The ILRI Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the John Vercoe Conference and the seventh Peter Doherty Distinguished Lecture. The conference will be held at:

The conference theme is ‘Animal breeding for poverty alleviation – harnessing new science for greater impact’. The John Vercoe Conference will be inaugurated by the Kenyan Minister of Science and Technology, Hon. Noah Wekesa and thereafter, followed by the presentation of a keynote paper titled ‘Livestock, genetic diversity and sustainability in an environmentally changing world’ by Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Further topics include:

• Case studies of breeding programs within developing countries (Christie Peacock)
• Breeding program design issues for small-holders (Ed Rege)
• New opportunities for reproductive technologies in developing countries (Johan van Arendonk)
• New DNA-based technologies and their prospects for developing countries (Julius van der Werf / Brian Kinghorn)
• How animal breeding relates to other interventions to reduce poverty (Ade Freeman)

Additional topics will be covered by a panel session, debate and hard-talk. A final outline of these areas can be viewed on the Program page.