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
Category Archives: South Asia
Unravelling value chains through participatory modelling: part 2
The MINI project is investigating how to increase the availability of fruits and vegetables in nutritionally vulnerable markets in Bihar, India. The barriers to this goal are numerous, ranging from the inferior prices offered to farmers in smaller markets, to the typically weaker purchasing power of rural consumers. Continue reading
National livestock sector policies and planning under a changing global economy
The production and demand of livestock derived foods (LDFs) could change substantially in the future in many LMICs following major changes in global economic and climate conditions. A recent report assesses a standard global model’s projections of livestock production and the demand for LDFs in Ethiopia, Niger, Rwanda, Cambodia, Nepal and Burkina Faso in 2050. Continue reading
Can dairy value-chain projects change gender norms in rural Bangladesh?
Value-chain projects are increasingly being used to link smallholders to markets. However, in contexts where women tend to own and control fewer assets than men, and are more likely to be involved in informal rather than formal market activities, there is potential for value-chain projects to have unintended consequences on gender dynamics. Using both quantitative … Continue reading
Impacts of value chain development on smallholder women dairy farmers in India
In the run up to the Livestock and Fish gender working group meeting in Addis Ababa in October 2013, ILRI agro-economist Jo Cadilhon shares some ideas on the importance of gender in value chain development. I have finally realized the importance of incorporating gender into my research on value chain development. From a development perspective, … Continue reading