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 →

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 →

Improving livestock production and productivity: the potential of Napier grass

For better livestock production and productivity, it is essential to assess the genetic diversity of the food which is fed to livestock. One of the main food sources for livestock in East Africa is Napier grass. Continue reading →

Use of grain legumes residues as livestock feed in the smallholder mixed crop-livestock production systems in Ethiopia

Livestock productivity in Ethiopia is much lower than the existing potential due shortages of quality feed in the country. However, adopting grain legumes can help boost annual production with concomitant increase in grain legumes residues. Continue reading →

New study looks at institutional barriers to dairy development in Ethiopia

We recently published a paper looking at how the Ethiopian dairy innovation system has functioned to support the development of the Ethiopian dairy sector and what have been the major technical, economic, and institutional constraints in the process. Continue reading →

Forage diversity – an essential resource to support forage development

Poor-quality feed, fluctuating feed supplies and seasonal feed shortages are major constraints to increasing livestock productivity in many tropical countries. Forage diversity is an essential resource for the selection and breeding of superior forages for use in smallholder farming to alleviate these constraints. This poster, prepared for the Tropentag 2014 conference, describes forage diversity activities … Continue reading →

Dairy intensification in Ethiopia and India – how do they compare?

We recently published some work comparing dairy feeding and breeding practices among smallholders in Ethiopia and India. Continue reading →