Call for contributions: Seminar on African dairy value chains

A woman milks one of her goats in Ségou District, Mali (photo credit: ILRI/Valentin Bognan Koné). 

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and CTA are calling for contributions for a seminar on African dairy value chains to be held in Nairobi, Kenya on 21–24 September 2014.

The objective of the seminar, organized in the context of the AgriFood chain toolkit of the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions and Markets and the CTA value chain program, is to enable dairy value chain practitioners (farmers’ representatives, private sector firms, non-governmental organizations, development agencies and government officials) and researchers to share lessons on conducive policies and capacity development and analytical tools for the analysis of dairy value chain development.

The organizers are particularly interested in policy-relevant experiences and tools that facilitate a gender-equitable participation of actors in the dairy value chain.

Access more details on the call for contributions

Peer-review and acceptance of relevant contributions will be done on a first-relevant-come, first-served basis. Don't wait until the last minute!

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ILRI to host international conference on mainstreaming livestock value chains

Animals for sale at Niamana Livestock Market, Bamako, Mali (photo credit: ILRI/Stevie Mann).

An international conference on Mainstreaming Livestock Value Chains: Bridging the Research Gap between Household Analysis and Policy Modelling will take place in Accra, Ghana on 5-6 November 2013.

The conference will directly address existing gaps in the design and application of analytical tools for livestock policy and impact analysis. Participants will include research organizations and development actors with an interest in the empirical specification of agricultural policy, particularly related to livestock.

Presenters will include leading agricultural policy modellers and analysts working on the impact of socio-economic drivers and the impact on improved livestock technologies on people, communities, and the environment.

The goals of the conference are:

• To establish strong and functional linkages between livestock value chain and impact analysis on the one hand, and sectoral, general equilibrium, and other economic modelling on the other.
• To identify and advocate pro-poor livestock policy as it emerges from existing analysis.

The finalized papers will be edited and compiled for a special issue of a leading journal.

The conference is organized by scientists from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) under the framework of the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions and Markets.

For further information, please contact Dolapo Enahoro (d.enahoro @ cgiar.org)

Global conference to discuss empowering women for inclusive growth in agriculture

What are women’s specific needs for empowerment in agriculture? What initiatives are in place to effectively link women to markets? What are the policy, institutional, infrastructural and financial constraints affecting agricultural diversity to enhance income?  What solutions exist to reduce women’s drudgery relating to agricultural operations and household needs?

These are just a few of the questions that will be up for discussion at the first-ever global conference on women in agriculture to be held on 13-15 March 2012 at the National Agricultural Science Centre (NASC) Complex, New Delhi, India.

Under the theme, Empowering women for inclusive growth in agriculture, the conference brings together women farmers, researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders from all over the world to discuss current and emerging gender-related issues in agriculture and research, as well as derive lessons for future sustainable, gender-sensitive development.

Discussions will take place under the following themes:

• assessing women’s  empowerment in agriculture;
• agricultural innovations for reducing drudgery;
• linking women to markets;
• the role of women in household food and nutritional security;
• policies and services to increase women’s access to assets, resources and knowledge;
• the impact of and responses to climate-change related risks and uncertainties; and
• strengthening capacity building and partnerships.

The conference will also develop a framework for action to integrate and empower women for inclusive growth and development through an enduring global partnership program on gender in agriculture.

At the conference, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) will be represented by Jemimah Njuki, leader of the Poverty, Gender and Impact team. She is one of the speakers at the parallel session on linking women to markets.

The conference is organized by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Asia‐Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI) with support from the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) under the Gender in Agriculture Partnership.

For more information, please visit the conference website.

ILRI study identifies interventions to reduce exit from Bangladesh's poultry industry

Policy interventions to address farmers' shortage of capital, low profit margins and constraints in the supply of day-old chicks can help to reduce the rate of exit from Bangladesh's poultry industry, a research study by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) reports.

The results of the study are contained in a policy brief (published December 2011) that highlights findings of surveys carried out in 2005 and 2007 to assess the reasons for exit from the poultry sector in Bangladesh and possible solutions. The study considered both broiler and layer enterprises, and large- and small-scale poultry keepers.

