ILRI worked with a host of private and public organizations advocating for an International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists at the fourth biennial United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), held 11-15 March 2019 in Nairobi. Continue reading
Category Archives: Climate Change
The many gifts of livestock—A view from Kenya
The following remarks, published last week by Devex during the fourth meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly, were made by Andrew Tuimur, chief administrative secretary at the Kenya Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation and a member of the ILRI Board of Trustees. Continue reading
A new project is launched to support climate-smart livestock strategies and investments in East Africa
A new Program for Climate-Smart Livestock Systems has been launched to support governments, the private sector and local stakeholders in realizing their development objectives while achieving their climate change adaptation and mitigation goals. Continue reading
The elusive quest for the perfect chicken
A team of researchers investigating chicken diseases in Ethiopia has discovered that there is far greater genetic diversity in that seemingly nondescript bird than meets the eye, a discovery that could help boost the productivity of small-scale chicken farms throughout Africa. The study was published in this month’s issue of Nature Sustainability by scientists from … Continue reading
Greenhouse gas emissions from dung patches in developing countries are ‘likely highly overestimated’—New report
A new research paper published by scientists of the Mazingira Centre (‘mazingira’ means ‘environment’ in Swahili) of the Nairobi-based International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) reports evidence that greenhouse gas emissions from dung patches in developing countries are ‘likely highly overestimated’ in global livestock emissions estimates. Continue reading
ILRI’s Jimmy Smith on farm animal diversity for more sustainable and resilient global food systems
Jimmy Smith, director general of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), this week made a short presentation at the annual meeting of the Food Forever Initiative held in Wilmington, Delaware, 23–24 Sep 2018. Food Forever is a global partnership to raise awareness on the importance and urgency of conserving and using agricultural biodiversity. Smith is one of 30 Food Forever champions advocating this important cause. Smith spoke on the central importance of better conserving, characterizing and using the world’s remaining livestock diversity to ensure future food security in the face of climate and other changes. Continue reading
German agroecological livestock research investments are benefiting both people and the planet
ILRI was honoured this week (3 Sep 2018) to host a high-level German delegation including Maria Flachsbarth, parliamentary state secretary to Germany’s federal minister for economic cooperation and development, and Stefan Schmitz, deputy director of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as senior staff of the Kenya Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation, including Andrew Tuimur, chief administrative secretary, and Ann Onyango, agriculture secretary; and representatives from several other CGIAR centres working in Kenya, including Tony Simons, director general of ICRAF, and representatives from the Nairobi-based International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe). Continue reading
How changing the world’s food systems can help to protect the planet
Food systems must be transformed to produce more nutritious food with a lower environmental footprint. There are a number of initiatives around the world working towards this end. Here are just five that use different kinds of science—from smart approaches to breeding livestock and crops to recycling wastewater—that could help humans settle their growing debt to the planet. Continue reading
Science helps tailor livestock-related climate change mitigation strategies in Africa
The implementation of effective mitigation strategies relies on accurate GHG emission data. But what if the underlying assumptions upon which these GHG emission estimates are based are inaccurate? Continue reading
Live tweeting the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock
Despite its major role in global development, the livestock sector receives just 3% of official development assistance from major donor countries. Continue reading