How to bridge the divide across Africa’s fragmented veterinary medicine sector

This blog was written by GALVmed CEO, Carolin Schumacher and published by CNBC-Africa.

From backyard chicken raising to the grazing cattle of nomadic pastoralists, across much of rural Africa, animal diseases travel faster and wider than veterinary medicine.

An estimated 800 million people keep chickens, goats and cattle across the continent as valuable sources of food, income, fuel and fibre. Yet across Africa, the most prominent livestock diseases cost an estimated $9 billion every year – roughly 6% of the total value of the continent’s livestock sector.

Protecting and treating animals across such a vast and disparate population and geographic expanse is complicated and costly. Getting vaccines and medicine to livestock in remote areas of Africa is often limited by a lack of knowledge, manpower, funding and reliable refrigerated transport. Even when resources exist, they are typically spread too thin to systematically protect animal health and, by extension, the incomes of livestock keepers.

With a rapidly growing population and demand for animal-derived protein, enabling the veterinary sector to address the diverse needs and challenges of small-scale producers is not only possible, but also critical to Africa’s sustainable development.

Entrusted with the safeguarding of national herds, government veterinary services have historically focused on the most detrimental diseases affecting large-scale livestock operations, leaving many small-scale farmers behind.

Efforts in the past have successfully dealt with damaging infectious livestock diseases, including eradicating the deadly cattle disease rinderpest in 2011 through an integrated global campaign. Yet existing government-led efforts to manage other contagious livestock diseases are now lagging.

Facing rising economic pressures and a significantly broadened mandate, many African governments can no longer achieve sufficient vaccination coverage and deliver “last mile” services that saw volunteers across the continent contribute to rinderpest’s eradication even in the most remote communities.

Comprehensive livestock health management today requires governments and other livestock health organisations to think holistically and consider the infectious diseases limiting small-scale livestock producers’ potential. This includes foot and mouth disease, lumpy skin disease and contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) in cattle, as well as peste des petits ruminants (PPR), sheep and goat pox and contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) in sheep and goats.

Meanwhile, the global veterinary medicine industry has traditionally focused on addressing livestock health issues of the Global North, where the profitable markets justify the high cost of investments in research and development of new products.

Small-scale producers of large and small ruminants – cattle, sheep, and other grazing animals – in the Global South have not benefitted from such investment. A commercially viable market for ruminant vaccination does not currently exist. Where it does, it can be regularly undermined by free mass vaccination by governments, non-governmental organisations and development agencies. Simply put, there are not enough private veterinary vaccination efforts supporting small-scale livestock producers.

In recent years, the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed) and several private animal health companies have succeeded in developing and bringing to market a more complete portfolio of affordable animal vaccines and medicines for small-scale livestock producers in the Global South. Further, combined efforts in the poultry sector have demonstrated that governments and businesses sharing responsibility can foster a functioning veterinary service sector and vibrant, locally adapted veterinary medicine infrastructure and industry that caters to the specific needs of small-scale producers.

In practice, this means creating demand through increased awareness about livestock diseases while providing uninterrupted access to affordable veterinary products at the farm level. Adequately addressing the needs of the continent’s tens of millions of small-scale producers requires opening the ruminant vaccines market for private sector development, particularly for vaccine suppliers, local supply chain actors and private veterinary service providers.

Improving product registration and distribution will also help to equip farmers across Africa with the tools needed to preserve their animals’ health and support food security and economic growth on the continent, including their own.

Together with our partners, GALVmed has delivered more than 1.2 billion vaccines and other animal health products to farmers across Africa and South Asia, preventing the deaths of more than 23 million livestock – and the associated impacts this has on farmers’ incomes and food security.

Currently, GALVmed’s partners are developing a suite of combination vaccinations that address multiple infectious livestock diseases with a single intervention. These new vaccines promise to facilitate and improve vaccination access for farmers. Preventing multiple diseases at a lower cost will protect their livestock and livelihoods more completely and for the long term.

The vision of a food-secure, resilient African continent is well worth the efforts of removing the barriers to the functioning of the African small-scale livestock-producing sector. When governments, policymakers, veterinarians and veterinary medicine developers put the needs of small-scale producers first, they can help fill the gaps of the fragmented livestock health sector. Today, most tools are available but stakeholders will have to work together to deliver them to the farmers who need them most, for the benefit of Africa’s small-scale livestock-producing sector and society at large.

Photo credit: GALVmed/Buta Photography. A woman selling veterinary medicines in Ghana, 2022.

How Clinical Diagnostics Could Help the Global Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance

This blog was written by Thembinkosi Ramuthivheli (GALVmed), Marie-Elodie Le Guen (Ceva), and Dr. Pierre-Marie Borne (Ceva). Originally published by Farming First.

The misuse of antibiotics in both human and animal health has created an urgent health emergency globally. The resistance of microbes to antibiotics that are constantly used to combat them makes infections harder to treat, creating an antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis directly responsible for up to 1.27 million global human deaths as of 2019.