The study was carried out in collaboration with partners from the Bangladesh Agricultural University and the Bangladesh Ministry of Food and Disaster Management.

Download the brief.

Citation
Jabbar MA, Rahman MH, Talukder RK and Saha SK. 2011. Exit from Bangladesh's poultry industry: Causes and solutions. ILRI Policy Brief. ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute), Nairobi.

You may also be interested in: 
ILRI Research Report: Contract poultry farming in Bangladesh

Fighting famine in the Horn of Africa: What role for research on livestock market access?

Arid lands in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa: What role can agricultural research play in finding lasting solutions to the problem of drought and famine in the region? (Photo: ILRI)

The current drought in the Horn of Africa is the worst ever in 60 years and some 13 million people have been affected by the attendant food shortage.

Amid several calls for governments and policymakers to come up with long-term interventions to this recurring problem, a team of experts within the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) will meet at the Nairobi headquarters of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) on Thursday 1 September 2011 with a few selected development partners to discuss how agricultural research by the CGIAR can provide long-term solutions towards mitigating the effects of drought  and  improving and sustaining agricultural livelihoods in the drylands.

The topics to be addressed include:

• Promising options and innovations to help farmers become more resilient and food-secure in the face of weather and other shocks;
• The role of infrastructure and access to viable, functioning livestock markets in food security and prices;
• Whether drought-tolerant crops and large-scale irrigation are the answer;
• Whether pastoralism is a driver of drought-induced food insecurity or a buffer against it; and
• Policies that are needed, and at what levels, to ensure that recommendations and innovations for drought-prone areas are put in place in those areas that need them most.

Among the panelists are Lloyd Le Page, Chief Executive Officer of the CGIAR Consortium; Mark Gordon, Co-Chair of the UN Somalia Food Cluster, World Food Programme; and Namanga Ngongi, President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).

The briefing is open to the press and the public and will be held from 1030hours to 1200hours. Please visit the CGIAR website for details and to RSVP.

For more information on this topic, and for the live video and chat link during the briefing, please visit the Horn of Africa page on the CGIAR website.

You may also follow @CGIAR on Twitter (hash tag #Ag4HoA).

ILRI project offers viable solutions to rising pork prices in Vietnam

Farmer Ma Thi Puong feeds her pigs on her farm near the northern town of Meo Vac, Vietnam: Policies that address supply constraints faced by both small and large pig farmers in Vietnam can help in long-term solutions to the rising prices of pork and live pigs. (Photo credit: ILRI/Mann).

Rising consumer demand for pork, high cost of animal feed and ineffcient value chains have led to skyrocketing prices of pork and live pigs in Vietnam. Within the first half of 2011 alone, the cost of pork and live pigs doubled in the principal urban markets of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

As policymakers seek long-term solutions towards boosting domestic supply of pork to meet the sustained consumer demand, research findings by scientists from the Market Opportunities theme of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) can help in pointing the way to viable solutions to the current food price crisis.

Findings from a three-year (2007-2010) Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)-funded ILRI-led collaborative project, Improving competitiveness of smallholder pig producers in an adjusting Vietnam market, suggest that both small-scale and large-scale pig producers should be targeted in a strategy for expanding domestic pork supply in Vietnam, considering that prices are likely to remain high in the long run on account of pork being a key ingredient in the Vietnamese diet.

These and other findings are highlighted in an article by Nguyen Do Anh Tuan of Vietnam's Centre for Agricultural Policy and Lucy Lapar of ILRI published in the 22-28 August 2011 issue of Vietnam Investment Review, Vietnam's leading weekly international business newspaper.

Previous interventions by the Vietnam government have tended to ignore small-scale farmers, focusing instead on developing large-scale farms to address supply constraints such as rising feed prices, losses from diseases and inefficiencies in pork value chain.

However, research findings based on a pig sector model for Vietnam suggest that large-scale pig farms will make a minimal contribution to supply in both the short- and long- term. Indeed, the majority small-scale farms were found to be better able to adapt to volatile prices in feed markets, hence creating efficiencies in these systems.

