Elanco Animal Health has received a grant worth US$2.86mn from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation to provide sustainable development solutions to food insecurity in east African countries and improve animal health and productivity in dairy herds and poultry flocks for smallholder farms in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania
A division of world’s 10th largest pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly and Company, Elanco provides comprehensive products and knowledge services to improve animal health and food-animal production in more than 70 countries around the world.
The grant from Bill and Melinda Gates foundation is to enable the registration and distribution of high-quality veterinary products, in conjunction with training initiatives for smallholder farmers to assist with improved animal health practices as well as disease prevention and treatment.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 32 per cent of the people in east Africa are undernourished and 40 per cent of those living in sub-Saharan Africa are living on less than US$1.25 per day. In East Africa, 18 per cent of children are underweight.
Jeffrey Simmons, president of Elanco Animal Health, said, “We are committed to addressing global hunger by supporting efforts that ensure nutritious food is accessible and affordable to all.”
“The grant from the foundation will further advance our vision by improving the lives of smallholder farmers through sustainable livestock production,” he added.
Livestock diseases like mycoplasma, theileria, etc are threats to achieve food security for people who depend on livestock for their livelihood. The smallholder farmers in the east African region attested that the livestock diseases affect their production loss leading to major economic losses.
"Elanco is a cause-driven organisation and our vision of ‘Food and Companionship Enriching Life’ is at the core of why we do what we do. We are committed to addressing global hunger by supporting efforts that ensure nutritious food is accessible and affordable to all,” said Simmons.
