Julie and Tadelle cut the cake marking their promotions announced on the same day. Both were employed by ILRI in the same year, 2006. Photo by: Grum Gebreyesus(ILRI)

 Two researchers in the Animal Sciences for Sustainable Productivity (ASSP) team Julie Ojango and Tadelle Dessie have been promoted to the position of Scientist. The appointments were made at the beginning of April 2013.

Both Julie and Tadesse joined ILRI in 2006 and it is interesting that they have been promoted at the same time.

Julie joined ILRI based Nairobi, on a part time basis to lead a project on Capacity building for sustainable use of animal genetic resources.  At the time, she was a senior lecturer in animal genetics and breeding (AGB) at Egerton University, Kenya.

In academics, she holds a PhD degree in AGB from the University of London in the UK, and an MSc in the same field from the University of Nairobi in Kenya.  She is well versed in dairy and small ruminant production systems found in developing countries, and skilled in livestock data management and quantitative genetic analyses. She has strong knowledge sharing skills, and strives to impart information to transform the livestock sector and develop a next generation of scientists to help change the management and use of animal genetic resources in developing countries.

Tadelle on his part has 20 years of research and development experience in various national and international research and development organizations.  In the period leading to his new appointment, he was group leader for Biotechnology Group based in ILRI-Ethiopia and is involved in the areas of knowledge management and capacity building. He is well versed with projects addressing research for development concentrating on understanding and improved utilization of animal resources to contribute for enhanced livelihoods of poor livestock keepers. Tadelle has rich experience and understanding of livestock production systems in Africa, livestock science, animal health, and interactions between people, livestock, and the production environment.

On Friday 17th May, the ASSP team based in Addis Ababa took time to celebrate Julie and Tadesse. Congratulations and the entire team wishes them well!

Filed under: Africa, Animal Feeding, Article, Award, Biodiversity, Dairying, Drought, Drylands, East Africa, Ethiopia, Forages, Gender, Kenya, Livestock, PLE Tagged: Biodiversity, East Africa, environment, ILRI, livelihoods, PLE, small holder farmers

Kitengela rangeland: Maasai scientist David Nkedianye (photo credit: ILRI/Stevie Mann).

Livestock scientist David Nkedianye was on Wednesday 27 March 2013 sworn in as the first governor of Kajiado County, in Kenya. Elected in the country’s general election of 4 March 2013, Nkedianye, a Maasai, beat seven candidates to become governor under a new political dispensation that devolved significant power from a central government to 47 county governments, each headed by a governor.

The ILRI -trained scientist and former teacher was initially picked by the Kajiado County professionals as the preferred candidate for governor by a team that scrutinized the history of the candidates and what they had done to improve the lives of communities living in the county. During his time as an ILRI scholar, he researched issues in his home area, the Kitengela rangelands, home of Maasai pastoralists, about an hour’s drive southeast of Nairobi, working to better understand the interaction between Maasai herders, livestock and wildlife as well as land use in the county. He worked closely with the community and helped to establish an NGO called ‘Reto-o-Reto’ (Maasai for ‘I help you, you help me’), which started as a research project conducted jointly by ILRI and Maasai communities in East Africa.

That five-year project (2003–2008) experimented with boundary-spanning research to help balance action in poverty alleviation and wildlife conservation in four pastoral ecosystems in East Africa, including the Kitengela pastoral ecosystem just south of Nairobi National Park. Nkedianye co-authored a scientific paper generated by this project entitled ‘Evolution of models to support community and policy action with science: Balancing pastoral livelihoods and wildlife conservation in savannas of East Africa’, which was published in 2009 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a prestigious American science journal.

The paper won the 2012 Sustainability Science Award, which is given annually by the Ecological Society of America to the authors of a peer-reviewed paper published in the preceding five years that makes the greatest contribution to the emerging science of ecosystem and regional sustainability through the integration of ecological and social sciences.

At the community level, Nkedianye chairs the Kajiado Community Task Force, whose mandate is to implement the Kitengela/Isinya/Kipeto Land Use Master Plan (LUMP), the first of its kind in Kenya. Because his efforts and those of his teams, subdivision of land in Kitengela is now capped at 60 to 80 acres, which is helping to stop the mushrooming of unplanned settlements and the uneconomic subdivision of these rangelands.

He graduated with a PhD in ecology and natural resource management at the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in 2010. He also spent time with ILRI partner William Clark as his faculty host at the Harvard J.F. Kennedy School of Government
In 2007, Nkedianye was given a doctoral fellowship in Harvard University’s Sustainability Science Program, where he worked for several months using lessons from hi work in East Africa on linking knowledge with action using community facilitators to span institutional and community boundaries.
Kajiado lies just southeast of Nairobi and is both a cosmopolitan and rural county. Some have dubbed it the bedroom of Nairobi due to its close proximity to the city and with many of the city’s residents renting homes and commuting from there. Yet it remains rural and home to many pastoralists who have suffered human-wildlife conflicts and survived some of the worst droughts in the region. Harmonizing these dichotomies are some of the challenges that the new governor will have to deal with.

Nickson Ole Parmisa, a community leader in Kitengela who worked with Nkedianye during his time at ILRI, says: ‘We appreciate David’s effort and struggle to save Kitengela lands and pastoralist community. We hope now that the “land use master plan” our community developed will be fully implemented. I think local people have been praying for this, and they and wildlife and livestock will all benefit.’

Nkedianye says he has used his knowledge from his years of research work with ILRI and others to increase ‘rights awareness’ and to determine pastoral land ownership, access and use by the community. Shirley Tarawali, Nkedianye’s research director in ILRI’s ‘People, Livestock and the Environment Theme’, who now serves ILRI as director of Institutional Planning and Partnerships, says, ‘David is well placed now to do much to get livestock and other research into real good in Kenya. We congratulate him on his many achievements, and look forward to working with him for the betterment of poor pastoral herders.’ See related stories at http://peoplelivestockenvironment.wordpress.com/2012/05/28/ilri-pastoral-research-team-wins-sustainable-science-award/

http://www.ilri.org/ilrinews/index.php/archives/tag/reto-o-reto-research-project

http://peoplelivestockenvironment.wordpress.com/2010/09/01/nkedianye-successfully-completes-his-phd/

Filed under: Article, CRP11, Drylands, East Africa, ILRI, Kenya, Livestock, Pastoralism, PLE, Vulnerability, Wildlife Tagged: Biodiversity, East Africa, environment, ILRI, Maasai, pastoral communities, pastoralism, PLE, rangelands, Wildlife

Today, March 22, is World Water Day and 2013 is the United Nations International Year of Water Cooperation.