Therefore, focusing on large-scale farms and ignoring the majority of small-scale farms and their constraints will not result in long-term efficiency gains, the study concluded.

"The focus should be on addressing causes of constraints to productivity growth, such as disease outbreaks, rising feed prices, efficient system for replacement of breeding stocks and improving pork value chain performance," the article's authors suggest.

"Policies that will provide incentives to generate new technological breakthroughs and appropriate institutions to support these would likely to be more effective options," the authors add.

The project collaborators were the Centre for Agricultural Policy - Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agricultural and Rural Development (CAP-IPSARD), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Oxfam Hong Kong and the University of Queensland.

Read the complete article from the Vietnam Investment Review

For more information, please contact Dr Lucy Lapar of ILRI (l.lapar @ cgiar.org), visit the project website or read the project publications.

You may also be interested in these past blog posts on Livestock Markets Digest

• In the news: Director of ILRI's market opportunities theme interviewed on Vietnam agriculture TV channel (December 2010)
• ILRI project poster wins top prize at European College of Veterinary Public Health annual conference (October 2010)
• In the news: ILRI-led research on smallholder pig producers features in Vietnam News (October 2010)
• Vietnam pork sector study featured in New Agriculturist (February 2010)

East Africa dairy experts seek harmonized standards to promote regional trade

Dairy experts in East Africa are working towards harmonization of dairy policies and standards in a bid to promote regional trade in milk and dairy products and enhance access to markets.

In line with this objective, representatives from the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat and the East Africa Dairy Regulatory Authorities Council (EADRAC) met in Arusha, Tanzania on 6-7 July 2011 to review progress made in harmonization of regional dairy policies and standards.

EADRAC is a forum that comprises chairpersons, chief executives and key technical staff of national dairy boards and regulatory authorities from five EAC member countries, namely, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

EADRAC was formed in 2006 to work towards harmonization of dairy policies and standards in the region as well as foster the sharing of lessons among countries.

The Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) have been working in partnership with EADRAC to provide the research evidence needed to inform and guide the policy actions by the dairy regulatory authorities.

The two-day meeting was organized by ASARECA, ILRI and the EAC Secretariat.

The participants discussed trends in intra-regional trade in dairy products, reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers across regional borders, and the implications of the recently revised Codex Alimentarius clause on the use of the lactoperoxidase system (LPS) in preservation of raw milk.

ILRI was represented at the meeting by two scientists from the Market Opportunities theme, veterinary epidemiologist, Dr Amos Omore and agricultural economist, Dr Ayele Gelan.

ILRI shared evidence from recent commissioned research work on the impacts of changing tariff and non-tariff barriers on regional dairy trade, and on the use of LPS in milk preservation, which the forum thought needed wider consultations including a revision of the relevant regional dairy standards before piloting of the system.

EADRAC meetings are held about annually, with the last one held in early December 2009 at ILRI's Nairobi headquarters, back-to-back with a South-South Dairy Symposium involving dairy researchers and policymakers from East Africa and Northeast India.

India is currently the world's largest milk producer and, as in East Africa, the traditional dairy sector dominates the marketing of milk.

The forum proposed a conference in June 2012 in Kampala, Uganda to bring together a wider group of regional stakeholders including, EADRAC, ASARECA, ILRI and the East Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme to review progress made and new actions required towards further harmonization of dairy policies in the region.

"EADRAC is positioning itself to be the main technical agency for addressing non-tariff barriers to trade in East Africa once it is recognized as such by the EAC Secretariat, and memorandum of understanding detailing this relationship is under consideration" said Dr Omore.

Related links 
EAC official seeks transformation of regional dairy sector (Daily Nation, 7 July 2011)

Symposium develops policy to transform traditional dairy markets in East Africa and Northeast India (Livestock Markets Digest, 15 December 2009)

CEOs of East African dairy boards endorse harmonized milk training curricula for informal traders (Livestock Markets Digest, 17 February 2006)

Persistence of high food prices in Eastern Africa: What role for policy?

