Improving animal health in southern Africa—Why it matters and what to do
Agri-Health / AHH / Animal Diseases / Bird flu / Books and Chapters / Brucellosis / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / Food Safety / OneHealth / PPR / RVF / Southern Africa / Spotlight / Trypanosomiasis / Zoonotic Diseases

Improving animal health in southern Africa—Why it matters and what to do

In a new book chapter, Delia Grace, a veterinary epidemiologist and food safety expert at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), in Nairobi, Kenya, and the Natural Resources Institute, of the University of Greenwich, in the UK, says animal diseases are a threat not only to the livestock sector of southern Africa, but also to its economy (via reduced benefits from the region’s wildlife resources), and also to human health in the region. Continue reading

New project to improve agricultural productivity in Zimbabwe
Africa / Agri-Health / Agriculture / Animal Diseases / Animal Feeding / Animal Health / Animal Production / Animal Products / Capacity Strengthening / Climate Change / Countries / Disease Control / Drought / Drylands / Emerging Diseases / English / Environment / Epidemiology / Event / Feed Technology / Feeds / Fodder / Gender / ILRI / Impact / Impact at Scale / Innovation Systems / Livestock / Livestock Systems / LIVESTOCKCRP / Markets / Research / Scaling / Southern Africa / Women / Zimbabwe

New project to improve agricultural productivity in Zimbabwe

A new European Union-funded ‘Livestock Production Systems in Zimbabwe’ (LIPS-Zim) project is working to increase agricultural productivity in the country’s agro-ecological Zones IV and V. It is promoting the adoption of climate-relevant innovations in livestock production systems and improving surveillance and control of livestock diseases. Launched on 1 January 2020, the LIPS-Zim project is implemented … Continue reading

Joint village land use planning secures over 95,000 hectares of grazing lands for livestock keepers in Tanzania’s Kiteto District
Article / Drylands / Environment / Farming Systems / Livestock Systems / Pastoralism / Research / SLS / Southern Africa / Tanzania

Joint village land use planning secures over 95,000 hectares of grazing lands for livestock keepers in Tanzania’s Kiteto District

Originally posted on Sustainable livestock systems:
The Tanzania Agricultural and Livestock Policy of 1997 identifies overstocking and overgrazing, as well as a lack of innovative options for meeting the needs of mobile and sedentary pastoralists as some of the major challenges facing the nation’s pastoralists. To date, these challenges affect the quality of life of…

In Tanzania, a better cow is the way to a better future
ADGG / Agriculture / Animal Breeding / Animal Health / Animal Production / Article / Cattle / Dairying / Genetics / LiveGene / Livestock / LIVESTOCKCRP / Southern Africa / Tanzania

In Tanzania, a better cow is the way to a better future

Farmers who participate in the breeding programs and collect routine data on their cows’ health, growth and productivity receive personalized coaching and advice from livestock outreach specialists via routine visits and SMS messages on their phones. Continue reading

On the need for expanding sustainability frameworks and veterinary vision in developing countries
A4NH / Agri-Health / AHH / AMR / Animal Diseases / Bangladesh / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / ILRI / Intensification / Middle East / North Africa / Policy / Pro-Poor Livestock / Research / Science paper / South Africa / South Asia / Southern Africa / Spotlight

On the need for expanding sustainability frameworks and veterinary vision in developing countries

A new science paper argues for broadening traditional approaches to livestock sustainability and veterinary vision in developing countries. Two of the three livestock science authors—Brian Perry and Tim Robinson—have formerly worked at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) while the third—Delia Grace—co-leads ILRI’s Animal and Human Health program. Continue reading

Closer, smarter integration of crops, animals and soils has bolstered food security, livelihoods and incomes in rural Zimbabwe
Animal Feeding / Animal Health / Animal Production / ASSP / Cattle / Crop-Livestock / DRYLANDSCRP / Event Report / Extension / Fodder / Food Security / Forages / Goats / ILRI / Impact Assessment / Legumes / LIVESTOCKCRP / LIVESTOCKFISH / Pro-Poor Livestock / Project / Soils / Southern Africa / Spotlight / Zimbabwe

Closer, smarter integration of crops, animals and soils has bolstered food security, livelihoods and incomes in rural Zimbabwe

Partners and funders of a research-for-development project in rural Zimbabwe called ‘ZimCLIFS’ yesterday (18 Sep 2017) convened in the capital, Harare, to take stock of how small-scale mixed crop-and-livestock farmers improved their food and nutritional security and their livelihoods in four main districts (Goromonzi, Murewa, Gwanda and Nkayi, from 2012 to 2017) and in two spillover districts (Mutoko and Uzumba, from 2015 to 2017). 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

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

Vaccine research on Africa’s cattle-killing East Coast fever: A short (somewhat potted but handsomely illustrated) history
Article / Burundi / Cattle / Central Africa / Disease Control / East Africa / ECF / Epidemiology / ILRI / ILVAC / Kenya / LIVESTOCKFISH / Malawi / Mozambique / Rwanda / South Africa / Southern Africa / Sudan / Tanzania / Tick Unit / Uganda / Vaccines / Zambia / Zimbabwe

Vaccine research on Africa’s cattle-killing East Coast fever: A short (somewhat potted but handsomely illustrated) history

Tremendous research progress has been made over the last ten years to better control the deadly African disease of cattle known as East Coast fever. This disease is caused by a single-celled organism, Theileria parva, which is carried by some tick species. Cattle become infected when a tick carrying the parasite takes a blood-meal from the animal over several days. Continue reading