International Livestock Research Institute

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) helps African families find a way out of poverty through food- and income-producing farm animals. The Livestock Institute works at the crossroads of livestock and poverty, conducting high-quality scientific research that helps turn subsistence farming into income-generating enterprises, particularly for women.

Cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, pigs, and poultry have traditionally been important assets for the poor. The high-quality food they produce nourishes families. Their milk, eggs, and meat bring cash into households. Their manure fertilizes soils exhausted by continuous cropping. Their muscle ploughs hard soils and transports farm produce to markets. And for women, looking after farm animals often fits well with their work of running households and raising families.

Yet conditions in the developing world are harsh for animals and people alike. Improving livestock in poor countries is difficult because of scarce livestock feeds, extinction of local breeds, disease, degraded natural resources, and poor access of livestock owners to markets.

We are working to overcome these problems by:

• Conducting research to ensure that the family cow and other farm animals can survive diseases found in harsh tropical conditions.
• Saving local livestock breeds and their genetic diversity from extinction.
• Developing markets for livestock products for women and their families.
• Finding ways to ensure that livestock production is compatible with the environment.
• Increasing the adaptive capacity of smallholders and pastoralists to the threats of climate change and poverty.