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

Originally posted on 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 for the small-scale dairy farmers in…

Irrigated forages improve livestock productivity and livelihoods in Ethiopia

This video describes the work of ILRI and the Amhara Region Agricultural Institute, which worked with farmers in Robit-Bata kebele (sub-district) in the Amhara region through the Innovation Lab for Small Scale Irrigation (ILSSI) project, to introduce the cultivation of irrigated Napier grass (ILRI 16786). Continue reading →

Animal nutrition approaches to profitable livestock farming and sustainable livelihoods

Feed resourcing and feeding is at the very interface where the positive and negative effects of livestock, income, livelihoods and environment are negotiated and animal feeding and nutrition deserves greater attention as a critical discipline in addressing the environmental impacts of animal-sourced foods production. Continue reading →

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

Originally posted on 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 to forages. Located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the ILRI Forage Genebank…

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

Scientists from ILRI, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center and the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research tested bread wheat cultivars released in the Ethiopian highlands to better understand the potential trade-offs between food and fodder traits. Continue reading →

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

Desho grass has become particularly popular as a means of biological control in stabilizing soil bunds and controlling runoffs and soil erosion. Continue reading →

New studies provide the first accurate estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from East African livestock

Originally posted on ILRI Clippings:
ILRI scientist John Goopy describes ILRI’s Mazingira Centre research on livestock and greenhouse gas emissions to ILRI partners at the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security and leads them on a tour of Mazingira’s Greenhouse Gas Laboratory, in Nairobi, Kenya (photo credit: CCAFS/S Kilungu). The following…

Green grass and greenhouse gas: Scientists are investigating the links between them

Originally posted on ILRI Clippings:
Cattle grazing on Brachiaria grass at the ILRI campus in Nairobi Kenya (photo credit: ILRI/Collins Mutai). ‘A team of researchers at International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) are testing Napier, Rhodes and Brachiaria grasses for cattle feed, and then physically measuring the emissions in a respiration chamber within the institute’s laboratory.…

Better livestock feeding to increase productivity and boost food security in southern Malawi

A new research-for-development initiative is helping smallholder farmers in southern Malawi increase the productivity of their livestock and crops to enhance food security. The agribusiness Crop Livestock Integration and Marketing in Malawi project or CLIM2 is improving animal feeding and crop farming practices and market access for farmers’ produce. Continue reading →

Guide to lablab bean use in smallholder systems in Africa

This extension brief, by International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) researchers and their partners in Zimbabwe, explains explains the best cultivation and management practices for lablab bean and its importance as a forage crop. Continue reading →