Livestock genetics and breeding – highlights from ILRI’s corporate report 2015–2016

Originally posted on ILRI news:
The adoption of new technologies that speed up genetic gains are leading to further improvements in livestock productivity. Ghibe valley, southwest Ethiopia (photo credit: ILRI/Stevie Mann) The experience of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and partner geneticists in 2015–2016 clearly demonstrates the positive benefits to smallholder farmers of the…

African Dairy Genetic Gains Program: Innovative private-public partnership for sustainable dairy productivity in Ethiopia and Tanzania

Originally posted on ILRI BioSciences:
Leveraging private and public partners is key to increased productivity in the dairy sector, according to a poster by scientist from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)-led project African Dairy Genetic Gains. The scientists explore some challenges facing dairy farmers within developing countries, illustrating how these dairy production difficulties can…

African Dairy Genetic Gains

African Dairy Genetic Gain (ADGG) is an International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)-led investment by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) that is developing and testing a multi-country genetic gains platform that uses on-farm performance information and basic genomic data to identify and provide superior cross-bred bulls for artificial insemination (AI) delivery and planned natural … Continue reading →

Vision

ADGG’s vision is to see that African smallholder dairy farmers are continuously accessing more productive dairy genetics, breeding and farmer education services and other related input services enabling their farming enterprises to be profitable and competitive businesses. The following are the expected indicators of success from the stakeholders in the program: Private sector perspective Business … Continue reading →

Outcomes

ADGG is working with initial core set of about 2,000 small and medium sized dairy farms in each country, with at least 2 dairy cows per farm for smallholders, and at least 10 cows for medium sized farms, and helping them initiate on-farm performance recording. The program will later recruit another 10,000 individual smallholder dairy herds in … Continue reading →