In developing countries, the challenges created by AMR are even more pronounced. Many small-scale producers, desperate to treat their infected livestock, turn to and misuse the most readily available antibiotics, further exacerbating the resistance to antibiotics while increasing losses due to death. As a result of the increasing threat of this phenomenon, AMR has become one of the priorities of the quadripartite agreement and the upcoming 2024 UN High-Level Meeting aimed at ramping up global action.

Essential diagnostic tools have also been initiated in several cities to aid in selecting the right antibiotics for specific livestock infections. Diagnostics have the potential to aid veterinarians in assisting farmers to identify specific disease-causing bacteria, allowing for the rationalised use of antibiotics. However, these tools are not easily accessible to small-scale producers in rural areas, setting the world several steps backwards in efforts to effectively combat the growing threat of AMR​.

Combating antimicrobial resistance with the OneLab Initiative

Small-scale producers generate about one-third of the world’s food supply and bear a significant brunt of the risks of AMR. To address the access gap between them and essential diagnostic tools to tackle microbial infections, Ceva Laprovet’s OneLab Initiative, in partnership with GALVmed, is supporting with a solution that brings clinical diagnostic services closer to small and medium-sized commercial farms. Traditionally, small-scale producers in poultry areas have faced difficulties accessing diagnostic tools, as laboratories that have them are often located far away and primarily in big cities. The long distances, challenges of transportation and delays in results have prevented farmers from getting the timely help they need when their poultry or livestock fall ill​.

OneLab technicians performing tests in one of the diagnostic centers, Senegal, 2023. . Credit: GALVmed/Mediaprod

The OneLab Initiative seeks to bridge this gap by setting up small laboratory units with diagnostic tools at veterinary clinics in poultry areas. Accessing diagnostics in these clinics allows for quick detection of bacterial infections which helps veterinarians recommend the most appropriate treatment for infected flocks, ensuring farmers use the right antibiotic while reducing the risk of antimicrobial resistance in their livestock.

The first tool introduced under the initiative is the orientation antibiogram, a practical diagnostic test that provides results in less than 24 hours. This enables veterinarians to determine not only if antibiotics should be used, but also which specific antibiotic will be most effective. This rapid feedback is critical in reducing the time farmers would otherwise spend on trial-and-error treatments, minimising losses due to disease​ and also ensuring overall reduction of the use of antibiotics.

Getting results in Senegal

In Senegal, the OneLab initiative has successfully calculated the level of resistance to antibiotics from different bacteria in the poultry sector. In 2023, the initiative was responsible for conducting up to 530 tests representing a total flock of 6.5 million birds across commercial poultry farms​. The data collected from these tests has provided valuable insights into the general level of resistance to antibiotics in the region as well as clinical information and evidence to accurately track their occurrence.

For instance, more than half of the bacteria tested were found to be resistant to most of the antibiotics commonly used by farmers in the region​. Without the diagnostics, veterinarians were blind to the sensitivity of different bacteria to specific antibiotics, often leading to the prescription of antibiotics that do not work. Farmers were also unaware of drug-resistant infections and effective measures to combat them before they led to unnecessary deaths among their flocks.

Poultry farmer feeding his flock in Senegal, 2023. Credit: GALVmed/Mediaprod

With diagnostic tools at their disposal, farmers who previously had to rely on a trial-and-error approach could now make informed decisions with the guidance of local veterinarians to reduce the losses of their livestock. This also helps them save significant sums of money by avoiding the purchase of ineffective antibiotics.

Moreover, the OneLab Initiative has sparked broader discussions about AMR within the veterinary community in Senegal. Annual meetings with veterinary authorities have raised awareness of drug-resistant microbes and the importance of diagnostics in combating their threat to animal lives. This growing awareness is essential to changing the mindset of both veterinarians and farmers when it comes to the advantages of the rational use of antibiotics​.

Clinical diagnostics as a path forward

Introducing diagnostics to veterinary clinics in poultry areas ultimately changes the paradigm of livestock management for both veterinarians and Small-scale producers. Livestock farmers in rural areas could have access to better antibiotic treatment options whenever a microbial infection is detected. This reduces the need for cycling through different antibiotics, as diagnostics offer a precise understanding of the infection.

Reducing poultry producers’ reliance on antibiotics helps to curb the further spread of drug-resistant microbes​. This change in approach, supported by diagnostics, also provides veterinarians with the ability to offer more accurate diagnostic services, improving the overall treatment of livestock. Farmers, in turn, are encouraged to adopt healthier practices that improve the health of their livestock while reducing the risk of antimicrobial resistance in them – a perfect win-win situation​.