As rapid urbanization, climate change and growing food needs put ever-increasing pressure on freshwater resources, the objective of the 2013 theme is to draw attention to the benefits of cooperation in water management. It will serve to highlight successful examples of water cooperation and explore key issues, including water diplomacy, transboundary water management and financial cooperation.

Water, a vital resource unlike any other knows no borders. For instance, 148 countries share at least one transboundary river basin. The United nations organization notes that the fulfilment of basic human needs, our environment, socio-economic development and poverty reduction are all heavily dependent on water. As such, good management of water is especially challenging due to some of its unique characteristics: it is unevenly distributed in time and space, the hydrological cycle is highly complex and perturbations have multiple effects. Rapid urbanization, pollution and climate change threaten the resource while demands for water are increasing in order to satisfy the needs of a growing world population, now at over seven billion people, for food production, energy, industrial and domestic uses. Water is a shared resource and its management needs to take into account a wide variety of conflicting interests. This provides opportunities for cooperation among users.

To reflect on this, we share thoughts on the livestock water foot print, as shared by Prof Arjen Hoekstra of the University of Twente, the Netherlands when he gave a seminar at ILRI.

Read Paul Karaimu’s article at http://www.ilri.org/ilrinews/index.php/archives/10711 and Jane Gitau article at http://peoplelivestockenvironment.wordpress.com/2013/02/27/understanding-the-water-footprint-of-livestock-products/

Filed under: Animal Feeding, Article, Climate Change, CRP11, CRP12, CRPs, Drought, Drylands, Ethiopia, Event, ILRI, Kenya, Livestock, Livestock-Water, NRM, PLE Tagged: climate change, Conservation, environment, livestock, natural resource management

By Jane Gitau

The amount of water in your beef depends on where the animal was reared. As such, blanket condemnation of livestock products because they consume a lot of water and are therefore environment unfriendly is unjustified. This was said by Arjen Hoekstra, professor at the University of Twente, the Netherlands.

Hoeskra was addressing researchers and friends of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in a ‘livestock livetak’ at the ILRI campus in Nairobi, on February 7, 2013. .
‘ In some cases, such as in drylands and some pockets of wetlands, livestock keeping is the only viable option of food production and the water footprint has a low opportunity cost’, Hoekstra said.

Using the scientific colour coding for water – blue, green and grey- Hoekstra said each product has a water footprint but livestock products carry a larger footprint than crops. In the colour coding, blue water footprint refers to the volume of surface water and ground water consumed during production processes (i.e. evaporated or incorporated into the product), the green water footprint refers to the volume of rainwater consumed (i.e. evaporated or incorporated into the product), the grey water footprint refers to the volume of freshwater that is required to assimilate the load of pollutants and calculated as the volume of water that is required to maintain the water quality according to agreed water quality standards.

He recommended making more efficient use of rainwater as a key to reducing the water footprint of humanity.

Hoekstra, the creator of the water footprint concept, said that most freshwater problems are caused by an overexploitation of blue water resources (ground and surface water). The trend towards increasing meat consumption in the world and towards an intensification of the livestock sector will lead to increasing water demand.

The use of excessive amounts of irrigation water in water-scarce regions can be reduced by increasing productivities in rain-fed agriculture in the parts of the world where water is more abundant. Overall water consumption can be reduced by lowering meat consumption.

He emphasized that water is a global resource and many countries import food because they do not have enough water resources of their own. As such, most of their water footprint is external, that is abroad; Europe as a continent has the largest external water footprint.

The water footprint of beef varies from country to country depending on the system used to rear the animals. Grazing systems use green water, which is local while mixed systems have a combination of a local green, blue and grey water footprint. Industrial and factory farming systems use partly imported feed, which sometimes comes from water-scarce places, where water has a high opportunity cost. The largest water footprint is in the processed feeds the animals are fed. Only 1% of the water is drunk by the animals.

He advises that governments seek to understand better the maximum sustainable water footprint in every basin so that they know how to allocate water. He observed that only 3.8 % of humanity’s water footprint is home water use while 96.2% of the water footprint is invisible to the ordinary consumer and related to the products bought in the market. This is roughly divided into 91.5% agricultural products while 4.7% is industrial products. Overall, 22% of the water footprint of consumers originates from outside their country.

The water footprint of a product refers to the volume of fresh water used to produce that product, summed up over the various steps of the production chain.

According to Hoekstra, sustainability criterion that helps reduce the water footprint of products would include keeping track of the water footprint of the different components of a product; knowing whether the various components are from water scarce areas and whether they go beyond the benchmark. Reporting and disclosure by industry should therefore be key as well as labeling of products and certification of business.

For the complete presentation, please click here.

The water footprint of livestock products from ILRI

pictures on flikr http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilri/sets/72157632738813157/detail/

Filed under: Animal Feeding, Article, Climate Change, CRP11, CRP12, Drylands, Forages, ILRI, Kenya, Livestock, PLE, Presentation, Water Tagged: environment, pastoralism, PLE, rangelands, water

By Jane Gitau

Small scale farmers appear to seek diversified ways of living as method of coping with the changing weather patterns and expensive goods. This observation was made by researchers of an IMPACTLite writeshop January 21-24, in Machakos, east of Nairobi, to consolidate their views and outline their proposed scientific papers.

The team is headed by Mariana Rufino, Livestock Systems Scientist at ILRI and supported by Patti Kristjanson, the Theme Leader for Linking Knowledge with Action at the CGIAR Climate Change, Agriculture and Food security (CCAFS) program. It was observed that farmers are diversifying both their crops and methods of income. They are using paid employment to boost farm income.

The study was conducted in East and West Africa and in South Asia. It covers 13 countries and 15 sites in the three regions. It was observed that cropping is seen as a diversification strategy at the low rainfall sites and that there will be continued competition for land.
Said Rufino, “we are looking for the missing bits that help stimulate a look into the future. We are using climate projections and the hypothesis that cropping systems may move to livestock keeping because climate change would render cropping impossible”.

Understanding farms and what is happening in them will help show how people are managing their soils and water, said Kristjanson. “It will also help us understand what science can do to improve methods of coping at farm level because ultimately it is at farm level that change takes place and if it happens we have better livelihoods”.

Impactlite is a new way of reaching out and working together between researchers, governments and other interested parties on the ground to make sure needs on the ground are addressed in the best way possible. In this ongoing research other CGIAR centres have also been engaged such as ICRISAT, CIAT, Bioversity, IITA and Worldfish.

