Category Archives: Livestock

Largest-ever micro-insurance payout made to Ethiopian pastoralists
Africa / Agriculture / CCAFS / Climate Change / CRPs / Drought / Drylands / East Africa / Ethiopia / Event Report / IBLI / ILRI / Insurance / Kenya / Livestock / Livestock Systems / Pastoralism / Pro-Poor Livestock / SLS / Story Type

Largest-ever micro-insurance payout made to Ethiopian pastoralists

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More than 2,250 pastoralists received insurance payouts following the extremely poor rains this year in southern Ethiopia. Low levels of rainfall have led to the loss of approximately 300,000 livestock in 2017 in the Borana zone of the southern Oromia region. The insurance payouts of more than ETB5.233 million (USD220,000) was the largest-ever micro-insurance indemnity made in Ethiopia. Each insured pastoralist received an average of ETB2,255 (USD96), which will allow the herders to purchase feeds for their surviving animals and to restock their herds. Continue reading →

Lifetime performance of West African dwarf goats under different feeding systems
Animal Feeding / Article / Feeds / Fodder / Forages / Goats / ILRI / Indigenous Breeds / Livestock / Livestock Systems / LIVESTOCKCRP / Research / SLS / Small Ruminants / West Africa

Lifetime performance of West African dwarf goats under different feeding systems

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An article in ‘Animal’ compares the lifetime performance (mortality, maturity, nutrition, birth weight etc.) of West African Dwarf goats kept under various feeding systems. Continue reading →

Pig farmers to earn more through new genetics project in Uganda
Agriculture / East Africa / Genetics / Intensification / Livelihoods / Livestock / LIVESTOCKCRP / Pigs / Pro-Poor Livestock / Project / Research / Uganda

Pig farmers to earn more through new genetics project in Uganda

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A newly launched pig genetics project seeks to increase the productivity and profitability of the Ugandan smallholder pig enterprises by developing a genetic improvement strategy to ensure the availability and accessibility of appropriate pig breeds. Continue reading →

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals—the roles of livestock
Advocacy / Animal Production / CGIAR / Directorate / Event / Gender / GLAD / Human Health / ILRI / Livelihoods / Livestock

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals—the roles of livestock

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On Friday 14 July, the role of livestock in achieving the SDGs is the focus of a special event at the High-Level Forum on Sustainable Development. Organized by the International Livestock Research Institute, Heifer International, the Livestock Global Alliance and the Global Agenda on Sustainable Livestock, the session explores why livestock are essential for Agenda 2030. Continue reading →

ILRI’s Index-Based Livestock Insurance and Takaful Insurance of Africa win ‘2017 Insurance Innovation Award’
Award / Drought / East Africa / IBLI / ILRI / Insurance / Kenya / Livestock / Livestock Systems / Pastoralism / Pro-Poor Livestock / SLS / Spotlight

ILRI’s Index-Based Livestock Insurance and Takaful Insurance of Africa win ‘2017 Insurance Innovation Award’

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ILRI’s Index Based Livestock Insurance (IBLI) program and Takaful Insurance of Africa are this year’s winners of the prestigious Insurance Innovations Award 2017. The announcement was made at the African Reinsurance Corporation (Africa Re)’s Insurance Awards gala dinner held on Monday 22 May 2017, at the Serena Kigo Hotel, in Kampala, Uganda. Continue reading →

Milk consumption project to tackle child malnutrition in Rwanda
Agriculture / Article / Dairying / East Africa / Launch / Livelihoods / Livestock / Nutrition / PIL / Project / Rwanda

Milk consumption project to tackle child malnutrition in Rwanda

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A new ILRI-led Feed the Future Livestock Systems Innovations Lab (LSIL) project on ‘Enhancing milk quality and consumption for improved income and nutrition in Rwanda’ will contribute to efforts towards enhancing the quality and consumption of milk for improved income and nutrition in the country Continue reading →

Creating a science hub in Ethiopia
Animal Feeding / Biodiversity / CGIAR / East Africa / English / Ethiopia / Event / FFD / Forages / ILRI / Launch / Livestock / LIVESTOCKCRP / Research / Spotlight

Creating a science hub in Ethiopia

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With the opening of the latest high-tech forage genebank and bioscience research facilities, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Ethiopia is well on the way to realizing it dream of becoming a major science hub in eastern Africa. Speaking at the beginning of the launch of the new facilities yesterday, Siboniso Moyo, representative in Ethiopia for the ILRI director general, spoke of the new facilities as the beginning of a drive to upscale facilities on the campus. Continue reading →

The story of Humidtropics agricultural innovation capacity development, 2014-2016
Capacity Strengthening / CapDev / HUMIDTROPICS / ILRI / Innovation Systems / Livestock / Livestock Systems / Research

The story of Humidtropics agricultural innovation capacity development, 2014-2016

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From 2012-2016, the CGIAR Research Program on Integrated System for the Humid Tropics, or Humidtropics, worked towards transforming the lives of the rural poor in several action sites in Asia, Africa and Tropical America. Initially, capacity development went on almost intuitively, as an integrated part of the implementation process. It soon become clear that such … Continue reading →

Beef value chain actors reap big gains from new financing in Southern Africa
Animal Feeding / Cattle / CGIAR / Event Report / Intensification / Livestock / Markets / PIL / PIM / Pro-Poor Livestock / Southern Africa / Spotlight / Value Chains / Zambia / Zimbabwe

Beef value chain actors reap big gains from new financing in Southern Africa

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Efforts by research and development partners are offering renewed hope for livestock financing in Southern Africa. This was revealed at an International Conference on Livestock Value Chain Finance and Access to Credit, organized by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in partnership with the Swaziland Water and Agricultural Development Enterprise (SWADE) and Swaziland’s Micro Finance Unit (MFU) 21-23 Feb 2017. Continue reading →

Livestock and human health – highlights from ILRI’s corporate report 2015–2016
A4NH / AHH / Animal Health / Corporate Report / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Food Safety / FSZ / Human Health / ILRI / ILVAC / Livestock / Research / Vaccines / Zoonotic Diseases

Livestock and human health – highlights from ILRI’s corporate report 2015–2016

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The experience of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and partner scientists in 2015–2016 unmistakably identifies the potential benefits to smallholder farmers and consumers of research into livestock and human health. Smallholder farmers could potentially save hundreds of millions of US dollars annually, following breakthroughs in the development of vaccines for contagious bovine pleuropneumonia and Rift Valley fever, the latter posing a serious threat to human as well as animals. However, it was the participation in high-level fora and implementation strategies which are likely to deliver the rapid life changes for smallholder farmers on the ground. Continue reading →