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 →

Better feed for cows benefits dairy farmers in India and Tanzania

The work of the MilkIT project to enhance dairy-based livelihoods in India and Tanzania through feed innovation and value chain development approaches was recently reported in IFAD’s 2016 annual report. 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 →

Guide to velvet bean use in smallholder systems in Africa

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

Guide to silage making in the subtropics

This extension brief by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) shares the principles of silage making that smallholder farmers can use to make forage for feeding animals in dry seasons. Continue reading →

Innovation platforms for dairy development in India and Tanzania

Multi-stakeholder innovation platforms were set up at different levels as part of the milkIT project, resulting in more milk sales, more interactions and better linkages among different value chain actors in India, and, in Tanzania, access to a larger variety of better feeds. This video explains how the milkIT project worked with innovation platforms Continue reading →

Smallholder dairying: better marketing or better feeding – which comes first?

The milkIT project hypothesis was that improvements in milk markets would lead to increased productivity by farmers. This video explains the approaches followed: linking farmers to markets (using market ‘pull’ to drive productivity increases) and farmers’ productivity increases which will attract the market to them. Continue reading →

Working out how to improve livestock feeding: The FEAST feed assessment tool

The Feed Assessment Tool (FEAST) was one of the key tools used in the milkIT project to assess local feed resource availability and use, guiding targeting and appropriate intervention strategies. This video explains how FEAST was used in the project: Continue reading →

Enhancing livestock productivity through feed and feeding interventions in India and Tanzania

This report shares results and lessons on productivity-enhancing feed interventions developed through MilkIT, a project to promote milk production in India and Tanzania. Continue reading →

Modeling forage intercropping and best bets for farmers in Tanzania

Read an update of the project that uses models to help provide Tanzanian farmers with best-bet forage crop management techniques. Continue reading →