In October 2009, Danielle Nierenberg of the Worldwatch Institute’s ‘Nourishing the Planet‘ project began a visit to Africa to document agricultural innovations. Her aim: “to tell stories of hope and success in food production from all over Africa.”
Early in the trip she visited the ILRI campus in Addis Ababa; she has subsequently been in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia and South Africa … reporting on the project blog. This month, Danielle’s blog includes a profile of ILRI’s Alan Duncan, member of the project’s advisory group.
Responding to a question on the association between livestock production and climate change and other negative environmental impacts, Alan argues that “the blanket condemnation of livestock as ‘polluters of the planet’ misses the nuances of differences between livestock’s role in the rich North and the poor South. Limiting intensive livestock production which oversupplies protein to those in developed countries is probably good for the planet. But in places like Ethiopia, livestock are a crucial element of poor people’s livelihoods and their nutrition. They utilize byproducts of cereal production (straw) and turn them into high-quality protein (meat and milk) for hungry people. They also serve as a source of security in marginal environments, acting as a buffer against disaster in drought-prone environments. Reducing livestock numbers in Africa would have a relatively minor effect on global GHG emissions but would have many negative consequences for the world’s poorest.”
Read more … (Nourishing the Planet Blog)
Follow Danielle on the the Nourishing the Planet project blog
. . . An award winning documentary I believe you can use to supplement your work is ‘Milking the Rhino’, http://www.milkingtherhino.org .
Milking the Rhino examines the deepening conflict between humans and animals in an ever-shrinking world. . . .It is the first major documentary to explore wildlife conservation from the perspective of people who live with wild animals. Shot in the Laikipia area of Kenya with the Il Ngwesi Maasai, and the Himba people living in the remote northwest corner of Namibia overlooking the Angolan boarder in the Marienfluss Valley, MTR offers complex, intimate portraits of rural Africans at the forefront of community-based conservation: a revolution that is turning poachers into preservationists and local people into the stewards of their land. MTR takes the unique approach of turning the cameras around from the intriguing landscape and enthralling wildlife to tell a more nuanced tale of conservation in post-colonial Africa. . . .
Jeannie R. Magill
Originator and Co-producer
Milking the Rhino
http://www.milkingtherhino.org
Home: 505-424-3553
Mobile: 505-603-7454
am 23yrs old and my family has land that can accomodate 10000 heads of cattle but the land is being consumed by invasive species some assistance. thx i will be very garteful.
All efforts have been made to improve conditions in Ethiopia but things have hardly changed. The extremely poor people comprise of the small and marginal farmers.