ILRI Research Outputs

Ubuntu and Women’s Empowerment in Smallholder Livestock Farming Communities in Burundi: What is the linkage?

Leah Achandi, Esther

dc.title: Ubuntu and Women’s Empowerment in Smallholder Livestock Farming Communities in Burundi: What is the linkage? dc.contributor.author: Leah Achandi, Esther; Jumba, Humphrey; Galiè, Alessandra; Nyamweru, Jean; Cislaghi, Beniamino; Bimenyimana, Alain dcterms.abstract: This is qualitative data collected through sex-separated focus group discussions and key informant interviews (KII) in Burundi. We targeted actors such as farmers and traders involved in the livestock value chain, interviewing women, men, and youth (across different age groups) in smallholder livestock systems. For the KIIs, we spoke with community leaders who are custodians of gender norms, some of whom were not directly involved in livestock activities, including cultural and religious leaders. In total, we conducted eight sex-separated focus group discussions (four with women, including two for young women and two for adult women, and four with men, including two for young men and two for adult men) and 18 KIIs (equally distributed between men and women). This data can be valuable to social researchers interested in meta-analysis of social studies on how local ideologies influence women's empowerment, especially within Sub-Saharan Africa. cg.contributor.programAccelerator: CGIAR Accelerator on Gender Equality and Inclusion; CGIAR Science Program on Sustainable Animal and Aquatic Foods

Scaling feed and forage innovations through improved seed multiplication and commercialization in Ethiopia

Mekonnen, Kindu — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

dc.title: Scaling feed and forage innovations through improved seed multiplication and commercialization in Ethiopia dc.contributor.author: Mekonnen, Kindu; Gebreyes, Million; Alene, Temesgen; Tessema, Fikadu; Alemayehu, Liulseged; Amare, Fikadu; Seifu, Haimanot cg.contributor.programAccelerator: Scaling for Impact; Sustainable Farming

Genomic diversity of diarrheagenic multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli across asymptomatic children and livestock in Nairobi, Kenya

Okumu, Noah O. — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

dc.title: Genomic diversity of diarrheagenic multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli across asymptomatic children and livestock in Nairobi, Kenya dc.contributor.author: Okumu, Noah O.; Juma, John; Oyola, Samuel O.; Moodley, Arshnee; Mwangi, Kennedy; Kibet, Gilbert; Ochieng, Linnet; Watson, J.; Ngeranwa, J.J.N.; Cumming, O.; Cook, Elizabeth A.J.; Muloi, Dishon M. dcterms.abstract: Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli represents a critical public health threat, yet their genomic characteristics in community settings remain poorly described. We sequenced 77 multidrug-resistant isolates from children (n = 59), livestock (n = 17), and food (n = 1) in peri-urban Nairobi, Kenya. Phylogenetic analysis revealed polyphyletic diversity across phylogroups and sequence types without host-specific clustering. We detected high-risk lineages ST69 (n = 5) and ST131 (n = 2) among children. Nearly all isolates carried extended-spectrum β-lactamase genes, including bla_CTX-M-15 and bla_OXA-1, with resistance spanning nine antibiotic classes. Network analysis revealed a stable multidrug-resistance cluster (bla_TEM-1B, aph(3)-Ib, aph(6)-Id, sul2, tetA) shared across hosts. Virulence-associated gene profiling showed 34 enteric-associated determinants, with children’s isolates carrying significantly more genes than livestock (mean 6.4 vs. 4.2, p = 0.001). The presence of virulent, multidrug-resistant lineages in apparently healthy community carriers highlights a potential reservoir of multidrug-resistant diarrheagenic-associated pathogenic potential outside hospitals. These findings underscore urgent need for genomic surveillance, stewardship and WASH to interrupt transmission of high-risk E. coli clones.

The bermudagrass CdbZIPs-CdsHSP16.970 regulatory module enhances osmotic stress tolerance in Arabidopsis

Yang, D. — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

dc.title: The bermudagrass CdbZIPs-CdsHSP16.970 regulatory module enhances osmotic stress tolerance in Arabidopsis dc.contributor.author: Yang, D.; Wang, W.; Yi, X.; Wu, S.; Liu, C.; Lai, J.; Wu, M.; Fang, Z.; Yin, G.; Yao, Nasser K.; Xiang, L.; Wang, Y.; Chan, Z. dcterms.abstract: Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) act as molecular chaperones that protect other proteins from damage caused by stress-induced denaturation. Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.) is a broadly adopted forage and turfgrass known for its capability to withstand various abiotic stresses. However, the biological pathways by which sHSPs promote drought tolerance in bermudagrass remain unclear. In this study, 99 sHSPs were characterized in the bermudagrass genome. Drought stress led to the induction of the majority of these genes with CdsHSP16.970 showing the most significant induction. Overexpression (OE) of CdsHSP16.970 promoted root elongation and improved seedling growth performance in transgenic Arabidopsis lines under osmotic stress, with reduced electrolyte leakage (EL) and lower malondialdehyde (MDA) deposition compared with the control. Meanwhile, several stress-related genes were significantly induced in CdsHSP16.970-OE plants when subjected to osmotic stress compared to the control group. Two basic leucine zipper transcription factors, CdbZIP04 and CdbZIP65, were also induced by drought stress in bermudagrass. Further investigation using electrophoretic mobility shift assay, yeast one-hybrid and dual-LUC assays revealed that they directly and specifically bind to the upstream regulatory region of CdsHSP16.970, consequently promoting its expression. In summary, our results suggest that the CdbZIPs–CdsHSP16.970 cascade positively regulates the osmotic stress signaling pathway in bermudagrass.

Nepal introduces animal identification and traceability system

Basnet, Suresh — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

dc.title: Nepal introduces animal identification and traceability system dc.contributor.author: Basnet, Suresh; Chherti, Akriti; Varijakshapanicker, Padmakumar cg.contributor.programAccelerator: Sustainable Animal and Aquatic Foods

Media Engagement Activities (2022 -2025)

Mesfin, Hailemariam — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

dc.title: Media Engagement Activities (2022 -2025) dc.contributor.author: Mesfin, Hailemariam; Seifu, Haimanot cg.contributor.programAccelerator: Scaling for Impact; Sustainable Farming

Research and scaling of livestock feed and forage innovations: An overview

Mekonnen, Kindu — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

dc.title: Research and scaling of livestock feed and forage innovations: An overview dc.contributor.author: Mekonnen, Kindu cg.contributor.programAccelerator: Scaling for Impact; Sustainable Farming

Framing the workshop: Why discuss scaling now

Gebreyes, Million — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

dc.title: Framing the workshop: Why discuss scaling now dc.contributor.author: Gebreyes, Million cg.contributor.programAccelerator: Scaling for Impact; Sustainable Farming

Integrated Feed and Forage Solutions for Climate-Resilient Livestock Systems

Mekonnen, Kindu — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

dc.title: Integrated Feed and Forage Solutions for Climate-Resilient Livestock Systems dc.contributor.author: Mekonnen, Kindu; Gebreyes, Million; Seifu, Haimanot cg.contributor.programAccelerator: Scaling for Impact; Sustainable Farming

Improving reporting, impact stories, and visual documentation for 2026

Seifu, Haimanot — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

dc.title: Improving reporting, impact stories, and visual documentation for 2026 dc.contributor.author: Seifu, Haimanot cg.contributor.programAccelerator: Scaling for Impact; Sustainable Farming