Managing the health risks associated with agriculture: An overview of research by the International Livestock Research Institute

Over 60 per cent of the newly identified infectious diseases that have affected people over the past few decades have been caused by pathogens originating from animals or animal products. In agricultural areas that use more water, people face increased risk of infectious diseases, especially through zoonotic diseases (diseases transmissible from animals to people) as well as water-borne and vector-borne diseases. The CGIAR research program on agriculture for nutrition and health (A4NH) carries out research to maximize the nutritional and health benefits of agricultural development. The program has four research themes: value chains, biofortification, control of agriculture-associated diseases, and integrated programs and policies. The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) leads the research theme on the prevention and control of agriculture-associated diseases. Key areas of focus of this theme are: ● food safety: participatory risk assessment in milk and meat value chains in informal markets as well as risk and economic assessment of aflatoxins ● neglected zoonoses: epidemiology, ecology and socio-economics of disease emergence in urban areas ● emerging infectious diseases: mapping the risk of vector-borne diseases; determining the drivers of disease emergence and transmission; and modelling of disease transmission to improve decision-making towards preventing and controlling diseases The research outputs will be used by value chain actors, policymakers, development program implementers and governments to improve animal-source food value chains and prevent and control infectious diseases. Ultimately, this will lead to improved nutrition and health, especially among women and children

CGIAR Initiative on One Health annual planning meeting, 24–25 April 2023

On 24–25 April 2023, the CGIAR Initiative on One Health held its annual planning meeting at the Addis Ababa campus of the International Livestock Research Institute, with some participants joining online via Microsoft Teams. The goal of the meeting was to bring together the work package leaders and core team to review the initiative’s achievements of 2022 and plan the research activities and deliverables for 2023. The specific objectives of the meeting were to: (1) review achievements of 2022 and discuss activities and deliverables planned for 2023 by each work package; (2) coordinate cross–work package activities including study locations, joint projects and collaboration with other initiatives; (3) discuss and reflect on communication, monitoring and evaluation, gender, scaling, staffing and budget; and (4) build the team and engage with partners in Ethiopia and the region at large

Using social media to enhance research discoverability: Experiences of the International Livestock Research Institute

<p>Presented at a workshop on discoverability of African scholarship online</p

CGIAR Initiative on One Health: Ethiopia stakeholder workshop, 26 April 2023

On 26 April 2023, the CGIAR Initiative on One Health held a stakeholder workshop at the Addis Ababa campus of the International Livestock Research Institute, with some participants joining online via Microsoft Teams. The objective of the workshop was to review the progress of the initiative’s research in the target countries, with a focus on the work in Ethiopia, and explore how the initiative can better support One Health activities in Ethiopia and the region at large