Vaccines, animal feed critical to safeguard livestock assets

NaijaAgroNet

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has launched an emergency animal health campaign across Iraq's Mosul area, which was recently retaken from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), reports NaijaAgroNet.

The campaign, NaijaAgroNet reports, is aimed at protecting and enhance the assets of 210 000 people who rely on rearing livestock for food and income in the Ninewa Governorate - of which Mosul is the capital. It includes vaccinating almost 1 million sheep, goats, cattle and buffalo and providing 1 500 tonnes of high-nutrient feed for 60 000 animals.

The campaign is being implemented in partnership with Iraq's Ministry of Agriculture, with funding from the Iraq Humanitarian Fund.

Ninewa has been profoundly affected by conflict since ISIL took control of central and north-western Iraq in 2014. More than one million people remain displaced, the majority staying within the governorate's boundaries in host communities or camps. Many families fled their homes with their livestock, most of which have not been vaccinated since ISIL took over the area.

FAO is concerned that these livestock are likely to carry highly contagious epidemic diseases that can spread rapidly across national and international borders to other herds and people, leading to serious socio-economic and public health consequences.

"If immediate measures are not taken, the effects on livestock production and food security could be devastating," said Fadel El-Zubi, FAO Representative in Iraq. "Through this animal health campaign, FAO aims to contain and prevent disease outbreaks in Ninewa and across Iraq, and stop these diseases spreading to other countries in the region."

The FAO-led initiative is the first comprehensive animal health campaign in the Mosul area since ISIL's arrival in 2014. Throughout the governorate, the remaining parts of which were retaken from ISIL in August this year,FAO plans to vaccinate the animals against six diseases: sheep and goat pox, brucellosis, enterotoxaemia, blackleg disease, lumpy skin disease, and foot-and-mouth disease.

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All-time low produce affects livestock says experts

NaijaAgroNet:

Agriculturists have said that the increasing all-time low food production in the war-torn Syria has affected livestock, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Experts from both World Food Programme (WFP) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) made this known in a latest joint report, saying that livestock producers are equally feeling the effects of the crisis.

“With the upkeep of their animals becoming ever more difficult and costly, many herding families have been forced to sell or slaughter their sheep, goats and poultry,” they said.

Equally, they said that ongoing fighting and widespread insecurity continues to limit access to grazing land and water sources, while animal feed has become unaffordable for many pastoralists.

This, they stressed as particularly true in areas with large numbers of internally displaced people who brought their livestock with them when fleeing their homes. The country's veterinary service, meanwhile, is rapidly running out of animal vaccines and routine drugs, making it harder for herders to keep their animals healthy and productive.

“As a result, Syria - once an exporter in livestock - has seen its herds and flock shrink significantly since the beginning of the crisis. Today, there are 30 percent fewer cattle, 40 percent fewer sheep and goats, and a staggering 60 percent less poultry − traditionally the most affordable source of animal protein in the country,” they said.

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FAO warns of likely outbreak of crop, livestock diseases in Ethiopia

NaijaAgroNet:

The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Representative to Ethiopia, Amadou Allahoury, has warned that if the current floods in the country continues, it could lead to crop and livestock diseases, reports NaijaAgroNet.

"If floods worsen later this year, there could be outbreaks of crop and livestock diseases, further reducing agricultural productivity and complicating recovery,” Allahoury declared.

The situation, Allahoury said, is critical now and urged the world make sure that farmers will be able to plant between now and September and grow enough food to feed themselves and their families thus avoiding millions of people having to rely on food assistance for another year.

“Ethiopia needs urgent global support to respond to its humanitarian needs, we have no time to procrastinate," Allahoury said.

The FAO official described the meher season as Ethiopia's main agricultural season and produces up to 85 per cent of the nation's food supplies.

Also, Allahoury warned that if the farmers do not plant enough now, Ethiopia may face significant food shortages, which may further exacerbate food and nutrition insecurity in the country.

“To ensure the last remaining planting window of the year is met, an estimated $8.8 million is needed to provide root crop planting materials, legumes, vegetable and cereal seed to 530 000 households,” the representative said.

NaijaAgroNet reports that FAO estimated that households who lost small ruminants such as sheep may need at least two years to return to pre-drought levels, while cattle-owning households may need up to four years to recover. While animals that survived the recent drought are still weak and susceptible to diseases during the rainy periods; $36.2 million is required to undertake the necessary interventions to support 2.4 million livestock-dependent households or 12 million people.

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Study harps on Potential of livestock for food security, poverty reduction in SSA

NaijaAgroNET

A study published recently has revealed the potential of livestock production and its contribution to the continent’s employment and economy especially in Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA), NaijaAgroNet reports.

The study said that smallholders, with their mixed crop and livestock farming systems, will continue to be the main producers of ruminant (cattle, goat and sheep) products; monogastrics (such as poultry and pigs), and that most of the expansion will be through industrial production systems.