“Working this way helps us to build trust”, says Rufino. “There are three words we must learn to use if we are to be successful in our research. The three words are TRUST, TRUST, TRUST. Only then shall we be successful and people like to associate with success”.

Filed under: Africa, Asia, Climate Change, Crop Residues, CRP7, Drought, Drylands, Event, Gender, Livestock, PLE, South Asia, Water Tagged: climate change, East Africa, environment, livelihoods, PLE, water

By Jane Gitau
What is a ‘water footprint’ and why does it matter? Does it differ between developing and developed countries? These are some of the questions that renown professor in Water Management, Arjen Y. Hoekstra will attempt to answer to an ILRI audience on February 7, 2013.

The University of Twente, Netherlands Professor will be on a three day visit to Kenya during which time he will visit project sites, supervise students and give the talk at ILRI’s John Vercoe Auditorium. It will be beamed live to ILRI Addis Ababa and livestreamed on the internet via http://www.ilri.org/livestream.

Prof Hoekstra is creator of the water footprint concept and established the interdisciplinary research field of Water Footprint Assessment. The water footprint research addresses the relations between water management, consumption and trade. His books include Perspectives on Water (1998), Globalization of Water (2008), The Water Footprint Assessment Manual (2011) and The Water Footprint of Modern Consumer Society (2013).

He observes that the increase in the consumption of animal products is likely to put further pressure on the world’s freshwater resources and nearly one-third of the total water footprint of agriculture in the world is related to the production of animal products. However, animal products from grazing systems have a smaller water footprint than products from industrial systems.

Hoekstra will provide a comprehensive account of the water footprint of animal products, considering different production systems and feed composition per animal type and country.

“Future water scarcity cannot be addressed without proper understanding of the relationship between livestock and the indirect use of water”, he says.
The talk will be held at ILRI Nairobi campus, John Vercoe Auditorium (JVC) from 1500- 1600 hours.

Join the live presentation of this seminar online: http://www.ilri.org/livestream.
______________________________________________________________________________
‘Livestock live talks’ is a seminar series at ILRI that aims to address livestock-related issues, mobilize external as well as in-house expertise and audiences and engage the livestock community around interdisciplinary conversations that ask hard questions and seek to refine current research concepts and practices.

Please visit http://ilriclippings.wordpress.com for this and other livestock stories.

Filed under: Africa, Animal Feeding, Article, CRP11, CRP5, CRP7, Dairying, Drought, Drylands, East Africa, Ethiopia, Event, Kenya, Livestock, Livestock-Water, PLE, Water Tagged: drought, East Africa, ILRI, livestock, PLE, water

ILRI scientist Alexandra Jorge reports that she just returned from a series of marathon events that were very important and relevant to the ILRI forage genebank in Addis Ababa. Here she shares her notes:

CGIAR annual genebank meeting

After the new CGIAR financing arrangements were set up, this was the first meeting (FAO, Rome) of the 11 CGIAR genebanks. It was very useful to discuss new strategies, efficiencies and collaborative ways of work. In addition to the genebank managers from each of the centers (highlighting the participation of the newly recruited genebank managers for CIP, CIMMYT-maize and IITA), several additional scientists participated in the meeting (Bioversity, IPK, SPC, CGN, FAO, GCP and CGIAR consortium). One of the days was dedicated to scientific presentations and interactive discussions in plenary or in smaller groups. ILRI and CIMMYT genebank managers were responsible for the organization and chaired this science day. Themes discussed included: Common policies and guidelines, capacity building, use of molecular tools in genebanks and risk management.

• In addition to the annual funds approved for the core activities of the genebanks, some additional proposals for short term activities were also discussed and approved. ILRI’s proposal to collaborate with the Israel Plant Gene Bank to collect key legume species (Lathyrus, Medicago, Trifolium and Vicia that are commonly used forages in drylands and tropical highlands) in target areas of Israel was approved amongst other collecting proposals.
• The ILRI genebank manager was also invited to join the executive committee of the ICWG (Inter Center Working Group) that is being re-named and updated to suit the new way of work in the CGIAR genebanks.
• ILRI also became part of the advisory committee for the CGKB (Crop Genebank Knowledge Base) project, a diverse website platform for sharing knowledge about genebank management and procedures developed with considerable contributions from ILRI genebank in 2010.

The next AGM meeting will be held at USDA headquarters in Iowa, USA in September 2013.

German scientific expert supports the genebank plant health laboratories

Dr. Evelyn Moller recently spent 5 weeks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia providing technical support to ILRI’s work in the plant health laboratories. She gave excellent inputs, training and advice on our laboratory procedures and quality checked routines. We reorganized the labs with a more practical workflow, calibrated endless numbers of equipment and established templates for routine procedures to assure all the details are captured to facilitate troubleshooting. She also gave us several training sessions and provided support to acquired key equipment that needed replacement as well as installing some new equipment. She was very dedicated, hardworking and interacted a lot with our staff as well as other CGIAR staff interested in her skills.

SES is a German volunteer service – Foundation of German Industry for international Cooperation (with more than 10 000 registered experts – retired skilled and management professionals that volunteer for short term assignments worldwide wherever their expertise is needed). This was the first experience of this kind at ILRI; we  highly recommend this sort of scientific exchange.

Despite the end of the assignment, the connection was made and collaboration and support is continuing through skype and sharing folders and pictures, as long as the internet connection in Addis campus allows…

ILRI genebank international review

In November, we hosted a team of 3 international scientists from the USDA,  the Millenium Genebank and the Global Diversity Trust to evaluate our genebank procedures, workflows, infrastructure and staff composition, as well as financial expenditures and reporting. We had intensive and very long sessions that provided useful external insights and ideas for improved efficiencies and reduced risks. The reviewers also interviewed random users to obtain feedback on our responsiveness and relevance to their work. In addition to a couple of improved efficiencies within the genebank, the main message was to make extra efforts to collaborate more within ILRI and the new CGIAR as well as with our external users, to learn better about what is needed and what we can offer that can have impact.

While we were advised to reach more users and maximize the use of the diversity of our germplasm (even expand it for key ecotypes if needed) at the same time we should be more restrictive on the number of seeds we make freely available, so that our stocks last longer and are made available for more users.

Beyond the review itself, we also used this opportunity to network and discuss further collaboration between our genebank and the genebanks where the review team members work. Many ideas for interesting and challenging student projects were discussed and may be implemented in the future!

