livestock

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The next agricultural revolution is here

September 24th, 2019 / Science News

As a growing population and climate change threaten food security, researchers around the world are working to overcome the challenges that threaten the dietary needs of humans and livestock. A pair of scientists is now making the case that the knowledge and tools exist to facilitate the next agricultural revolution …

When you decide to become a farmer

August 6th, 2019 / Daily Monitor, Uganda

B4FA Fellow Michael Ssali writes:

Some people become farmers in their early youth and many others begin later, after years of formal employment. 

However there are important considerations to make before making the decision to go into farming. You have to be certain about what you want to do — it could …

Genetic breakthrough on tropical grass could help develop climate-friendly cattle farms

April 15th, 2019 / Phys.org

Cattle are a mainstay for many smallholders but their farms are often on degraded lands, which increases cattle’s impact on the environment and lowers their production of milk and meat. Researchers at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) have shown that Brachiaria grass species can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cattle …

Sustainable livestock for development

March 25th, 2019 / Why livestock matter

Livestock are critical for sustainable development yet often overlooked. The world’s cows, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry and other farm animals are the mainstay of livelihoods across the developing world. And the energy and nutrient-dense milk, meat and eggs these animals produce provide hundreds of millions of families in the world’s poorer …

Livestock feeding a key factor in gainful farming

March 25th, 2019 / Daily Monitor, Uganda

B4FA Fellow Michael Ssali writes:

Livestock keeping is an enterprise whose main objective is to get profit at the end of the day. Much as we raise animals for our own benefit, they have rights such as the right to adequate, good, clean food. It would be unfair for us to keep …

Reap big from mixing farming with forestry

January 31st, 2019 / Sunrise, Uganda

Agroforestry is the practice of growing trees and/or keeping livestock on the same field at the same time.

The trees could be grown purposely for timber production, shed, nutrients or medicine.  Trees could be planted on purely agricultural land or crops could be introduced to forested lands.

There are a number of …

With veganism a rapidly growing dietary choice in developed countries, why should we conserve livestock diversity?

October 25th, 2018 / Food Forever

Jimmy Smith, Director General, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and Food Forever Champion writes:
In the United States last year, an estimated 6% of the population identified as vegan, a rise of 600% since 2014. On the other side of the Atlantic, the number of Britons who have removed animal products …

Huge changes to farming are needed to avoid destroying Earth’s ability to feed its population

October 11th, 2018 / The Guardian, UK

Huge reductions in meat-eating are essential to avoid dangerous climate change, according to the most comprehensive analysis yet of the food system’s impact on the environment. In western countries, beef consumption needs to fall by 90% and be replaced by five times more beans and pulses.
The research also finds that …

UN calls emergency meeting over African swine fever as China confirms ninth case

September 7th, 2018 / Daily Telegraph, UK

The United Nations has called an emergency meeting of animal disease experts amid fears African swine fever (ASF) is set to sweep through Asia and devastate pig farming.
China on Wednesday confirmed its ninth case of the highly infectious disease since it was first spotted in the country a month ago …

Ghanaian agritech startup Cowtribe planning nationwide coverage

August 28th, 2018 / BizCommunity

Launched in 2016 and recently named winner of the Ghanaian leg of the Seedstars World competition, Cowtribe enables animal vaccines to be ordered via USSD, text and telephone, as well as through a network of community agents.
The startup sources and aggregates genuine and affordable vaccinations from large suppliers, and works …

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