Fall 2010

newsleTTer of The adapTIng lIvesTock sysTems To clImaTe change collaboraTIve research supporT program

Chronicles

climate change resilience, one chicken at a Time

In Mali, life can be difficult for women. Mali is located in the Sahel, the harsh, arid band across northern Africa, bordering the Sahara, which experiences frequent drought. Malians have strongly felt the impacts of climate change over the past several decades with desertification and flooding becoming more common and severe. The countrys geographic location, low percentage of arable land, and stunted economic development leave Malians especially vulnerable to climate change impacts. Women in Mali are considered especially at-risk because they lack the resources and the opportunities for adapting to these changes. Women in Mali marry young, have many children, and lose many children to childbirth or disease. Women often have limited access to education, few opportunities for earned income, and an inadequate amount of animal-source foods in their diets. Improving the livelihoods of women through poultry farming will help to overcome many of the factors that leave women, children, and communities at risk to climate
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2010 seed grant projects

In October, the Livestock -Climate Change CRSP awarded a total of $720,000 to eight U.S. universities and their international partners in East Africa, West Africa, and Central Asia to improve the livelihoods of small-scale livestock producers. In developing countries in these regions, a large proportion of the population depends upon livestock production for a significant part of their income. Projects funded through these 2010 Seed Grants will help small-scale livestock producers increase their incomes, reduce risks associated with disease, and manage conflicts over resources like water and forage, which are shifting and dwindling as a result of climate change. The LCC CRSP released the Seed Grant Program request for proposals on July 19, 2010; proposals were due on August 20, 2010. The LCC CRSP received a total of 32 proposals. An external review panel of subject matter experts (i.e., veterinary medicine, economics, agronomy, livestock production, and climate science) from U.S. universities and government agencies reviewed the proposals.
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In This Issue
LCC CRSP PI Receives Award.......2 Feed the Future.......3 Graduate Fellows.....4 African-U.S. Universities Partner.....................5 Mali Poultry Project.....................6 Travel Log................8 Advisory Board.......11 Country Profile: Mali.......................12 Partner Profile: Michael Lacy..........14

lcc crsp pI receives prestigious penn vet award

By Carol Borchert

feeding the future through livestock-climate change research

More than one billion peopleone sixth of the worlds populationsuffer from chronic hunger. Each year, more than 3.5 million children die for lack of food. At the 2009 G-8 Summit in LAquila, Italy, U.S. President Barack Obama pledged at least $3.5 billion for agricultural development and food security over three years. This commitment helped leverage more than $18.5 billion from other donors in support of a common approach to achieve sustainable food security and laid the groundwork for Feed the Future, the U.S. global hunger and food security initiative. Feed the Future aims to reduce global hunger and poverty by taking on their root causes. To achieve this, the program will: Accelerate inclusive agriculture sector growth through improved agricultural productivity, expanded markets and trade and increased economic resilience in vulnerable rural communities. Improve nutritional status by increasing access to diverse and quality foods and by strengthening the prevention, identification and treatment of undernutrition. The LCC CRSP shares this vision and is committed to leverage and build upon the Feed the Future initiative. Our research strategy aims to multiply our impact by focusing our research program in geographic areas that are part of the Feed the Future initiative. These geographic areas are West Africa (Mali and Senegal), East Africa (Ethiopia and Kenya), and the Indo-Gangetic Plain (Nepal). Livestock-Climate Change CRSP projects have already been initiated in Feed the Future countries of Mali, Senegal, Ethiopia, and Kenya and we are making plans for programs in Nepal. Research projects being implemented in these countries will impact small holder livestock and poultry producers. Working directly with international partners and stakeholders, LCC CRSP research projects being implemented in these countries will: 1) Build propoor value chains for livestock products by improving access to inputs and markets for small producers and women; 2) Expand alternative income opportunities for livestock producers, including income resulting from

