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ILRI News
ILRI News

Ethiopia exchange visit shares lessons on forage development for Zimbabwe

This post was written by Saba Ermyas and edited by Paul Karaimu. Crop farming and livestock production are the major sources of livelihood for smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe. Most farm animals are reared in low rainfall areas where more than 75% of farmers rely on cereal crop residues as feed...

ILRI News
ILRI News

Climate-smart farming offers hope to Zimbabwe’s smallholders and livestock keepers

For 60-year-old Maxwell Machivenyika, farm-life was filled with tedium, drudgery and challenges. To get the job done working on his small farm meant waking up at 4 a.m. daily. Machivenyika has been growing maize, Zimbabwe’s main staple crop, since 1988. But his yields have been poor because of...

  • Johnson Siamachira
    Communication Officer(Cirad)
ILRI News

Improved forages empower smallholder women livestock keepers in Kenya and Ethiopia

Climate change is a global challenge that burdens all humanity, but not equally. The rural poor, particularly women, are more affected by climate-related shocks . Women and men in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa who depend on farming as a primary source of livelihood are considered more...

ILRI News
ILRI News

Establishing nutritional profiles of improved Brachiaria grass cultivars

Worldwide livestock contribute about 40% of agricultural gross domestic product and provide livelihoods and incomes for at least 1.3 billion people . Livestock are a source of employment, income, social status, and livelihoods for millions of African smallholder farmers. Moreover, livestock are a...

ILRI News

For or against women empowerment? Views from men and women smallholder farmers in the Southern and Amhara regions of Ethiopia

This article is co-authored by Esther Njuguna (ILRI), Rachel Gitundu (ILRI), Nelly Njiru (ILRI), Lenesil Asfaw (Consultant), Melkamu Derseh (ILRI) and Annet Mulema (IDRC). Ethiopia is increasingly highly vulnerable to climate change. Farmers across different regions are dealing with climate...

Africa RISING feed

Bridging the livestock feed gap through improved feed and forage options

Ethiopia is known for its large livestock population. The livestock sector in Ethiopia contributes about 46% of the country’s agricultural GDP. Livestock is primarily kept on smallholdings where it provides draught power for crop production, manure for soil fertility and fuel, and serves as a...

  • Haimanot Seifu
ILRI News
Beca-ILRI Hub news

TALIRI–BecA-ILRI Hub partnership promotes Brachiaria forage research in Tanzania

The Biosciences eastern and central Africa-International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub and Tanzania Livestock Research Institute (TALIRI) have developed a close working relationship over the years through capacity building activities particularly on Brachiaria grass and goat...

ILRI News

A gendered assessment in the production and use of feeds and forages: Insights from intensive and extensive livestock production systems in Uganda

A Gendered Feeds Assessment Tool (G-FEAST) study in Uganda that assessed gender differences in forage use and production constraints in three forage production clusters has highlighted the need to engage both men and women in production, management and use of improved forages. The study was part of...

Beca-ILRI Hub news

Researcher explores native grass for improving livestock productivity in the Democratic Republic of Congo

With a population of close to 90 million people, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa, boasts 90 million hectares of pasture that can support 40 million heads of cattle and produce 1.5 million tonnes of beef per year. But the country’s immense...

ILRI News
Beca-ILRI Hub news

Brachiaria grass, a climate-smart ‘wonder grass’ for livestock farmers

In this interview, Mwihaki Mundia, BecA-ILRI Hub’s Communications Officer, sits down with Sita Ghimire, who heads the Brachiaria research and development program at the Biosciences eastern and central Africa - International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub, to talk about the origins of...

ILRI News

From framework to implementation: ILRI Impact at Scale program publishes first scaling readiness analysis on livestock innovations

The Impact at Scale (I@S) program of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) has published the ‘ Scaling Readiness report and scaling plan for training and certification approach for small-scale pig producers in Uganda. ’ This is the first of a series of Scaling Readiness reports and...

ILRI News
ILRI News

Updated CGIAR feed database provides best-cost livestock feed rations for sub-Saharan Africa

Fifty three new accessions of Napier grass received at Forage Genebank, ILRI, Addis Ababa from EMBRAPA, Br azil (photo credit: ILRI) An updated CGIAR livestock feeds database for sub-Saharan Africa is now available. Containing the nutritive values of over 44,000 forage and fodder samples, the...