Processing African cassava peels, potentially a billion dollar business
Africa / Animal Feeding / ASSP / English / Feeds / HUMIDTROPICS / ILRI / Livestock / LIVESTOCKFISH / Nigeria / PIL / Research / RTB / Tanzania / Uganda / West Africa

Processing African cassava peels, potentially a billion dollar business

With livestock production expected to more than double in the next 40 years, transforming cassava peels into high quality feed holds huge potential for African economies struggling to meet rapidly rising demand for animal-source products, according to research proposal recently published by three CGIAR centres. Continue reading

New project promises more productive chickens for Africa’s smallholders
ACGG / Africa / Agriculture / Breeds / Chickens / Ethiopia / Farming Systems / Genetics / Indigenous Breeds / Launch / LiveGene / LIVESTOCKFISH / Nigeria / Project / Spotlight / Tanzania

New project promises more productive chickens for Africa’s smallholders

A new four-year African Chicken Genetic Gains (ACGG) project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will run from 2015 to 2019 and work to genetically improve Africa’s chickens and to better deliver the superior chickens to small-scale farmers. Continue reading

Small farmers and big retailing: What works? What doesn’t? in developing countries
Agriculture / Dairying / Fish / ILRI / Innovation Systems / PIL / PIM / Presentation / Spotlight / Tanzania / Thailand / Trade / Uganda

Small farmers and big retailing: What works? What doesn’t? in developing countries

What, or who, is a smallholder farmer? What is the ongoing retail revolution in developing countries all about? Are small-scale farmers involved? Two agricultural economists, Derek Baker, formerly of ILRI and now at the University of New England (UNE), in Australia, and Jo Cadilhon, of ILRI, help us think this through in a presentation they made at the GLOBALG.A.P. Summit in Abu Dhabi this week. Continue reading

ILRI researchers test communication approaches for optimizing informed consent processes
A4NH / Communications / East Africa / FSZ / ILRIComms / Knowledge and Information / Livestock / Livestock Systems / Research / Tanzania

ILRI researchers test communication approaches for optimizing informed consent processes

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) aims to employ the highest standards in its research, including the ways it engages with partners and stakeholders. Informed consent is a key approach to ensure that ILRI research is not exploiting the people it work with and aims to serve. Continue reading

Accessing finance for livestock and dairy value chains in developing countries: Recommendations
Africa / Animal Production / Dairying / Drylands / Event Report / Innovation Systems / Kenya / Livestock / LIVESTOCKFISH / Namibia / PIL / PIM / Tanzania / Value Chains

Accessing finance for livestock and dairy value chains in developing countries: Recommendations

This week (15 Jul 2014), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) organized a discussion at CTA’s Fin4Ag Conference in Nairobi on ‘Testing innovations in livestock and dairy value chain finance: Insights from East and Southern Africa’. The discussion was moderated by Jo Cadilhon, a senior agro-economist in ILRI’s Policy, Trade and Value Chains Program who is based at the institute’s Nairobi headquarters. Continue reading

Tanzanian dairy film: A farmer’s experiences in coastal Tanga
Agriculture / Dairying / East Africa / Film and Video / Livestock / LIVESTOCKFISH / Tanzania

Tanzanian dairy film: A farmer’s experiences in coastal Tanga

In the film, Faustina Akyoo, a small-scale dairy farmer, explains how she learnt dairying from her parents in Arusha before moving to the coastal town of Tanga where she continued keeping cows in addition to taking up employment. She is now retired, and her five dairy cows are an important source of income for her family. Continue reading

African talent feeding African markets with African products: Global food and agribusiness meeting hears of ‘livestock value chains’ in Africa
Africa / Agriculture / Botswana / HUMIDTROPICS / Livelihoods / Markets / PIL / Policy / Presentation / South Africa / Tanzania / Trade / Uganda / Value Chains

African talent feeding African markets with African products: Global food and agribusiness meeting hears of ‘livestock value chains’ in Africa

In Jun 2014 three agricultural economists working with the International Livestock Research Institute presented case studies at the World Forum of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) in Cape Town, South Africa. The main lesson from the two cases presented is that by training farmers, processors and other stakeholders supporting agribusiness development, African talent can create new products and innovative processes that help feed African markets with African products. Continue reading