Written by Enrique Hernández Pando, Head of Commercial Development & Impact, and Tom Osebe, Senior Manager, Commercial Development & Impact, Africa. Originally published by Farming First. New animal health platforms are needed to unleash the commercial and development potential of small-scale livestock producers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Home to tens of millions of small-scale livestock producers and a quarter of the world’s livestock, Sub-Saharan Africa has the potential to become the commercial powerhouse of the animal health industry. For decades, however, a variety of investment ..read more

Chickens play a pivotal role in Africa as both a vital source of food and income. However, poultry diseases pose a substantial challenge to productivity, food security, and the economic progression of small-scale producers. Additionally, mistreatment and improper use of antibiotics to treat such diseases exacerbate the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), crippling the development of the poultry sector. In 2020, LAPROVET, a Ceva Santé Animale group company, partnered with GALVmed and launched the OneLab initiative, a programme to develop a network of private veterinary laboratories in Sene ..read more

Written by Katharine Tjasink, Senior Manager, Impact, Evaluation & Learning (GALVmed); Lamyaa Al-Riyami, Senior Manager, Evaluation, Programme Planning, (GALVmed); and Zoë Campbell, Scientist, Gender, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) Originally published by Farming First For many of Africa’s 240 million women livestock keepers, success in the industry is a double-edged sword that brings difficult questions of its own, mainly: what happens next? On top of existing obstacles women face in Africa’s livestock sector – from a lack of access to land, finance, technology, and inf ..read more

International Women’s Day, celebrated annually on March 8, is a day to reflect on the gender disparities that hinder women’s opportunities worldwide, while advocating for policies and strategies that pave the path to gender equality. The theme for International Women’s Day 2024, as set by  UN Women, is Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress. With this campaign, UN Women shed light on an alarming reality: An additional $360 billion per year is needed to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment across key global goals, including to end poverty and hunger. In the livestock context, whe ..read more

Over one billion people around the world depend on livestock for their livelihoods, of which more than 900 million are in Africa and South Asia. However, preventable animal diseases pose a constant threat to productivity, food safety and security, income, opportunities, and individual and community prosperity. Consequently, protecting livestock is critical to improving human lives. Focusing on sub–Saharan Africa and South Asia, GALVmed’s vision is transformational improvement in the well-being and economic progression of small-scale livestock producers. We do this through: Improving availabil ..read more

Backyard chickens are a significant source of income and nourishment in developing countries, but outbreaks of poultry diseases like Newcastle Disease (ND) severely affect productivity, flock mortality, and consequently, farmer livelihoods. GALVmed has made important progress in combating ND with the successful development of two thermotolerant vaccines suitable for the rural environment. Vaccination is a cost-effective means to controlling ND. However, to fully grasp the benefits of vaccination interventions and establish evidence-based approaches for developing future programmes and planning ..read more

Written by Carolin Schumacher, CEO, GALVmed. Animal welfare has the power to transform the lives of those who depend on livestock. Well-maintained animals are not only healthier and happier but also more profitable. By living longer and suffering from fewer diseases, they can save their owners considerable sums in medicines, veterinarian bills and the need to purchase or acquire new animals. Healthy livestock also produce more meat, milk or eggs over their lifetime, increasing the productivity and efficiency of livestock businesses. Whether it’s a cattle ranch in Kenya or a backyard ..read more

With the inaugural Africa Climate Summit getting underway this week, the eyes of the global climate community will turn to Nairobi. The summit is a chance to show the world that Africa and Africans, despite often bearing the brunt of climate change, are not merely passive victims of this crisis. On the contrary, the continent is proving itself to be a dynamic and impassioned force for green action. “African nations are emerging as the new torchbearers of climate action,” says Kenyan President and Africa Climate Summit Host, William Ruto. “At the summit, we aspire to chart a new ..read more

For 33-year-old mother-of-seven and poultry farmer Helena Kindole in Chanya village in Tanzania, one of the main barriers to growing her chicken business is a lack of access to health services. But not for herself or her family – for her animals. With smallholder poultry farming often a lifeline for millions of low-income and rural families – accounting for 80% of poultry production in the region – access to medicines and vaccines is just as important for livestock as it is for people. And yet, logistical, infrastructural, and supply challenges are hindering access to veterinary serv ..read more

After fifteen years of improving livestock health in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, we at GALVmed know the huge impact that new animal health products can have for small-scale livestock farmers, their households, communities and countries. Innovations such as GALVmed’s highly effective Newcastle disease vaccines have unlocked life-changing economic benefits for farmers, enabling them to expand their businesses, improve household nutrition, cover medical bills and send their children to school. However, we also know that product development is only the first step in improving livestock heal ..read more