New collaboration with INIFAP (Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones forestales, Agricolas y Pecuarias), Mexico and CIAT

As part of a new project (conservation, characterization and use of forage genetic resources for priority grazing land ecosystems of Mexico), the government of Mexico is supporting and promoting collaboration between INIFAP, ILRI and CIAT to implement scientific exchanges and capacity building across the 3 institutes on forage and livestock issues.

A preliminary visit was carried out last week by two scientists from ILRI (Alexandra Jorge and Jean Hanson) and CIAT (Rao Idupulapati and Rein van de Hoek). We traveled with Salvador Fernandez (Coordinator of Research, Innovation and Partnerships, INIFAP) to three main sites across the country:

• Huimanguillo Research Station, Huimanguillo, Tabasco
• El Verdineño Research Station, Santiago Ixcuintla, Nayarit
• Calera Research Station, Zacatecas, Zacatecas

We visited field plots and laboratories and discussed joint activities of INIFAP, CIAT and ILRI as part of the forage genetic resources project. We discussed in detail activities for the next 6 months, including training of staff on key forage research and genebank management areas as well as scientist exchange visits to Cali, Colombia and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

• Did you know that the meaning of “Zacatecas” in the local language is “land of abundant pastures”? This was true when the first settlers arrived but not so true anymore. So, perhaps the forage collaboration between ILRI, INIFAP and CIAT could help to give justice to the original name of this highland, dry and cold region of Mexico!

Filed under: Animal Feeding, Biodiversity, Ethiopia, Forages, ILRI, Mexico, PLE Tagged: genebank

Polly Ericksen, a senior scientist leading a drylands program at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), based in Nairobi, Kenya, will represent ILRI in a meeting on Grasslands climate change mitigation and adaptation potential on Wednesday, 5 December 2012, in Doha, Qatar. This is a side event being held at the Eighteenth Conference of Parties (COP 18) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting. The drylands session is being jointly hosted by the Economic Research Institute for Northeast Asia (ERINA), the Government of Mongolia, ILRI, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The side event aims to provide a coherent view of evidence of how poor livestock keepers can manage grasslands, and how policies can support the rehabilitated grasslands to better adapt to climate change.

Speakers at the drylands side event will describe measurement methods used in national climate change action plans (low emission development strategies, nationally appropriate mitigation strategies) and in projects in selected countries globally.

Ericksen observes that ‘Grasslands cover 26% of the Earth’s terrestrial surface and store 8% of global carbon, thus helping to stem global warming. But most of the world’s grasslands are now degraded, and thus store less carbon than healthy grasslands. Restoring the health of grasslands  increases their carbon storage capacity while also increasing their productivity in terms of the amount of biomass and livestock they support. And when grassland productivity is increased, so is the food and nutritional security of poor livestock herding communities, which are then more resilient and better able to adapt to climate change’.

Established in 1994, UNCCD, one of the joint hosts of the drylands side event, is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. The convention focuses on the world’s arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, known as the drylands, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples are found.

The UNFCCC is an international treaty that sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to address climate change. It is one of three conventions adopted at the ‘Rio Earth Summit’ in 1992. Its sister Rio conventions are the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the UNCCD. The three are intrinsically linked.

In the UNFCCC, countries pledge how they will cooperate to limit average global temperature increases and resulting climate change and to better cope with that change. The treaty was called a ‘framework convention’ because it was seen as a starting point for addressing the problem of climate change.

With 194 member nations, the UNFCCC has near universal membership. Under the convention, member governments commit: to gathering and sharing information on greenhouse gas emissions, national policies and best practices; to launch national strategies for addressing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to expected impacts, including the provision of financial and technological support to developing countries; and to cooperating in work to find ways of adapting to the impacts of climate change.

Since the UNFCCC treaty entered into force in 1994, the parties of the convention have been holding regular meetings, called ‘Conferences of the Parties (COP)’, to assess progress in dealing with climate change. The COP is seen as the ‘supreme body’ of the convention.

Filed under: Africa, Article, Asia, Biodiversity, Climate Change, CRP11, Drylands, East Africa, Event, ILRI, NRM, PLE Tagged: climate change, East Africa, ecosystem, environment, ILRI, livestock, natural resource management, PLE, rangelands

By Asebe Abdena, Forage seed production officer at ILRI, Debre Zeit Centre

An improved policy environment coupled with adequate knowledge brokering are necessary if improved feed and forest seed production, processing and marketing systems are to be realized in Ethiopia. There is also need to create advocacy on feed and forest seeds business and attract new private investors to this development endeavor as well as build and strengthen the relationship among the enterprise, out grower farmers,  Development Bank of Ethiopia, civil society, NGOS and Research centers and other stakeholders.

These were some of the observations made at a recent one day field day and discussion forum was organized by Ethiopian Meat and Dairy Technology Institute (EMDTI) on October 25, 2012 at Ephiratana Gidim Woreda Ataye village N/Shewa Zone, Amahara Regional State 280 km from the capital Addis Ababa.  Other organisers were Eden Field Agri-Seed Enterprise (EFASE) & International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).

Challenges cited in the effort to produce good quality seed include land ownership for forage seed multiplication; lack of adequate knowledge on forage seed production techniques; limited seed processing and seed storage facilities; high price of forage seed for farmers and lack of basic seeds. Others include lack of awareness on forage seed production, lack of support and incentives; low attention on policy issues related  to livestock particularly on forage seed production; lack of high quality mother trees; market uncertainty and price fluctuation on forage seeds and lack of regulation on seed quality. About 60 relevant stakeholders participated from both government and NGO including EIAR.

ILRI offered to back stop lack of adequate knowledge on forage seed production techniques as well as supplying high quality true to type basic seeds in collaboration with EMDTI. Various stakeholders among the participants showed interest to support the enterprise in their area of profession and appreciated the over all initiative that Eden Field Agri-Seed Enterprise took in forage seed production which is the bottle neck for livestock production in Ethiopia.

I found “the field day very interesting and I suggest that these type of initiatives should be encouraged by all parties and followed up for further development and improvement”.

