By Gabriel Varga and Tetiana Miroshnychenko

 

According to the United Nations, the world’s population is expected to increase by 2 billion people in the next 30 years to reach 9.7 billion in 2050. This rapid increase, along with rising levels of affluence – leading to a growing global middle class – has led to snowballing demand for food. This provides both challenges and opportunities for those in the agri business. 

A sustainable and efficient agricultural system is essential to livelihoods and the economic potential of whole regions. Investing in access to critical veterinary products and services, and building the infrastructure required for quality animal healthcare and increased productivity, makes a positive and sustainable long-term impact and could help to tackle the emerging global food crisis.

Increased access to animal health education 

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to some of the largest livestock populations in the world, but also the highest density of impoverished livestock farmers due to low productivity. Improving health and productivity is critical to achieving food security in areas of high animal disease incidence as well as tackling the lack of feed for animals in the area. This has a knock-on impact on agri-businesses around the world due to uncontrolled outbreaks of diseases, such as African swine fever or Avian Influenza. 

The population of sub-Saharan Africa is projected to double by 2050. That’s one of the reasons the Zoetis African Livestock Productivity and Health Advancement (A.L.P.H.A.) initiative – co-funded by a $14 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – is working to improve livestock health and productivity. This will positively impact farmers’ livelihoods in Uganda, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Tanzania, through increased access to animal health education, diagnostics, and availability of modern medicines in these countries. The current initiative will run until the end of 2021.

 

Improving infrastructure

The A.L.P.H.A. initiative offers support in several areas beyond training and education. To ensure sustainable long-term benefits, it also helps to develop the necessary animal health infrastructure. For example, successful collaboration with suitable diagnostic laboratory private and public partners has allowed sustainable diagnostics labs to be set up in A.L.P.H.A. countries. This has included working with the Uganda Meat Producers Co-operative Union (UMPCU) to develop such facilities.

The new laboratories provide diagnostic services, including pre-movement tests, microscopy for internal blood parasites (Trypanomosiasis, East Coast Fever, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Helminthiasis), screening and confirmation of Brucellosis and Bovine Tuberculosis, and the use of ultrasound to detect pregnancy. 

These labs are now available to over 2,600 beef livestock farmers who are focused on producing high-quality meat for local and international markets. A.L.P.H.A. provides vital support in the form of high-quality training, laboratory equipment, personnel, and access to international support and knowledge.

 

Refining products 

Zoetis has submitted registrations for more than 70 animal health products, diagnostics and vaccines in Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Tanzania, as part of the initiative. Once approved, they will offer a large range of solutions for disease diagnostics, prevention, and treatment in livestock and poultry.

 

Empowering professionals 

Empowerment of the veterinary industry is a critical element of the A.L.P.H.A. initiative. Veterinary professionals are often undervalued by farmers who have poor access to their services. As part of this process, Zoetis has encouraged and funded the publication of quarterly veterinary newsletters supporting the different national veterinary associations. These publications provide a platform to share best practices and identify the needs of the country’s thousands of association members and highlight the work they do to improve animal and human health. In Uganda, the veterinary newsletters are unprecedented and were launched by the Minister of Agriculture. 

Zoetis has also facilitated an educational learning platform called ‘Learn & Grow’ for various stakeholder groups. This includes business training courses through VetVance and a reference library for veterinarians and veterinary students, called Vetlexicon Bovis. Additionally, Zoetis veterinary experts held a number of technical training sessions for local veterinary service providers and distributors to help continued professional development. To multiply the training effect, a ‘train-the-trainer’ approach was implemented by carefully choosing in-country teams to transfer the knowledge to a wider audience. At the same time the team is also working on strengthening the quality and outreach of the distributor network.

 

Bridging the gender gap

Another important aspect of the initiative is its special emphasis on providing equal access for women. This regularly overlooked section of society is often responsible for daily animal care, including feeding and cleaning, so training and educating them about animal nutrition, disease detection, and other animal health issues can improve farm productivity, livelihoods, and ultimately the wider economy.

Several thousands of farmers, hundreds of veterinarians and paravets, and diagnostic lab and feed miller personnel have received specialised training. In Uganda, over 40 percent  of the training participants are female. More than 100,000 smallholder farmers are estimated to have benefited from training thanks to the train-the-trainer approach being delivered. 

 

Unlocking sustainable potential

Sustainability is central to our initiative activities, and as such we see the funding from the Gates Foundation as a ‘booster’ or kick-starter to elevate our activities with all of our partners in sub-Saharan Africa. It allows us to work with different partners in training and education, providing services, diagnostics, and bringing products to the markets to succeed in years to come in a sustainable manner. 

As the leading global animal health company, we believe that we have the capability to rise to this challenge. Our investment into specific activities to support veterinary and farming communities, delivered in close collaboration with local partners, will help open the door to better facilities and practices, along with the potential for increased investment from the agri industry. 

 

About the Authors: 

Gabriel Varga is regional director Africa at Zoetis and Tetiana (Tanya) Miroshnychenko is the A.L.P.H.A. initiative lead at Zoetis.