East Coast fever causes annual losses estimated at more than USD300 million and more than one million cattle deaths. Recent research-for-development approaches have accelerated the uptake of the ITM vaccine and demonstrated how its use is driving increased incomes for small-scale livestock farmers in Kenya and Tanzania. Continue reading
Recently, a team of scientists at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), led by anthropologist Alessandra Galiè, in collaboration with Emory University, developed the Women’s Empowerment in Livestock Index (WELI), a new index to assess the empowerment of women in production systems in which livestock are important. Continue reading
Development assistance has long since slipped down in the agenda of African officials. With rapid economic growth forecast, priorities now focus on increasing productivity and investment. And in Tanzania, where approximately 37% of the rural households possess cattle, chicken, goats, pigs and sheep, livestock is officially at the centre of that debate. Continue reading
Robyn Alders gave a particularly candid and interesting presentation at a seminar/webinar held on 4 May 2017 at ILRI on the subject of ‘Animal-source foods for nutrition impact: Evidence and good practices for informed project design’. This was the fourth in a Livestock and Household Nutrition Learning Series of seminars/webinars organized jointly by Land O’Lakes International Development and ILRI. Continue reading
A new open-access Nutrition Knowledge Bank has been created as part of a GSMA mNutrition initiative to help tackle malnutrition in Africa and Asia. This collection of content on good nutritional practices includes factsheets and mobile messages for anyone to download and use. Funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the mNutrition project aims to deliver nutrition information to 3 million people in 12 developing countries. Continue reading
Tremendous research progress has been made over the last ten years to better control the deadly African disease of cattle known as East Coast fever. This disease is caused by a single-celled organism, Theileria parva, which is carried by some tick species. Cattle become infected when a tick carrying the parasite takes a blood-meal from the animal over several days. Continue reading
Tanzania’s livestock sector will benefit from a recently started project targeting to transform it by guiding investments in the four main value chains comprising red meat, milk and products; poultry, eggs and pig meat. Continue reading
La production d’animaux d’élevage devrait doubler dans les 40 années à venir et le traitement de la peau du manioc pour en tirer du fourrage de qualité pourrait s’avérer une stratégie de choix pour les économies africaines qui n’arrivent pas à combler la demande de produits d’origine animale, selon une étude récemment publiée par trois centres CGIAR. Continue reading
Eight staff from Tanzania’s Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development are undergoing a 14-month training and planning program assisted by experts from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Continue reading
Improving the genetic makeup of Africa’s dairy cattle has the potential increase farmer productivity and profitability, hence transform the lives of millions of dairy families across Africa. This latest program, African Dairy Genetic Gains (ADGG) program, led by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), offers real opportunities to help smallholders improve their lives through livestock. It also contributes to ILRI’s global livestock genetics program—LiveGene. Continue reading
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