The promise of abundant milk and meat drives many poor African farmers to spend scarce money on imported cattle breeds. However, under the harsh conditions of Africa’s smallholder farms, these exotic breeds generally perform poorly. New breeding technologies promise to improve this situation, and generate a breeding pool of affordable, hardy and productive cattle breeds suitable for African farmers.
Today's science and development issues are complex, often involving multiple international players, yet demanding local solutions. Increasingly, many acknowledge that such local solutions can best be summed up and communicated by showing local people talking in their own surroundings, especially in a world where few outside the research communities have the time or expertise to assess raw data. In this setting, science and development documentaries fill a vital role.The film department at ILRI (the International Livestock Research Institute) therefore aims to widen understanding of important topics that face pro-poor agricultural research in livestock issues, so removing one stumbling-block to the quick up-take of new technologies among those who could benefit most.