Eden Field Agri-Seed Enterprise is a privately owned profit making enterprise founded by Ato Getahun Haile in 2008. The enterprise has been engaged in producing, processing and marketing of forage and forest seeds to fill the gaps of both quantity and quality seed supply in Ethiopia. It has been playing a substantial role not only contributing towards the efforts of the country in fulfilling the supply gaps of forage and forest seeds, but also promoting improved seed production and processing techniques and technology transferring in the country by working in collaboration with out grower farmers, research centers, NGOs and others directly and indirectly involved in this development endeavors.

click here to read more about forages

Filed under: Africa, Animal Feeding, Article, CRP11, CRP12, Ethiopia, Forages, PLE Tagged: East Africa, environment, ILRI, livestock, PLE

Amare Haileslassie, the key author of the study; credits ILRI flickr

Balanced nutrient inputs on crop land positively impact productivity of the livestock compartment of mixed crop–livestock farming system, a new study has revealed.  This knowledge can build on the currently perceived need and benefits of balanced nutrient replenishment in crop–livestock system.

This is a key finding by the India based team of Amare Haileslassie, Michael Blu¨mmel , S. P. Wani,  K. L. Sahrawat, G. Pardhasaradhi  and Anandan Samireddypalle.  It is published by Springer on October 27, 2012. The paper is entitled Extractable soil nutrient effects on feed quality traits of crop residues in the semiarid rainfed mixed crop–livestock farming systems of Southern India.

Amare et al note that rainfed agriculture covers 80 % of the world cropland and produces more than 60 % of cereal grain. In India, rainfed agriculture has a distinct place and occupies 67 % of the cultivated area, contributing 44 % of the food grains and supporting 40 % of the human and 65 % of the livestock population.

Rainfed agriculture is of critical importance for the livelihood of smallholder farmers in the arid and semiarid regions of southern India (e.g. Karnataka). In these regions, livestock are strongly associated with crop production.

The results of this study clearly demonstrated that the outcome of soil nutrient depletion, in a mixed crop–livestock faming system, is far beyond reducing grain production. It affects livestock feed quality and thus is strongly associated with the demand for resources especially land and water.  Such soil–crop–livestock continuum is seldom explored and rarely used to encourage smallholder farmers to improve soil nutrient management. So this knowledge can certainly build on the existing understanding of the need and benefits of balanced nutrient management in crop–livestock system.

From this study, it is apparent that balanced nutrient inputs reduced the feed quality and quantity gaps. This knowledge can build on the currently perceived need and benefits of balanced nutrient replenishment in crop–livestock system and therefore helps to convince policy makers and farmers. The study also illustrated that the magnitude of the effect of balanced nutrient input on feed quality and quantity is dependent on farming systems (crop type, crop combination, livestock herd structure etc.…).

Future development efforts must include not only fertilizer inputs, but also optimum mix of system’s components. It needs also to emphasize that the estimated potential benefits can be realized only if the animal genetic base is not a limiting factor.

Policy incentive for improved livestock management must be in place. In general, improvement in livelihoods of farmers and enhancing sustainable ecosystem management in the mixed crop–livestock farming system are not feed quality improvement per se. It needs integrated approaches that involve, for example, optimum resources such as crop residues allocation for different uses, improved livestock breed, better management of herd structure, animal health to mention but a few.

Filed under: Animal Feeding, Article, Crop Residues, Crop-Livestock, CRP12, Livestock, NRM, PLE, South Asia Tagged: environment, livelihoods, livestock, natural resource management, PLE

Story by Alexandra Jorge

Last week (22–24 Oct 2012), I participated in an exhibition, which was organized alongside the 13th Biennial Scientific Conference of the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), in Nairobi. I represented the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in a booth ILRI created to explain to KARI’s visitors what research ILRI undertakes with KARI on livestock forages.

I really liked the opportunity to meet with so many Kenyan farmers (many KARI staff that stopped by the ILRI tent are also farmers); some of whom were Maasai livestock herders, some were dressed in a tie and suit, many were women. It was great to be able to connect with the users and clients of my research, and to do so in such an informal and lively environment.

What people want to know from ILRI?

• What and how to produce forage for dairy cows and goats stall-fed under zero-grazing systems
• How to make use of local resources to produce rations/formulas for pigs in Kenya
• How to grow forages in screen-houses
• How to grow fodder using hydroponics
• Where to obtain improved breeds of dairy cows (to produce at least 20 litres of milk daily)
• Where to obtain information about dairy goat breeds, housing, feeds and markets
• Where to obtain information about improved breeding methods (semen, embryo transfer) and animal nutrition issues
• Where to obtain information about climate change and small-scale livestock production, including mechanisms for better coping with, and adapting to, climate change
• How to improve access to markets for green grams, cowpeas and dolichos
• How to obtain information about small livestock and indigenous chickens in Kenya

Some facts about our exhibition booth:

• ILRI’s booth, which was decorated with many African artifacts, attracted some visitors who wanted to have a closer look at the artifacts rather than to hear about ILRI’s fodder science.
• Some illiterate women famers were still keen to collect written materials, which they would probably ask their children to read to them (we never know where our printed materials will end up, who will read them, who they will inspire!).
• When we choose livestock pictures with which to illustrate our publications, we should be prepared to explain to our readers how they can get hold of such types of livestock. ILRI’s corporate annual report, which we were giving away, has a handsome chicken on the cover, and I could not answer people who asked where they could get such a local chicken.

In visiting the many other exhibits, I was amazed to see the variety of interesting and innovative work KARI and Kenyan universities are doing with partners (many non-governmental organizations and international institutes and organizations). It was really good and innovative stuff!

Some highlights (from my point of view) about the exhibition:

• Feeding goats with leaves collected from local bushes and dried obviates the need to cut down whole forage plants, and thus helps to preserve the ecosystem.
• Sausages made from sorghum taste just like meat!
• Attractive and good-tasting cakes can be made with sweet potato flour, rice flour, Amaranthus flour and sorghum flour.
• Mini popcorn can be made from Amaranthus seeds.
• Several Kenyan seed companies are starting to fill a critical gap in the country by producing forages seeds from pigeon pea and grasses.
• The Kenyan national genebank has several skilled technicians that were trained at ILRI’s Forage Genebank, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
• The University of Nairobi has developed beautiful local breeds of chicken, which they displayed along with fertilized eggs that they sold. This is a great way to reach users at any opportunity!

