Rupsha Banerjee argues that the current revolution in information access offers opportunities to transform and extend opportunities for women pastoralists in East Africa Continue reading
Category Archives: Africa
Why women are among the best clients for livestock insurance in East Africa
Rupsha Banerjee, Eric Mwaura and Sabdiyo Dido ask why women pastoralists in East Africa – who are not usually significant livestock owners – are major customers for IBLI’s livestock insurance product. Continue reading
Why direct climate funding to African farmers will pay off
Africa currently only attracts around 5 per cent of climate funding. This is despite the fact that six of the 10 countries most affected by climate change are in Africa, and every single African nation that submitted climate adaptation strategies to the UNFCCC in Paris last year, included agriculture in its plans. Continue reading
How satellites and insurance are securing livestock in East Africa
Developed in partnership with International Livestock Research Institute, Cornell University and University of California Davis, IBLI uses data gathered by satellite to create a vegetation index that can be used to track the density of vegetation available to pastoralists. Continue reading
Up in the sky, help to keep Africans from starving
Andrew Mude, a Kenyan economist, has a way of explaining satellites. When he’s talking to pastoral in his country’s north — people who roam the earth with a dozen head of cattle and very little else — he talks about the stars that don’t act like other stars. “They’re actually taking pictures of the ground,” Mude says. Herders, a stargazing people, understand. Continue reading
Characterizing Regional Suitability for Index Based Livestock Insurance
Pastoral populations of Sub-Saharan Africa are particularly vulnerable to environmental shocks, which contribute to livestock mortality and therefore losses in both wealth and productive assets. Although conventional insurance mechanisms covering individual losses are generally not cost effective (page 2) in low-income pastoral communities that engage in extensive grazing, index insurance for livestock offers a promising … Continue reading
Kenyan accepts 2016 Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application at World Food Prize Event in Iowa
Originally posted on ILRI news:
Andrew Mude, speaking at an event announcing his award held at ILRI in Nairobi, Kenya, 30 Aug 2016 (photo credit: ILRI/Susan MacMillan). Researcher Andrew Mude and colleagues are also receiving today a USAID ‘Award for Scientific Excellence’. Both awards honour innovative use of satellite technology and community outreach to develop livestock insurance…
Andrew Mude from ILRI winner of Norman Borlaug Award
Sophie Mbugua Sep. 2, 2016 A Kenyan economist has won the 2016 Norman Borlaug Award from the World Food Prize for an innovative program that provides pastoralists with livestock insurance…. Continue reading
Food prize puts Kenyan researcher on global map—Kenya’s ‘Business Daily’ newspaper
Originally posted on ILRI Clippings:
Andrew Mude (picture credit: Business Daily) Even with the Tuesday announcement that he had won the award, Andrew Mude, who holds a doctorate in economics, remains a modest man committed to resolving the dilemma that pastoral communities, especially in northern Kenya, have endured for decades. ‘When he was named winner…
Kenyan economist Andrew Mude wins the 2016 Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application
Originally posted on ILRI news:
Andrew Mude, a principal research scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), in Nairobi, Kenya, was yesterday named the 5th recipient of a prestigious award for his work in providing insurance to livestock herders in East Africa’s drylands through innovative, state-of-the-art technologies. It was announced yesterday (30 Aug 2016) in Nairobi, Kenya, that Andrew…