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Download the poster: Zonabend König, E., Ojango, J., Strandberg, E., Okeyo, A.M., and Philipsson, J. 2016. Sustainable breeding strategies for the Red Maasai sheep. Uppsala, Sweden: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

As part of their dissemination strategy such ILRI scientists developed a poster that highlighted the role of the development of dairy cattle and the positive impacts it has on the livelihoods of farming communities. With the goal of combating poverty, the ILRI research is evidence of enhancing lives through livestock.

Download the poster: Marshall, K., Tebug, S., Juga, J., Tapio, M. and Missohou, A. 2016. Improved dairy cattle for enhanced livelihoods and food and nutritional security in Senegal. Poster. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI.

The use of genomics in Africa is in early stages, and further discussions are required on where and how genomics can best contribute to broader livestock productivity goals.

From 16-26 August 2016, ILRI and CTLGH will organize a virtual forum on cattle genomics in Africa to take this agenda forward.

Discussions will focus on:

• Current and future applications of genomics to cattle in Africa – in particular, which applications are likely to make a difference to poor livestock keepers and animal source food consumers, and what capacities and resources are required to achieve this.
• How to create a genomic information resource on African cattle – a publicly-available set of sequence information on cattle breeds in Africa, and which breeds to prioritize for this.

You can register in advance or just participate during the forum at this website: http://cattle-genomix.net

Further details are given in the attached flyer; Please share this information with colleagues.

Contact for more information: Karen Marshall

International Livestock Research Institute and the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health.

The scientists explore some challenges facing dairy farmers within developing countries, illustrating how these dairy production difficulties can be overcome through the establishment of more efficient artificial insemination services using genetically superior crossbred bulls and cows. Ultimately, the poster illustrates the main goal of the ILRI-led project: to facilitate the lives of African smallholders and their families through livestock.

Download the poster: Okeyo, A.M., Ojango, J., and Mrode, R. 2016. African Dairy Genetic Gains Program: Innovative private-public partnership for sustainable dairy productivity. Poster. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI.

‘Small ruminants are a route to better livelihoods in East Africa’, says Julie Ojango, an animal breeding scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). ‘Apart from poultry, goats and sheep are the only “livestock assets” over which women and youth tend to have control. They are also less labour intensive.

Sustaining the change being witnessed in Nyando, however, requires continually improving the productivity of goats and sheep under small holder farming systems.

Read the full story

Read a related article in the CCAFS annual report

See information on the journal article: System characteristics and management practices for small ruminant production in “Climate Smart Villages” of Kenya

Read the CCAFS working paper

Read a story in the NPR blog

Livestock keeping households (numbering 277, and from six administrative districts located in northern,
central and southern Somalia) keeping the different breeds were interviewed on a number of issues related to livestock keeping, representatives of selected breeds (26 to 52 animals per breed) were characterized morphometrically through measurement of five traits (heart girth, body length, height at withers, rump height and pin bone width), and the breeds were genetically characterized by analysis of autosomal, Y-chromosomal and mitochondrial markers (40 animals per breed, but excluding the North Somali Zebu cattle were DNA sampling was not allowed).

All the livestock producers involved in the study practised a pastoral livestock production system. The primary reasons for keeping livestock were as a source of food and cash, whilst a secondary reason was cultural. It was also noted that while the numbers of cattle kept were relatively small with 75% of the producers owning less than 30 head, the sheep and goat flock sizes were much larger with 50% of the producers owning more than 100 head. The largest herd/flock sizes were mainly observed in the nomadic pastoral areas. The main feed source for the livestock was natural pasture. However about 30% of the producers indicated they purchased supplementary fodder. The producers had various options available to obtain breeding stock including obtaining animals from their relatives, neighbours, friends and a few purchased the animals from traders and markets.

In terms of basic morphometric characterization of the cattle breeds, the Boran breed had significantly larger heart
girth and height at wither measurements compared to the Dauara and North Somali Zebu breeds while the pin bone
width measurements of the Boran and North Somali Zebu were larger than the Dauara breed. However, there were no significant differences between the body length measurements of the Boran, Dauara and North Somali Zebu breeds. For the goats, the Long-eared goats were found to be longer, higher at withers and rump and with a wider pin bone than the Short-eared goats. The two breeds however had similar heart girth measurements.

