Tropentag, September 17 - 19, 2014 in Prague, Czech Republic "Bridging the gap between increasing knowledge and decreasing resources"

More Meat, Milk and Fish by and for the Poor: Solution-Driven Research with Development

International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenya

Abstract

Meat, milk and fish are critical to poor people as food and income and provide critical inputs in people's diets, especially those who are malnourished. The vision of the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish is for the health, livelihoods and future prospects of the poor and vulnerable, especially women and children, to be transformed through consumption of adequate amounts of meat, milk and fish, and through benefits from improved incomes and livelihood by participating in the associated animal source food value chains. The programme seeks to achieve this by increasing the productivity of small-scale livestock and fish production systems and improving the performance of their associated value chains.

Four key elements are employed in the program's ‘solution-driven research with development' approach. These are, a whole value chain approach; a focus on a few selected livestock and fish value chains with potential for pro-poor transformation to demonstrate impact; working with development partners to use research to design integrated interventions for taking to scale; basic and adaptive research on animal nutrition, genetics, animal health, gender and learning, and targeting for sustainable interventions, prioritised by the needs of the target value chain. Research is based around nine value chains in nine countries in Africa, Asia and Central America.

Key results include progress in contributing to new technologies and improved practices such as, release of new tilapia strains widely used in Asia, distribution of East Coast fever vaccines in the sub-Saharan Africa dairy value chains and proof-of-concept in breeding of tropical pasture grass that can significantly suppress greenhouse-gas emissions.

The Livestock and Fish programme is led by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). CGIAR partners are WorldFish, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the International Center for Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).

Keywords: Agricultural research for development, animal-source foods, aquaculture, livestock, value chains

Contact Address: Thomas Randolph, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), PO Box 30709, 00100 Nairobi, Kenya, e-mail: t.randolphcgiar.org