Smaller than 100 nanometres in diameter—about 60 times smaller than the width of human hair and comparable in size to microscopic structures within cells—synthetically produced nanoparticles are readily incorporated into biological systems. These ‘ultrafine particles’, which can be produced using several methods, are of increasing scientific interest. Very stable and harmless to plants and … Continue reading
Category Archives: Africa
Animal health experts on the ‘goat plague’ known as PPR chart ways forward for better controlling a widespread disease harming the world’s small-scale sheep and goats producers
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), also known as ‘goat plague’, is a viral disease related to rinderpest of sheep as well as goats. This contagious transboundary disease hurts the livelihoods of millions of small-scale livestock farmers, threatening food security with estimated economic losses exceeding USD1.5 billion per year. The disease threatens 80 per cent of … Continue reading
A tribute to Jean Ndikumana, a ‘gentle giant’ in African livestock research for development
The board, directors and staff of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) mourn the passing of a former colleague and lifelong friend—Jean Ndikumana, a plant and forage breeder by discipline who was born and raised in the Republic of Burundi and who became an exceptional leader in pan-African agricultural research for development. Dr Ndikumana died on 5 December 2019, in Nairobi, Kenya. Continue reading
In Mali, an old vaccine can be a new way to fight poverty
Scientists working at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) have found a way to significantly increase the vaccination coverage of goats and sheep in the Sahel against one of the most common and widely feared animal diseases—the peste des petits ruminants (PPR) or ovine rinderpest—a viral infection which is endemic to the region and kills … Continue reading
Climate change already damaging children’s health, says new Lancet report
Climate change is already damaging the health of the world’s children and is set to shape the well-being of an entire generation unless the world meets Paris Agreement targets to limit warming to ‘well below’ 2 degrees Celsius, according to a major new report published in The Lancet. Continue reading
Antimicrobial Resistance through the eyes of the journalists in Kenya
In the lead up to the World Antibiotic Awareness Week 2019 (#WAAW2019), which is celebrated every year in November, the CGIAR AMR Hub at the International Livestock research Institute (ILRI) jointly with Kenya’s ministries of Health and Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation hosted, at the ILRI campus in Nairobi, a media sensitization on raising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) … Continue reading
Building capacity of African researchers in genomics to play key role in boosting productivity of livestock systems
A week long training of 26 researchers from 14 different African countries in the field of genomics to ensure that information is widely shared. Continue reading
ONE HEALTH FOR AFRICA: Germany’s BMZ initiates a new ‘One Health Research, Education and Outreach Centre for Africa’
Today, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and ILRI signed a letter of intent to establish a ‘One Health Research, Education and Outreach Centre for Africa’ (OHRECA) to be hosted by ILRI, which is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. Continue reading
Workshop inaugurates surveillance project on human and animal diseases in Kenya
Recently, a consortium of Kenyan and international institutions launched a three-year surveillance project on three of those five priority zoonotic diseases with an inaugural workshop held on 3 September 2019, in Nairobi, Kenya. Continue reading
Index-based livestock insurance: Reflecting on success
One of the International Livestock Research Institute’s (ILRI’s) major success stories in recent years has been the development of an index-based livestock insurance program (IBLI), which protects livestock keepers in drought-prone arid and semi-arid lands from climate-related losses. Continue reading