August 4, 2014

New UK-Kenya alliance for tropical livestock farming established

The project will initially focus on the use of genetic information to improve the health and productivity of animals farmed in tropical climate, by exploring genes that make some animals more resistant to diseases than others.

The overall aim of the initiative is to develop technologies that will enable these farmers to identify which are the best animals to breed from in order to increase the value and quality of their livestock. In addition, genetic techniques will also be used to characterise new diseases and track their outbreaks.

The site in Africa will be located at the ILRI in Nairobi, and will involve scientists from its new global livestock genetics programme (LiveGene), as well as the Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA)-ILRI Hub and their partners in Africa.

The Scottish site will be located on the University of Edinburgh's Easter Bush Campus, which includes The Roslin Institute, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and Scotland's Rural College.

Dr. Jimmy Smith, director general of ILRI, said, "Modern genetic approaches offer new opportunities to identify livestock suited to the diverse and demanding conditions under which African smallholder farmers work. This new alliance brings together a unique mix of skills to address these exciting and important challenges."

Professor David Hume, director of The Roslin Institute, said, "With the threat of rising temperatures due to climate change, the need for affordable techniques to improve farming and food security in warmer climates is becoming a global challenge."

Professor Geoff Simm, vice-principal for research at SRUC, added, "This is a very significant alliance because it has the potential to transform our international efforts to help improve livestock genetics, enhancing food security but also reducing the environmental impact of global livestock production."