More than 40,000 farmers in six countries including Kenya, have been trained prevention of animal diseases through a project dubbed the LastMile Initiative.
The initiative aims to train small scale farmers in Africa on the prevention of animal diseases and leverage access to veterinary medicine.
The initiative also aims to bridge the gap (“last mile”) in access, availability, and awareness of animal healthcare solutions in hard-to-reach areas.
This improves productivity and income generation, hence ensuring food security and livelihood for the local communities.
LastMile was launched in 2018, by Boehringer Ingelheim, a global pharma in partnership with the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed) and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
It supports smallholder farmers in Kenya, Cameroon, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia, and has enabled 56 product registrations in these countries as well as Uganda and Tanzania.
By increasing the number of registered products, Boehringer Ingelheim facilitates access to more treatment options for farmers and veterinarians.
“LastMile is a sustainable model for smallholder farmers with a positive impact on vulnerable communities,” Project Lead for LastMile at Boehringer Ingelheim Tiago Teixeira said.
“We aim to strengthen smallholder farmers’ income and productivity, highlight the importance of disease prevention to ensure food security, and drive sustainable businesses that are integrated into the wider economy in Africa,” Teixeira added.
Animal technicians from local communities play a crucial role in demonstrating product usage and providing education to smallholder farmers.
More than 20 animal technicians held close to 20,000 farm visits and consulted more than 17,000 agricultural retail shops on how to optimize product availability and shelving.
Furthermore, during more than 8,600 visits to veterinarians, animal technicians provided them with information and training on prevention and treatment options.
