GALVmed’s approach is unique and enables substantial and sustainable improvements in small-scale agriculture. The end point sees major small-scale livestock diseases being effectively controlled with vaccines and other animal health products purchased by small-scale livestock producers at market prices and without any donor input or outside intervention. But in order for this outcome to be achieved, GALVmed first uses donor funding to undertake three major avenues of work.

Product Development: GALVmed harnesses the best available expertise and capabilities in academia, public research institutes and the commercial pharmaceutical sector to develop vaccines, medicines and diagnostics for the major livestock diseases impacting small-scale producers.

In using an extensive network of partners to undertake the development work, GALVmed functions as a Product Development Partnership (PDP). A number of PDPs exist for human neglected tropical diseases, but GALVmed is the only veterinary PDP in existence.

The end result of GALVmed’s product development work will be a comprehensive portfolio of small-scale producer focused  animal health products. But for these to become widely available to small-scale livestock producers another two complementary strands of work are undertaken – enabling environment and market development.

Enabling Environment: Supporting the development of high-quality animal health products and vaccines is only the first step in a much broader journey. GALVmed works to create an enabling environment that ensures these products effectively reach small-scale producers. Beyond product development, GALVmed also addresses policy and regulatory barriers by collaborating with key stakeholders and regional bodies to harmonise product registration processes. This streamlines product approvals across countries, facilitating broader access. By integrating policy and advocacy, regulatory support, and private sector engagement, our enabling environment work supports our product development and commercial development activities, and enhances the availability and adoption of animal health interventions.

Market Development: GALVmed’s market development activities are underwritten by the willingness of small-scale livestock producers to pay the market price for effective livestock health products (particularly vaccines). Small-scale producers’ awareness, as well as vaccine distribution and vaccinator networks, first need to be developed on a small scale, in pilots and field projects. Once these have demonstrated economic viability, larger market initiatives can be developed to bring in the private vaccine manufacturers to achieve and sustain the scale that can reach millions of small-scale livestock producers.

To further enhance the sustainability and scalability of its work, GALVmed works to facilitate better small-scale animal health policies to promote widespread availability of effective and affordable products. The overall approach is therefore a comprehensive and integrated approach which enables an efficient market process to serve small-scale livestock producers’ needs with these vital agricultural inputs.

One day, the right products will be readily available to small-scale livestock producers at a fair price. Animal health providers will recognise the importance of the small-scale producer and the importance of disease control. Until then, GALVmed will continue to focus its efforts on understanding the animal health needs of the communities in which we work, efficiently managing product development partnerships and encouraging the proper use of animal health products through our collaborators at field level.

Transformational improvement in the well-being and economic progression of small-scale livestock producers.

We will contribute to the transformation of small-scale livestock producers’ lives by:

• understanding the constraints to animal health and how to overcome them;
• engaging the animal health industry; and
• ensuring awareness, availability and adoption of effective animal health interventions.

GALVmed subscribes to the highest professional and ethical values, which reflect sustainable impact on small-scale livestock producers through:

• Focus on delivery
• Integrity
• Responsiveness
• Commitment
• Innovation

Livestock is one of the most valuable assets to millions of small-scale farming households in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). GALVmed’s work on improving animal health through vaccination allows to reduce livestock related-GHG emissions by cutting “unproductive emissions” related to mortality and morbidity caused by infectious diseases. Our work contributes to building a sustainable, climate-friendly livestock development pathway for LMICs which integrates the lessons learnt from industrialized livestock production.