H. Li Pun
ILRI, P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) is one of the sixteen international agricultural research institutions of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). It started activities as a global institute for livestock research in 1995, however, it builds upon more than two decades of research experience in Africa as it is the result of the merger of two other centres, the International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA) and the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD).
Led by its global mandate for research in smallholder crop–livestock systems in developing countries, ILRI is actively expanding out of Africa. This paper focuses on the globalisation of ILRI’s programmes into Asia, Latin America, West Asia and North Africa and the Caucasus, discusses the rationale for this globalisation and describes the ongoing activities in those new research and development domains.
ILRI’s purpose is the improvement of the livelihood of people in developing countries through the sustainable increase in the productivity of crop–livestock systems while protecting the natural resource base. ILRI is organised in three programmes:
ILRI’s mandate encompasses international livestock research throughout the developing world. ILRI is a new institution with old roots in Africa. Therefore, particular emphasis has been given in the last few years to identifying critical ecoregions and research priorities in Asia, Latin America and West Asia and North Africa (Devendra et al 1998; Ruiz et al 1995; Devendra and Gardiner 1995a; Devendra and Gardiner 1995b) establishing links and partnerships with national agricultural research systems (NARS), other centres in the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), non-governmental organisations and agricultural research institutes; and preparing project proposals to obtain the funds required to build outposted research teams and carry out research in key ecoregions of the world.
In planning the globalisation of ILRI’s programme and its implementation, priority was given to Asia, particularly South-East Asia, as suggested by the Board of Trustees. The decision was based on our assessment of Asian animal agriculture, which indicated that sustainable increases in farm productivity were likely to come from mixed crop–livestock systems in rainfed and irrigated areas in South-East Asia (Devendra et al 1998). However, as ILRI’s programme evolved, activities are being developed in other regions where livestock are important, particularly Latin America, Southern Asia, West Asia and North Africa (WANA) and more recently the Central Asian countries and the Caucasus.
A key element in the globalisation process was the establishment of links between ILRI programmes. A two-pronged approach is used to implement globalisation. The first element is a systemic framework to characterise ecoregions and production systems and to target interventions by ex ante analysis, priority setting and integration of information. The second element is component analysis and research based on opportunities identified through ecoregional consultations and expressions of interest on feed, animal health, genetics, policy and other issues. Complementarily, we are vigorously pursuing the search for funds that will allow us to accelerate our expansion process and implement agreements of the different regional consultations.
ILRI activities outside of Africa are funded from both unrestricted sources and sources restricted to programme or projects. The latter includes the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the Department for International Development (DFID, UK), the European Development Fund (EDF), the German Ministry for Technical Co-operation (BMZ), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC, Canada), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Japan, Spain and Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (SDC). Several proposals are in donor agency pipelines.
Another important element of the ILRI globalisation strategy is the System-wide Livestock Programme (SLP). Convened by ILRI, the SLP is a mechanism to strengthen the links of the CGIAR plant-oriented centres with ILRI. A shared research approach to animal feed, nutrient cycling and natural resource management has been developed, and the programme has plans and proposals for collaborative research with ecoregional consortia in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Nine other international centres constitute the Livestock Programme Group (LPG), which serves as the advisory body to the SLP. Centres and their ecoregional consortia are encouraged to submit concept notes of research proposals for consideration by the LPG. When such a note is approved, the SLP will provide support for the development of the full proposal and seek donor support under the SLP umbrella. It may also provide matching funds to complement donor and partner investments in such proposals. Three projects are currently being executed, with CIAT, ICRAF and ICARDA, each leading one.
Project on improvement of crop–livestock systems in rainfed uplands in South-East Asia
Collaborative agreements have been signed with IRRI and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management Research and Development (PCAARD). A multidisciplinary team will be established to start the ecoregional characterisation of crop–livestock systems, typification of livestock systems and constraint identification. Geographical information systems (GIS) maps will be produced, including maps for agro-ecological areas, livestock densities, socio-economic characteristics and markets.
The team will be based at IRRI, obtaining valuable collaboration from IRRI staff, while building their existing databases. The maps will help in selecting benchmark sites in the five countries initially selected for the project. A meeting with our partners from the national programmes is to take place in Vietnam in November 1998, to select the locations for the regional project. The potential support for this activity from donors is encouraging.
Following the Hanoi consultation, where training was identified as a first priority, a course on crop–livestock systems research methods will be programmed for South-East Asia, to be held in Vietnam at Can Tho University in 1998.
