Category Archives: East Africa

A 360-degree ‘immersive dive’ into Uganda’s smallholder pig sector
A4NH / Animal Production / CapDev / Communications / Consumption / East Africa / Film and Video / ILRI / ILRIComms / LIVESTOCKCRP / Markets / Pigs / PIL / Pro-Poor Livestock / Spotlight / Uganda / Value Chains

A 360-degree ‘immersive dive’ into Uganda’s smallholder pig sector

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As part of ILRI’s quest to pilot new technologies for better communication of its work, the institute’s Capacity Development Unit recently worked with scientific and staff based in Uganda to produce CGIAR’s first-ever 360-degree video, which offers glimpses into an ordinary day in the life of a Ugandan pig farmer, trader and consumer. Continue reading →

Tanzania livestock master plan projects the creation of nearly two million jobs
Agriculture / East Africa / ILRI / Intensification / Livelihoods / Livestock / LIVESTOCKCRP / PIL / Policy / Pro-Poor Livestock / Report / Research / Tanzania

Tanzania livestock master plan projects the creation of nearly two million jobs

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Development assistance has long since slipped down in the agenda of African officials. With rapid economic growth forecast, priorities now focus on increasing productivity and investment. And in Tanzania, where approximately 37% of the rural households possess cattle, chicken, goats, pigs and sheep, livestock is officially at the centre of that debate. Continue reading →

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 →

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 →

Ethiopia’s ‘livestock roadmaps’ for growth and transformation to a middle-income nation
Advocacy / ASSP / Directorate / East Africa / Ethiopia / Event Report / Food Security / GLAD / ILRI / Intensification / ISP / Markets / News clipping / Policy / Poverty / Pro-Poor Livestock / Scaling / Spotlight / Value Chains

Ethiopia’s ‘livestock roadmaps’ for growth and transformation to a middle-income nation

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Jimmy Smith is a panel member in a special session occurring today organized by the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture—Sustainable livestock and the UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. In this session, Smith provides a concrete example of livestock advancing Agenda 2030 in the form of an Ethiopian ‘livestock master plan’ developed by the Ethiopian Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries with ILRI’s technical support and project funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as well as in-kind resources invested by the Ethiopian Government and ILRI. Continue reading →

Livestock-wildlife trade-offs for pastoral livelihoods in the conservancies of the Masai Mara
Biodiversity / Climate Change / East Africa / Environment / ILRI / Kenya / Pastoralism / Policy / Pro-Poor Livestock / Rangelands / Resilience / Science paper / SLS / Spotlight / Wildlife

Livestock-wildlife trade-offs for pastoral livelihoods in the conservancies of the Masai Mara

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A new research paper, Trade-offs for climate-resilient pastoral livelihoods in wildlife conservancies in the Mara ecosystem, Kenya, was recently published in Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice, May 2017. The paper is co-authored by Claire Bedelian, of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Overseas Development Institute (ODI), and University College London (UCL), and Joseph Ogutu, of ILRI and the University of Hohenheim. Continue reading →

Lessons learnt out of Africa: 19 factors not to underestimate in rural livestock/agricultural research for development
Agri-Health / Agriculture / AHH / Animal Health / Central Africa / Chickens / Crop-Livestock / Disease Control / East Africa / Event Report / Food Security / Gender / Human Health / ILRI / Nutrition / PIL / Policy / Presentation / Pro-Poor Livestock / Spotlight / Tanzania / Vaccines / Women / Zambia

Lessons learnt out of Africa: 19 factors not to underestimate in rural livestock/agricultural research for development

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Robyn Alders gave a particularly candid and interesting presentation at a seminar/webinar held on 4 May 2017 at ILRI on the subject of ‘Animal-source foods for nutrition impact: Evidence and good practices for informed project design’. This was the fourth in a Livestock and Household Nutrition Learning Series of seminars/webinars organized jointly by Land O’Lakes International Development and ILRI. 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 →