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News and discussions about Feed and forage development

Livestock Feed and Fodder blog
Paul Karaimu

New insights into the diversity of Napier grass: More productivity in fully irrigated systems

ILRI news Napier grass growing in the ILRI field gene bank in Ziway, Ethiopia (photo credit: Shawn Landersz/Global Crop Diversity Trust). Napier grass commonly referred to as elephant grass, or Uganda grass and scientifically known as Cenchrus purpureus , is one of the most important fodder crops...

Livestock Feed and Fodder blog
Paul Karaimu

Irrigated forages improve livestock productivity and livelihoods in Ethiopia

By Aberra Adie and Michael Blummel Despite having Africa’s largest livestock population, Ethiopia has not realized the full benefits from the sector due to low animal productivity which is attributed to many factors, the foremost being poor quality and inadequate feed resources. Researchers in the...

Livestock Feed and Fodder blog
ILRI Communications

FeedLink – to link fodder surplus-deficit regions

Innovation that helped to convert wasteland grass into enriched silage after value addition and densification. The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) is one of the CGIAR partners of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)-led Bhoo Samrudhi...

CGIAR Research Program on Livestock
Mireille Ferrari

Q&A: Can we change course on the global livestock feed industry’s environmental impact?

During the dry season in Tanzania, cows on this smallholder farm are fed maize stover–post-harvest leftover leaves, stalks and cobs. In developing countries, livestock are largely fed human inedible foodstuffs such as crop residues and other agri-byproducts. Photo ILRI/Brigitte L. Maass GENEVA,...

Livestock Feed and Fodder blog
Paul Karaimu

Animal nutrition approaches to profitable livestock farming and sustainable livelihoods

A smallholder livestock farmer in India. Animal feeding and nutrition deserves greater attention as a critical discipline in addressing the environmental impacts of animal-sourced foods production (photo credit: ILRI). Contributing about 40% of protein in human diets globally and more than 50% in...

ILRI Asia blog
Peter Ballantyne (ILRI)

Transforming livelihoods in South Asia through sustainable livestock research and development

On 13 and 14 November 2018, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) convened a regional workshop with partners from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. Together with ILRI senior staff and scientists, participants from public and private institutions reviewed country development...

Livestock Feed and Fodder blog
Paul Karaimu

Thirty percent of ILRI genebank collections now safely duplicated at the global seed vault in Norway

ILRI news Alieu Sartie, ILRI genebank manager (right) and technician Solomon Fikre checking forage seed samples before delivery to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault (photo credit:ILRI/Lei Sun). The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) is home to the world’s only genebank dedicated wholly...

ILRI News
Paul Karaimu

Thirty per cent of ILRI genebank collections now safely duplicated at the global seed vault in Norway

Alieu Sartie, ILRI genebank manager (right) and technician Solomon Fikre checking forage seed samples before delivery to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault (photo credit:ILRI/Lei Sun). The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) is home to the world’s only genebank dedicated wholly to forages...

Livestock Feed and Fodder blog
Paul Karaimu

Optimizing variations of food-feed traits of wheat cultivars to benefit mixed crop-livestock systems in Ethiopia

Scientists have tested bread wheat cultivars released in the Ethiopian highlands to better understand the potential trade-offs between food and fodder traits (photo credit: ILRI/Apollo Habtamu). Mixed crop-and-livestock farmers in Ethiopia and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa increasingly depend...

CGIAR Research Program on Livestock
Mireille Ferrari

Traditional grazing-management practice makes an impact in southern Tunisia

[Written by Mouldi Gamoun, Jutta Werner, and Mounir Louhaichi, ICARDA] Degradation of rangelands is a major global concern, but land degradation processes in the rangelands are poorly understood. This lack of understanding has contributed to poorly-informed interventions and policies that have...

Livestock Feed and Fodder blog
Paul Karaimu

Desho and Napier grasses help Ethiopian farmers produce year-round forage

In Doyogena, Ethiopia, Muluneh has planted Desho grass to conserve soil and feeds his sheep (photo credit: ILRI/Zerihun Sewunet). The seventh edition of the Forages for the Future newsletter published in June 2018 features an article on how Desho and Napier grasses are helping smallholders produce...

ILRI News
Susan MacMillan

German agroecological livestock research investments are benefiting both people and the planet

(Left) ILRI Deputy Director General for Biosciences Dieter Schillinger welcomes to ILRI Parliamentary State Secretary to the German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Maria Flachsbarth. (Right) ILRI Assistant Director General Shirley Tarawali welcomes to ILRI BMZ Deputy...