Policies that encourage healthy food consumption patterns, the sustainable intensification of all livestock production systems and selective promotion of monogastric livestock production, could result in increased environmental efficiency of livestock systems in sub-Saharan Africa. This can be done in ways that protect production in pastoral communities, and by smallholder farmers, NaijaAgroNet gathered.

Sustainable intensification of livestock production will yield significant benefits for food security, incomes, trade, smallholder competitiveness and ecosystems service.

The required investment, NaijaAgroNet learnt, include increased provision of veterinary services, inputs, institutional support, processing and market. These are all essential if current livestock production systems are to evolve into viable commercial operations.

NaijaAgroNet  monitored Landscapes.org reports that the study was prepared by a core research team from the Commonwealth and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) under the stewardship of the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Food Security and Nutrition and UN System Influenza Coordination (UNSIC).

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AGRA partners COMESA for youth-centred agro plans

NaijaAgroNet

The Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has concluded plans to partner with the Zambian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), to invent strategies that will enable the youth and women engage in profitable agriculture.

AGRA and COMESA, NaijaAgroNet gathered, will next month host the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) to develop concrete investment plans for driving Africa’s agricultural transformation. The forum, whose theme is “Walking the talk on youth and women, bringing inclusive agricultural markets to life,” is slated for September 29 to October 2, wherein about 300 global and African leaders are expected.

AGRA president Agnes Kalibata at a press briefing recently, NaijaAgroNet reports, said as African economies have continued to experience positive growth, it is important that all stakeholders join forces in scaling up production to give to the livelihoods of the people.

“The AGRF partners group is pleased to have Zambia as the venue for this year’s forum. Zambia is a regional agribusiness hub and Government has prioritized agricultural growth over the past few years as witnessed by its heavy investments in developing the sector,” she said.

She said for Africa to unlock the wealth that exists in the agriculture sector, governments should ensure that the value chains work for men, women and youth.

NaijaAdgroNet learnt that the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Given Lubinda  on her part, said that government will support any programme that seeks to promote the growth of the sector in a sustainable way.

“We are ready to partner with AGRA, the AGRF Partners’ Group and other industry players to ensure that the planned forum is a resounding success and that Africa’s agricultural transformation gets the push it needs to witness even more progress for our businesses and farmers,” Lubinda stated.

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 PIX: Agnes Kalibata

Kenya committed to boost agricultural production

 NaijaAgroNet

 

The Kenya’sActing Cabinet Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Adan Mohamed has said that his country is committed to developing linkages between industrialization and the agricultural sector to power the sector's transformation, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Addressing the Grow Africa Investment Forum held in Cape Town, South Africa, recently, NaijaAgroNet gathered that Mohamed said that this will open up opportunities in the sector to accelerate Kenya's food security plans.

According to him, NaijaAgroNet learnt, "Kenya is placing an enabling agricultural policy to attract investors establish investments in the agricultural sector which includes infrastructure investments to improve market access and lower the cost of production."

Kenya's strong agricultural sector accounts for 24 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), supports numerous employment opportunities and trade but has historically experienced sustainability challenges.

The model farm of 10,000 acres that is part of the 1 million-acre(about 405,000-hectare) food irrigation programme, NaijaAgroNet gathered, is progressing well and once completed will offer a sustainable food security solution.

The Grow Africa Investment Forum, part of the World Economic Forum on Africa (WEF food Africa) brought delegates from different countries together to find solutions to Africa’s agricultural needs. Among those who attended this year's forum were; South Africa's President Jacob Zuma, Ghanaian Vice-President KwesiAmissah-Arthur, Cote d'Ivoire Budget Minister MamadouKoulibaly and Erastus Mwencha of the African Union, NaijaAgroNet gathered.

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Technology key for productivity in Africa

NaijaAgroNet

Technology has been described as a major factor for improved productivity in Africa, so said Dr. Hannah Bissiw, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) in charge of Livestock in Ghana, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Dr. Bissiw,NaijaAgroNet gathered, stated this at the opening of Ghana/Kenya Trade and Investment Mission in Accra, stressing the need for African countries to expand trade among themselves.

She also said that as most African countries depend largely on their agricultural sectors to lead the transformation of their economies, “we cannot but strive to improve our agricultural sectors through the application of science and technology,” NaijaAgroNet learnt.

Dr Bissiw further said that the mission provided both countries the opportunity to elaborate cooperation in the MOU and put in place a plan of action to realise the ideals.

The Mission follows the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in December 2014 in Nairobi to promote trade, investments, exchange of science and technology and knowledge between Ghana and Kenya.

President John Dramani Mahama during an official visit to Kenya last year, NaijaAgroNet learnt, also signed seven bilateral agreements with the country to ease the conditions for doing business and boosting bilateral trade relations.

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Tsetse fly: Senegal advances battle, improves livestock sector

NaijaAgroNet:

The West African country of Senegal may have advanced battle over Tsetse fly in the country, just as a foundation plan has been put in place to improve livestock sector, NaijaAgroNet reports.

