1. Livestock disease control mechanism
Ben Lukuyu, ILRI, Uganda
Agribusiness Congress East Africa, Kampala, Uganda, 29-30 November 2017
2. Importance of Livestock (I)
• The world's fastest-growing, highest-value
agricultural subsector.
• Accounts for about 40% of agricultural
GDP globally.
• Driven by rising incomes, demand for
animal-source foods in Africa and Asia.
• Expected to increase up to 200% by 2030.
3. Importance of Livestock (II)
• More than a billion poor people depend on
livestock for their livelihoods globally
• Of these, about 300 million people live in
Africa
• Livestock provides them with protein food,
traction power and manure for crop
production
4. Livestock Diseases
• Production diseases
– East Cost Fever
– Mastitis
• Respiratory diseases
– Trans-boundary diseases
– Foot and Mouth Disease
– African swine fever
• Zoonotic diseases
– Rift Valley Fever
– Brucellosis
5. Impact of disease on livestock
• High disease burden
o Greatly reduces productivity hence impacts on
social lives of those who depend on them
o Lead to high financial losses associated with
disease outbreaks
o These are often not documented
• Estimates indicate that average losses due to
animal diseases are more than 20%
6. Impact of disease on livestock
• Overall economic losses have been
estimated at US$ 2 billion
o Mainly due to morbidity, reduction in growth,
lactation, work output and reproduction
• The impact of animal diseases are likely to be
greater for the poor than those who are better off
o More exposed to animal disease risk
o Less capacity to cope with that risk
7. Challenges in Disease Control (I)
• Low investment in animal health systems
• Limited technical capabilities (veterinary
services core competences )
• Poor targeting of research and access to
technology, knowledge and information
• Inadequate human and physical resources
• Weak formulation and execution of policies,
legislations and regulations
8. Challenges in Disease Control
(II)
• Weak engagement of stakeholders and
partners
• Disconnect between policy frameworks for
regional integration and the national level
• Weak Private Partnerships (PPP) and
sustainable business models
• Inadequate access to credit and business
support services
9. Options to improve disease
control mechanism in Africa
• Reducing disease incidences is a priority in order
to feed the world and reduce poverty.
• Requires a clear political will. Key organizations to
drive this agenda;
– World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)
– African Union (AU) Inter-African Bureau for Animal
Resources (AU-IBAR)
– The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the
United Nations
– The World Health Organization (WHO) of the United
Nations
10. Options to improve disease
control mechanism in Africa
• Mainstreaming of livestock into national
and regional agricultural investment plans.
• Ensure coordinated action, promote
synergy in addressing critical issues in
livestock sector
• The One Health Approach – Breaking
silos/multi-sectoral approaches &
partnerships
11. Options to improve disease
control mechanism in Africa
• Catalyzing national level public investment
based on a common vision (E.g. Tsetse and
Trypanosomosis Eradication, PATTEC
model)
• Regional Integration – opportunities to
improve animal health (TADs) and trade
• Public Private Partnership to promote
delivery of quality animal health services (ex.
vaccines)