SRUC

Tropical livestock centre publishes ten-year vision

A livestock genetic research organisation involving SRUC has published its ten-year vision to support tropical livestock development and the lives of people who rely on them for food and income.

The key strategic objectives and future focus of the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH) for the next ten years have been published in the Centre’s ‘Vision 2030’ document.

Building on the achievements it has made in its first five years, the centre will focus on three strategic objectives: leading and supporting research to develop innovations to support genetic improvement in tropical production systems; mobilising its partnerships and developing collaborations with farmer-facing organisations capable of delivering and sustaining the innovations on the ground; and supporting capacity building and knowledge exchange activities to deliver research and technical training programmes in low- and middle-income countries.

The Vision 2030 document also clearly outlines how the centre intends to measure its success against each of these three objectives and how its work continues to deliver the global agenda of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and to contribute towards resilient, productive and sustainable food systems.

A strategic livestock genetics research and development alliance between SRUC, the University of Edinburgh (through the Roslin Institute) and the International Livestock Research Centre (ILRI), CTLGH has made significant progress since it was established in 2014.

The centre’s researchers have already developed important tools to support genetic improvement in tropical livestock and enhanced scientific capacity of researchers in sub-Saharan Africa through training and research placements. Examples of some of these achievements can be found in the ‘Five Year Highlights’ published by the Centre in 2019.

Professor Appolinaire Djikeng, Director of CTLGH, said: “We have leveraged our strength and focus on tropical livestock genetic improvement to set ambitious, bold and relevant goals for the next ten years. We therefore look to the 2030 horizon with optimism, building on previous CTLGH achievements.

“We remain indebted to the Centre’s researchers, collaborators and advisors as well as our generous funders who are committed to establishing resilient, productive, efficient and environmentally sustainable tropical livestock systems.”

Professor Wayne Powell, Principal of CTLGH and Principal and Chief Executive of SRUC, said: “CTLGH has made significant progress since it was established in 2014. We are determined to ensure that the centre will continue to leverage innovations which our respective institutions and partners have developed, to help strengthen livestock development globally.”

With research nodes in Scotland, Kenya and Ethiopia, the centre receives funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Jersey Overseas Aid (JOA).

View the CTLGH vision document here.


Posted by SRUC on 22/07/2020

Tags: Livestock, Research, Sustainability
Categories: Research