For the same ecoregion, new funding from ACIAR is being negotiated. ILRI has submitted to ACIAR a project, ‘Sustainable endoparasite control for small ruminants in South-East Asia’. It is expected that, this regional project will be implemented over the next months. An animal scientist–health specialist will then be hired and based at PCAARD and IRRI in Los Baños, the Philippines. As a first activity in the project, a planning workshop is to be held by the end of next year in Muñoz, the Philippines. This project is complementary to the one on improving crop–livestock systems in rainfed uplands in South-East Asia. The activity will be part of ILRI Project ‘Genetic resistance to disease,’ and it will link the Biosciences and the Sustainable Production Systems Programmes.
An agreement has been reached between Kasetsart University (Thailand), ILRI and Texas A&M University to conduct a study on policies to promote prevention of diseases of intensification in dairy cattle in central Thailand. This short-term study is meant to lead to the expansion of research on animal health policy in Asia.
ILRI and the Natural Resources Institute (NRI) in the UK have finalised the assessment of livestock research priorities in South Asia. The Assessment involved extensive review of the literature; consultation with partners in India (Indian Council for Agricultural Research, ICAR; the National Dairy Development Board, NDDB), Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka; field visits; interviews with donor agencies; and analysis and write up of information. Main ecosystems selected for ILRI activities have been recommended. Two concept notes have been produced on improving dairy systems and small ruminant production systems. They will be shared with partners and donor agencies.
ILRI has a small team of scientists based at ICRISAT in Patancheru. The research is mainly geared at working with crop breeders to identify cultivars of sorghum and millet with superior food and feed characteristics. A study, ‘Ex ante economic impact assessment of the genetic improvement of millet and sorghum residues’, is being conducted with support from the SDC.
With SLP funding, ICRISAT is co-ordinating the development of a proposal on improving livestock productivity in crop–livestock systems in South Asia. The objectives of this project include 1) understanding the relative importance of factors influencing the evolution of mixed crop–livestock systems over time, 2) constructing and characterising a crop–livestock system typology for South Asia, and 3) assessing the relative importance of market, feed resource and animal genotype–related constraints in selected mixed crop–livestock systems and the interactions between them. This project complements what is already being done in South-East Asia and will complete the characterisation of the most important Asian crop–livestock systems.
ILRI will collaborate with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) of India and the Ministry of Agriculture of Sri Lanka in characterising dairy systems and identifying key constraints. The rapid rural appraisal methods developed and tested in East Africa will be used in this study. Results will allow comparison of dairy systems in Africa and Asia.
This study was identified at the Hanoi meeting as one of the priority areas. ILRI is initiating the study in collaboration with NARS in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The project will start by developing relevant databases in a GIS format. The initial focus will be on Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. The study is under the auspices of the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) and funded by the Swiss government.
ILRI and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) initiated a study on the implications for livestock production of trade and productivity options in South and South-East Asia. Using a general equilibrium model, they are assessing the implications of different production and trade scenarios on welfare and trade options in the region.
A livestock database will be developed within the present framework of the Hindu-Kush farming system information file of ICIMOD. This collaborative activity is scheduled to start in 1998. Based on this initial activity, proposals will be prepared for submission to donors. This is being implemented as an extension of the ILRI project initially started in Africa improving crop–livestock systems in the highlands.
This consortium of institutions is a joint effort to improve milk production in dual-purpose cattle systems through the introduction of improved legumes. The consortium is co-ordinated by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and includes ILRI and institutions of Peru (Instituto Veterinario de Investigaciones Tropicales y de Altura, IVITA; Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, INIA; Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonia Peruana, IIAP; Consorcio para el Desarrollo Sostenible de Ucayali, CODESU), Costa Rica (Ministerio de Agricultura, Escuela Centroamericana de Ganadería, Universidad de Costa Rica), Nicaragua (Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería), Honduras (Dirección de Ciencia y Tecnología) and Venezuela (Universidad Central de Venezuela). ILRI is participating through the joint appointment (CIAT–ILRI) of the co-ordinator, and through funding of the work on improved legumes by the SLP. Activities include characterisation of farming systems, on-farm testing of improved feeding systems for calves and milking cows, calibration of the Cornell carbohydrate and protein model, diffusion of research results, and training. IDB, EDF and BMZ fund this activity.
