The ‘Mitigating the Impact of Livestock Diseases’ project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was recently launched by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), to boost household resilience to shocks by protecting their livestock assets
Key stakeholders in the animal health and livestock sector value chain in Zimbabwe attended the project’s launch, which took place on 15 February this year. The project, which complements a number of development strategies and also supports the 2030 Agenda, is expected to strengthen responses to control livestock disease outbreaks, thereby protecting livelihood assets, and promoting improved livestock nutrition to increase animal disease resistance. Moreover, the project also aims to focus on enhancing women’s roles in household decision-making and project participation.
During the launch, the FAO shed some light on the Emergency Livestock project and presented the project implementation and monitoring plan, while also demonstrating the project’s sustainability and exit strategy for key stakeholders and participants in the 11 districts where the project will be implemented. Towards the end of the launch, participants emphasised and agreed on the importance of encouraging active participation and engagement from all key stakeholders in the project’s implementation for the best outcomes.
Through the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS), the Government of Zimbabwe (GOZ) will help establish farmer field schools for fodder crop production, while also raising community awareness and providing training services on disease recognition, prevention, and control, as well as identifying key infrastructure for rehabilitation or construction.