High food prices in Eastern Africa and the role of policy: Dr Joseph Karugia presents at an Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology lunch seminar

The coordinator of the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System for Eastern and Central Africa (ReSAKSS-ECA), Dr Joseph Karugia, today afternoon (30 June 2011) gave a presentation titled “Persistence of high food prices in Eastern Africa: What role for policy?” at a lunch seminar at the Jacaranda Hotel, Nairobi. The seminar was organized by the Kenya Chapter of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB).

Dr Karugia presented some regional perspectives to the food price situation in Eastern and Southern Africa and put forward some policy options that would best enable governments and other stakeholders to respond in a timely manner, based on evidence from research data.

Sharing research with the general public: Dr Joseph Karugia does a piece-to-camera  for the Kenya News Agency (KNA) after his OFAB seminar on high food prices in Eastern Africa and the role of policy

Earlier this week, Dr Karugia was also interviewed on the same subject on two live television shows -- The Breakfast Show by NTV and The Platform by Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).

Curbing rising food prices: Screen grab of Dr Joseph Karugia (right) in a live Kenya Broadcasting Corporation television interview on 28 June 2011 by journalist Kasujaa Onyonyi (left)

 
ReSAKSS-ECA is based at the Nairobi headquarters of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi under the Market Opportunities research theme.

ReSAKSS is an Africa-wide network established to provide readily available analysis, data, and tools of the highest quality to promote evidence-based decision-making on policy issues on Agriculture in Africa.

To find out more about ReSAKSS, please visit http://www.resakss.org

Persistence of high food prices in Eastern Africa: What role for policy?

View more presentations from ILRI

Regional experts develop strategies towards better data on formal trade in staple foods in Africa

 "Counting the beans": Regional experts agree on the need for more reliable data on the volume and value of formal trade in food commodities in eastern and southern Africa. (Photo credit: ILRI/Mann)

Regional and international experts in commodity trade met on Tuesday 1 February 2011 at the Nairobi-based headquarters of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) for an intensive day-long workshop to map out pragmatic approaches towards improving the quality of data on formal trade in eastern and southern Africa.

The workshop was organized by the Regional Strategic Analysis Knowledge Support System – East and Central Africa (ReSAKSS-ECA) with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA). ACTESA is a specialized agency of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) which seeks to integrate small farmers into national, regional and international markets.

Some 35 participants attended from Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia representing national statistics offices, national revenue authorities, research organizations, and ministries of agriculture. Regional economic communities were represented by senior officials from the secretariats of COMESA and the East African Community.

The workshop brought together key stakeholders to identify the factors contributing to the poor quality of reported data on formal trade in eastern and southern Africa with a view to developing appropriate strategies to remedy the situation.

Presentations were made on the inconsistencies in the value and volume of formal trade data on staple foods in eastern and southern Africa, and lessons learned from trade data reconciliation efforts in the COMESA region and Uganda.

During a plenary session, pragmatic action points were discussed at length and specific institutional roles and responsibilities towards improving the quality and consistency of formal trade data agreed upon.

Improving accuracy during data capture and harmonization of data editing procedures were among several key interventions that were agreed upon. The participants also noted that existing gaps in capturing data on informal cross-border commodity trade need to be filled.

For detailed information on the outputs of this workshop, please contact the ReSAKSS-ECA Coordinator, Dr Joseph Karugia (j.karugia [at] cgiar.org).

For more information, visit the ReSAKSS website.

Pro-poor dairy development: Lessons learned from South Asia and East Africa shared at Ethiopia national dairy forum

Capacity building, research, value chain development, and policy and institutional interventions were among several issues discussed at a national dairy forum that was organized to deliberate on pragmatic approaches towards enhancing dairy development in Ethiopia.

The forum which was held on 23-24 November 2010 at Ghion Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia brought together key dairy stakeholders from Ethiopia and the eastern Africa region to share experiences and lessons learned in the development of pro-poor dairy policy. Participants also explored the key challenges, opportunities and interventions in the development of smallholder dairy.

Among the several presentations given at the forum was one by agricultural economist and director of ILRI's Market Opportunities Theme, Dr Steve Staal, that compared pro-poor dairy policy development in South Asia and East Africa and highlighted key lessons with regard to the role of traditional markets, technology and dairy co-operatives.

