Climate-smart sustainable intensification: a business strategy for small cattle farmers in Central America

Silvopastoral systems provide a broad range of environmental and productive benefits. The presence of trees in farm plots stabilizes hillsides, minimizes erosion, improves the soil’s water retention and nutrient balance, and provides feed and shade for cattle. These practices generate higher milk and meat yields while contributing to the resilience of production systems in the face of climate variability, which is manifesting in increasingly extreme ways in Central America. Continue reading →

Capacity development to strengthen Nicaragua’s dual purpose cattle sector

In Nicaragua, te program has produced five manuals (in Spanish) on dual purpose cattle production. Continue reading →

White gold: Milk business improving lives of Tanzania traders

In November 2015, MoreMilkiT led a business opportunity seminar in Morogoro for 25 milk traders including six women to help them strengthen their dairy businesses which are linked to producers in and outside the project. Here some of their stories. Continue reading →

Enhancing gender capacity for inclusive livestock value chains

The Program’s gender team, in collaboration with the Dutch consultancy Transition International (TI),
has produced a gender capacity assessment tool. Continue reading →

Scaling-up gender capacity assessment and development in Ethiopia

On 15 October 2015, ILRI, ICARDA and ATA joined hands to demonstrate their commitment to integrate gender in agricultural programs by sharing the gender capacity assessment methodology and tools developed by the CGIAR research program on Livestock and Fish. Continue reading →

Developing a gender capacity assessment and development methodology and tools

This brief reports on the use of a gender capacity assessment and development methodology and tools in the Ethiopia small ruminant value chain project. Continue reading →

Uganda pig farmers trained in biosecurity measures to control African swine fever

Smallholder pig farmers were recently trained in biosecurity measures to control African swine fever as part of a wider effort to control spread of the disease in Uganda. Continue reading →

Uganda butchers trained through partnership with Veterinarians Without Borders–US

ILRI Uganda recently partnered with Veterinarians without Borders, Mukono Local Government and the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries (MAAIF) to train pork butchers in Mukono District on pork hygiene, carcass handling and biosecurity practices. Continue reading →

Uganda pig value chain project partners with private sector to boost access to advisory services

The Smallholder Pig Value Chain Development (SPVCD) in Uganda project, which is led by ILRI, has established partnerships with private sector organizations to offer advisory services through trainings for pig farmers in Uganda. In February 2015, ILRI collaborated with Pig Production and Marketing Uganda Limited on a training workshop on piggery management for small and medium-scale farmers. Continue reading →

Capacity development for sustainable food security: Role of public private partnerships

Improving value chains performance is high on the agenda of Livestock and Fish country value chain programs. Public-private partnerships can identify stakeholders with a significant interest in value chain programing, allowing for mutual trust building and understanding to accommodate different roles, responsibilities, interests, joint design and co-delivery of research for development work. Continue reading →