AN UNPRECEDENTED PATRONAGE OF PPR VACCINATION
Every year, smallholder farmers in the Upper East and Upper West Regions lose many of their small ruminants as a result of disease outbreaks, including preventable diseases such as Peste de Petit Ruminant(PPR). PPR is a highly contagious infectious disease of viral origin that affects sheep and goats. The mortality rate of infected animals ranges between 50 to 100%, with potentially devastating effect on the income from livestock for these poor farmers.
In order to reduce or prevent the death of small ruminants, the veterinary department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture annually stocks PPR vaccines and embarks on vaccination campaigns of sheep and goats. Most of these stocked vaccines expire in the fridges however, because of low patronage of this very important service by farmers.
The Resilient and Sustainable Livelihoods Transformation (RESULT) Project is supporting poor small scale farmers to increase their food security and resilience, with improved animal management as one of the interventions. Prior to the introduction of new animals into its 83 targeted communities in Jirapa and Lawra Districts in the Upper West Region and Bongo and Talensi Districts in the Upper East Region, the RESULT Project supported community-wide PPR vaccination. Communities were sensitized on the importance of vaccination against the PPR disease. The Project facilitated the transportation of MoFA veterinary officers to the communities. Farmers paid for the vaccine, but the cost per dose was reduced to make it affordable yet adequate for MoFA vets to recover their costs.
As a result of the RESULT Project’s support, the vaccination campaign received an unprecedented high patronage from livestock farmers across all beneficiary communities. A total of 23,597 sheep and goats were vaccinated – the highest number ever recorded in the two regions within a year. When the Upper East Regional Veterinary Officer, Dr. Moses Gbordzi, had to re-stock his vaccines for the third time in two months, the Ministry in Accra took notice and asked what was happening in the region. For many years, it was assumed that farmers did not value their livestock and wouldn’t pay for routine medication or vaccination.
This initiative under the RESULT Project has shown that with increased awareness, the availability of service, and affordable prices, farmers will rationally vaccinate their livestock to improve their production.