Dr. M. D. Salman, Director of the Animal Population Health Institute at Colorado State University and principal investigator of the Livestock-Climate Change CRSP, has been selected as the 2010 recipient of the Penn Vet World Leadership Award, given annually by the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine to a veterinarian who has dramatically changed the practice of the profession and influenced the lives of others. The $100,000 in unrestricted funding, the largest monetary award in veterinary medicine, is underwritten by the Vernon and Shirley Hill Foundation. The award was presented in September at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on the Penn campus during a ceremony that also honored two Penn Vet students, Nikkita Patel and Brittany Gross, who received the Penn Vet Student Inspiration Awards. During the evenings award presentations, Dr. Salman, a Professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Colorado State University, presented a lecture on Impact of Infectious Disease: Is it a Disaster or an Opportunity? These awards are among the most prestigious and coveted in the world of veterinary medicine, said Dr. Joan C. Hendricks, the Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Penn Vet. I am always humbled and impressed by the innovative researchers, thinkers, and student and

professional leaders in the field who are named recipients. During a 37-year career in veterinary medicine, Salman has worked internationally for the Institute of Medicines Committee for Achieving Sustainable Global Capacity for Surveillance and Response to Emerging Diseases of Zoonotic Origin, served as chairperson of the examination committee and continuing organization committee of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, and has held positions in the United States Animal Health Association and the Animal Health and Animal Welfare Panel of European Food Safety Authority. He has managed more than 160 scientific projects as principal investigator. Dr. Salman has a worldwide reputation not only for his expertise and research in animal health and epidemiology, but also for his unique ability to work across cultural, ethnic and religious boundaries to bring people together for the betterment of their communities, said Dr. Lance Perryman, Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University. He is richly deserving of the Penn Vet World Leadership Award, and we are very proud that he is a member of our esteemed faculty.
Originally published in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences E-Insight newsletter, October 2010

Feed the Future is investing in developing countries like Kenya, where these Maasai boys live, to improve the links between agriculture and improved nutrition outcomes. Feed the Future focus countries were selected based on: Level of need, opportunity for partnership, potential for agricultural-led growth, opportunity for regional synergy, and resource availability. Photo by Dana L. K. Hoag, LCC CRSP.

climate change (e.g., payment for greenhouse gas emission reduction, increased carbon sequestration, and possibly other ecosystem services); and 3) Advance management practices to optimize use of resources limited by climate variability, disasters, and human population growth. These research objectives are closely aligned with those of Feed the Future, which are to: advance the productivity frontier, transform production systems, and enhance nutrition and food safety. Collaboration between the LCC CRSP and the Feed the Future initiative will leverage USAID's investments in innovative, effective, and development-focused research and hasten our collective progress toward the Millennium Development Goal of halving hunger and poverty by 2015. For more information about Feed the Future, visit www.feedthefuture.gov.

2010 graduate student fellows

The Livestock-Climate Change CRSP has awarded two fellowships to Colorado State University graduate students to prepare them for interdisciplinary international careers. The LCC CRSP Graduate Student Fellows are from the U.S. and Ethiopia and will be conducting research in Mongolia and Ethiopia. Jennifer Higgins, Ph.D. Candidate Jennifer Higgins, a Ph.D. candidate in CSUs College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science, plans to investigate the prevalence of different strains of brucellosis in Mongolia and the effectiveness of vaccines for protecting cattle herds from this disease. Brucellosis is a reemerging disease in Mongolia, which has one of the highest human incidences of this disease worldwide. Changes in animal husbandry practices in Mongolia have increased the risk of transmission of Brucella melitensis to cattle from sheep and goats, and then subsequently to humans. In livestock, this disease causes spontaneous abortions, reducing livestock fertility, and also impacts survival of young and milk yield. This research builds on work that Higgins conducted in Mongolia, in 2007 as a Fulbright Scholar, documenting how changes in the way pastoralists manage livestock could be contributing to the reemergence of this disease.
Tunsisa Hurisso, a graduate student in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Colorado State University, proposes to study making phosphorus fertilizer from animal bones. Photo by Sarah Lupis, LCC CRSP.