A comparison of dairy policy and development in South Asia and East Africa: lessons for a pro-poor dairy policy agenda

View more presentations from ILRI CGIAR.

Citation
Staal SJ. 2010. A comparison of dairy policy and development in South Asia and East Africa: Lessons for a pro-poor dairy policy agenda. Presentation at a National Dairy Forum, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 23-24 November 2010.

International experts meet in Ethiopia to discuss strategies to improve efficiency of Africa’s livestock markets

Participants at the 5th All Africa Conference on Animal Agriculture held at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Conference Centre, 25-28 October 2010 (Photo: ILRI/Habtamu).

From 25 to 28 October 2010, leading international experts in animal agriculture gathered at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the 5th All Africa Conference on Animal Agriculture.

The theme of the conference was Commercialization of livestock agriculture in Africa: Challenges and opportunities.

Dr Berhanu Gebremedhin, an agricultural economist with ILRI's Market Opportunities Theme, organized a special session on livestock trade and markets.

ILRI had four presentations during this session: one during the plenary session (given by Dr Gebremedhin and Dr Dirk Hoekstra) and three during the parallel sessions.

Dr Hoekstra is the manager of the project on Improving Productivity and Market Success of Ethiopian Farmers.

The following key messages emanated from the session on livestock trade and markets:

• Livestock value chain actors can benefit from improved coordination around investment, incentives, production technologies, input supply and services, and grades and standards.
• Political support and investment are needed to develop collective action of smallholder livestock keepers (cooperatives, associations, contract farming, and vertical integration).
• In order to promote regional trade, market and trade policies need to be harmonized across countries.
• Support for research and advisory services is needed  in the areas of genetic material, input supply and services, diseases of the poor, and market support services.
• A targeted approach for public advisory services is needed to benefit women farmers in the livestock value chain.
• Technology adoption in livestock production requires favourable feasibility and profitability factors.
• Technology adoption and ownership of livestock assets are key determinants of household market participation.
• The Kenyan experience in dairy development can provide valuable lessons to neighbouring countries.

You may view PowerPoint presentations from the conference at http://www.slideshare.net/tag/esap.

New journal article - Research evidence accelerates process of Kenya dairy policy reform

The collaborative Smallholder Dairy Project which was implemented from 1997 to 2005 played a pivotal role in bringing about dairy policy change in Kenya, speeding up a process and outcome that, without the project, may have come many years later.

This is one of the key findings of a recently published (July 2010, online) ex post assessment of the impact of the revised Kenya dairy policy, carried out by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and partners.

Titled Kenyan dairy policy change: Influence pathways and economic impacts, the paper is published in the journal World Development.

Funded largely by the UK Department for International Development, the Smallholder Dairy Project was a collaborative research and development project involving the Kenya Ministry of Livestock Development, the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute and ILRI.

The impact assessment found that behavioural changes in dairy sector participants arising from the policy and regulatory reforms led to an average 9% reduction in milk-marketing margins, and a significant increase in the number of licensed small-scale milk vendors.

The policy change also brought about significant economic benefits to producers, consumers and small-scale milk vendors.

"Small-scale dairy operators have profited from quick, relatively high volume turnovers, and as a result, welfare benefits accruing to small-scale milk vendors increased," the paper reports.

"A large proportion of the small-scale milk vendors are also producers who have substantially benefited from the policy change... some of these benefits were also captured by consumers," the study concludes.

Read the abstract here.

Citation
Kaitibie S, Omore A, Rich K and Kristjanson P. 2010. Kenyan dairy policy change: Influence pathways and economic impacts. World Development 38(10): 1494-1505.

IFPRI's 'Millions Fed' book launched in Nairobi

The book Millions Fed: Proven Successes in Agricultural Development by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) was launched in Nairobi on 27 January 2010 at the ILRI Kenya campus.

Edited by David J Spielman and Rajul Pandya-Lorch, the book features 20 case studies of successful interventions in agricultural development that have substantially reduced poverty and hunger in Africa, Asia and South America, as well as globally.

The key factors underlying the success of these interventions have been documented to provide a collection of credible research evidence to inform future policy and investment decisions.

