The Boma International Livestock Research Institute

At more than 50 million animals, Ethiopia's livestock population is the largest in Africa and the eighth largest in the world. But livestock productivity in Ethiopia remains low. Namukolo Covic, the ILRI Director General's representative to Ethiopia, CGIAR Ethiopia country convener and the CGIAR regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa, talks with Shahida Hussein, an ILRI communications officer, about the livestock challenges that are facing Ethiopia, ideas to raise productivity, and hopes for the future.

Across the world, millions of people eat a 'hidden meat' - bushmeat, or wild meat. But handling or eating bushmeat can pose a higher risk of transmitting zoonotic disease - diseases which affect both animals and humans. This episode looks at a pioneering study led by scientist Ekta Patel of ILRI that investigates how people understand that risk - and whether that understanding changes eating habits. 

Read more: 
New study assesses disease risk perceptions of wild meat at the border of Kenya and Tanzania

Is there a conflict between supporting animal welfare, and supporting the wellbeing of the world's poor? Can we talk about animal welfare in the same way in the global North and South? Or are there important moral distinctions to be made? 
To explore these questions we're joined by Peter Singer, an Australian philosopher and bioethicist, Rebecca Doyle, who leads ILRI’s efforts on animal welfare, and Michel Dione, a senior scientist in Animal Health at ILRI.

Further reading:
Peter Singer:
One of the world’s most controversial philosophers explains himself - Vox
Peter Singer's website
Rebecca Doyle:
ILRI profile
Rebecca Doyle's website
Michel Dione:
ILRI profile
ILRI and animal welfare:
One Health Brief no. 5 - Keeping livestock healthy and well cared for improves animal, human, environment and economic health

This episode was written by Madison Spinelli, ILRI

In the second of our episodes featuring writer Roger Thurow, we hear about what inspired his most recent book, 'The First 1000 Days'. What exactly is this crucial period of life - and what is its impact on the rest of a child's life?

Malnutrition is a terrible burden to bear, but as Thurow warns, it ultimately affects us all.

Further reading and listening:
Roger Thurow | The Chicago Council on Global AffairsListen to our podcast featuring child nutrition expert Lora Iannotti from Season 2 of The Boma hereScript written by David Aronson

Roger Thurow is a senior fellow for global agriculture and food policy for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He writes about many of the same issues that animate the work at the International Livestock Research Institute - nutrition, development, hunger, and aid for subsistence farmers.

As a writer, Thurow conveys what the lives of the poor are like in vivid, granular detail. We hear from him about what inspired him to focus on these issues - and how he has seen the lives of smallholder farmers change for the better.

Further reading


Roger Thurow | The Chicago Council on Global AffairsOne Acre FundScript written by David Aronson

Where does digital technology fit in with livestock farming? Can flying animal vaccines in by drone to remote regions help address gender inequality? Find out on this special episode of The Boma!

In this podcast, we hear about the barriers to digital technology and farming difficulties that women face, then follow how ILRI and the CGIAR are working to close that divide from the example of an innovative vaccine-delivery project in Ghana.
We hear from Agnes Loriba, program lead and Ghana project manager at CARE International, Immaculate Omondi, a gender research economist at ILRI, and Nicoline de Haan, lead of the CGIAR GENDER Impact platform. How do they identify 'gender gaps' in farming and communities - and what does it take to close them?

Read more here

The Livestock Vaccine Innovation Fund is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Global Affairs Canada (GAC), and Canada’s International Development Research Centre

Script written by Annabel Slater