african and u.s. universities partner to Tackle development challenges across africa
In September, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Association of Public Land Grant Universities announced 11 innovative new partnerships between 22 universities in Africa and the U.S. as part of the Higher Education for Development (HED) program. Each partnership has been awarded up to $1.1 million to plan long-term collaborations between African and U.S. institutions. Plans will focus on building capacity for instruction and problem solving in the areas of agriculture, heath care, science and technology, primary and secondary education, business, and other disciplines. Several LivestockClimate Change CRSP partner institutions in the U.S. and Africa are engaged in this new endeavor. The partnerships are the result of the Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative, a collaborative effort started in 2007 to advocate for increased engagement in African higher education capacity development. Each partnership has a detailed five-year strategic plan with a 10-year vision to address national and regional development priorities in sub-Saharan Africa through higher education and human and institutional capacity development. The initial grants are for a two-year period. The citizens, academics, and civic and educational institutions of developing countries must be integrated into the way we partner to address development challenges, said Franklin Moore, USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa. In this way, we can ensure that projects are sustainable, reflect decades of lessons learned, are maximally effective and targeted, and help to build in-country capacity to solve development challenges. Universities are among the most important parts of civil society, and their engagement in policy and program design and implementation is critically important. Each partnership is focused on developing collaborative research and academic programs to build the capacity of the African and U.S. institutions to affect change in Africa. The partners expertise and drive have been proven through success in a highly competitive review and selection process, said HED Executive Director Tully Cornick. I am encouraged to see todays plans being transformed into sustainable solutions through applied research, higher education opportunities, and community involvement. These Africa-led partnerships have seized an opportunity for change and reflect a deep level of understanding shaped by the contributions of the African institution partners. Centre for Sustainable Drylands The University of Nairobi, in Kenya and Colorado State University, both LCC CRSP partner institutions, are taking the first steps toward a long-term plan for development of a regional center and drylands program at the University of Nairobi. In the U.S., this effort is being led by Robin Reid, director of CSUs Center for Collaborative Conservation, co-PI on two LCC CRSP projects, and member of the LCC CRSP Technical Committee. In Africa, Jesse Njoka, professor at the University of Nairobi and member of the LCC CRSP Advisory Board, will spearhead development of the center. The project team is highly diverse and trans-disciplinary at both universities, and builds on three decades of collaboration between faculty and students at both institutions. Through research and education in agriculture and natural resources, the center will improve the capacity of African universities to deal effectively with economic, ecological, and educational problems and needs of African communities that rely on drylands for their livelihoods. Drylands cover about 40% of the earths land surface, and are home to more than 38% of the worlds population. In Africa, 43% of the land area is classified as dryland and supports approximately 40% of the continents population (268 million people). Africas drylands are threatened by climate change, a situation increasingly exacerbated by factors such as high population growth rates, increasing poverty levels, and slow economic growth rates. Despite ongoing climate change impacts, drylands continue to make significant contributions to the economies of many nations and support the livelihoods of many poor families and communities through the production of livestock products, wood products, and food grains, as well as tourism and related economic activities. The center will initially focus on developing capacity in Kenya, but will include a strong collaboration
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Tunsisa Hurisso, Ph.D. Candidate Tunsisa Hurisso, originally from Ethiopia, is a Ph.D. candidate in CSUs Department of Soil and Crop Sciences where his research focuses on the interactions between manure and compost quality and forage crop production. For his LCC CRSP fellowship, Hurisso will examine the potential for developing a new, sustainable, carbon-neutral, affordable phosphorus fertilizer from animal bones. This technology is highly transferable throughout sub-Saharan Africa. In this region, livestock producers empowered to produce phosphorus fertilizer from a waste product could increase their forage and crop yields, thus building resilience to climate change impacts through improved productivity. In addition, a bone-based fertilizer could be marketable and would increase incomes and encourage income diversification, thus reducing risk for producers heavily impacted by unpredictable weather patterns, political and social conflict, and volatile markets.

With help from a nomadic herder, Jennifer Higgins collects a blood sample for a preliminary study of the prevalence of in livestock and humans in far northern Mongolia. While living and working in the community, she organized several brucellosis educational workshops for herders, doctors, and veterinarians. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Higgins, CSU.

