Ways forward for food safety in countries bearing the brunt of the world’s food-borne diseases
A4NH / Agri-Health / Article / Consumption / Food Safety / FSZ / Human Health / ILRI / Markets / Policy / Spotlight

Ways forward for food safety in countries bearing the brunt of the world’s food-borne diseases

A new paper on food safety in low- and middle-income countries was published today by ILRI’s Delia Grace. The paper is based on a longer learning resource commissioned for the UK Department for International Development (DFID), which will be out shortly. Both publications reflect what ILRI and its partners have learned over the last 10 years since adopting a framework of risk analysis for assessing, managing and communicating about food safety. Continue reading

Bridging ‘biobanking’ and biomedical research across Europe and Africa: ‘B3Africa’ launched in Cape Town
Africa / Biodiversity / Biotechnology / Disease Control / Europe / Event / Geodata / Human Health / ILRI / LiveGene / LIVESTOCKFISH / Project / Spotlight

Bridging ‘biobanking’ and biomedical research across Europe and Africa: ‘B3Africa’ launched in Cape Town

The first meeting of a new project, ‘B3Africa, short for ‘Bridging Biobanking and Biomedical Research across Europe and Africa’, was held this week (24–25 Aug 2015) at the University of the Western Cape, in Cape Town, South Africa. Continue reading

‘Soft’ science at ILRAD/ILRI: A lively look back at three decades of veterinary epidemiology for development
A4NH / Agri-Health / Animal Diseases / ASF / Bird flu / Brucellosis / CBPP / CSF / Diagnostics / Disease Control / ECF / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / FSZ / ILRI / ILRI40 / PPR / Pro-Poor Livestock / Report / Research / RVF / Spotlight / Trade / Trypanosomiasis / Vaccines / Zoonotic Diseases

‘Soft’ science at ILRAD/ILRI: A lively look back at three decades of veterinary epidemiology for development

For almost thirty years, the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD) then ILRI benefited from a strong research program in the epidemiological sciences. Over time, it progressively broadened its coverage in disease, disciplinary and geographic terms. The results of this work have now been assembled in this impact narrative, which carefully documents the wide range of issues addressed by the teams of researchers, and presents them in an illustrated and highly readable format. Continue reading

All flesh is grass (except in Nigeria, where it might be cassava peel)
Aflatoxins / Agriculture / Animal Feeding / Article / Crop Residues / Feeds / Film and Video / Humid Tropics / ILRI / LIVESTOCKFISH / Markets / Nigeria / PIL / RTB / Spotlight / West Africa / Women

All flesh is grass (except in Nigeria, where it might be cassava peel)

Scientists are developing a way of transforming the mountains of cassava peels created every day in Nigeria, where cassava is a staple food, into a nourishing feed for smallholder farm animals. The several CGIAR centres involved include the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the International Potato Center (CIP). Also involved in this project are several CGIAR research programs—Livestock and Fish; Integrated Systems for the Humidtropics; and Roots, Tubers and Bananas—as well as the Global Cassava Partnership for the 21st Century (GCP21). Continue reading

Towards professionalizing—not criminalizing—informal sellers of milk and meat in poor countries
A4NH / Agri-Health / Animal Products / Capacity Strengthening / Consumption / Dairying / Food Safety / FSZ / Human Health / ILRI / Markets / Policy / Report / Spotlight

Towards professionalizing—not criminalizing—informal sellers of milk and meat in poor countries

Researchers from ILRI and partners have developed and piloted an institutional innovation—a training, certification and branding scheme for informal value chain actors—with good potential to improve the safety of animal-source foods sold in informal markets. Past development policy often focused on formal markets, which at best meant neglect of informal markets and often resulted in harassment and penalties for informal agents. Continue reading

Reducing human exposure to aflatoxins in poor countries: Towards new technologies and practices
A4NH / Agri-Health / Animal Products / Consumption / Dairying / Food Safety / FSZ / Human Health / ILRI / Report / Spotlight / Value Chains

Reducing human exposure to aflatoxins in poor countries: Towards new technologies and practices

A new paper describes and assesses the strength of a theory of change for how adoption of farm-level technologies and practices for aflatoxin mitigation can contribute to reductions in aflatoxin exposure among consumers in a market context. Continue reading

Designing practical ways to help the urban poor make choices that improve their nutrition
A4NH / Agri-Health / Animal Products / Consumption / East Africa / Epidemiology / Food Safety / FSZ / Gender / Human Health / ILRI / Kenya / Nutrition / Project / Spotlight / Vulnerability / Women

Designing practical ways to help the urban poor make choices that improve their nutrition

To improve interventions in food systems of the urban poor, scientists at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) are investigating urban food and nutritional choices in two slums in Nairobi, Kenya. Their aim is to develop interventions that help people make food choices that improve their nutrition while staying within their low household food budgets and access. Continue reading

UK chief scientific adviser visits Kenya: Part 4—Development of a field-friendly diagnostic test for MERS
Agri-Health / Diagnostics / Disease Control / East Africa / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / Event Report / Human Health / ILRI / ILVAC / LIVESTOCKFISH / MERS / Spotlight / Zoonotic Diseases

UK chief scientific adviser visits Kenya: Part 4—Development of a field-friendly diagnostic test for MERS

Among short presentations made to Sir Mark Walport, the UK chief scientific adviser, on his 15 Jul 2015 tour of the biosciences laboratories at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), in Nairobi, Kenya, was one by Joerg Jores, a molecular biologist working to better control important livestock diseases of Africa and other developing regions. Jores is a senior scientist in ILRI’s Vaccine Biosciences program whose work supports the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish. Continue reading

UK chief scientific adviser visits Kenya: Part 3—The dual rise of the global livestock sector and antimicrobial resistance
A4NH / Agri-Health / AMR / Disease Control / East Africa / Emerging Diseases / Event Report / Geodata / Human Health / ILRI / LiveGene / Spotlight / Zoonotic Diseases

UK chief scientific adviser visits Kenya: Part 3—The dual rise of the global livestock sector and antimicrobial resistance

The second of two scientists to make a short presentation to Sir Mark Walport, the UK chief scientific adviser, on his 15 Jul 2015 visit to the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), in Nairobi, Kenya, was Tim Robinson, a livestock and spatial analysis expert. Continue reading

UK chief scientific adviser visits Kenya: Part 2—’One Health’ surveillance of infectious livestock-to-human diseases
A4NH / Agri-Health / Disease Control / East Africa / Emerging Diseases / Event Report / Geodata / Human Health / ILRI / Kenya / LiveGene / Spotlight / Zoonotic Diseases

UK chief scientific adviser visits Kenya: Part 2—’One Health’ surveillance of infectious livestock-to-human diseases

The first scientist of two scientists to make a short presentation to Sir Mark Walport, the UK chief scientific adviser, on his 15 Jul 2015 visit to the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), in Nairobi, Kenya, was Eric Fèvre, a veterinary epidemiologist and joint appointee at ILRI and the Institute of Infection and Global Health at the University of Liverpool. Fèvre manages several field-oriented research projects on neglected zoonoses on behalf of the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health. Continue reading