Creating Livestock Disease Free Zones

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world with slightly over half of the population (50.7 percent) living below the poverty line and about a quarter (25 percent) living in extreme poverty. Over half of the rural population (57.0 percent) is poor compared to 17.0 percent of the urban population. About 85% of the rural population rely on Agriculture.

Livestock rearing at household level is one of the key Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) and Climate Change Transformative (CCT) Options for building household resilience to climate change effects in Malawi. But this is hampered by continued outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases in livestock such as Newcastle disease in poultry and Foot and Mouth diseases in Cattle, Sheep, Swine and Goats and African swine in Swine. Livestock serves rural populance in many roles; as a source of income, nutrition, manure among other things. However, the occurrence of the above-mentioned diseases causes about 60 to 100 percent mortality in livestock in Malawi thereby leaving poor and vulnerable communities with no or thin livestock flock sizes.

Annually, Malawi records cases of Newcastle, African Swine Fever (ASF) and Foot and mouth disease (FMD) out breaks among others. To control this FMD and ASF from erasing the existing livestock, the Government imposes ban on slaughter, transfer and sell of animals from the infected areas which negatively affects both poor and vulnerable farmers and small businesses that sell meat and meat products. In 2018 alone, the government of Malawi imposed ban on livestock movements, slaughter and selling on 10 of its 28 districts due to the presence of either FMD or ASF or both among others. Refer to the links below on some of the published bans imposed in the year:

https://www.nyasatimes.com/malawi-bans-slaughter-movement-of-livestock-as-foot-and-mouth-disease-kills-over-160-cattle/

http://www.manaonline.gov.mw/index.php/national/agriculture/item/10797-govt-bans-sale-of-meat-in-lilongwe

https://www.pressreader.com/kenya/the-east-african/20180908/281968903574292

https://reliefweb.int/report/malawi/suspected-outbreak-foot-and-mouth-disease-fmd-neno-and-blantyre-districts

Prevention is the best strategy that cure. But the animals and birds in rural areas in Malawi are hardly protected against the vaccine preventable diseases due to scarcity of vaccines in rural areas. Over 90% of the rural masses who own livestock do not vaccinate their animals or birds against the vaccine preventable diseases due to scarcity of vaccines in rural areas. If found, then the vaccines and other veterinary drugs are expensive for a vulnerable farmer to access. This appeal is therefore aimed at preventing 1.5 million poultry, 100 thousand cattle, 300 thousand Goats and Sheep and 80 thousand swine in Malawi through provision of vaccination and deworming services to rural communities. Through your support, households will have increased healthy flock sizes which can have increased market value at both farmgate or the final market.