african and u.s. universities partner...continued

among universities in the region; non-government organizations; African government agencies; the International Livestock Research Institute; the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM in Kampala, Uganda) and others. Ecosystem Services: Linking Science to Action, in Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources Uneven development, population growth, and climate change have resulted in forest, fishery, soil, and water degradation in Malawi and the region. An ecosystem services focus in research, curricular development, and outreach will strengthen capacities to address these critical 21st century environment and development challenges. The University of Malawis Bunda College of Agriculture, Lincoln University (PA), and Michigan State Universitys Chancellor College aim to create a university program centered on ecosystem services involving private-sector groups such as CocaCola, Llovo Sugar Ltd., Paladin Energy Ltd., and government ministries. The team is headed by Anne Ferguson of MSU and Leonard Kamwanja of the University of Malawi. This effort will refine understandings of the challenges both colleges face in transforming ecosystem services for poverty alleviation and identify the ecosystem services and public and private-sector partners most critical in meeting this objective. The resulting strategic plan will position the University of Malawi as a regional center of excellence. Lessons learned will improve research, training, and outreach efforts related to development of ecosystem services, with an emphasis on providing services to historically underserved populations in Malawi and the U.S. MSUs partnership with the University of Malawi began in the early 1980s with the MSU - Bunda College of Agriculture Bean/Cowpea CRSP and has since involved numerous other collaborative research programs in the agricultural and health sciences. The LCC CRSP partners with the Department of Animal Science and the Institute of International Agriculture in MSUs College of Agriculture and Natural Resources on the FORT project in Tajikistan. Building Capacity through Quality Teacher Development Syracuse University (NY) and Kenyatta University (Kenya) have teamed to support teachers professional development by helping them plan, prepare, and adapt lessons and lectures for English-language learners, large lectures, and increased learner engagement at the primary school level. Partners will place additional attention on training higher education instructors to successfully train teachers. This project builds on the already strong collaboration between SUs School of Education and Kenyatta University, spearheaded and led by SU Professor of Mathematics Education Joanna Masingila. A decade ago, SU and Kenyatta University established a formal institutional linkage through their respective schools of education, demonstrating the commitment by both universities to improve teacher development through educational and cultural interchange. The LCC CRSP partners with Syracuse University researcher John McPeak, associate professor of public administration in the Maxwell School at SU. A Nation- and Continent-wide Effort Other lead U.S. institutions involved in the U.S.Africa Higher Education Initiative include: Brown University (RI), Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (host of the SANREM and Integrated Pest Management CRSPs), Indiana University, North Dakota State University, The Ohio State University, Tuskegee University (AL), University of Cincinnati (OH), and the University of Connecticut. Other lead African institutions include: Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia), Catholic University of Sudan, International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (Burkina Faso), Makerere University (Uganda), University of Cape Town (South Africa), Universit Gaston-Berger (Senegal), University of Ghana, and the University of Liberia. For more information, visit: www.aplu.org.
Material for this article was obtained from press releases issued by the USAID Higher Education Development program and the Association of Public Land-grant Universities.

climate change resilience, one chicken at a Time...continued

change impacts. Much like the U.S. in the early 20th century, rural women are the primary keepers of chickens. Poultry and eggs are among the few agricultural products directly and easily accessible to women in rural and peri-rural areas. If women in Mali can raise more chickens, nutrition will improve through better access to high-value protein sources, their household agricultural diversification will increase, their household food security will improve, and household wealth will go up. This is the vision of the Mali Poultry Project, a three-year program aimed at empowering women through education and training in sustainable poultry production. Over the next three years, a small, but expandable, model poultry hatchery will be built in Mali. The model hatchery will serve as a hub for poultry research, outreach, and education. Research on small flock production will take place at this center, as will outreach, training, and education on poultry husbandry and marketing. In addition, the hatchery will serve the regional community by rearing and then supplying farmers with healthy baby chicks, which are often in short supply. Ultimately, this center will be a classic demonstration project to help transfer poultry-rearing technology to producers, government agencies, and public/private philanthropy groups, and inspire similar programs throughout the country and the region. The project will address critical needs including improved genetics, reproduction, nutrition, husbandry, disease prevention, marketing, and manure management. Research will be paired with in-depth education and training programs to ensure that knowledge and technology is transferred to women farmers, often by other women from their own community. As the productivity of women poultry farmers increases, so will the availability of chickens and eggs. Likewise, the cost of production and meat should go down and consumption will inevitably increase. Educational programs for women will help to promote nutritional aspects of poultry and egg consumption for their families. The Mali Poultry Project is funded through an Associate Award from the USAID bilateral mission in Mali. The project will be led by faculty in the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences departments of Poultry Science and Agricultural and Applied Economics, and the College of Veterinary Medicine Pathology Department. The project will be implemented in cooperation with the Mali Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, United States Agency for International Development Mission in Mali, the Malian extension service, and faculty at Colorado State University.

References
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook UN Development Program Country Fact Sheet: Mali and Climate Change Village Chicken production systems in rural Africa: Household food security and gender issues, FAO Animal Production and Health Paper #142
In a congested market in Bamako, Mali, these men prepare chickens on special order from a hotel restaurant. The Mali Poultry Project aims to overcome limits on market access by developing a system for coordinated egg and poultry sales and will work to improve nutrition for women and children. Photo by Jessica Davis, LCC CRSP.

