High-level EC-IFAD delegation tours smallholder pig projects in Uganda
ASSP / East Africa / Event / Film and Video / ILRI / Ireland / LIVESTOCKFISH / Pigs / Spotlight / Uganda / Value Chains

High-level EC-IFAD delegation tours smallholder pig projects in Uganda

Simon Lubega (left), manager of the Wambizzi Pig Cooperative Abattoir, in Uganda, in discussion with the EC’s Roberto Ridolfi (right) and other stakeholders during a tour of his biogas plant (photo credit: ILRI/Brian Kawuma). This article is written by Brian Kawuma, communications officer for ILRI in Uganda. Members of the Uganda country team of the … Continue reading

Winners of the Humidtropics ‘Innovation Platforms Case Study’ competition honoured
Agriculture / ASSP / Award / Capacity Strengthening / Event / Humid Tropics / HUMIDTROPICS / ILRI / Spotlight

Winners of the Humidtropics ‘Innovation Platforms Case Study’ competition honoured

Participants at the award ceremony pose for a photo with the winners of the competition (seated, left to right): Perez Muchunguzi (3rd place), Rebecca Kalibwani (1st place) and Thanammal Ravichandran (2nd place) (photo credit: ILRI/Brian Kawuma).  This article is written by Brian Kawuma, communications officer for ILRI in Uganda. From offering a legal precedent for … Continue reading

Is the ‘Third Epidemiological Transition’ upon us?
A4NH / Agri-Health / Animal Diseases / Article / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / FSZ / Human Health / ILRI / Intensification / Spotlight / Zoonotic Diseases

Is the ‘Third Epidemiological Transition’ upon us?

Zoonoses—diseases transferred from animals to humans—have been with humanity throughout history. But today’s growing scale of livestock production in developing countries to feed their fast-growing and fast-urbanizing populations is sparking debate about whether the livestock sector is contributing to a fundamental a shift in global disease mortality, something known as an ‘epidemiological transition’. If so, it would be the third such transition in human history. Continue reading

Tanzania’s ‘Livestock Master Plan’ kicks off with a one-year training program for government officials
Animal Feeding / Animal Production / Animal Products / ASSP / Capacity Strengthening / Dairying / East Africa / Event / ILRI / Launch / LIVESTOCKFISH / Pro-Poor Livestock / Southern Africa / Spotlight / Tanzania

Tanzania’s ‘Livestock Master Plan’ kicks off with a one-year training program for government officials

Eight staff from Tanzania’s Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development are undergoing a 14-month training and planning program assisted by experts from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Continue reading

Towards more productive dairy cattle for Africa’s smallholders
ADGG / Africa / Animal Breeding / Biotechnology / Dairying / East Africa / Ethiopia / Genetics / ILRI / LiveGene / Livestock / LIVESTOCKFISH / Project / Research / Southern Africa / Spotlight / Tanzania

Towards more productive dairy cattle for Africa’s smallholders

Improving the genetic makeup of Africa’s dairy cattle has the potential increase farmer productivity and profitability, hence transform the lives of millions of dairy families across Africa. This latest program, African Dairy Genetic Gains (ADGG) program, led by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), offers real opportunities to help smallholders improve their lives through livestock. It also contributes to ILRI’s global livestock genetics program—LiveGene. Continue reading

Forage farming changes lives of Zimbabwe smallholder farmers
Animal Feeding / ASSP / Crop-Livestock / DRYLANDSCRP / Food Security / Forages / ILRI / Intensification / Livelihoods / Livestock / Project / Southern Africa / Zimbabwe

Forage farming changes lives of Zimbabwe smallholder farmers

Many rural households in Zimbabwe rely on food aid to meet their nutritional needs. This problem, often aggravated by unemployment and falls in income, threatens the livelihoods of low income and food-insecure populations. Continue reading

Instructional design, helping researchers pass on their findings
Article / Capacity Strengthening / CapDev / ILRI

Instructional design, helping researchers pass on their findings

Applying the principles of instructional design to the development of blended learning programs could help ILRI scientists pass on their findings to those actors and agencies in country, and help embed research into policy making and development processes. These are the findings in a nutshell of the latest brief produced by the Instructional Design Specialist, Deborah Wyburn, of the Capacity Development Unit of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). Continue reading

New Kenya value chains program to lift 300,000 plus households out of poverty
Agriculture / Article / East Africa / Food Security / ILRI / Kenya / Livelihoods / Livestock / LIVESTOCKFISH / Markets / PIL / Policy / SLS / Spotlight / Value Chains

New Kenya value chains program to lift 300,000 plus households out of poverty

Starting in October 2015, ILRI, in partnership with two other CGIAR centres, has initiated a new three-year USD25 million program to help lift 317,000 households out of poverty, making them food secure and enabling their transition from subsistence to market-orientated farming. Continue reading

Can we eat meat and still reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
Animal Products / CCAFS / CGIAR / Consumption / Environment / Food Security / ILRI / Livestock / Mazingira / Opinion Piece / Pro-Poor Livestock / SLS / Spotlight

Can we eat meat and still reduce greenhouse gas emissions?

Cattle and figures, Laas Geel cave complex, Somaliland, Somalia. This opinion piece is written by Alain Vidal, director of strategic partnerships at CGIAR. Our global food production system—which includes, in addition to crop farming, raising livestock and deforesting lands to grow livestock feed and other crops—is responsible for about a quarter of the greenhouse gases produced … Continue reading

No longer business as usual: Improved feeds transforming dairying in Zimbabwe
Animal Feeding / Animal Production / Article / ASSP / Cattle / Dairying / DRYLANDSCRP / Fodder / Food Security / ILRI / Intensification / Livelihoods / Livestock / Project / Southern Africa / Women / Zimbabwe

No longer business as usual: Improved feeds transforming dairying in Zimbabwe

Farmers participating in the Zimbabwe Crop-Livestock Integration for Food Security (ZimCLIFS) project have increased their gross margins by up to 70%. The ongoing food security improvement project is targeting the country’s dairy farmers to help improve feed farming and overall dairy production. Continue reading