The OneLab Initiative has demonstrated that more precise diagnostics can play a vital role in helping farmers rationalise their use of antibiotics to reduce the risks of antimicrobial resistance in their livestock. In Senegal, the number of diagnostics to get accurate solutions to bacterial infections in poultry has steadily increased since the initiative was launched. With this success, it is evident that introducing diagnostics in local veterinary clinics offers a scalable model that can be implemented in other regions suffering from similar challenges​. Initiatives bridging farmers’ access to diagnostics tools ultimately need worldwide support and visibility in order to increase their adoption as a viable solution to combat the growing antimicrobial resistance threat.

Header photo credit: ©2023 GALVmed/Mediaprod

Modelling and field studies: Essential M&E tools to understand our impact

Healthy livestock are the cornerstone of many communities’ economies and well-being, making access to high-quality, safe, and effective animal health solutions critical to secure small-scale producers livelihoods and avoid substantial economic losses in Africa and South Asia.

At GALVmed, we partner with commercial, governmental, and non-governmental actors to increase the availability and accessibility of vaccines and essential animal health products to small-scale livestock producers (SSPs) in Africa and South Asia. However, it is equally important to ensure that these products are purchased and used by farmers to prevent or treat livestock and poultry diseases. Adoption of animal health medicines goes beyond a simple purchase; it triggers a cycle that improves animal health, boosts productivity, and enhances the wealth and well-being of these producers and their communities.

Understanding how adoption translates into economic and other benefits for SSPs is central to our mission. Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) gives us a structured way to assess these outcomes. It is not just a check box or data collection exercise; it is about understanding the difference we are making in SSPs’ lives.

Given the vast scope and scale of our work across multiple countries and contexts, modelling is one of our key tools for understanding adoption and impact. Modelling refers to the use of mathematical and statistical methods, using epidemiological and economic data, to simulate and evaluate the potential effects and outputs of a programme or intervention. This is a powerful tool that helps organisations make informed decisions. Modelling allows us to process veterinary product sales data and estimate the resultant economic benefits for SSPs. This helps us to see and quantify how our interventions are impacting small-scale producers.

For example, in 2023 we partnered with Supporting Evidence based Interventions-Livestock (SEBI-L) to apply the model to GALVmed PLSHL 2 initiatives between 2014 and 2017. The model estimated a total NEB of $105.1M in economic benefits to the 3,664,114 estimated customers reached.

To complement our modelling work, we also conduct field studies to gain deeper insights into the changes in SSPs’ lives. These field studies allow us to gain contextual understanding to better understand the context within which our initiatives are embedded. They also allow us to dive deeper into the changes occurring in the lives and livelihoods of SSPs. By combining modelling with on-the-ground research, we get a more holistic understanding of our impact, ensuring that we can learn from  both our successes and areas where we can improve.

Ensuring the availability and the adoption of veterinary products is central to sustainable and resilient agricultural practices. From a systems perspective, GALVmed ‘s transformational market systems change framework will help us to understand the systems changes driven by our partnerships and efforts to improve access to and adoption of veterinary medicines. This framework will help us see where and how our work is contributing to long-term, systemic change, ensuring that we make a lasting impact on those who need it most.

This blog was written by Katharine Tjasink, Senior Manager, Impact, Evaluation & Learning, as part of the campaign ”M&E: Designing for Impact”.

Monitoring and Evaluation: Designing for impact

At GALVmed, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) is not an afterthought. It is integrated from the very start of the development of new projects and programmes. This approach ensures that our projects are designed with a clear vision of impact. It also ensures that we, and our funders, have realistic expectations on what can be achieved within a project’s lifetime.

There are three key areas where we provide early input:

  1. Modelling the prospective impact of an initiative: Whenever possible, we forecast the potential economic benefits of a project for small-scale livestock producers (SSPs) before it even starts using a prospective modelling approach. This forward-looking method provides insights into the potential economic returns, in terms of animal lives saved and productivity regained, for SSPs purchasing critical livestock vaccines and other animal health products. Before a project begins, stakeholders and funders can understand the investment potential, and this helps decision making on where to allocate resources.
  2. Creating a Theory of Change: The Theory of Change is an important part of our process. It clearly outline the changes we want to see, how the project will lead to those changes, the expected timelines for impact, and the key assumptions we are working with. This clarity ensures that everyone involved in the project has a common understanding. The Theory of Change also helps us identify potential risks and challenges early on so we can course correct to keep our initiatives on track.
  3. Developing an evaluation framework: A framework that clearly defines the OECD DAC evaluation criteria we will use, along with the associated evaluation questions, indicators, data sources, sampling methods, timing, and data analysis approaches, ensures that we establish a clear plan from the beginning on how we will assess and measure the impact of our initiatives. This framework facilitates a shared understanding of our evaluation process.

By integrating M&E from the early stages of project design and implementation, our initiatives are strategically designed to maximise impact for the small-scale livestock producers we serve.

This blog was written by Katharine Tjasink, Senior Manager, Impact, Evaluation & Learning, as part of the campaign ”M&E: Designing for Impact”.