Boosting Uganda’s investment in livestock development

In Uganda, around 70% of all households keep at least one kind of livestock (including poultry). Livestock production is primarily a family business, but only a fraction of the food produced is used for home consumption. Most of it is sold at local markets, which are mainly informal markets. Pathogenic diseases are one of the constraints that limit livestock production, often resulting in death of animals and loss of income and livelihoods for livestock keepers. Zoonotic diseases such as brucellosis and Rift Valley fever threaten the health of producers, processors and consumers. Improved animal health, therefore, directly contributes towards improved livelihoods and human health through better diets and fewer zoonotic diseases.

Knowledge and awareness about animal diseases, their risks and intervention options are limited in Uganda. For many of the animal health problems, there are effective solutions at hand, for example, vaccines. However, lack of infrastructure and institutions in low- and middle-income countries does not allow last-mile delivery of solutions or implementation of disease control. Lack of awareness on the benefits of vaccines results in unwillingness to purchase them. This problem is compounded by lack of trained personnel to deliver vaccines. There is little investment in capacity building and professional development of processors, which leads to gaps in research and surveillance of transboundary and zoonotic diseases. This project thus aims to support existing structures by helping to scale solutions through a collaborative effort in research, extension and partnerships.

The project has four main components:

1. Support for ongoing campaigns to eradicate the transboundary disease, peste des petits ruminants
2. Control of zoonotic diseases
3. Control of antimicrobial resistance
4. Improved veterinary public health at the point of slaughter