Livestock production employs more than 1.3 billion people and livestock keeping is a mainstay of the livelihoods of some 600 million poor farmers in the developing world. Increasing demand for meat, milk and eggs in poor countries, particularly in India, China and other emerging economies, is driving economic growth. Making smallholder dairy production more competitive …
Human, livestock and environmental health are inextricably linked, Sixty-one per cent of all diseases are ‘zoonotic’ –that is, transmissible between animals and humans.
For people living in absolute poverty and chronic hunger, the solution is not to rid the world of livestock, but to find ways to farm animals more efficiently and more sustainably
Mixed crop-and-livestock farms will, more than the traditional breadbaskets and rice bowls of the past, feed the developing world over the next few decades
This year’s International Women’s Day theme is ”Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.” It is aimed at celebrating the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. At ILRI, we sought to mark the day by reflecting on the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on women and the leadership strategies they are implementing to manage the situation. Continue reading
Using revised counselling cards with culturally appropriate messages and images targeting the pregnant and lactating women with children under five years of age, fathers and caregivers, has led to positive behaviour changes at home. Continue reading
A Research Topic in Frontiers has started to facilitate research and stimulate discussion on access to affordable and quality inputs and services in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Continue reading
The ILRI-led MorePORK II project focuses on developing the capacity of value chain actors in best-bet interventions through an information and communications and technology (ICT) platform known as PigSmart. Continue reading
New research that is unpacking gender dynamics within seed systems development has just started to emerge. This includes a portfolio of projects initiated and funded by the CGIAR Collaborative Platform for Gender Research. A new synthesis brief summarizes this early work and provides an outlook for future research to mainstream gender analysis in seed systems development. Continue reading
During a first meeting to launch The Gambia’s Livestock Master Plan, Karl Rich, principal scientist in the Policies, Institutions, and Livelihoods Program of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and Njie Mamud, program director of SRPEP, both pointed to an increasing demand for animal-source foods (milk, meat and eggs) locally and internationally that The Gambia was as yet unable to supply due to challenges in the country’s livestock production and feed systems, fragmentation of its livestock value chains and poor infrastructure. Rich argued that by working with many diverse stakeholders to implement its new livestock master plan, The Gambia will be able to help its smallholder farmers transform their largely subsistence livestock systems into a profitable and thriving livestock sector. Continue reading
The Indian state of Odisha has officially rolled-out the process of designing a ‘livestock master plan’ (LMP) with the support of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). The Odisha LMP is expected to attract substantial and better targeted livestock sector investments from finance ministries, development partners, and private sector investors. Continue reading
The livestock master plan process supports countries to develop a livestock sector strategy and livestock commodity specific roadmaps using a set of analytical tools. The livestock master plan is then incorporated in national agriculture investment plans. Continue reading
Since 2017, as part of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and RTI International, the University of Rwanda, and TechnoServe have been implementing a research project that is enhancing the quality and consumption of milk to improve the income and nutrition in Rwanda. TechnoServe’s work focuses … Continue reading
Research plays a key role in identifying challenges as well as opportunities that can be used to spur development in the livestock sector. Therefore, in conducting research one of the core objectives is to ensure it makes significant contribution towards improving livelihoods.
Given that there are many priorities competing for stakeholder attention and scarce resources, research should not only help generate and promote strategies, but also demonstrate how they contribute to sustainable livestock development. Continue reading
ILRI policies, instititions and livelihoods program 