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African Chicken Genetic Gains blog

African Chicken Genetic Gains transforms into Tropical Poultry Genetic Solutions to build on outcomes and scale into new countries

In sub-Saharan Africa, chicken production is integral in nearly all poor rural smallholder households, account ing for about 80% of the poultry flock in the region (Akinola and Essien 2011, FAO 2020 ). For smallholder chicken farmers, many of whom are women, chicken production offers numerous...

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‘Genomic time travel’ for better African cattle—New paper describes a ‘rich mosaic of traits’ and an ‘evolutionary jolt’

Scientists from ILRI, Korea and other partners have discovered a new set of genetic markers in African cattle that signal beneficial characteristics, with a view to harnessing them for future generations. ‘In a multi-national collaborative effort, scientists have announced the discovery of a new...

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A 1,000-year-old ‘Evolutionary Jolt’ helped African cattle adapt to the continent’s multiple challenges

A new study in Nature Genetics retraced 1,000 years of African pastoralist cattle breeding, identifying how cattle acquired the traits that enabled them to spread throughout the continent NAIROBI, Kenya (30 Sep 2020)— Scientists sifting through the DNA of indigenous African cattle breeds announced...

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A few engineering breakthroughs that could (literally) transform Africa’s dairy systems and food security

Antigen biosensor detector on a UV LASER ablated gold coated glass plate (Photo credit: Flickr/Clive Boyd) This article has been written by Steve Kemp In the next 30 years, the world population is expected to reach 10 billion. A big question is if we can feed this many people sustainably. A short...

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Five years of the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health: celebrating achievements and renewing commitments

CTLGH Principals & CSC group (left- right) Wayne Powell (SRUC), Steve Kemp (ILRI), Eleanor Riley (Roslin/UoE), Jimmy Smith (ILRI), Jamie Newbold (SRUC) & Appolinaire Djikeng (Roslin/UoE/CTLGH) (Photo credit: CTLGH/Maggie Bennett) As the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (...

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Better breeds for more milk: ​African dairy genetics gains bulls and cows exhibition

Role of African Dairy Genetics Gains platform (Artwork/ILRI: Eric Ouma, Ekta Patel) Today, thirty-five farmers and over fifty representatives from the Tanzanian government including Hon. Luhaga Mpina, Minister of Livestock and Fisheries, Tanzania, and Dr. Eligy Mussa Shirima, Director General of...

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Africa’s animal genetic resources – the wealth within

Ankole cattle from southwestern Uganda (photo credit: ILRI/Stevie Mann). Today, more than a hundred key partners in African livestock development, including African ministers, senior policymakers and other dignitaries, have gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, to launch new and notable products that improve...

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ILRI’s Jimmy Smith on farm animal diversity for more sustainable and resilient global food systems

Jimmy Smith , director general of the International Livestock Research Institute ( ILRI) , this week made a short presentation at the annual meeting of the Food Forever Initiative held in Wilmington, Delaware, 23–24 Sep 2018. Food Forever is a global partnership to raise awareness on the importance...

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‘INCUBATED WORLDS’: Highlights of a unique art+poultry facility launched in Addis Ababa

'INCUBATED WORLDS'—unique art+poultry facility—launched in Addis Read an article at Thomson Reuters Foundation: Art and science marry in Ethiopia’s quest for the perfect chicken , 26 Apr 2018. Read ILRI’s press release about this launch: Art and science bring poultry genetics to life in Ethiopia...

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Ethiopian native chickens are bred with Belgian ‘cosmopolitan chicken’ for greater prosperity in rural Ethiopian poverty

An Ethiopian chicken being sampled by ILRI scientists (photo credit: ILRI/Camille Hanotte). ‘The International Livestock Research Institute ( ILRI ) and Flemish conceptual artist Koen Vanmechelen joined forces last year to strengthen research into more resistant and productive poultry for Africa...

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Researchers join artist in quest to create the perfect chicken for Ethiopia’s farmers

Chickens in the new facility (photo credit: Camille Hanotte). Researchers in Ethiopia are embarking on a quest to create the perfect chicken for African farmers with an unlikely ally—a Belgian conceptual artist who has spent 20 years crossbreeding indigenous chickens, from China and Egypt to...

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Art and science bring poultry genetics to life in Ethiopia while celebrating local diversity in all its forms

The new facility, lit up at night, on ILRI’s campus in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (photo credit: ILRI/Koen Vanmechelen). Art and science unite to serve Ethiopian farmers— ‘Incubated Worlds’ explores genetic diversity of poultry to boost nutrition and incomes Ethiopia joins forces with the International...