The genetic diversity for the Somali livestock was determined through calculation of observed heterozygosities using 15 microsatellite markers for each of the cattle, sheep and goat breeds. The average heterozygosities for the cattle, goat and sheep were high. The mean genetic differentiation of the Somali cattle was moderate, while that for goat was low with. Low FST values were observed between the Somali Boran and the Kenyan Boran suggesting common recent ancestry. Principal component analysis of the microsatellite allele frequencies indicate close clustering of the two Somali goat breeds which may therefore also share a common recent ancestry.

Overall, the genetic characterization of the breeds showed that the breeds contain a wide genetic base with no inbreeding issues.

Download the report:

Muigai, A., Matete, G., Aden, H.H., Tapio, M., Mwai, O. and Marshall, K. 2016. The indigenous farm genetic resources of Somalia: Preliminary phenotypic and genotypic characterization of cattle, sheep and goats. ILRI Project Report. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI.

A total of 870 chickens were used. More than 600 chickens (n=150 and n=120 from each breed during growing and laying period respectively) arranged in completely randomized design were followed on-station, and 270 (90 from commercial, crossbred and improved during laying period) were evaluated on-farm in Ada (n=6 farms) and Horro (n=9 farms) districts in a split-plot design.

Body weight, cumulative feed intake, and survival were recorded while feed conversion ratio was calculated at week 8, 12, 16 and 20 during the growing period on-station. Age at first egg and total egg number during lifetime were recorded once.

Survival and hen housed egg production were recorded at month 3, 6, 9 and 12 of age both on-station and on-farm. Egg weight, and feed per egg were recorded and used to calculate feed conversion ratio during the laying period on-station.

Significant effect of breed (P<0.001) and interaction with time (P<0.001) was observed for traits measured on-station during the growing and laying period. Similarly significant effect of breed, village and breed-village interactions were observed on-farm (P<0.001).

Improved indigenous chickens had higher performance than indigenous chickens for all traits measured on station (P<0.05). 10 farmers out of 16 in the Ada district and 7 out of 16 in the Horro district dropped out after month 3 at different times either due to high chicken mortality or reduced motivation of the farmer. Improved chickens have been genetically improved as compared to unimproved, but their performance is still low compared to commercial chickens.
View the article (not open access):

Wondmeneh, E., Waaij, E.H Van der, Udo, H.M.J., Dessie, T. and Arendonk, J.A.M Van. 2016. Comparison of different poultry breeds under station and on-farm conditions in Ethiopia. Livestock Science 183:72–77.. htt://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2015.11.019

See also ILRI’s African chicken genetic gains project

The aim of this study was to investigate farmers’ trait preferences as a basis for determination of breeding objectives for Red Maasai and Dorper sheep at two sites, Amboseli and Isinya, in Kenya.

Within their own flock, each farmer identified three ewes representing the best, average and poorest within each breed group: Red Maasai, Dorper and Crosses. Farmers gave reasons for their ranking. Body measurements and weights were also taken. At the harshest site, Amboseli, differences between breed groups in body weight were small and breeds were equally preferred. In Isinya, where environmental conditions are better and farmers are more market oriented, Dorper and Crosses had significantly higher body weights and market prices and were thus preferred by the farmers. Red Maasai were preferred for their maternal and adaptive traits. Breeding objectives should emphasize growth traits and milk production in both breeds at both sites. Body condition needs to be specifically considered in the breeding objectives for sheep in Amboseli, whereas adaptive traits need to be generally emphasized in Dorper.

View the open access article:

Zonabend Koning, E., Mirkena, T., Strandberg, E., Audho, J., Ojango, J., Malmfors, B., Okeyo, A.M, and Philipsson, J. 2016. Participatory definition of breeding objectives for sheep breeds under pastoral systems—the case of Red Maasai and Dorper sheep in Kenya. Tropical Animal Health and Production. 48(1): 9-20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11250-015-0911-7

See a related poster

See a related thesis

Since the first transgenic crop was released in in the world in 1994, cultivation of several varieties has grown rapidly to reach 175 million hectares, more than 10% of the world’s arable land, in 27 countries. Adoption and commercialization of transgenic products is growing by 3% per year in developed and developing countries.