The project was led by IFPRI, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Amos Omore, Karl Rich and Steve Staal, all scientists from ILRI's Market Opportunities research theme, are among the contributors.

Symposium develops policy to transform traditional milk markets in East Africa & Northeast India

Participants at the South-South dairy symposium held at ILRI Nairobi, 1-4 December 2009

PHOTO/Tezira Lore (ILRI)

Between 1 and 4 December 2009, some 25 dairy-sector stakeholders from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Northeast India met at ILRI Nairobi for a South-South symposium to share lessons on traditional dairy development.

The symposium -- Opportunities for transforming the informal sector in emerging dairy markets -- brought together representatives from dairy regulatory authorities, research organizations and development NGOs.

India is currently the world's largest dairy producer and in Kenya, dairy is the largest agricultural sub-sector by contribution to GDP. In both India and East Africa, 70-90% of all milk sold is handled by the informal, traditional dairy sector which is also an important source of employment and nutrition.

During the symposium, case study presentations were made and discussions held under five themes:

• The importance of the informal dairy sector and quality and safety challenges
• Training and certification to improve milk quality and business performance
• Innovation in products and developing dairy markets
• Informal sector governance, different models for dairy boards and enabling policy environments
• Barriers to transformation of the informal sector and investments for value addition

At the close of the meeting, the following key policy recommendations were put forward to guide dairy regulatory authorities and policymakers in the participating countries in their quest to transform and improve their traditional milk markets.

• Best evidence suggests the informal sector will continue to co-exist for the foreseeable future. There is need for enabling policy to help facilitate the ongoing transformation and modernization of the traditional sector and to build stronger synergies with the formal sector.
• There are concerns about public health and consumer safety and a real need to address these. Training and certification has proven a highly successful model for improving milk quality in East Africa, and this innovation shows promise for other southern countries.
• Moving to quality-based payments provides a strong incentive for improving the quality and safety of milk has been successfully trialed in India and should be encouraged in East Africa.
• As a long-term objective, harmonization of standards is required. In the short term, continued benchmarking between East Africa and South Asia can benefit both regions.
• Dairy sector governance is complex with multiple agents and overlapping mandates. There is a need to co-ordinate agencies; a 'one-stop shop' for all dairy stakeholders would be the ideal model.

The symposium was organized by ILRI and the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), through the support of various donors including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the European Union.

EDIT UPDATE: To view the presentations and find out more about the symposium's outcomes, please visit the website https://sites.google.com/a/cgxchange.org/southsouthdairysymposium2009/

South-South symposium planned for dairy researchers and decision-makers from India and East Africa

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) will hold a four-day symposium for key dairy researchers and decision-makers from East Africa and Northeast India.

The symposium -- Opportunities for transforming the informal sector in emerging dairy markets -- is provisionally planned for 1 to 4 December 2009 in Nairobi, Kenya.

In both India and East Africa, the informal dairy sector handles 80-90% of marketed milk. India currently holds the distinction of being home to the world’s largest dairy industry.

In both these regions, the informal dairy sector is a major source of employment and offers a low-cost, nutritive product to poor consumers who cannot afford to buy formally processed, pasteurized milk.

Innovative approaches towards upgrading the informal dairy sector continue to be explored, with a view to improving the quality and safety of milk sold.

Case studies on key issues facing the informal dairy sector – including governance, quality assurance and value addition – will be presented and specific strategies and recommendations developed.

For more information, please contact

Amos Omore of ILRI
Email: a.omore [at] cgiar.org
Tel: +254 20 422 3403

or download the symposium prospectus (159 KB, PDF)

ILRI research report: influence of policy in control of trypanosomosis in West Africa

Although several strategies are available to control trypanosomosis (for example, tse tse fly control or rearing of trypanotolerant cattle breeds), cattle farmers in Mali often choose trypanocidal drugs as the only method. However, frequent use of the low-priced trypanocides has led to the development of resistance to the drugs, which is emerging as a major obstacle to their continued use.

A research study was carried out to characterize the policy environment that influences the ability of Malian cattle farmers to control trypanosomosis sustainably, and to identify policies needed to support sustainable trypanosomosis control strategies.

