Elanco Animal Health Incorporated (ELAN) and Farm Radio International (FRI) have partnered to produce a 13-week series of radio programs designed to support and educate small-scale livestock farmers in North Tanzania to manage the challenges around livestock health and wellbeing
The initiative is in line to support a drive to greater food security, livestock health and care in the region.
FRI and Elanco are working closely with local radio stations - Sauti ya Injili and Loliondo FM - to produce a short series of interactive radio programs, enabling listeners to make informed decisions and have access to relevant animal health care products and training.
The project aims to use radio to reach a wider, rural population which has little access to agricultural services and reaching women who are crucial in livestock keeping. At the same time, FRI supports and develops the local broadcasters with training support during the production and airing phases of the agricultural programmes.
The programmes are being aired until 14 December 2018.
Elanco’s support of the radio campaign with FRI forms part of a ground-breaking project to provide sustainable development solutions to address food insecurity in East African countries – Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.
The East Africa Growth Accelerator (EAGA) is Elanco’s first pure ‘Shared Value’ project which is made possible through a US$3.1mn grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant enables the registration, manufacturing and distribution of affordable high-quality veterinary products, along with intensive training initiatives for smallholder farmers and channel partners.
“By working with FRI, Elanco aims to support improved animal husbandry and health practices and effect behaviour change by sharing information through the powerful medium of radio. The 13-week series will focus on knowledge transfer on disease awareness, prevention and treatment, including important topics such as fly, tick and rodent control, Coccidiosis, Mycoplasmosis, poultry vaccination and product training facilitated by Elanco,” explained Maria Zampaglione, Elanco One Health and Shared Value advisor and project leader.
Livestock disease remains a significant threat to achieving food security in East Africa where 25 per cent of protein from farm animals is lost due to animal illness, reducing the supply of high-quality milk, meat and eggs and creating significant economic losses for farmers.
