News

ILRI Asia blog

Community engagement a key to success in livestock systems transformation project in Northwest Vietnam

In the misty rural highlands in Northwest Vietnam, Li-chan means ‘beautiful’ or ‘true’ in the local Thai dialect. It is also the short form name of the systems-focused priority country program in Vietnam – ‘Livestock-led interventions towards equitable livelihoods and improved environment in the...

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How viable are schemes to give poor people making and selling ‘informal’ milk greater market access?

Artworks on this page: Various Jugs, by Katie Grobler. A new re port from the International Livestock Research Institute ( ILRI ) and the International Institute for Environment and Development ( IIED ) reviews the effectiveness of training and certification schemes designed to give small-scale ‘...

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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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Belching bovines and global warming: Overstated claims about methane emitted by cows and climate change

‘Belching bovines and global warming.’ If you like apocalyptic alliteration, it has a nice ring to it. Bovines, more commonly referred to as cows, are widely viewed by environmental activists in the global North as a major contributor to climate change. This is largely due to the methane greenhouse...

  • Tim Offei-Addo
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Ivan Morrison, of the University of Edinburgh, formerly of ILRAD, awarded the inaugural Plowright Prize for his lifelong research towards a vaccine for East Coast fever

RCVS Knowledge, the charity partner of the UK’s Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, has awarded its inaugural Plowright Prize to Professor William Ivan Morrison of the University of Edinburgh for his research combating the cattle disease East Coast fever. Ivan Morrison started his career at the...

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The geometry of disease: A longitudinal calf cohort study in Kenya has yielded a unique database and biorepository

Fun with Lines and Curves by Elsie C. Ellison, 1972 (binding illustration). The IDEAL project, first attempt to study the complete pathogen landscape of any species, has generated a unique dataset and biorepository for researchers of infectious diseases of cattle in East Africa. ‘The Infectious...

ILRI News

New alliance for better dairy animal nutrition in Kenya will work to advance ‘human nutrition, success and progress’

Lilian Satia, a young dairy entrepreneur in Nakuru, Kenya (photo credit: ILRI/Georgina Smith). Yesterday (7 Sep 2020) the International Livestock Research Institute ( ILRI ) and four partners— Bidco Land O’Lakes , Corteva Agriscience , Forage Genetics International ( FGI ) and Land O’Lakes...

ILRI News

East African dairy under COVID-19: How is this vibrant sub-sector faring? Join us for a webinar 28 May

Albertina is business savy. Domingos has a knack for operations— together this husband and wife are using complementary strengths to run a successful dairy business in Mozambique. Their dairy operation is supported by Land O’Lakes Venture37 through the USDA-supported MERCADO program. (Photo credit...

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Garlic—A potent (if pungent) ‘Gas X’ methane reducer for cows?

Dairy cow in Embu, Kwnya (photo credit: ILRI/Stevie Mann). Cattle produce more methane than many large countries. A solution could be an ecological and financial breakthrough — and a Swiss biotech company may be on the cusp. . . . ‘[A] Swiss company called Mootral, is studying whether an altered...

AgHealth blog

Expert review examines impact of mycotoxins on dairy cattle health in sub-Saharan Africa

In sub-Saharan Africa, contamination of dairy feed with mycotoxins has been frequently reported. Mycotoxins pose a threat to animal health and productivity and are a hazard to human health as some mycotoxins and their metabolites are excreted in milk, such as aflatoxin M1. A new review paper...

AVCD program blog

The private sector can deliver veterinary vaccines in Kenya

On 1 February 2020 the director of veterinary services (DVS), Obadiah Njagi, issued a circular clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the private sector in the delivery of veterinary medicines and vaccines across Kenya in accordance with the existing laws and regulations. For a long time, the...

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(Enteric methane) greenhouse gas emissions in cows are cut 25% with feed supplement (3-NOP)

The addition of 3-Nitrooxypropanol to the feed of dairy cows reduced their enteric methane emissions by about 25% in a recently published study—one in a series of Penn State studies of the investigational substance in the United States—which might be an early step toward it being approved for use...