Visit each page to discover resources from the 7 Cross-Cutting Themes and Areas of Inquiry. Click the title below to visit that page.

CROSS-CUTTING THEMES

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Gender & Youth

Gender is a multi-dimensional issue in livestock systems, involving roles and relationships that may seem fixed and unchangeable. Women are often concentrated in the lower ends of the livestock value chains, frequently without access to the resources needed to be highly productive. Youth unemployment, underemployment, informal employment and working poverty are concerns in virtually every part of the world, but especially in developing countries. The Gender and Youth cross-cutting theme seeks to increase equity and access across livestock value chains through research and capacity development. We aim to understand gaps and drivers for engaging male and female youth in income-generating opportunities in livestock value chains and to launch initiatives to address some of these gaps.

Local Capacity Development

LCD efforts in Phase 2 will be on strengthening organizational performance and institutional relationships of participating partners through the application of collaborating, learning and adapting approaches. We combine previous efforts with collaboration and creating social value through organizational and institutional strengthening, applying Local Capacity Development systems-wide approaches to engage stakeholders to support and sustain changes in the research system.

Future Livestock Systems & Resilience

This cross-cutting theme uses mechanistic models and analytical tools to examine how animal-source foods production systems may be affected by emerging challenges or improved by introducing innovations. It particularly examines livestock system responses to proposed interventions in the context of changes in climate, demographics, agriculture, markets, and infrastructure.

Enabling Environment

This theme facilitates research, capacity-building and participatory activities that support the development and implementation of polices at any level that enhance the production, marketing and consumption of animal-source foods especially among smallholders. Efforts focus on encouraging stakeholders’ dialogues, promoting research uptake and addressing institutional constraints in ways that contribute to improve availability of quality livestock inputs, services, and markets as well as to introduce innovative solutions for risk management, disease surveillance, and food safety.

AREAS OF INQUIRY

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Markets & Innovation Translation

The expansion of markets within developing countries and regions brings vital opportunities to increase income, trade and market access. This new area of inquiry, Markets and Innovation Translation, builds on livestock market innovations generated by Phase I research in Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nepal. Existing innovations will be improved and scaled up, and livestock markets will be emphasized as a research priority. Plus, the scaling of innovations will receive the same level of rigor applied to research priorities. Research areas include marketing and pricing of animal-source foods, market diagnostics, market-based solutions, and scaling of innovations.

Production & Disease Management

Supports, strengthens and expands existing One-Health research and training platforms and relevant projects to improve surveillance, reduce disease burdens, and increase ASF safety. This AOI employs a multidisciplinary, integrated approach to develop location-appropriate nutrition, genetic, lactation, reproduction, management, health, and ASF processing or preservation technologies that will enhance livestock productivity and ASF consumption.

Human Health, Food Safety, Diets & Nutrition

Livestock production affects nutrition by contributing to food production, income generation, and women’s empowerment. All activities of the Livestock Systems Innovation Lab should emphasize improving human health and nutrition via increased consumption of animal-source foods.