My favorite story:

Alex Mwandawa came to our stand (possibly attracted by our nice baskets!) and told me a story about a job niche he found in Mwatate District, where women were very poor and had few means of making a living. However, many grasses grew in the district that could be used to make baskets, and they did make some baskets, but these were of uneven and relatively poor quality. Mwandawa began to train the women in ways to produce good-quality baskets for export. He found some interested buyers in Denmark (and later on in Japan and South Africa); these became their first export clients. The women (including old women unable to move much) started to produce high-quality baskets. Mwandawa then approached village youth who were neither working nor studying (but often drinking) and showed them how to fashion leather handles and accessories that added value to the baskets the women were making. The youth liked the experience and are now enjoying earning an income. Today, they are heavily involved in the basket making and are expanding their skills. This basket-making enterprise is strongly linked to the Kenya Agricultural Productivity and Agribusiness Project (KAPAP) and meat value chains, which links producers to better markets for higher incomes. I visited their basket stand (email: amwandawa@yahoo.com and www.taitabaskets.dk) and bought some of the traditional, natural dyed, Taita baskets, which, while not cheap, are very beautiful and functional.

So, a nice story of grabbing opportunities and niches! Note that Alex Mwandawa will come to local institutions to participate in other open marketplaces, at ILRI and elsewhere. You can reach him on his cell phones: +254 724-463-791 or +154-737-944-884.

Filed under: Animal Feeding, Article, Biodiversity, Corporate Report, Crop-Livestock, CRP11, CRP12, CRP7, Drylands, East Africa, Ethiopia, Event, Forages, Humid Tropics, ILRI, Kenya, Livestock, NRM, Pastoralism, PLE Tagged: Biodiversity, East Africa, ecosystem, environment, ILRI, Kenya, livestock, Maasai, natural resource management, PLE

Some dreams we have early in life and we follow them. Sometimes, life gives us a rude awakening and we are forced to change course. 22 April, 2012, will forever be imprinted in the mind of Joost Hoedjes, a young scientist whose focus changed as a result. On that day, he and a group of friends had taken a walk in the park – to Hells Gate National Park in Naivasha like happened on so many other weekends.

Today, however, turned out to be different. Today was not a-fun-as-usual event. Before long, a rushing sound was heard in the distance, followed by a warning from park rangers. They feared the worst and unfortunately that day, the worst happened- but not to them.

Hoedges and his friends quickly climbed up a narrow side road, but a church group wasn’t so lucky. Seven of them were swept away by the floods in what had been an otherwise perfect picnic day.

“I witnessed that event.  Reading and listening to media accounts of the event in subsequent days, the agony expressed by those who lost their loved ones, I asked myself, how i can make use of my scientific knowledge to prevent such a catastrophe in the future?” . To answer those questions, he quit his horticulture job at a flower farm in Naivasha and his curiosity led him to Jan de Leeuw, former head of Drylands Research at the People, Livestock and the Environment research theme at ILRI.  De Leeuw has moved on but Hoedjes is using the door that opened with ILRI to seek an answer, not knowing whether or when his curiosity will be satisfied.

Hoedjes, a Dutch national, studied for his PhD in meteorology, hydrology and remote sensing at the Centre d’Etudes Spatial de la BIOsphere (CESBIO) in Toulouse, France. As part of his PhD research work, he explored evapotranspiration over irrigated areas in semi-arid regions and worked at the Integrated modeling of the water cycle in semi-arid watersheds based on ground and satellite data (SUDMED) and the Improved management tools for water-limited irrigation (IRRIMED) in Morrocco. Both projects are linked to CESBIO.  Prior to that, he studied for the MSc at Wageningen where he had started experimenting on the rate of evaporation on irrigated lands in Mexico.

In the past three years, he has worked extensively in East Africa- Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia and Kenya. He speaks perfect English, French and Dutch.

Inset: Joost Hoedges: Researcher in the PLE Drylands Team (Photo credit: Moiko Stephen)

Filed under: Article, CRP11, Drought, Drylands, East Africa, ILRI, Kenya, PLE, Staff, Vaccines, Water Tagged: drought, East Africa, environment, PLE, water

 Michael Blummel, a scientist with the People Livestock and the Environment (PLE) theme, will lead  the Feeds Component of CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish.  This means he will take primary responsibility for working with a team of scientists assembled across the four Centers working on this project, to define and implement the research agenda concerning feeds to achieve the objectives set by the CRP to transform selected livestock and fish value chains to produce more food and income for the poor.

This CRP, led by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), aims to increase the productivity of small-scale livestock and fish systems in sustainable ways, making meat, milk and fish more available and affordable to poor consumers across the developing world. The other three centers are the WorldFish Center,Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) and International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).

Blummel continues to be responsible for the PLE Team on Environmentally Efficient Production Options for Intensifying Livestock Systems. He is based in Hyderabad, India with projects in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania.

The other Component Leaders are Phil Toye, (Animal Health Component), Mwai Okeyo, (Livestock and Fish Genetics Component), Iheanacho Okike, (Value Chain Development Component), An Notenbaert,(Targeting Component and Kathy Colverson, (Gender and Learning Component. They will join the CRP Director Tom Randolph, appointed earlier to lead not only ILRI’s research work in this area, but the entire CGIAR group.

In announcing the CRP Leadership Team, ILRI director general, Jimmy Smith said: “Within ILRI, the Component Leaders face the challenge of helping us adapt to the world of the CRPs and the reality that we will be working more and more in a matrix model. They will be responsible for ensuring that across its various research groups, ILRI delivers on time and to specification the outputs agreed with the CRP. This is a critical role if ILRI is to grow its research agenda within the Livestock and Fish CRP, and I am giving the Component Leaders my full support, empowering them to perform their leadership roles, and ask that you also make every effort to ensure their success”.

Filed under: Africa, Animal Feeding, Article, Asia, Crop-Livestock, CRP37, Forages, Humid Tropics, Livestock, PLE, Staff Tagged: ILRI, Kenya, livelihoods, livestock, small holder farmers, water

Manyawu, starting PLE research in southern Africa

Research on forages just got a boost with the arrival of Godfrey Manyawu to the People Livestock and Environment theme (PLE) of  ILRI. He joins the theme as project coordinator for “Integrating crops and livestock for improved food security and livelihoods in rural Zimbabwe”.Manyawu, who is an expert in livestock production and forage sciences, will open new frontiers for PLE, which is just beginning its research work in southern Africa. Manyawu’s work will greatly complement the work that is also beginning under the CRP arrangements on the Dryland Systems and the Humid Systems.

He holds a PhD in Livestock Production from the University of Zimbabwe, an MSc in Grassland Science from Reading University (UK), and a BSc (Hons) in Animal Science from the University of Zimbabwe.  He has a strong background in agricultural research, including 9 years in research administration of Government and donor funded programmes and 6 years in production-oriented directorship positions at parastatal, private sector and NGO institutions. He has also travelled extensively within Eastern and Southern Africa.