Travel log
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This fall, members of the LCC CRSP Management Entity traveled to West Africa, East Africa, and Central Asia to learn more about climate change issues impacting livestock producers in each region and meet with key players from government, universities, and research and development organizations. These are some of the people and places they visited along the way: 1. A young Maasai boy cradles a sheep in a rural village west of Nairobi, Kenya; 2. At that same village, LCC CRSP Assistant Director Dana Hoag receives a beaded necklace from the women of the village; 3. The village cistern draws a crowd of people and their livestock;

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4. In a rural district outside of Ulanbaatar, Mongolia, a herder stands with his ponies; 5. Dr. J. Erdenebaatar, Head of the Public Health Department at the Institute of Veterinary Medicine in Mongolia, shows off a laboratory where scientists work on livestock diseases like brucellosis; 6. Shana Gillette (right), LCC CRSP Integrated Research Director, poses with Daulet Chunkunov, an agricultural consultant and the owners of a successful dairy farm outside of Almaty, Kazakhstan; 7. Two boys smile shyly for Jessica Davis, LCC CRSP Director, who snapped this photo in the poultry section of a busy market in Bamako, Mali; 8. A team of young boys maneuvers a rickety cart through the markets goat yard, gathering sticks the goats have stripped of leaves; 9. A happy reunion between Jessica Davis and Mamadou Doumbia, Director of Research in Soil Science at Malis Institut dEconomie Rurale, both graduates from the Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences where they worked on the Tropical Soils CRSP. Photos by Dana Hoag (1-3), Shana Gillette (4-6), and Jessica Davis (7-9), LCC CRSP.

2010 seed grants...continued

Final selections were based on panel recommendations, input from the U.S. Agency for International Development in Washington D.C. and bilateral missions, geographic balance, and expertise of the LCC CRSP Management Entity. The 2010 Seed Grant cohort includes 11 U.S. university partners (lead and cooperating institutions); eight international universities; and a total of 19 U.S. and international aid, development, and research organizations, and government agencies. The specific projects selected for funding and their anticipated impacts are listed below. Risk, perception, resilience and adaptation to climate change in Niger and Tanzania (RPRA) A team lead by Sandra Russo, of the University of Florida, will develop indicators of pastoral community vulnerability and resilience to climate change, and determine culturally appropriate livelihood strategies and adaptations for coping with impacts including land degradation, reduced access to food and water (for Nigerien and Tanzanian communities and their livestock), and poor health and sanitation. Transhumance, natural resource and conflict in the Sahel: a pilot project (TRANS) Niall Hanan, of South Dakota State University, and his partners will develop methods for mapping the location, status, and use of migration routes used by Malian pastoralists and their livestock to access seasonally available water and forage. The results will be used to help prevent, reduce, and avoid conflict between mobile pastoralist and sedentary agro-pastoralist communities. Conflict between these groups is likely to escalate as climate changes and resources shift and shrink. Management of river systems for the future (RIVERS) A team led by John McPeak, from Syracuse University (NY), will predict the impact of climate change on vegetation in the Senegal River floodplain, an ecosystem that provides forage for livestock. The team also aims to enhance food security for, and reduce conflicts between, rice farmers and pastoralists by identifying areas along the Senegal River floodplain where conversion to rice cultivation may be least disruptive to livestock production and movement of pastoralists and their livestock. A cost-effectiveness framework for landscape rehabilitation and carbon sequestration in North Kenya (CARBON) Daniel Rubenstein, from Princeton University (NJ), will lead an interdisciplinary team that seeks to improve rangeland management, mitigate climate change, improve pastoralist livelihoods, and provide skills and training to young scientists by developing participatory tools for evaluating land health, assessing its potential for degradation, and predicting where management actions will increase carbon sequestration, ecosystem functions, and forage production in North Kenya. Pastoral transformations to resilient futures: understanding climate from the ground up (PTRF) Kathleen Galvin, from Colorado State University, and her collaborators will work with Maasai pastoralists in Kenya to co-create strategies for sustaining livestock production based on an understanding of the most important climate and social changes affecting livestock management and the cultural, socio-economic, and physical impediments to climate change adaptation. Climate variability, pastoralism, and commodity chains in Ethiopia and Kenya (CHAINS) Peter Little, of Emory University (GA), and his collaborators aim to improve policy on pastoral marketing and commodity chains through evaluation of interactions between climate, market access for pastoral livestock producers, and commodity chains in Ethiopia and Kenya. Strengthening Tanzanian livestock health and pastoral livelihoods in a changing climate (HALI2) A team lead by Ian Gardner, of the University of California at Davis, will implement a program to reduce vulnerability of pastoralists in Tanzania to altered disease dynamics brought about by climate change. The team aims to improve regional capacity for predicting, diagnosing, and responding to livestock health problems through integration of data on disease, environment, economics, and climate.
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Introducing the advisory board

