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Annual Report 2011

DCA-VET - Dutch Committee for Afghanistan - Veterinary Programmes

This is the annual report of DCA-VET for 2011. The main objective of DCA-VET is to protect and improve the health of existing livestock and to increase livestock production in Afghanistan. To realise the objective, DCA-VET has developed programmes to: train paraveterinarians (paravets) and basic veterinary workers (BVWs); establish district-based veterinary field units (VFUs) throughout Afghanistan; provide for veterinary equipment, medicines and vaccines; support the sustainable delivery of animal health services at community level; support activities that enhance livestock production; support the integration of public and private veterinary services; and enhance the range of services the VFUs can offer to their clients as well as their earning capacity.

Annual Report 2010

DCA-VET - Dutch Committee for Afghanistan - Veterinary Programmes

This is the annual report of DCA-VET for 2010. The main objective of DCA-VET is to protect and improve the health of existing livestock and to increase livestock production in Afghanistan. To realise the objective, DCA-VET has developed programmes to: train paraveterinarians (paravets) and basic veterinary workers (BVWs); establish district-based veterinary field units (VFUs) throughout Afghanistan; provide for veterinary equipment, medicines and vaccines; support the sustainable delivery of animal health services at community level; support activities that enhance livestock production; support the integration of public and private veterinary services; and enhance the range of services the VFUs can offer to their clients as well as their earning capacity.

Annual Report 2009

DCA-VET - Dutch Committee for Afghanistan - Veterinary Programmes

This is the annual report of DCA-VET for 2009. The main objective of DCA-VET is to protect and improve the health of existing livestock and to increase livestock production in Afghanistan. To realise the objective, DCA-VET has developed programmes to: train paraveterinarians (paravets) and basic veterinary workers (BVWs); establish district-based veterinary field units (VFUs) throughout Afghanistan; provide for veterinary equipment, medicines and vaccines; support the sustainable delivery of animal health services at community level; support activities that enhance livestock production; support the integration of public and private veterinary services; and enhance the range of services the VFUs can offer to their clients as well as their earning capacity.

Annual report 2008

Dutch Committee for Afghanistan. Veterinary Programmes

The annual report of 2008 for the Dutch Committee for Afghanistan – Veterinary Programmes (DCA-VET), which provides veterinary care to Afghanistan. DCA-VET has developed veterinary programmes to: (1) train paravets (PVs) and basic veterinary workers (BVWs); (2) establish veterinary field units (VFUs) all over Afghanistan; (3) distribute veterinary medicines, veterinary vaccines and other equipment; and (4) advise farmers, paravets, and veterinarians.

Afghanistan and the development of alternative systems of animal health in the absence of effective government

B.E.C. Schreuder

This case study describes the efforts by both non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies to develop an alternative system for delivering animal health services in Afghanistan from the rnid-1980s to the year 2003. It also describes the present-day problems of the animal health infrastructure in Afghanistan. During this time, Afghanistan experienced war and severe civil unrest resulting in the collapse of the veterinary infrastructure. An initia1 emphasis was placed on training intermediate and lower-level veterinary auxiliary personnel to replace those who had fled, as well as on the implementation of emergency treatment and vaccination campaigns. Gradually this programme evolved from an emergency-oriented approach to a more development-oriented process, resulting in a community-based system of animal health care in more than 250 districts. Some 500 para-veterinarians, trained for a period of five months, play a pivotal role in this programme, supported in outlying villages by trained vaccinators and basic veterinary workers. Essential elements of the programme include: the recruitment of trainees from areas where need has been identified; an emphasis on practica1 and problem-oriented training; the deployment of staff in supervised 'veterinary field units'; a guaranteed supply of veterinary medicines, anthelmintics and vaccines; and a gradually increasing rate of cost recovery. The ultimate objective of the programme is to establish a self-sustaining system, where the user pays.

The future of animal health care in Afghanistan : next 3 years : report on the symposium

G.J. Duives

The objective of the symposium “Future of animal health care delivery system: next 3 years”, held in Kabul in October 2003, was: to formulate a common strategy on animal health care delivery, keeping in mind that the Government has not sufficient funds available to pay for the salaries of veterinary personnel, and keeping in mind that veterinary personnel is already available all over Afghanistan. This report presents the programme of the symposium, summaries of most presentations, the subjects addressed in the working group sessions, the conclusions and recommendations of the symposium and the list of participants.

