Knowledge to Action ILRI’s Role in a Changing World

Visit of CGIAR Consortium Board

Nairobi, 3 March 2010

Dynamic livestock sector

Livestock fastest growing part ofthe agricultural sector, largely driven by the Livestock Revolution in emerging economies.

Doubling livestock production puts pressure on natural resources: water, land, biodiversity.

Livestock sector trends

A ‘supermarket revolution’ is setting higher standards forfood quality and safety.

Market chains are lengthening, making it more difficult forsmall-scale producers to participate in markets.

ILRI’s niche in pro poor livestock research

Livestock research enables3 pathways out of poverty

Securing assets of the poor to reduce vulnerability

Increasing productivityto improve livelihoods

Expanding marketsto increase incomes

Why livestock in a CGIAR agenda

Potential to address poverty

Threat of global bads (methane, emerging diseases, resource degradation)

Need to understand the poor and their livestock livelihoods to tackle global bads

ILRI Spearheading a New Way Forward

ILRI’s value proposition “ILRI is creating and integrating knowledge to enable diverse partners to find innovative solutions to make livestock a sustainable pathway out of poverty”

Science base

Core competencies

Livestock genetics, health and nutrition

Biosciences, molecular biology and immunology

Food safety, epidemiology and systems analysis

Natural resources management

Livestock economics and social sciences

Research for development paradigm: knowledge to action

strong systems basis biotechnology and ICTs as key levers

increasing involvement with private sector

innovation systems mindset

knowledge management and strategic communications

embedding research in development interventions

Performance indicators – ILRI publications 2006-2009

Indicator 2006 2007 2008 2009**

Pubs/ scientist in Thomson’s list of journals

0.91 0.93 0.99 1.63

Pubs/ scientist in peer reviewed journals (excludes Thomson’s list of journals

1.47 1.15 0.91 1.32

% of publications done with developing country partners

51.8% 38.66% 58.71%47.16%

** Not audited

4. Future directions and challenges

Sustainable intensification

Sustainable intensification in smallholder crop/livestock systems; improving system efficiency through better feed quality, health and animal performance, in context of increasing competition for land and other resources (eg biofuels)

Hub concept

Vulnerability

Vulnerability – Identifying livestock interventions to reduce the vulnerability of livestock dependent households; understanding relations between livestock systems and other ecosystem services.

Vaccines, index based insurance, ecosystem services

Climate change

Climate change – livestock based adaptation to impacts of climate change; growing trade offs between livestock production and other ecosystem services; managing livestock negative impacts on climate change.

Targeting of interventions

Intensification of ruminant systems

Carbon sequestration in rangelands

Food safety and market access

SPS and markets – Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues, growing market requirements for food safety and quality constraining market access by smallholders

Appropriate development of smallholder dairy markets

Emerging zoonotic diseases

Emerging diseases – combating bird flu and other emerging diseases in developing countries;

understanding and mapping risks

AVID project

Vaccines

Vaccine development for livestock diseases; new focus on addressing common problem of improving the immune response to protozoa parasites

Improving existing vaccines (ECF, CBPP)

Developing molecular approaches approaches to problems (eg transgenic tryps resistant cow)

Conservation and Sustainable Use of Animal Genetic

Resources Priority setting for conservation

Appropriate methodologies of conservation

Reproductive technologies for fast deployment of improved genotypes

Appropriate breeding approaches for smallholder systems

Partnerships and research platforms

ILRI develops and shares knowledge and technology platforms with national and international partners.

Platform examples – Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA) platform; JLLRGR Joint Laboratory for Livestock and Forage Genetic Resources, CAAS, Beijing

ILRI Spearheading a New Way Forward

ILRI’s value proposition “ILRI is creating and integrating knowledge to enable diverse partners to find innovative solutions to make livestock a sustainable pathway out of poverty”

www.ilri.org