The LCC CRSP Advisory Board provides input on the overall program goals, recommends strategies for programmatic development and advises and concurs on the program budget. The LCC CRSP is honored to have such distinguished, accomplished, and experienced board members serving on our Advisory Board. Nancy Morgan, Food and Agriculture Organization Nancy Morgan is an agricultural economist with the Food and Agriculture Organizations serving as an economic liaison with the World Bank. She most recently spent two years working as FAOs livestock policy officer for Asia. Prior to that, she worked for seven years in the headquarters of the FAO in Rome where she worked as a livestock economist and was responsible for FAOs analysis on livestock markets and trade. Prior to working with FAO, between 1989 and 1999, she was employed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington D.C. where, at both the Economic Research Service and the Foreign Agricultural Service, she served as a commodity economist in various positions, the last of which was as an International Poultry Analyst. John McDermott, DVM, Deputy Director General Research, International Livestock Research Institute John McDermott is a veterinarian, with a masters degree and a doctorate in epidemiology. He has worked as a veterinarian in large animal practice in Canada, a field veterinarian for the Food and Agriculture Organization in Sudan, a visiting scientist in France and as a university lecturer/professor in Canada and Kenya. McDermott joined the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in 1997 to work on tropical infectious diseases, ecosystem health, and animal health services. He was appointed Deputy Director GeneralResearch in April 2003. McDermott has published widely (approximately 200 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and conference papers) and has advised over 30 post-graduate students. In his current position, he coordinates ILRIs livestock research portfolio and works closely with governments, donors and other development partners in optimizing how livestock research can benefit poor farmers throughout the developing world. Linda Logan, DVM, Department Head, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science After graduating with her DVM from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University in 1976, Linda Logan helped initiate a U.S. Agency for International Development Texas A&M University contract on vector-borne livestock diseases based in Bamako, Mali. Following her Ph.D. from the University of California at Davis in comparative pathology, she conducted research on tropical livestock diseases at the International Livestock Research Institute in Nairobi, Kenya. She gained a wealth of experience on livestock diseases and food safety research while serving as the national program leader for Animal Health Research with the U.S. Department of Agricultures Agricultural Research Service (19962000). Prior to rejoining Texas A&M, Logan served as senior attach for Africa and the Middle East with the USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service. Jesse Njoka, Senior Lecturer ,Department of Land Resources and Agricultural Technology, University of Nairobi, Kenya Jesse Njoka is a senior lecturer at the University of Nairobi (UON) in the Department of Range Management. He joined the faculty of his alma mater in 1980 after completing a masters and Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in the College of Natural Resources. Between 1986 and 1992, he chaired the Department of Range Management at UON, ushering in the first cohort of graduate students in the history of the department. Njoka currently serves as the chairman of the Nairobi Cluster on Livestock/Wildlife Interface Challenges and the East Africa Wildlife Society. He has published numerous professional papers and contributed chapters in several books. Jimmy Smith, Team Leader, Global Livestock Portfolio for the World Bank Jimmy W. Smith is a graduate of the University of Illinois, at Urbana-Champaign, where he completed his Ph.D. in Animal Sciences. Based in Washington, D.C., he currently leads the World Banks Global Livestock Portfolio. Prior to joining the World Bank he
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country profile: republic of mali