Further observations on the impact of a veterinary programme in Afghanistan on seasonal livestock mortality

B.E.C. Schreuder

This paper reports further results of a two year livestock mortality survey in Afghanistan, where a war of more than a decade had completely disrupted the veterinary field services. A questionnaire-based survey to measure the impact of a veterinary field programme indicated that average annual mortality in cattle, sheep, and goats was substantially lower in districts that received veterinary services (covered districts) than in districts without any veterinary services (control districts). The impact of the programme varies according to the season and the age group of the animals involved. The programme lacked impact in winter, in particular in adult small ruminants. The highest impact was noted in the spring and autumn for adult goats, and summer and autumn for adult sheep. The impact of the programme was also limited (in small ruminants even completely absent) during the suckling period in young animals. The highest impact was noted in the post-weaning period in small ruminants, when approximately four times more lambs and kids died in the control districts than in the covered districts. It was concluded that the major impact of the veterinary programme was achieved when animals are in contact with other flocks during grazing seasons, when parasitic and infectious diseases are present and against which the veterinary programme is directed. Additional inputs - including extension activities - are therefore required to improve the effect of the programme in the winter and in the neonatal period.

A benefit-cost analysis of veterinary interventions in Afghanistan based on a livestock mortality study

B.E.C. Schreuder

This article evaluates a veterinary intervention program of the Dutch Committee for Afghanistan, started during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, a 10 year period during which veterinary services were otherwise completed disrupted. The veterinary field program was carried out mainly by paravets. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted to measure livestock mortality in districts that received veterinary services through the project and in neighboring districts that had not had veterinary services for about 10 years. The survey indicated that livestock mortality in districts that received veterinary services was lower than in districts without any veterinary services. Comparison of each of the 22 age-species-specific district pairs showed a difference in favor of the covered district in 18 pairs. In 12 out of these 18 pairs, this difference was significant. Overall annual mortality rates differed (in relative amounts) by 25%, 30%, and 22%, in calves, lambs, and kids, respectively, and in adult cattle, sheep, and goats, by roughly 30%, 40%, and 60%, respectively. In the absence of any other obvious distinctive features between the compared districts, we concluded that this difference in mortality was due to the presence or absence of veterinary services. A benefit-cost analysis showed that the benefit-cost ratio for the program was between 1.8 and 4.8. The high benefit-cost ratio resulted partly from the fact that the costs of the program were low, because it was implemented by a volunteer-run, non-governmental organization. In addition, due to the special circumstances prevailing in the country, any input in combatting diseases at this stage was bound to have a relatively high impact. We concluded that: (1) the veterinary program was important for the rebuilding of numbers of livestock and thus for the economy of Afghanistan, and (2) veterinary intervention programs under these and comparable circumstances can be highly cost-effective.

Livestock mortality in Afghanistan in districts with and without a veterinary programme

B.E.C. Schreuder

This paper reports on livestock mortalily in Afghanistan where a war has been going on for more than a decade, with complete disruption of the veterinary field services. The study attempted to measure the impact of a veterinary field programme carried out mainly by paravets. The study also provides valuable data on the impact of diseases in the absence of any veterinary intervention. The veterinary programme, implemented by a Dutch non-governmental organisation (NGO) for approximately 3 years, consisted essentially of vaccination against major infectious diseases and administration of anthelmintic drugs for nematodes and liver flukes. Veterinary personnel were also involved in curative treatments. Livestock mortality figures were collected by questionnaire over a period of 2 years from more than 700 farmers in randomly selected villages in 4 covered districts with a veterinary programme and 4 control districts without a veterinary programme. The average annual mortality rates for calves, lambs and kids respectively were 16.2%, 17.3% and 19.1% in the covered areas, against 21.5%, 25.2% and 24.6% in the control areas. Adult mortality figures were 3.8%, 7.4% and 5.4% in the covered areas, against 5.3%, 13.6% and 15.6% in the control areas for cattle, sheep and goats respectively. The survey indicated significant differences (P < 0.01 in cattle, P < 0.001 in small ruminants) in livestock mortality between the control and covered areas and it is concluded that these differences were attributable to the presence or absence of the animal health programme.

Annual Report 2007

Dutch Committee for Afghanistan - Veterinary Programmes

This annual report describes several projects implemented by DCA-VET, including (1) the Accelerating Sustainable Agriculture Programme (ASAP), which focuses on broad-bases livestock development, (2) the Animal Health and Production Programme in Baghlan Province, (3) the Livestock Disease Control Program in Badakhshan, (4) the Rural Extension, Animal Health and Production Programme for Refugees Returning to Afghanistan and (4) the World Bank Horticulture and Livestock Project, for which DCA-VET provided the veterinary training programme.