moderate a day-long ‘Agriculture and Food Day’ at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, which started yesterday (10 Jul 2017) and runs through 19 Jul at the United Nations Headquarters, in New York City. Continue reading

Creating a science hub in Ethiopia
Animal Feeding / Biodiversity / CGIAR / East Africa / English / Ethiopia / Event / FFD / Forages / ILRI / Launch / Livestock / LIVESTOCKCRP / Research / Spotlight

Creating a science hub in Ethiopia

With the opening of the latest high-tech forage genebank and bioscience research facilities, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Ethiopia is well on the way to realizing it dream of becoming a major science hub in eastern Africa. Speaking at the beginning of the launch of the new facilities yesterday, Siboniso Moyo, representative in Ethiopia for the ILRI director general, spoke of the new facilities as the beginning of a drive to upscale facilities on the campus. Continue reading

ILRI opens state-of-the-art genebank and bioscience facilities in Ethiopia
Animal Feeding / Biodiversity / Biotechnology / Capacity Strengthening / CGIAR / Ethiopia / Event / Feeds / FFD / Forages / ILRI / Launch / Pro-Poor Livestock / Spotlight

ILRI opens state-of-the-art genebank and bioscience facilities in Ethiopia

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) officially opens state-of-the-art facilities for genebank and bioscience research on 24 April 2017. The facilities will help protect a crucial component of the planet’s biodiversity—the diverse grasses and legumes that feed the world’s food animals. Research conducted here on livestock feed materials improves the sustainability and productivity of the livestock sector in many low-income countries across the world. Continue reading

The legacy of Norman Borlaug: Alive and well at the International Livestock Research Institute
Africa / Agriculture / BecA / Capacity Strengthening / CGIAR / Directorate / Event Report / Food Security / ILRI / ILRIComms / Insurance / Research / SLS / Spotlight

The legacy of Norman Borlaug: Alive and well at the International Livestock Research Institute

ILRI was honoured by a visit this week to ILRI by Julie Borlaug (left) and Jeannie Borlaug Laube, granddaugher and daughter of Norman Borlaug, respectively. Continue reading

Beef value chain actors reap big gains from new financing in Southern Africa
Animal Feeding / Cattle / CGIAR / Event Report / Intensification / Livestock / Markets / PIL / PIM / Pro-Poor Livestock / Southern Africa / Spotlight / Value Chains / Zambia / Zimbabwe

Beef value chain actors reap big gains from new financing in Southern Africa

Efforts by research and development partners are offering renewed hope for livestock financing in Southern Africa. This was revealed at an International Conference on Livestock Value Chain Finance and Access to Credit, organized by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in partnership with the Swaziland Water and Agricultural Development Enterprise (SWADE) and Swaziland’s Micro Finance Unit (MFU) 21-23 Feb 2017. Continue reading

CGIAR livestock support is enhancing community resilience in the face of on-going drought in the Horn of Africa
CGIAR / Climate Change / Drought / Drylands / East Africa / Ethiopia / Event / Food Security / ILRI / Insurance / Kenya / LIVESTOCKCRP / Pastoralism / PIL / Policy / Pro-Poor Livestock / Project / Rangelands / Resilience / SLS / Somalia / South Sudan / Spotlight / Sudan / Trade / Vulnerability

CGIAR livestock support is enhancing community resilience in the face of on-going drought in the Horn of Africa

Widespread drought conditions in the Horn of Africa have intensified since the failure of the Oct–Dec 2016 rains. Areas of greatest concern cover much of Somalia, northeast and coastal Kenya, southeast Ethiopia and the Afar region, and South Sudan, which faces a serious food crisis due to protracted insecurity. One focus of the East African-headquartered International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) is to help developing-country livestock communities enhance their resilience in the face of recurring droughts. ILRI belongs to CGIAR—a global research partnership of 15 centres and their partners working yo reduce poverty, enhance food and nutrition security and improve natural resources and ecosystem services. Continue reading

A ‘theory of change’ for agricultural research for development
Agriculture / Article / CCAFS / CGIAR / Climate Change / Communications / Food Security / ILRI / Impact Assessment / Policy / Poverty / Research / Scaling / SLS / Spotlight

A ‘theory of change’ for agricultural research for development

The following are highlights of a new CGIAR paper advancing ways to make agricultural science make a bigger difference to development outcomes. We describe a theory-of-change approach to an agricultural research for development program. Continue reading