ILRI

ILRI The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) is an international organisation working for better lives and better planet through livestock.

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) works to improve food security and reduce poverty in developing countries through research for better and more sustainable use of livestock. ILRI is a CGIAR research centre – part of a global research partnership for a food-secure future.

🌾 Imagine a crop that feeds your animals, heals your soil, AND helps your main food crops grow better!In southeastern Ma...
05/08/2026

🌾 Imagine a crop that feeds your animals, heals your soil, AND helps your main food crops grow better!

In southeastern Madagascar, farmers are discovering the power of Mucuna. With changing climates making it harder to find good forage for livestock and maintain soil health, this fast-growing legume is a lifesaver.

Early adopters like Charline and Armand are already seeing amazing results—harvesting more maize and keeping their animals well-fed. Even better, their success is inspiring neighbors to plant it too, creating a powerful farmer-to-farmer learning network! 🤝

Supported by ILRI and DRASA, this incredible "dual-solution" crop is helping smallholder families build stronger, more resilient farms.

Read their story and learn how Mucuna works: https://www.ilri.org/news/mucuna-gains-ground-dual-solution-forage-availability-and-soil-fertility-madagascar

CGIAR

Nigeria's livestock sector has massive potential—but realizing it requires more than a static policy document; it requir...
04/08/2026

Nigeria's livestock sector has massive potential—but realizing it requires more than a static policy document; it requires a collaborative process. 🤝🇳🇬

Through the new Nigeria Livestock Master Plan (N-LMP), we are seeing an unprecedented partnership. Government, academia, and the private sector have come together to map evidence-based pathways for impactful investment. 📈

Here is what makes this approach different:
✅ Locally Validated: Testing assumptions and validating data directly on the ground.
✅ Targeted Impact: Ensuring resources go exactly where they are needed most. 🎯
✅ Real-World Action: Turning rigorous modeling into coordinated action—already being integrated into work plans across 20 states! 🗺️

This is how collaborative research drives structural change and improves livelihoods on a global scale. 🌍

📖✨ Explore this story and more in our newly released 2026 Corporate Report.

🔗 Read the full article here: https://www.ilri.org/corporate-report-2026

Agriculture has historically been underrepresented in major global climate negotiations—even though it’s the backbone of...
24/07/2026

Agriculture has historically been underrepresented in major global climate negotiations—even though it’s the backbone of livelihoods across Africa. 🌾🌍 We are working to change that!

Through our partnership with the African Group of Negotiators Expert Support (AGNES), we are bringing essential agricultural expertise to the global stage. 🤝 Together, we’re ensuring that countries have the scientific evidence they need to create strong, climate-resilient policies that protect farmers, pastoralists, and our food systems. 🧑🏾‍🌾☀️

From helping shape ambitious climate targets in Kenya and Rwanda to training over 1,000 specialists in climate diplomacy, our goal is clear: transforming African livestock systems into opportunities for resilience and growth. 🐄📈✨

Curious about our impact and what's next? Read our 2026 Corporate Report 📖👇
https://on.cgiar.org/4vIw7qL

UN Climate Change

For the past six months, the BecA-ILRI Hub has proudly hosted fellows under the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS...
23/07/2026

For the past six months, the BecA-ILRI Hub has proudly hosted fellows under the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) Fellowship. These rising scientists have completed an intensive, hands-on program covering everything from molecular breeding and genome editing to seed systems and scientific writing. 🔬✍️

Through advanced lab sessions and real-world field visits to breeding sites, we are combining theoretical training with practical experience.

Partnerships like this are vital. Together, we’re developing a new generation of plant breeders equipped to tackle today's agricultural challenges and build resilient food systems across the continent! 🌱

International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) CGIAR

🌍 Africa now has more hungry people than any other region, and the latest SOFI report highlights that 2 in 3 Africans ca...
21/07/2026

🌍 Africa now has more hungry people than any other region, and the latest SOFI report highlights that 2 in 3 Africans cannot afford a healthy diet. The high cost of milk, eggs, and meat is a major barrier, keeping families trapped in a cycle of malnutrition.

But high prices aren't inevitable! As Appolinaire Djikeng points out, this is a productivity challenge we can solve.

By investing in better livestock health, nutrition, and genetics, farmers can produce more without needing larger herds. This brings affordable, nutrient-dense food to local markets and creates a "triple win":
🌱 Better, more affordable diets
🌱 Stronger livelihoods for rural families
🌱 A lighter environmental footprint

Investing in livestock isn't just about agriculture—it's a critical nutrition intervention.



Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) World Food Programme World Health Organization (WHO) UNICEF International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

For over 70% of rural families in Madagascar, livestock isn't just farming—it's a crucial lifeline. But for years, the s...
21/07/2026

For over 70% of rural families in Madagascar, livestock isn't just farming—it's a crucial lifeline. But for years, the sector hasn't received the public investment it needs to thrive. 🇲🇬

🤝 We are proud to share that this is turning around. Together with the Malagasy government and our partners, we've helped launch the Madagascar Livestock Master Plan. This $400 million investment roadmap focuses on the animals that matter most to farmers: cattle, dairy cows, goats, poultry, and pigs. 🐄🐐🐖🐔

🌱 The goal? Healthier animals, better yields, and stronger incomes for rural communities. For example, improved veterinary support and feeding could cut poultry and pig mortality in half, saving families from avoidable income loss! 📈

🚀 See how we're turning research into real-world action for farmers. Dive into our global work in the upcoming 2026 Corporate Report: https://on.cgiar.org/4v7IrQ2

For millions of smallholder farmers in Africa, cattle manure is gold! 🐮🌾 It’s a natural fertilizer essential for healthy...
16/07/2026

For millions of smallholder farmers in Africa, cattle manure is gold! 🐮🌾 It’s a natural fertilizer essential for healthy soils and high crop yields.

But did you know that leaving manure heaps uncovered means vital nutrients wash away in the rain and release greenhouse gases into the air?

Researchers at ILRI's Mazingira Centre recently tested simple, low-cost ways to protect this valuable resource. Here is what they found:

✅ Cover it up: Using local plant materials like hay or banana leaves to cover manure heaps prevents nutrients from washing away.

✅ Store on a water-proof surface: If you mix straw bedding with your manure, keeping the heap on a solid, water-proof surface stops precious nitrogen from leaching into the ground.

✅ Add charcoal: Mixing locally produced charcoal into manure helps lock in nutrients for your crops and reduces harmful methane emissions!

By making simple changes to how manure is stored, farmers can keep the nutrients right where they belong—feeding the soil and growing the food that sustains our communities. 🌱

Read more about how local science is supporting African farmers: https://on.cgiar.org/4w4YKOQ

🎉 Join us in celebrating a momentous achievement!Our Director General, Appolinaire Djikeng, has been awarded an Honorary...
15/07/2026

🎉 Join us in celebrating a momentous achievement!

Our Director General, Appolinaire Djikeng, has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Science (Hon. Sc. D.) by his alma mater, Brunel University of London. 🎓

During the ceremony, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Jonathan Wastling noted that the award recognizes Appolinaire's "invaluable contribution" to bioscience and its application across agriculture, animal, human, and environmental health, as well as ILRI's role as a leading scientific organization committed to improving lives.

In true leadership style, Appolinaire emphasized that this recognition is a shared one. He dedicated the honor to:

The exceptional colleagues across ILRI who make this work possible. 🤝

The millions of smallholder livestock farmers who demonstrate how science can transform livelihoods. 🐄

Our dedicated development partners and funders whose investments enable science-based livestock solutions in low- and middle-income countries. 🌍

Congratulations, Appolinaire, on signing the Honorary Roll! We are incredibly proud of your continued commitment to delivering food system transformation through livestock science. Please join us in congratulating him below! 👇

When antibiotics stop working, it isn’t only a hospital problem. Resistant bacteria move between people, animals, water,...
15/07/2026

When antibiotics stop working, it isn’t only a hospital problem. Resistant bacteria move between people, animals, water, and soil, a connection researchers call One Health.
A new study reviewed every peer-reviewed study on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) conducted in Tanzania since the 1970s (799 in total). Nearly 9 in 10 focused only on human health. Just 56 studies looked at animals, mostly poultry and cattle. Only 13 looked at the environment, checking water, soil, and waste for resistant bacteria.

The researchers, including scientists from ILRI with the support of CGIAR’s Sustainable Animal and Aquatic Foods (SAAF) program, found that more than 90% of Tanzania’s AMR research funding has come through international partnerships so far. The next step, they say, is testing real-world solutions rather than just measuring the problem, and growing domestic investment alongside that support.

Where do you think Tanzania’s next AMR study should focus: animals, the environment, or something else?

Read the full study here: https://on.cgiar.org/4aRnEZW

What if mountains of agricultural waste could become the solution to expensive animal feed? 🤔 In Nigeria, millions of to...
14/07/2026

What if mountains of agricultural waste could become the solution to expensive animal feed? 🤔

In Nigeria, millions of tonnes of cassava peels are discarded every year. This waste pollutes rivers and releases harmful greenhouse gases. But at ILRI, we saw an opportunity to change the system.

Through our High-Quality Cassava Peels initiative, we are training communities to process fresh peels into safe, affordable livestock feed within 24 hours. The impact has been incredible:

🌱 Farmers and feed millers are saving money by replacing expensive maize. 👩🏽‍🌾 Women and youth are building profitable businesses and securing new jobs. 🌍 Communities are cleaner, with drastically reduced methane emissions from rotting waste.

It's a perfect example of how science can serve people, profit, and the planet all at once.

📅 Want to learn more about how our research is transforming livestock systems globally? Read our full 2026 Corporate Report: https://on.cgiar.org/4eFuLXB

Address

30709 Naivasha Road
Nairobi

Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when ILRI posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share