FAO launches animal vaccination and treatment campaign in Yemen

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in Yemen has recently launched a national animal vaccination and treatment campaign to control transboundary animal diseases through regular vaccination and treatment activities.

The programme was launched through the Smallholder Agriculture Production and Restoration Enhancement Project (SAPREP), funded by the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme in collaboration with the World Bank.

Improving animal husbandry, livestock production and animal health services is a significant sub-component to achieve SAPREP’s overall goal.

The initiative has been undertaken in order to protect, vaccinate and treat small ruminants against:
• Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR)
• Sheep and Goat Pox (SGP)
• Internal and external parasites, leading to healthier animals and increased income generation for vulnerable households.

The campaign is expected to reach 1.8 million animals (sheep and goats) in 48 districts, benefiting over 41,000 rural households.

“This campaign helps farming families and Yemen’s agriculture sector in a time of crisis,” said FAO Representative in Yemen, Dr Hussein Gadain.

“This collaboration between FAO and the local agriculture offices, supported by the World Bank, provides much-needed assistance to thousands of vulnerable households whose main livelihood is animal rearing.” Dr Gadain added, “through a simple calculation, we can assess the value of such activity, one vaccine costs just USD 0.40 compared to over USD 100 to replace a dead animal.”

To ensure that the planned number of animals are vaccinated and treated, the United Nations food agency appeals to animal owners to co-operate by presenting their animals for vaccination and treatment.

To ensure the effectiveness of the vaccination and treatment campaign, 130 qualified and equipped teams have been deployed throughout the target governorates to secure proper vaccination of the animals.

It may be mentioned here that the World Bank and FAO have a longstanding partnership in helping Yemeni farmers restore their livelihoods through sustainable agri-solutions.