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New map: Rainfall and rainfall variability in Africa
Africa / Agriculture / Books and Chapters / CCAFS / Geodata / ILRI / ILRIComms / Knowledge and Information / SLS / Spotlight / Water

New map: Rainfall and rainfall variability in Africa

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An average of less than 1,000 millimeters of rain falls per year across most of Africa (Map 1). Rainfall tends to decrease with distance from the equator and is negligible in the Sahara (north of about latitude 16°N), in eastern Somalia, and in the southwest of the continent in Namibia and South Africa. Rainfall is most abundant on the eastern seaboard of Madagascar; portions of the highlands in eastern Africa; large areas of the Congo Basin and central Africa; and parts of coastal western Africa including Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. Continue reading →

New map: Ruminant livestock distribution in Africa
Africa / Agriculture / Books and Chapters / Geodata / ILRI / ILRIComms / Knowledge and Information / Livestock / Livestock Systems / SLS / Spotlight

New map: Ruminant livestock distribution in Africa

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Ruminant livestock are raised across large parts of Africa where environmental conditions allow. Cattle, sheep, and goats are the most widespread, while camels are restricted to drier areas, particularly in the Horn of Africa and the arid parts of western Africa. These maps of ruminant dis­tribution should, however, be used in conjunction with the livestock production systems map to better under­stand the systems and climate zones where ruminant live­stock are found. The role of livestock varies greatly depending on the production system. Continue reading →

New map: Livestock and mixed crop-livestock systems in Africa
Africa / Agriculture / Books and Chapters / CCAFS / Crop-Livestock / Geodata / ILRI / ILRIComms / Knowledge and Information / Livestock Systems / SLS / Spotlight

New map: Livestock and mixed crop-livestock systems in Africa

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Livestock-producing agricultural systems cover 73 percent of Africa and stretch across several climates (Map 1). To some extent, these climates determine what type of farming is practiced. In Africa, livestock-producing systems are broken into two main categories: livestock and mixed crop-livestock. These systems exist in three common African climates: arid/semiarid, humid/subhumid, and temperate/tropical highlands. Continue reading →

Accessing finance for livestock and dairy value chains in developing countries: Recommendations
Africa / Animal Production / Dairying / Drylands / Event Report / Innovation Systems / Kenya / Livestock / LIVESTOCKFISH / Namibia / PIL / PIM / Tanzania / Value Chains

Accessing finance for livestock and dairy value chains in developing countries: Recommendations

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This week (15 Jul 2014), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) organized a discussion at CTA’s Fin4Ag Conference in Nairobi on ‘Testing innovations in livestock and dairy value chain finance: Insights from East and Southern Africa’. The discussion was moderated by Jo Cadilhon, a senior agro-economist in ILRI’s Policy, Trade and Value Chains Program who is based at the institute’s Nairobi headquarters. Continue reading →

Tanzanian dairy film: A farmer’s experiences in coastal Tanga
Agriculture / Dairying / East Africa / Film and Video / Livestock / LIVESTOCKFISH / Tanzania

Tanzanian dairy film: A farmer’s experiences in coastal Tanga

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In the film, Faustina Akyoo, a small-scale dairy farmer, explains how she learnt dairying from her parents in Arusha before moving to the coastal town of Tanga where she continued keeping cows in addition to taking up employment. She is now retired, and her five dairy cows are an important source of income for her family. Continue reading →

Realpolitik–Nairobi ‘Community of Practice’ communicators get real practice impacting policymakers
Agriculture / CapDev / East Africa / Environment / ILRI / ILRIComms / Kenya / Knowledge and Information / Policy / Spotlight

Realpolitik–Nairobi ‘Community of Practice’ communicators get real practice impacting policymakers

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A community of practice for communications staff in research and development organizations (DevComms CoP) based in Nairobi participated in a ‘Science Communications for Policy Impact’ workshop following a conference, ‘Landscapes for People, Food and Nature’, at ICRAF on 3 July 2014. Continue reading →

The International Livestock Research Institute turns 40–Join us at an ILRI@40 event!
Event / Food Security / Human Health / ILRI / ILRI40 / ILRIComms / Livelihoods / Livestock / Nutrition / Poverty / Pro-Poor Livestock / Research / Spotlight

The International Livestock Research Institute turns 40–Join us at an ILRI@40 event!

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In 2014, to mark 40 years of its international research, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) is facilitating a series of events that highlight the ways in which livestock research advances the global development agenda, specifically for sustainable food and nutritional security, economic well-being and healthy lives. Continue reading →