In November 2020, Zuleka Ismail joined the One Health for Humans, Environment, Animals and Livelihoods (HEAL) Project as interim regional manager. Zuleka brings more than seven years of experience in managing and monitoring public health and veterinary programs in pastoralist systems to the table. She sat down with Saba Ermyas, communication officer at the International … Continue reading
Category Archives: Environment
New One Health Centre in Africa joins global efforts to prevent future pandemics
The newly launched One Health Research, Education and Outreach Centre in Africa (OHRECA) at ILRI will contribute towards addressing neglected zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety and emerging infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. Continue reading
International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists: A Mongolian proposal to the UN for 2026
On 2 Oct 2020, the Committee on Agriculture (COAG) of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), after more than 50 governments and 150 organizations from every continent expressed their support, endorsed the Mongolian Government’s proposal to declare an International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) 2026. Continue reading
International Livestock Research Institute becomes Global Landscapes Forum charter member
(BONN, 12 October 2020) – Over half a billion people in developing countries depend to some extent on farm animals for their livelihoods. Animal-sourced food also plays an important role in nutrition, through providing readily-available proteins and micronutrients. But animal agriculture is also implicated in global environmental challenges such as deforestation and climate change—and pressing … Continue reading
When numbers lie
Tom Dowling led a team that built a land surface temperature validation site at the ILRI Kapiti Research Station in August 2018. He spoke about some of the lessons he’s learned since then with host Simon Clark on Brilliant, a YouTube science channel. Continue reading
ILRI’s Kapiti Research Station commits to preserving biodiversity and conserving wildlife through its wildlife corridor
ILRI’s Kapiti Research Station has been registered as a Kenyan national wildlife conservancy. Its land will help conserve wildlife that can now move between the corridors in the Nairobi National Park and the Athi-Kapiti plains. Continue reading
COVID-19 and the livestock sector: A wake-up call to optimize sustainable livestock production
How do we optimize livestock production systems to meet a growing global demand for food and nutritional security in economic, social and environmentally sustainable ways? Continue reading
No laughing matter: Livestock enclosures in Africa are an underestimated source of the greenhouse gas N2O
Emissions from abandoned livestock enclosures haven’t previously been taken into account in estimates for sources of atmospheric nitrous oxide, nor have emissions from abandoned animal pens in other semi-arid areas in the world. Accurate estimates of the sources of GHG are essential in the global effort to combat climate change. Continue reading
ILRI launches new drought index insurance for resilience in the Sahel and Horn of Africa project
In July, ILRI launched a new Drought Index-insurance for Resilience in the Sahel and Horn of Africa (DIRISHA) project, focusing on pastoral systems in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region. Continue reading
Millions of new social groups are delivering better agricultural and land management
A new paper in the scientific journal Global Sustainability presents some interesting findings on the rise over the past 20 years in social movements around sustainability management. Jules Pretty, professor of environment and society at the Unversity of Essex, UK, is the lead author; ILRI’s Africa RISING project coordinator Peter Thorne is a co-author. Continue reading