His research experience has centred mainly on developing appropriate forage-based feeding systems for smallholder dairy production, as well as large-scale dairying. He served as advisor to poIicy-makers, different categories of farmers in the farming community, boards of agricultural colleges, post graduate students in agriculture, private companies and development agencies in Zimbabwe.

Godfrey has written and taught extensively on forage-based livestock production systems. He is married and has a wife and four children.

Filed under: Africa, Animal Feeding, Article, Biodiversity, Crop-Livestock, CRP11, CRP12, Dairying, Drylands, Forages, Humid Tropics, Livestock, PLE, Staff Tagged: Biodiversity, ecosystem, environment, ILRI, natural resource management, people, PLE, water

PLE scientist, Michael Blümmel, will give the first of a series of seminars on the ground breaking research that ILRI scientists are involved in. An animal nutritionist of repute, Blümmel has experimented and published widely on the more efficient feeding of livestock so that feeds take less land surface. Another dimension of his work is the use dual purpose crops – food for human and by-products as feed for animals to ensure greater efficiency in the systems.

Why do crop by-products matter so much? Why does fodder quality in food crops matter? Can we improve food-feed crops?  How and by how much and what will be the overall impact on livestock productivity and the environment? These are some of the questions that the Hyderabad=based Blummel will attempt to answer as he presents the first Institute Seminar at the John Vercoe Auditorium at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) on Wednesday 26th September. ‘Livestock live talks’ is the name of the new series of high-level monthly institutional one-hour seminars hosted by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).

The new seminar series aims to address livestock-related issues, mobilize external as well as in-house expertise and audiences and engage the livestock community around interdisciplinary conversations that ask hard questions and seek to refine current concepts and practices.

ILRI’s director general, Jimmy Smith, explains: ‘We want to provide a space and platform for conversations around pro-poor livestock for development issues’.

‘livestock live talks’ will be held monthly, usually on the last Wednesday of the month, from 3–4pm. They will be conducted live from ILRI’s principal institutional bases in Nairobi and Addis Ababa, with some talks later generated in other regions. WebEx will be used to give all ILRI staff and partners the opportunity to listen to, and participate in, these new livestock talks.

Make a date with Blümmel today at 3 pm.

Filed under: Animal Feeding, Article, Crop Residues, Crop-Livestock, CRP12, CRP37, Forages, Humid Tropics, ILRI, Livestock, PLE Tagged: climate change, ILRI, livestock, natural resource management, PLE, water

Lance W. Robinson has joined ILRIs People Livestock and the Environment theme as post-doctoral scientist based in Nairobi. He will be working with the team Reducing Vulnerability of Livestock Based Livelihoods working on climate change and the vulnerability of marginal systems and peoples.

His areas of expertise include capacity strengthening, drylands, environment, livelihoods, pastoralism, resilience and water.  Consequently, he will be linked to two CRPs – CGIAR Research Program on climate change, agriculture and food security and the CGIAR Research Program on integrated agricultural production systems for the dry areas.

Lance has over ten years’ experience working with NGOs and as a consultant in Latin America, Africa and Asia. He has worked in environmental governance and social-ecological resilience in pastoralist systems. His PhD research among Kenyan pastoralists focused on the connection between social-ecological resilience and the approaches to participation used by formal sector agencies working with pastoralists. Since completing his PhD, his research work has centered on participatory and community-based approaches to environmental governance.

Filed under: Africa, Article, Climate Change, CRP11, CRP7, Drylands, East Africa, ILRI, Kenya, PLE, Staff, Vulnerability Tagged: climate change, drought, East Africa, environment, ILRI, livelihoods, livestock, natural resource management, pastoral communities, pastoralism, PLE, poverty reduction

Katie Downie, Consortium Coordinator

Katie Downie has been appointed the Coordinator for the Technical Consortium to Build Resilience to Drought in the Horn of Africa.  Katie holds a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Edinburgh and has 20 years of experience working in East Africa.  She most recently worked at Oxfam GB as Resilience & Horn of Africa Plan of Action Policy & Advocacy Adviser.

ILRI hosts the consortium on behalf of the CGIAR, to support a new initiative seeking to develop long-term resilience to drought in the arid and semi-arid zones of the Horn of Africa. This initiative has been recently launched by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and its member states.

The technical consortium brings together all CGIAR centres plus other research and non-governmental organization partners. The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Investment Centre provides support on developing investment plans. They will over a one and a half year period draw up a program of work that will support technical and investment support to IGAD and the national governments in the greater horn of Africa.

Project assistant joins the PLE team

JANET OMONDI recently joined the ILRI as Project Assistant (PLE). Janet holds an Bachelor’s degree in Commerce (Accounting Option) from Daystar University, Kenya and she is also a member of the Association of the Chartered Certified Accountants, UK .  She previously worked as Finance and Administration Officer at Olive Leaf Foundation – Kenya.  She has also worked for I Choose Life- Africa and Toyota Kenya Foundation.

Omondi is a Certified Public Accountant of Kenya (CPA –K) and a member of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA). She has widely travelled across Kenya with assignments in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Filed under: Africa, Article, Climate Change, CRP11, Drought, Drylands, Ethiopia, ILRI, Kenya, Livestock Challenges, PLE Tagged: Biodiversity, climate change, drought, ecosystem, environment, ILRI, Kenya, natural resource management, PLE, rangelands

Enoch Ontiri enjoys nature

Enoch Ontiri, a conservation researcher has joined ILRIs People Livestock and Environment team as a research technician in social science. His work will focus on the CGIAR research program on integrated and sustainable agricultural production systems for improved food security and livelihoods in Dry Areas.

 Based in Nairobi, Ontiri will assist in conducting literature searches, qualitative and quantitative data analysis and systems characterization. He holds an MSc. in Conservation and Biodiversity from the University of Exeter, United Kingdom where he was awarded the Dean’s commendation for outstanding performance in the course in 2010. In 1996, he graduated with a Bachelor of Agribusiness Management degree from Egerton University, Kenya.

 Prior to joining ILRI, Ontiri worked as a consultant for AgriFocus/MartsLogistics. He has also worked for the Consortium for Economic Research and Development Studies (CERDS); Anne Kent Taylor Fund field team and WildlifeDirect (Nairobi), where he was Program Manager for the Albertine Rift Conservation project. These have given him an edge in understanding issues in the drylands.  Ontiri is widely travelled having worked in Papua New Guinea and Rwanda and has the distinction of speaking a total of 5 languages fluently- English, Kiswahili, Kisii, Kinyarwanda and Melanesian Pidgin.

