Reflecting on 2024: 50 years of ILRI and a renewed resolve for the future
As 2024 draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on a truly momentous year for ILRI and the CGIAR.
It was a year of celebration, renewal, and, above all, resolve. At ILRI, we marked 50 years of research and impact in livestock development—an incredible milestone that allowed us to pause and honour the journey that brought us here. At the same time, we launched a bold new strategy to shape the next chapter of ILRI’s story, one focused on delivering solutions that address the urgent challenges facing people and the planet.
This year, we celebrated our shared legacy in countries where ILRI has deep roots and an ongoing presence—Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, and India (we will celebrate our West Africa heritage in Senegal in February 2025). These events brought together our leadership team with collaborators and partners from governments, research institutions, private sector actors, and communities. They were more than ceremonies; they reaffirmed the relationships that have defined ILRI’s work and highlighted the transformative breakthroughs achieved through these partnerships.
As we celebrated this rich heritage, we also took a decisive step forward. Across these key regions we launched our new strategy, engaging with partners and stakeholders who have been central to ILRI’s journey. These events were an opportunity to share our vision for the future while building on the partnerships that have shaped our work for five decades. In Nairobi, we marked a special moment by bringing together ILRI board members, country partners and all ILRI’s director generals–past and present–for the first time in our history. This gathering symbolized the leadership and collective wisdom that have steered ILRI through five decades of innovation and impact, providing a strong foundation for this new chapter.
Honouring the past, built for the future
Our roots are strong, planted by the pioneering work of the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD) and the International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA). ILRAD’s laboratory innovations set global standards in controlling livestock diseases, from understanding human and animal diseases like trypanosomiasis to producing the East Coast fever vaccine that saved countless cattle. ILCA, with its field-based focus, demonstrated the productive and cultural role of African cattle breeds, nutrient recycling in mixed farming systems, and the resilience of pastoralism.
Together, these institutions laid the foundation for what ILRI has become: a global leader in livestock research, capacity building, and impact. As the only CGIAR center with a fully dedicated livestock mandate, ILRI ensures livestock science contributes to CGIAR’s new portfolio and global development efforts.
This legacy is reflected in the diverse and impactful stories from 2024. Our researchers are on the cusp of a breakthrough in the fight against African swine fever, with a promising vaccine candidate. From the launch of Indichick, a genomic tool for poultry genetic improvement developed in partnership with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, to the innovative use of drones by ILRI’s Mazingira Centre to measure ruminant methane emissions in Africa, these milestones showcase ILRI’s ability to lead scientific advancements. Similarly, the High-Quality Cassava Peel Mash technology, now scaling out beyond Nigeria, transforms waste into feed and economic opportunity. We also celebrated 40 years of ILRI’s forage genebank in Ethiopia, a resource central to conserving the genetic diversity of forages
This year, ILRI also strengthened its global presence by actively participating in three major international Conference of Parties (COPs)—on biodiversity, climate, and desertification. At these engagements, we presented evidence-based approaches demonstrating how livestock systems can restore rangelands, conserve biodiversity, and build climate resilience, while addressing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainable land use to prevent deforestation and biodiversity loss. Through these efforts, ILRI reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that livestock systems benefit both people and the planet.
Our commitment to regional relevance and localized solutions is also clear. In Uganda, ILRI celebrated 12 years of collaboration to transform the livestock sector, while in Nepal ILRI signed a memorandum of understanding between the government of Nepal and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development to drive sustainable livestock development. Meanwhile, in Zambia, we worked with local partners to provide essential poultry training to women farmers, helping to rekindle and revitalize chicken farming in the region.
Innovation and collaboration towards 2030
A key pillar of ILRI’s 2030 Research, Innovation and Impact strategy is a new operational model designed to integrate and accelerate impact of our research. This year, we launched the Livestock and Climate Solutions Hub at the African Food Systems Forum in Kigali, Rwanda – the first of three hubs ILRI will host to address critical challenges in sustainable livestock development. Supported by the foundational investment by the Ballmer Group, and other aligned investments by the Bezos Earth Fund, the Gates Foundation and the Global Methane Hub, the Livestock and Climate Solutions Hub represents a significant step in uniting investment and expertise to address one of the biggest global challenges of our time.
The hubs will advance delivery of our new strategy by bringing together ILRI’s innovations with complementary solutions, while engaging funders, policymakers, development experts, and private sector actors to scale impactful solutions and innovations. The other two hubs—the Policy, Advocacy, and Investment Hub and the Food Systems Transformation Hub—on course for the launch in 2025 will focus on driving informed decision-making and embedding livestock within equitable, resilient food systems. Together with the full breadth of ILRI’s research portfolio within CGIAR, they will promote greater strategic collaboration and amplify impact.
A new chapter for the challenges ahead
Yet, even as we celebrate these achievements, we know there is limited time to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals in 2030 and to start delivering innovations to transition to climate smart and resilient livestock systems. The communities we serve—farmers, pastoralists, and those who depend on livestock systems—face complex, interconnected challenges that require urgent action. We are optimistic that the new CGIAR research and innovation 2025—2030 will strengthen ILRI’s commitment and the contribution of livestock to the transformation of food, land and water systems in a climate crisis.
Livelihoods must be strengthened. Livestock health must be safeguarded. Animals must be better fed, and systems must be adapted to an increasingly unpredictable climate. Policies must be data-driven and evidence-based, while creating environments that recognize and support contributions to livestock systems. At the same time, investments must scale to enable sustainable livestock systems to drive development.
To all our donors and partners, we thank you for the support and trust over the past year. Your contributions are key to helping ILRI advance its mission.
With 50 years of achievement behind us, we step into 2025 with renewed energy and purpose. We are driven by the knowledge that livestock, when sustainably managed, can yield food security, food sovereignty and livelihoods dividends while also supporting biodiversity conservation and climate action. Our ambition is clear: to impact the lives of more than 300 million people by 2030, ensuring that livestock systems are more productive, equitable, and sustainable.
This work is complex, and it cannot be done alone. It relies on the expertise and commitment of our teams, the strength of our partnerships, and the shared vision of our collaborators around the world. As we move forward, we will continue working closely with our current donors while broadening our funding base to deliver on our new strategy.
Together, we have achieved so much—and together, we will continue to drive change where it is needed most.
Thank you for being part of this journey. I look forward to working with each and every one of you to build on the momentum of 2024 and tackle the challenges and opportunities of the years ahead.