Over 1 billion lives around the world depend on livestock, an integral part of what could be considered the greatest enterprise on earth – small-scale agriculture.

The world’s small-scale farmers produce around a third of the world’s food, and the livestock sector contributes an  average of 40% of the total agricultural GDP across developing countries. Livestock, therefore, represents a highly valued and productive asset not only to feed the world, but also to sustain and improve the livelihoods of the millions of small-scale producers who depend on their animals to fund many of life’s basic needs such as housing, clothing, education and health.

It is for this reason that GALVmed is committed to developing vaccines, animal health products, and sustainable markets that empower small-scale producers to protect their livestock against preventable diseases, and in doing so, build a more secure and resilient future for themselves.

In the history of modern medicine, both in human and livestock, vaccines have emerged as the most powerful tools in protection against deadly diseases; nothing else in the extensive medical armoury comes close to matching their inherent effectiveness. Livestock vaccines are not only incredibly effective, but they are also very affordable.

Consider Newcastle Disease (ND) – a major global poultry disease, outbreaks of which in Africa and Asia frequently kill 80% of chickens. A dose of ND vaccine administered by a trained vaccinator in a rural African and Asian location typically costs just 1p (2 US cents). For just 1p, farmers can effectively protect their birds—boosting egg and chicken production, and in turn, making a meaningful contribution to household nutrition, income, and overall progress. This is an exceptional return on investment that highlights the inherent value of vaccines.

In the of Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia (CCPP), a small-ruminant disease with a mortality rate that can be as high as 80%. The cost to the farmer of a multivalent vaccine that effectively protects the animal against CCPP, Sheep and Goat Pox (SGP) and Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is an estimated retail price of 0.28 $ per dose. With one single shot, farmers can effectively and affordably protect their herds against various diseases, making a meaningful contribution to household nutrition, income, and overall progress. This is an exceptional return on investment that highlights the inherent value of vaccines.

Animal health products, particularly vaccines, help prevent and control animal diseases, which have a powerful ripple effect. Securing livestock health contributes to improved animal welfare and productivity, decreases the need for antimicrobials, drives development and empowerment, reduces the environmental footprint of livestock, enhances nutrition and food security, and alleviates poverty. Overall, it contributes to a better and more sustainable future for all.

But for this value to be realised, we need an effective vaccine in the first place and a viable market. GALVmed uses donor funding, to harness top research and development expertise to develop vaccines for the major neglected livestock diseases of the developing world. We then work with manufacturers and distributors to establish viable vaccine markets. This makes for a simple and sustainable intervention where the greatest asset of the small-scale livestock producers – their livestock – is affordably protected by one of the greatest marvels of science: the vaccine.