More Than Just Farming: Understanding the 'Culture' of Livestock

Nairobi, Kenya — When we think of livestock research, we often picture labs and vaccines. However, a crucial part of the puzzle is understanding the people who care for the animals. From March 9–13, 2026, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) held a unique training on Cultural Domain Analysis (CDA) to bridge the gap between science and local traditions.

Led by Rajindra K. Puri, this training was part of the HABITAT project. The goal? To help scientists see the world through the eyes of the farmers they serve.

Learning the Language of Farmers

To help farmers adopt better practices, researchers first need to understand how those farmers categorize their world—whether they are identifying different types of fodder plants, crop pests, or animal diseases. During the week, participants learned several "hands-on" techniques:

• Listing and Naming: Using a method called "freelisting," researchers learn what items (like specific plants) are most important to a community.

• Identification Tasks: Researchers practiced asking farmers to identify local plants or preserved animal specimens to document deep-rooted local knowledge.
• Sorting and Ranking: Using "pilesorts" and "triads," scientists can see how farmers group different items together, which reveals their preferences and how they make daily decisions on the farm.

Into the Field

The training wasn't just in the classroom. Researchers spent two days visiting local farms to talk directly with farmers. They mapped out local resources and created seasonal calendars to understand how the availability of animal feed changes throughout the year.

By understanding these "cultural domains," ILRI can ensure that new agricultural tools and ideas actually fit into the daily lives and traditions of Kenyan farmers.

This training was proudly sponsored by the GCBC Technical Assistance Fund (TAF) for Capacity Building to project grantees.