The research findings are contained in a report titled Etude des politiques relatives aux stratégies de gestion de la chimiorésistance dans le cadre de la lutte contre la trypanosomose en Afrique de l’Ouest: Cas du Mali (Study of policies relating to strategies for management of trypanocide resistance in West Africa: The case of Mali).

The authors of the report call for continued policy dialogue to raise awareness on the extent and potential impacts of trypanocide drug resistance. They also recommend that ways to disseminate information on Rational Drug Use (RDU) be identified in order to come up with best-bet control strategies that are acceptable to all stakeholders.

The report is written in French with an abstract in English.

Citation
Affognon H, Coulibaly M, Diall O, Grace D, Randolph T and Waibel H. 2009. Etude des politiques relatives aux stratégies de gestion de la chimiorésistance dans le cadre de la lutte contre la trypanosomose en Afrique de l’Ouest: Cas du Mali. ILRI Research Report 17. ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute), Nairobi, Kenya. 58 pp.

Access the report

ILRI research report: Influence pathways and economic impacts of policy change in the Kenyan dairy sector

This ILRI research report presents the results of an ex post assessment of the impact of the revised Kenya dairy policy. It outlines the policy change process, investigates induced behavioural changes at the levels of field regulators and small-scale milk vendors, and estimates economic impacts on producers, small-scale milk vendors and consumers.

It also provides a strategic assessment of the research and coordinating roles played by ILRI, recognizing that ILRI was only one partner in a complex project with many people and organizations involved, and estimates how much of the overall gains can be attributed to this research/coordination component.

Citation
Kaitibie S, Omore A, Rich K, Salasya B, Hooton N, Mwero D and Kristjanson P. 2009. Influence pathways and economic impacts of policy change in the Kenyan dairy sector. Research Report 15. ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute), Nairobi, Kenya. 58 pp.

Access the report

New information resource showcases ILRI's smallholder dairy research for development

ILRI's Markets Theme has launched a new information resource titled White Gold: Investing in Dairy for Development. This resource – a combined brochure and multimedia CD-ROM – is the first in ILRI’s Briefing for Development publication series.

It highlights the problems, opportunities and risks that smallholder dairy operators face and showcases the relevance of ILRI’s research in the area of smallholder dairying.

By combining the brochure, CD and hyperlinks to relevant websites, a wide range of information in various media is made accessible in one product.

This resource is useful for senior policymakers and development partners interested in policy interventions that will encourage the appropriate evolution of traditional dairy markets.

Download the brochure

New report on role of research in pro-poor dairy policy shift in Kenya

"A remarkable story of evidence-based policy making"

Read all about how the Smallholder Dairy Project (SDP) influenced the process of pro-poor dairy policy change in Kenya in this new working paper titled Informal traders lock horns with the formal milk industry: the role of research in pro-poor policy shift in Kenya.

A team from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and ILRI released the report.

SDP was jointly implemented by the Kenya Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development, the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and ILRI from 1997 to 2005.

Download the report.

Kenya Dairy Policy Forum held in Nairobi

Research results from the Smallholder Dairy Project were shared at a national dairy policy forum held in Nairobi on 8 May 2004. The meeting brought together officials from the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development, the Kenya Dairy Board, NGOs, researchers and small-scale dairy farmers and traders.

The research findings covered various aspects of dairy policy in Kenya. Presentations centred on demand patterns, employment, competitiveness, public health, nutrition and the policy environment in Kenya's dairy sector.

A series of policy briefs on the topics presented were launched to convey SDP’s research findings and policy implications to a wider audience. Copies of these policy briefs are available for download at the project website www.smallholderdairy.org.

Kenya's Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Development (MoLFD), Joseph Munyao, addresses the forum. Seated (L to R): Bruce Scott (Director of Partnerships and Communication, ILRI), Machira Gichohi (Managing Director, Kenya Dairy Board [KDB]), Reuben Chesire (Chairman, KDB), Harry Mule (Permanent Secretary, MoLFD), Romano Kiome (Director, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute) and Julius Kiptarus (Director, MoLFD).