Category Archives: Opinion Piece

Laughter, the universal language
Agri-Health / Disease Control / Gender / Goats / ILRI / Opinion Piece / Pastoralism / PIL / PPR / Pro-Poor Livestock / Project / Senegal / Sheep / Small Ruminants / Spotlight / West Africa / Women

Laughter, the universal language

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I’m a gender researcher working on a project to control peste des petits ruminants (PPR). I have wondered what our international agricultural research would be like if we researchers and the farmers/herders we work with and for could all understand each other perfectly. Continue reading →

A4NH / Advocacy / Africa / Agri-Health / AHH / COVID19 / Directorate / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Human Health / ILRI / ILRIComms / OneHealth / Opinion Piece / Policy / RVF / Spotlight / Zoonotic Diseases

A One-Health approach is needed to protect both people and the planet—ILRI and UNEP leaders

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Op-ed by ILRI’s Jimmy Smith and UNEP’s Inger Andersen arguing that human health, animal health and environmental health are inextricably linked, originally published in the Mail & Guardian (South Africa). Continue reading →

The straw that might break the camel’s back: exploring the link between COVID-19 and antibiotic resistance in low- and middle-income countries
AMR / Animal Health / CGIAR / COVID19 / Human Health / ILRI / Opinion Piece / Research / Zoonotic Diseases

The straw that might break the camel’s back: exploring the link between COVID-19 and antibiotic resistance in low- and middle-income countries

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Antibiotics play a pivotal role in a pandemic both as prophylaxis – to prevent bacterial infections – as well as pre-emptive treatment. The emergence and rapid spread of COVID-19 highlights the importance of diagnostic testing, which is also important for antibiotic resistance and successful treatment outcomes Continue reading →

We need a new approach, or another coronavirus is inevitable
Agri-Health / AHH / Directorate / Disease Control / Epidemiology / Human Health / ILRI / Livestock Systems / Opinion Piece / Policy / Research / Zoonotic Diseases

We need a new approach, or another coronavirus is inevitable

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‘Until we start thinking of human and animal health as linked, another coronavirus is inevitable’, warns Jimmy Smith, the International Livestock Research Institute’s (ILRI) director general in an op-ed published 26 February in the Independent. Continue reading →

Viral flash points? Poor urban settlements are highly vulnerable to the risk of the new coronavirus
A4NH / Advocacy / Agri-Health / AHH / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / ILRI / Opinion Piece / Policy / Spotlight / Zoonotic Diseases

Viral flash points? Poor urban settlements are highly vulnerable to the risk of the new coronavirus

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A new guest blog article published yesterday (27 Feb 2020) on the website of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) argues that weak infrastructure would leave urban settlements in low-income countries highly vulnerable should the rapid spread of COVID-19 continue. Continue reading →

‘Invisible livestock’ – On the central roles of working horses, donkeys and mules on the smallholder farms that feed the world
Advocacy / Agriculture / Drylands / Food Security / GLAD / Livelihoods / Livestock / LIVESTOCKCRP / Opinion Piece / Policy / Pro-Poor Livestock / Vulnerability

‘Invisible livestock’ – On the central roles of working horses, donkeys and mules on the smallholder farms that feed the world

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It is time that working horses, donkeys and mules received the recognition that they deserve. Without it, decision-makers cannot fully claim they are listening to the 500 million smallholder farmers that feed and secure livelihoods for some of the poorest communities around the world. Continue reading →

Happy New Year! Here’s a baker’s dozen of ILRI’s top livestock communications in 2019
Article / Award / CGIAR / Communications / Event Report / Film and Video / ILRI / ILRIComms / Interview / Knowledge and Information / Launch / News clipping / Opinion Piece / Photofilm / Presentation / Pro-Poor Livestock / Science paper / Spotlight / Staff

Happy New Year! Here’s a baker’s dozen of ILRI’s top livestock communications in 2019

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A baker’s dozen of our favourite communications in 2019 are listed and linked to below, in case you missed them. Continue reading →

ILRI at the Committee on World Food Security
Advocacy / Agriculture / Communications / Farming Systems / GLAD / Livelihoods / Livestock / Opinion Piece / Pro-Poor Livestock

ILRI at the Committee on World Food Security

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Today, the International Livestock Research Institute’s (ILRI) Iain Wright, deputy director general for research and development–Integrated Sciences, gave a short intervention at the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) held at the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) headquarters in Rome. Continue reading →

The view from New York
Advocacy / Agriculture / Climate Change / Communications / Environment / Livelihoods / Livestock / Opinion Piece

The view from New York

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Tad Friend’s largely laudatory profile of Pat Brown’s Impossible Burger enterprise (‘Can a Burger Help Solve Climate Change?’ September 30, 2019) raises important points about the environmental footprint of animal farming while passing along some questionable statistics. My concern is with its failure to recognize the essential contributions of sustainable livestock to development. Continue reading →