The Resilient and Sustainable Livelihoods Transformation (RESULT) Project has facilitated the vaccination of more than 46,000 small ruminants against Peste de Petits Ruminants (PPR) in 124 communities in the Upper East and Upper West Regions.
Regional and District Veterinary Officers carried out the vaccination exercise and the livestock farmers paid for the cost after RESULT had sensitised community members on the importance of PPR vaccination.
RESULT also mobilised the community members to attend community wide vaccination campaigns and that had helped increased the number of livestock farmers participating in the exercise.
Mr John Y. Fuseini, Project Officer in a statement said every year, smallholder farmers lose many of their small ruminants as a result of disease outbreaks, including preventable diseases such as PPR.
He said PPR is a highly contagious viral disease that kills up to 50 and100 per cent of infected animals with potentially devastating effects on the incomes of livestock farmers.
The release said about 10,000 doses of PPR vaccines were brought for vaccination in the past, but with RESULT’s support, 40,000 doses had been supplied and that had helped reduced the high mortality rate among ruminants, especially goats and sheep.
Mr Fuseini said RESULT had supported the vaccination of ruminants in the two regions for the past two years now, increasing the numbers of livestock and incomes of the farmers.
For many years, it was assumed that farmers did not value their livestock and would not pay for routine medication or vaccination but with RESULT initiative, it increased farmers’ awareness, and they have been actively involved in the vaccination of their livestock to improve production.
The Canadian Feed the Children is implementing the RESULT in partnership with Association of Church Based Development non-governmental organisation with funding from the Canadian Government.
The project is aimed to improve the food security and resilience of poor, small-scale farmers in the two Regions through improved crop, livestock and aquaculture production and alternative income-generating activities.
The support to the livestock sector includes training and inputs designed to increase productivity and incomes and reduce animal mortality.
