Taking care of animals' health to create healthy incomes
Community Animal Health Network (CAHNET)
One of the many challenges facing pastoralists and smallholder farmers across East Africa is lack of information on animal health and access to medicines and vaccines. FARM-Africa is working in partnership with the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicine (GALVmed) in a project started in 2008, Protecting Livestock Saving Human Lives, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Department for International Development. GALVmed is developing new vaccines for some of the most important diseases of livestock in Africa. FARM-Africa manages the Community Animal Health Network (CAHNET).
With poor information-sharing systems, pastoralists and smallholder farmers are often cut off from development initiatives that are transforming livestock production in other parts of the world. Farmers need up-to-date and accurate information on how best to care for their animals, new animal health practices, the best ways to treat diseases and news of the latest drugs to reach the market.
FARM-Africa identified a need for a regional forum that brings together all stakeholders in animal health – from the pastoralists and smallholders to policymakers, research organisations and NGOs. We formed the Community Animal Health Network (CAHNET) to spread information about animal health across eastern Africa.
FARM-Africa’s support
With our help, communities are improving the standards and impact of animal healthcare in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia.
We’re sharing CAHNET member-endorsed good-practice. We bring people together to share experiences, run training courses and offer online training materials (written and new media). We also spread the word via educative posters, booklets, a newsletter and local radio broadcasts.
We’re facilitating the distribution of vaccines that members and other CAHWs deliver to poor farmers. Healthier livestock means farmers improve their food security and can increase their incomes by getting a good price for their livestock.
We’re sharing good-practice and impact studies with policymakers so that they can make policies that benefit livestock keepers.
For more information, please visit the project’s own website.
Policy and Research
From Grassroots to Government: FARM-Africa’s experiences influencing policy in sub-Saharan Africa
Adobe PDF - 781kb
Working Papers
14. Scaling-up Success - FARM-Africa\'s new strategy for development
Adobe PDF - 444kb
New CAHNET website is now live!
The Community Animal Health Network (CAHNET) has launched it's brand new website! Now, many more farmers and stakeholders engaged in animal health activities in eastern Africa will be able to log on, learn about the latest news on animal health and share their experiences with their peers through SMS technology, Twitter, blogs and podcasts.
Click here to visit the new site for yourself
New CAHNET website is coming soon!
CAHNET is currently working to recruit a growing number of livestock keepers and other parties interested in community animal health in Kenya. The network has been reaching out to NGOs, co-operatives, farmer groups and agro vets in the eastern province of Kenya through meetings and workshops to ensure that greater numbers of individuals are able to access accurate information about how to improve the welfare of their animals and so improve their livelihoods.
CAHNET is due to launch a brand new website in June which will mean that more farmers will be able to log on, learn about the latest news on animal health and share their experiences with their peers through blogs and podcasts.
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