The initial activities of ILRI in this area are within the Consortium for the Sustainable Development of the Andean Ecoregion (CONDESAN). This consortium is working to improve crop–livestock systems and natural resource management in the ecoregion. The consortium, co-ordinated by the International Potato Centre (CIP), includes a wide range of research and development (R&D) institutions (national agricultural research institutes, non-governmental organizations, universities) interested in these topics. ILRI started activities in the consortium in 1997. A joint appointee, has been assigned by CIP and ILRI to co-ordinate livestock-related activities. Initial work has included establishing memoranda of understanding with partners in Peru (Asociación para el Desarrollo Rural de Cajamarca, ASPADERUC, Centro de Investigación de Recursos Naturales y Medio Ambiente, CIRNMA, Universidad Nacional Agraría, Universidad Nacional de Cajamarca), Colombia (Universidad Nacional de Caldas), Ecuador (Instituto Nacional Autónomo de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, INIAP, and Bolivia (Altiplano). Benchmark sites have been selected in the different countries: La Miel (Manizales, Colombia), La Encañada (Cajamarca, Peru), Sais Tupac Amaru (Junin, Peru) and Vilque-Mañazo (Puno, Peru). Computer simulation models have been used to analyse ex ante the potential impact of improving milk and meat production in mixed crop–livestock systems by introducing improved feeding and herd management. A pilot credit and technical assistance scheme is being tested. IDRC, EDF and the Government of Spain are funding the initiative.
ILRI continues working with partners, particularly CIAT in Colombia, to assemble and collate global spatial databases. Two activities are noteworthy:
This regional consultation on livestock research priorities, organised by ICARDA and ILRI and funded by IFAD, is one initial step in the more active research participation of ILRI in the WANA region. Based on this consultation, proposals will be submitted to donors to implement main recommendations.
Almost simultaneously with the present consultation, a workshop, ‘Property rights, collective action, and technology adoption’, was organised by IFPRI and ICARDA in Aleppo, Syria in November of 1997. ILRI is also quite active in this topic, and case studies are being researched in Ethiopia and Niger. Future activities in the WANA region are under consideration.
ILRI is very actively expanding its activities to critical ecoregions in the developing world, where research in mixed crop–livestock systems can make a significant contribution to farm productivity and income, human welfare and sustainable natural resource management. In implementing its global expansion, ILRI is using a demand-led process that considers the following: the needs of smallholders, interests of partners, matching priorities with institutional capabilities, potential impact and availability of resources. A holistic, participatory and multidisciplinary research approach is followed.
Agreements have signed between ILRI and the following partners in Asia:
ILRI representatives will attend several scheduled meetings in Asia, Latin America and WANA to promote collaboration among partners interested in the development of livestock, plan the work on ecoregional characterisation, and make arrangements with partner institutions.
ILRI is also participating in the CGIAR initiative on Central Asia and the Caucasus and will attend planning meetings, which are being organised by ICARDA.
Devendra C. and Gardiner P. (eds.) 1995a. Global Agenda for Livestock Research. Proceedings of the Consultation for the South-East Asia Region, IRRI, Los BaÔos, The Philippines, 10–15 May 1995. ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute), Nairobi, Kenya. 280 pp.
Devendra C. and Gardiner P. (eds.) 1995b. Global Agenda for Livestock Research. Proceedings of the Consultation for the South Asia Region, ICRISAT Asia Center, Patancheru, India, 6–8 June 1995. ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute), Nairobi, Kenya. 146 pp.
Devendra C. Smalley M.E. and Li Pun H. (eds.) 1998. Global Agenda for Livestock Research. Proceedings of a Conference on Development of Livestock Research Priorities in Asia, 13–15 May 1997, National Institute of Animal Husbandry, Hanoi, Vietnam. ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute), Nairobi, Kenya. 49 pp.
Gardiner P. and Devendra C. (eds). 1995. Global Agenda for Livestock Research: Proceedings of a Consultation, ILRI, Nairobi, Kenya, 18–20 January 1995. ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute), Nairbi, Kenya. 114 pp.
Ruiz M.E., Sere C., Li Pun H. and Gardiner P. (eds). 1995. Latin American and Caribbean Livestock Research Priorities, San Jose, Costa Rica, 16–20 October 1995. Summary Report. ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute), Nairobi, Kenya. 33 pp.
Thomson E. F. and Lahlou-Kassi A. 1995. Report about a Workshop on Future Livestock Research Priorities in WANA. held in Amman, Jordan, 9–10 November 1995. (unpublished).
