Lawrence Njane who lives in Kahuho village, Kiambu county in Kenya has been keeping dairy cattle for the last two decades after retiring from civil service. During this period, he has encountered various livestock diseases and has been dealing with them with the help of animal health experts in his locality. But something unique happened […]
Sixty-two-year-old Grace Kamau carries tattered, yellowed documents that she stores in a cupboard in her bedroom with care. These precious documents contain records about the health of her livestock. One of the documents shows when the local vet came to vaccinate her heifers against Foot and Mouth Disease. Another is for when her cow was […]
Smallholder farmers in Africa have limited or no access to high quality veterinary medicinal products due to weak distribution channels, low levels of awareness about animal diseases and how these can be prevented or treated. However, smart technologies can empower those hard-to-reach farmers by being part of the solution to leverage on data, surveillance and […]
According to FAO, livestock related food items account for about 30% of agriculture related GDP in Africa. This is with the exclusion of other contributions such as manure, draught power and transportation. When we consider that 75% of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) human population is involved either directly or indirectly in farming activities (FAO 2013;2014), it […]
The International Women’s Day is globally celebrated on March 8 and it is an important occasion to reflect on the challenges that women face every day around the world. This year’s #IWD theme was #ChooseToChallenge – for a challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change. At GALVmed, we believe in women’s […]
Millions of people around the world rely on small-scale agriculture and livestock farming for their livelihoods. For these families, livestock are assets which translate into vital essentials such as food, housing, education, or health assistance. Within this reality, outbreaks of livestock diseases can be detrimental to the livelihoods of these producers. We travelled to […]
African animal trypanosomiasis (AAT) is a disease of vertebrate animals caused by a blood‑dwelling protozoan parasite which is spread by biting tsetse flies. AAT is widely known in Africa as nagana and is a major constraint for livestock producers in sub-Saharan Africa. Each year, AAT is estimated to kill 3 million cattle. The direct economic […]
On the back of the One Health Congress which was held recently from October 30 to November 3 2020, Supporting Evidence-based Interventions (SEBI) hosted a One Health virtual chat to discuss the importance of data to drive decision-making and intervention planning, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMIC). The One Health chat was hosted by […]
The use of technology has permeated into many professional facets including in the provision of services to rural communities in the developing world. Increasingly, as we become a culture that is connected to everyone and everything and ubiquitously online, every business is finding ways of connecting to their customers and small-scale livestock producers are no […]
If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito. African proverb. Nearly 600 million of the world’s poorest households raise animals as an essential source of income (FAO). Their domestic economy depends on the animals they raise and, access to quality medicines and veterinary […]