The Sudanese Republic and Senegal became independent of France in 1960 as the Mali Federation. When Senegal withdrew after only a few months, what formerly made up the Sudanese Republic was renamed Mali. This landlocked country of 1,240,192 square kilometers (478,840 square miles; slightly less than twice the size of Texas) borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Cte dIvoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Mali is located in the Sahelian region of Africa. Stretching from Senegal in the west to Sudan in the east, this climate zone is characterized by semiarid conditions and a long, harsh, dry season (8-9 months without rain). Climate change is expected to bring both warmer temperatures and additional precipitation to Mali; however, conditions are likely to be drier because of evaporation. Grasslands and savannah vegetation in the Sahel is considered highly nutritious and digestible to livestock and is a prized grazing resource. However, because domestic livestock require access to drinking water, most areas (i.e., anywhere not close to rivers or permanent water bodies) are inaccessible except during the wet season. As a result, nearly 10% of Malis population is nomadic, moving seasonally with their livestock north during the rainy season to graze in the Sahel and returning south in the dry season to graze on agricultural residue. Agriculture makes up nearly half of Malis gross domestic product (GDP) and employs 80% of the labor force, despite the fact that, as of 2005, only 3.76% of the country was comprised of arable land. While a small fraction of livestock products are exported, most remain in the country. As of 2005, there were 30 million chicken, ducks, guinea fowl, and turkeys in Mali and, according to the Poultry Development Project in Mali (PDAM) most birds (more than 90%) are being raised in traditional scavenging systems. In 1999, Mali was estimated to have 6.4 million cattle and nearly 16 million sheep and goats. Malians are amongst the poorest people in the world; 90% of the population earns less than $2.00 a day. Most of the population resides in rural areas. Opportunities for education are limited; most children only attend school until age eight, and less than half the population is literate (persons more than 15 years of age who can read and write). The U.S. government considers Mali to be a country of high risk for infectious disease. Both birth rates and infant mortality rates are among the highest in the world; adults are only expected to live to about 50 years of age. While there have been some disturbances in the north of the country, Mali is considered one of the most politically and socially stable countries in Africa. President Alpha Konare won Malis first democratic presidential election in 1992 and was reelected in 1997. In keeping with Malis two-term constitutional limit, Konare stepped down in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou Toure, who was subsequently re-elected to a second term in 2007. The elections were widely judged to be free and fair. According to a recent report by the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law, dysfunctions in public health, education, access to healthcare, and access to drinking water make communities and households in Mali some of the most vulnerable to climate change in all of Africa. The reports authors contend that people and communities that are already sick or under-nourished, that lack access to water and health care, and that have low levels of education are more likely to experience problems than those that are healthy and well-fed, with adequate water, health services, and education. A World Bank brief on the country seems to concur, indicating that Malis gains in building a democratic political system have yet to translate into effective delivery of basic social services, a strong business environment, and tough controls on corruption. Because of limited progress in access to basic social services, Mali may continue to experience challenges in making significant progress toward alleviating vulnerability and building resilience to climate change in the near future.

Mali

References
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook IRIN News The World Bank H.N. Le Hourou (1980 and 1989) USAID The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas at Austin Poultry Development Project

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partner profile: michael lacy

Mike Lacy loves chickens. Why? Because the world revolves around chickens, he asserts, and its just a matter of time before everyone realizes that. Mike Lacy is heading up the Mali Poultry Project, a Livestock-Climate Change CRSP initiative funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development bilateral mission in the West African country of Mali. Lacy got his start with poultry as a Virginia Tech freshman. Lacy says, I wantedno, I needed to do something that was related to biology, related to animals, and that was going to have a positive impact on human kind. I started out as a biology major and was advised by a professor to talk to the poultry science people because they do practical work, good science, would provide opportunities to work with animals, and focus on a food eaten all over the world. Within five minutes of going over there, they had me sold. Lacy has led the Poultry Science Department at UGA since 2001 and like a proud rooster, doesnt hesitate to crow about their accomplishments. Its important to this project that the department has such a depth of expertise that they can bring to bear genetics, incubation, hatchery management, poultry management, environmental issues, processing, food safetywell be able to call upon their expertise as we need to. Lacy also points out, Well also be collaborating with the vet school to overcome disease issues that Mali faces, and also with the Agricultural and Applied Economics Department to make sure those aspects of production are being addressed. Its clear that Lacy and his UGA team are very passionate about poultry production and the contribution it can make to rural Malian communities, especially women. We are really looking forward to working with people with shared interests in Mali.

Lacy and his team see the Mali Poultry Project as a way to make a significant contribution, not just to poultry science, but to the people of Mali as well. One or two eggs per week for children would have a tremendous impact on the nutritional status of children throughout the country, throughout Africa, Lacy contends.

If the world really does revolve around chickens, it seems the people of Mali may have already realized it. Whats also cool, says Lacy, is that the people of Mali already know how great chickens are. Chicken is considered to be a luxury in Mali. Theres no need to sell the culture on the benefits of poultrythey know that, they just need more of it.

After completing a bachelors, masters, and doctoral degree at Virginia Tech, Lacy came to the University of Georgia in 1985 as a poultry extension specialist. Georgia is the largest poultry producer in the U.S., he explains, It was the perfect job for a poultry science guy. Working in the southeastern U.S. gave Lacy the opportunity to concentrate on techniques and methods for managing poultry in hot climates, experience that eventually lead him to Africa. There, he worked with a commercial poultry company in South Africa and participated in a research for development project helping rural South African women increase their incomes by improving market access for poultry products. In addition, he helped to establish a U.S. government-sponsored model poultry farm in Algeria.