There is ample evidence that application of transgenic products significantly increases crop productivity and food nutrition and provides higher net financial and environmental benefits.

In 2014, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and partners commissioned a report to analyze the current capacity for transgenic research in CGIAR centres and National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in a sample of countries in Africa.

Th report includes the policy and regulatory situation, donor perspectives on transgenic research, and the implications for research for development as a basis for a strategic framework for transgenic research and product development by the CGIAR centres and partners in Africa.

• Download the full report

• Download a four-page summary

The report and brief were supported by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the International Potato Center (CIP), and the Africa Rice Center.

Chris will be developing the Feed and Forage Biosciences Program in ILRI.

ILRAD was specifically established to undertake basic research to develop effective and economic control measures for livestock diseases that seriously constrain global food production. As part of this mandate, ILRAD focused “initially on intensive research concerning the immunological and related aspects of controlling trypanosomiasis and theileriosis (mainly East Coast fever) …”, with the goal of decreasing the incidence and/or severity of disease.

Download a brief that illustrates how cutting edge tools, technologies and approaches have been implemented to increase understanding of the bovine immune system and mechanisms of pathogen control. Despite limited funding, compared to human immunological research, ILRAD/ILRI have made tremendous progress in bovine immunological research which remains a research focus at ILRI.

As a result of this work, methodologies and approaches have been developed and used all over the world and a cadre of trained epidemiologists are now serving different institutional needs in Europe Africa, Asia, Australia, and Latin America.

Download a brief that illustrates how ILRI’s integration of epidemiology with agricultural economics and other social sciences has offered a unique approach for assessing the economic impact of animal disease, and for evaluating the implications of intervention options, whether at farm, national or global level.

This poster, produced for the Tropentag 2014 conference, describes how the rapidly developing field of genomics can contribute to improved productivity in livestock production systems of developing countries. Particular focus is on the the use of genomics to identify genes or gene networks conferring disease resistance with the subsequent creation of new resistant breed-types by transgenic or genome editing approaches; and the use of genomics to better understand host-pathogen interactions and mechanisms of immunity for development of new vaccines and therapeutics.

This week, ILRI staff are participating in the Tropentag 2014 International Conference in Prague (17-19 September 2014). There is also a dedicated ‘ILRI@40’ side event on ‘Livestock-based options for sustainable food and nutritional security and healthy lives.’  See all the posters.

This poster, prepared for the Tropentag 2014 conference, shares information about a new strategy, by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), for creating resistance in cattle to African trypanosomiasis. The long-term aim is to generate genetically modified cattle, which carry a gene that imparts resistance to African trypanosomes.

Participatory rural appraisals with cattle farmers in Tanzania have shown that disease in livestock is one of the main factors contributing to limited productivity and income generation. Often, the causes of livestock disease are unknown and differential diagnosis is not conducted resulting in mistreatment of animals and long-term negative economic impact.

This poster, prepared for the Tropentag 2014 conference, presents findings from a multipathogen survey conducted by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) among cattle farmers in two regions in Tanzania to confirm the presence of well-known cattle pathogens and to investigate the presence of cattle pathogens rarely looked for in the area before.

This week, ILRI staff are participating in the Tropentag 2014 International Conference in Prague (17-19 September 2014). There is also a dedicated ‘ILRI@40’ side event on ‘Livestock-based options for sustainable food and nutritional security and healthy lives.’  See all the posters.

This poster, prepared for the Tropentag 2014 conference, explains the work of the vaccine biosciences group at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) which proposes to take advantage of rapid advances in biosciences and vaccine development to produce a new generation of vaccines for major livestock diseases such as African swine fever (ASF), contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), East Coast fever (ECF), peste des petits ruminants (PPR) and Rift Valley fever (RVF).