NaijaAgroNet gathers that a campaign against the tsetse fly, a pest that transmits a disease that devastates livestock in the Niayes area near the capital Dakar has radically reduced the fly population and is paving the way for complete eradication. 

Project manager and Head, Animal Health Section in the Senegalese Ministry of Livestock, Baba Sall, confirmed this development to NaijaAgroNet, saying that since the project started, there is already less disease.

“It has not only reduced the tsetse but also ticks, which cause lots of other diseases in the area. We have noticed over all better health of the herds," he said

NaijaAgroNet pointed out that a multi-year programme of the Government of Senegal, with financial help from the United States and technical support from the Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), France, is slowly eradicating the tsetse fly using a method called the Sterile Insect Technique.

The programme, he said, is supported by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) through its joint division with the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.

The Niayes area has a coastal micro-climate suitable for exotic breeds of cattle, the kind that produces more milk and meat than domestic stock.

Unfortunately, the area is also home to the tsetse fly, which transmits trypanosomosis. Often lethal, the disease reduces fertility, weight gain, meat and milk production and makes the cattle too weak to be used for ploughing or transport.

A government study estimates that when the tsetse fly is completely eradicated in the Niayes farmers will earn €1.2 million ($1.6 million) more per year because they will spend less on treating animals and earning more profit from selling milk and meat.

NaijaAgroNet further gathered that the government has an ambitious plan to introduce exotic livestock breeds and create a modern meat and dairy sector in the area, which is near the capital Dakar.

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Farmers could cut emissions while boosting production- FAO

 

NaijaAgroNet:

UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has said that farmers could earn more and protect the environment by using technologies and practices that reduce the global warming gases that livestock emit.

This statement was issued by the FAO in its report of five case studies which suggested that the potential for mitigation is greatest among low-productivity ruminant producers in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean.

NaijaAgroNet gathered from the report of the study that raising livestock such as pigs, cattle and poultry generates climate-altering gases with an impact equivalent to 7.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, representing 14.5 per cent of all human-caused greenhouse gas (GHC) emissions.

According to the report the challenge stem from reducing emissions while meeting the soaring demand for livestock products which is a demand that is projected to rise by more than 70 per cent between 2005 and 2050.

The FAO's Assistant Director-General for Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Ren Wang said that “only 10 per cent of producers currently use technologies which could, if taken up more widely, cut the emissions from all livestock species by up to 30 per cent while boosting production. Currently, the majority of the livestock sector's emissions originate from cattle, with beef production contributing 41 per cent and cattle milk production contributing 20 per cent.

“In terms of activities, the worst culprit is feed production and processing, which accounts for 45 per cent of emissions from livestock-related practices. This is followed by manure storage and processing, which is responsible for ten per cent of these emissions. In the case of ruminants, such as cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats, using better quality feeds would lower the amount of methane they emit during digestion as well as the quantity of nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide released by their decomposing manure.”

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Feed-the-Future, others to help goat producers

Feed the Future, an initiative of the United State government to fight global hunger with the partnership of scientific organisations in order to help U.S. and African goat producers enhance breeding and productivity, reports USDA. 

The goat project is being funded by USAID’s Norman Borlaug Commemorative Research Initiative, African research partners and others.

NaijaAgroNet also gathered that goat DNA and performance measures will be collected from more than 20 distinct goat populations from Africa, the United States, the Middle East and some portion of Asia and Brazil.

Researchers, NaijaAgroNet further learnt will identify unique genes in each population and develop genetic preservation plans.

Also, researchers will consider how breeds differ in performance traits like milk yield and parasite resistance. 

According to the report, the project will associate those differences with the DNA, enabling farmers to more quickly breed healthier, more productive goats than with observing performance traits alone. Read more

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EU adopts a four-year strategy for animal welfare

In order to improve the welfare of animals in the European Union (EU) member states, a four-year strategy starting from 2012 to 2015 has been adopted.

The Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner at EU, Mr. John Dalli, affirmed that the new strategy would give room for appropriate flexibility to allow operators to attain the necessary welfare stands by different routes.

As gathered by the NaijaAgroNet, he said, "Optimizing policy coherence and market transparency in a comprehensive animal welfare legislative framework will minimize real or perceived tensions between welfare and economics."

The commissioner also noted that the strategy is cost-effective and economical in terms of welfare.

Highlighting one of the setbacks of the union, Dalli said there is lack of enforcement of EU legislation by Member State in a number of areas which is adversely affect animals in the EU.

Hence, the new strategy was adopted in the form of a commission communication to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee.

Another means to address the issue of low enforcement is the provision of two-pronged by the strategy: a proposal for a comprehensive animal welfare law and a reinforcement of current actions.

Reinforcement and the optimization of current commission actions was also proposed couple with enhancing tools that will boost Member State's Compliances with the legal requirement and boosting the already existing international co-operation on animal welfare.

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