ILRI’s Director General Jimmy Smith delivered one of the keynote presentations at the 12th Agricultural Science Congress in Karnal, India on 3-6 February 2015. Learn more about it by reading the article written by Susan MacMillan, ILRI’s Head of Public Awareness.
Jimmy Smith, director general of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), gave one of three keynote presentations at the recent Agricultural Research Congress, held in Karnal, India, at the National Dairy Research Institute, from 3 to 6 Feb 2015.
Smith began by reminding his audience of some 1,000 people why livestock matter globally for livelihoods, e.g.:
- 1.5 billion people live on smallholder farms
- India has 130 million smallholders farms (of less than 4 hectares in size)
- Smallholders produce 80% or more of the food in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa
- 43% or more of smallholders are women
- Up to 1 billion people depend on livestock for their livelihoods, food security, income, crop nutrients, traction, and means of coping with the risks of crop failure and other shocks
The ILRI director general then explained why this is a ‘livestock moment’ for India’s many millions of smallholder farmers.
Image credits: (left)
View original post 218 more words
ILRI Asia 