Filed under: Africa, Article, Biodiversity, CRP11, Drylands, ILRI, Kenya, PLE Tagged: Biodiversity, drought, East Africa, ecosystem, environment, ILRI, pastoralism, PLE, rangelands

Sabine Douxchamps

While numerous technical solutions have been developed and are available, adoption and adaptation of Agricultural Water Management (AWM) strategies remains limited in the Volta Basin. As such, future research and development projects should concentrate on understanding the factors limiting adoption and enhancing system productivity while ensuring healthy ecosystem services for long term sustainability. This is the key recommendation from a just completed study that sought to understand the evolution of AWM in the Volta Basin.
The authors Douxchamps, S., Ayantunde, A. and Barron, J., recommend that a system-wide perspective will be best to improve water-crop-livestock interactions, to develop off-season cultivation options and market access, and to balance gender benefits.

Sabine Douxchamps and Augustine Ayantunde are based at the People Livestock and Environment Theme  of ILRI and are working in the Volta Region.

These recommendations are made in their recently published paper Evolution of Agricultural Water Management in Rainfed Crop-Livestock Systems of the Volta Basin; published by the Colombo based CGIAR Challenge Program for Water and Food (CPWF). In their research, Douxchamps et al sought to synthesize existing knowledge, interventions, lessons, and gaps in knowledge regarding AWM in the Volta Basin. The questions that their paper addressed include (i) who did what, how, where, with which results and why, (ii) what are the lessons learned for longer term development efforts and interventions and (iii) what are the knowledge gaps, with focus on the Volta Basin. Key resource informants were interviewed and more than 250 documents were consulted, from peer-reviewed research papers to grey literature and project documents, from 1969 up to now.

Learning from the failures of the past, researchers and development practitioners interrogated the participatory approach and gave increasing importance to indigenous knowledge. This emphasis on participatory approach led to improvement of indigenous technologies, development of new technologies tailored to smallholders’ needs in various agroecological zones of the basin, and studies on farmers’ perceptions, adoption drivers and local institutions. The concept of AWM then became more and more integrated and it evolved from “sustainable land management” to “land husbandry” which includes the socio-economic context. To address all these complex facets research-for-development projects became multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder oriented.

They observed the need for a landscape perspective, to understand ecological landscape processes and trade-offs between ecosystem services derived from AWM strategies and an institutional perspective to facilitate management of AWM structures and to raise awareness. They also noted the need for a long-term perspective, to foresee the best strategies for adaptation to climate change and manage risk in the variable environment of the Volta Basin. Finally, there is a need for an impact perspective, with a continued assessment of actual benefits and effectiveness of large-scale international research for development programs.

“Local capacities and agendas should be better accounted for when promoting AWM strategies or low-cost irrigation technologies. Participatory management of the water infrastructure should be carefully planned through integration of maintenance costs in project budget, capacity building of actors towards assumption of more responsibility, and ways to deal with turnovers within management committees. Farmers’ capacity building is definitely a key asset for enlightened risk management and constant adaptation to new variable conditions” the authors observe adding that the scope for improvement lies in the coordination, collaboration and communication among various institutions and organisms active in the AWM sector.

In response to demographic pressure, environmental degradation, priorities of development actors and needs of smallholders, AWM strategies along with related concepts have evolved with time. First linked to erosion control in the 1960, AWM strategies were promoted for cash crop production in large scale state projects relying on technology transfer as a means of dissemination.

Following the first wave of droughts of the 1970s and the related food shortages, the focus moved to staple crop production and promotion of soil and water conservation techniques through large scale projects. However, the approaches were too much top-down, with experts as exclusive actors, projects were too short with “silver bullet” solutions, there was a lack of consideration for farmers’ preferences and traditions. Hence, when the second wave of droughts struck the basin in the 1980s, the smallholders were not better prepared and once again they were severely affected by loss of yields and income.

The paper is published under the CGIAR Challenge Program for Water and Food (CPWF). 74p. (CPWF R4D Working Paper Series 04).

Filed under: Africa, Article, Biodiversity, CRP11, Drought, Drylands, ILRI, Livestock, PLE, Vulnerability, Water, West Africa Tagged: drought, ecosystem, environment, ILRI, livelihoods, natural resource management, pastoral communities, PLE, rangelands, water

Boniface Kiteme, the Cetrad director emphasizes a point during the workshop

Ecosystem based planning should be combined with watershed management in order to achieve sustainable use of land and the services or values the land provides. This is one of the recommendations from a yearlong study by Silvia Silvestri on the Ecosystem services trade-offs in Ewaso Ng’iro, in Kenya’s Rift Valley. She was making the presentation at a workshop in Nyeri, Kenya at the close the project entitled Resource mapping, land use development and planning in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands, undertaken in partnership with the World Resources Institute.

Silvestri said there is increased risk of land use changes mainly related to increase in population and emigration upstream in the watershed. This in turn creates the need to plan for biodiversity conservation and development which she said is multi-disciplinary, requiring different stakeholders and it is particularly important in drylands where negative effects of land use changes can be amplified by water scarcity.

Silvia Silvestri, far right leads a group discussion during the dissemination workshop

“We may lose services and value as a consequence of unsustainable land use. These include benefits from livestock and wildlife lost for lack of conservation corridors while water supply and irrigated crops may be compromised by increase of water demand”, said Silvestri.

She advised the re-aggregation of data from administrative boundaries to sub-catchment levels and the combination of economic values and socio-economic and natural assets as well understanding clearly the implications of trade-offs between crop and livestock production and selected wealth indicators.

In her research, Silvestri sought to link ecosystem services, human well-being and policy questions. This would help to produce alternatives, based on data and scenario development and understand ecosystem management interventions and change in well-being.

Silvestri described the various trade-offs taking place across the study area. There are trade-offs between livestock assets and products. Here, the livestock asset is similar but livestock products are much lower in the lower watershed where distances are also greater to the market. The higher the travel time to the market, the lesser the options for selling products into national markets and the possibility of getting better prices from products if transportation and communication were better.
Then there are trade-offs between crops and livestock. Although the market value of agriculture and livestock mostly depend on climatic conditions, infrastructure, access to water and markets are important determinants. People downstream have much fewer choices other than livestock which means less livelihood diversification. There is increased competition between resources and there is need for prioritization of interventions.
Finally, there are trade-offs between tourism, cropping and livestock where the land cover and use change led to loss of wildlife habitat and increased human-wildlife conflicts.

The workshop was hosted by the Center for Training and Integrated Research In ASAL, who were partners in implementing the project.