Poultry production has made a huge contribution to the U.S. In just the last 80-90 years, poultry production in the U.S. has really developed. It used to be that raising chickens was mostly small-timean opportunity for women in rural America to set aside a little money from selling eggs. When we think about the history of poultry production in the U.S. it gives us a vision for what might happen in Mali. When managed well, chickens can be highly efficient, requiring less than two pounds of feed to produce a pound of meat, and can be very productive, with the capacity to produce 280-300 eggs per year. Chickens will eat almost anything and are an environmentally friendly animal with a low carbon footprint because they are so efficient.

Michael Lacy (above) checks incubating eggs at a research facility at the University of Georgia where he heads the Poultry Science Department. Lacy and his multidisciplinary team of UGA faculty will lead the development of a model poultry hatchery in the West African country of Mali as part of the LCC CRSP Mali Poultry Project. Photo courtesy of Michael Lacy, UGA. At the Mali hatchery, scientists will conduct research into Newcastle disease (ND) to improve vaccination efforts, making it easier to successfully raise poultry (left). At the same time, the team will work with Malian extension agents and CSU faculty to conduct marketing research with the aim of understanding the economics of poultry production and improving market access for women producers. In addition, marketing and education programs will work to improve nutrition for women and children by addressing cultural notions that chicken meat should be reserved for special occasions or that consuming too many eggs is unlucky. Photos by Jessica Davis, LCC CRSP.

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Introducing the advisory board...continued

held senior positions at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR), and at the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI). He has contributed chapters in several books and published over 75 research monographs and professional papers in refereed journals and edited proceedings. Joyce Turk, Senior Livestock Advisor, U.S. Agency for International Development Joyce Turks career spans thirty years as Foreign Service Officer and Civil Service employee to the U.S. Agency for International Development with focused experience in agricultural and livestock program management. She develops and supervises global livestock production, health and research projects, manages multidisciplinary teams of scientific researchers in the U.S. and developing countries, and negotiates and resolves problems in project design and implementation. In addition, she assists partners in developing potential market opportunities for U.S. trade in collaboration with livestock industry representatives, and advises developing country

The Advisory Board on a recent visit to the LCC CRSP at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (from left to right): Joyce Turk (USAID), Jimmy Smith (The World Bank), Linda Logan (Texas A&M), John McDermott (ILRI), and Jesse Njoka (UON). Not pictured: Nancy Morgan. Photo by Sarah Lupis, LCC CRSP.

governments on strategies for livestock production, health and marketing. As USAIDs Senior Livestock Advisor, she represents the U.S. Government at European Union and United Nations conventions. Turk is an ex-officio member of the LCC CRSP Advisory Board.

Chronicles
2010 seed grants...continued
Director: Jessica Davis Newsletter Editor: Sarah Lupis Contributing Writers: Carol Borchert and Sarah Lupis Published quarterly by the Management Entity, LivestockClimate Change Collaborative Research Support Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1644, USA. Telephone: 970-297-5060 Fax: 970-297-5067 E-Mail: csucrsp@colostate.edu www.csucrsp.org
This publication was made possible through support provided to the ALS-CC CRSP by the Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade, U.S. Agency for International Development, under the terms of Grant No. EEM-A-00-10-00001. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Agency for International Development or the U.S. government. Printed on Recycled Paper

Enhancing livestock production systems in Tajikistan to mitigate potential impacts of climate change (FORT) Nanda Joshi, of Michigan State University, and his team will work to overcome current and predicted forage shortages brought on by changes in political structure and climate change-induced drought conditions. The team will establish on-farm demonstration sites in four regions of Tajikistan that will serve to transfer technology for growing droughtresistant forage crops and shrubs to local stakeholders. Increasing the adaptive capacity of Mongolian livestock herders under a changing climate through rangeland ecosystem monitoring and community-based conservation (REMM) Maria Fernandez-Jimenez, from Colorado State University, and her interdisciplinary team of collaborators will empower Mongolian pastoralists to adapt to climate change by helping to create a system for monitoring and managing rangeland health. The team will work with stakeholders to develop indicators for rangeland health and will also conduct training workshops on community-based adaptive ecosystem management.