Animal production systems in South-East and east Asia are discussed in the context of their potential and challenges for research to address poverty alleviation, increased food production and food security and environmentally sustainable development. The projected human population increase, rising incomes and changing consumer preferences will accelerate the demand for, and access to food in the future. This will place considerable pressures on the use of natural resources (land, crops and animals).

During the drought of 2009 many Kenyan pastoralists were forced to move with their livestock in search of grazing land. We met Ann and her family in the rangelands outside of Nairobi. This is her story of how the drought has affected her life. This photofilm was part of a duckrabbit training productions for ILRI in Nairobi in August 2010. The audio and production was led by ILRI's Muthoni Njiru, Tezira Lore and Julius Nyangaga (formerly with ILRI). The majority of the photos are by David White of duckrabbit).

2011 was the first year of operation of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). CCAFS brings together the work of all 15 international Centres in the CGIAR, and is a joint programme between the CGIAR and the Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP). 2011 was a start-up year in terms of introducing a new way of working across Centres, but it was also a year of considerable research effort. Work was initiated in the field at many sites, and baseline surveys were completed in three regions on two continents.

Presents papers on inventory of animal feed resources in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Burundi, Madagascar, Botswana, Swaziland and Mozambique, research and development experiences in Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi and Zimbabwe; socioeconomic aspects of feed resources; and regional/sub-regional research programmes.

Discusses the potential of leguminous trees to increase crop-livestock production in sub-Saharan Africa. Describes major management issues influencing tree introduction and contributions to the system. Gives a detailed account of the management techniques suitable for different agro-ecological zones.

Grazing exclosures are a cost-effective means of restoring or enhancing the productivity of communal lands in Ethiopia. An extension of the traditional practice of excluding grazing from communal areas to enable regeneration of vegetation, exclosures provide much needed livelihood and environmental benefits. The success of the exclosure approach faces several challenges to their scaling by government and civil society, including inequity and competition within and among communities, rates of economic return, and individualisation of the commons.