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| One of our KUKUSTAR representatives talks to a crowd of rural farmers on market day in Pallisa, Uganda. |
In light of the upcoming 3rd Conference on Global Animal Health entitled “Developing Global Animal Health Products to Support Food Security and Sustainability” Brentec Vaccines would like to continue to bring attention to rural farmers the work we are doing to address their animal health needs.
Earlier
this year for World Veterinary Day, where the theme was Vaccination to
Prevent and Protect, we wrote a piece on “Remembering Rural Poultry
Farmers” because they often do not have access to vaccines or other animal
health products for their animals.
In
rural Africa, poultry farming is more sustainable than any other livestock and
produce in most areas because the landscape, weather conditions, and food availability
are more conducive to free-range poultry farming. In addition to this, the high
reproductive rate and low maintenance costs, especially of chickens, make
poultry farming a valuable source of income and food security, as well as a key
tool for poverty alleviation.
At
Brentec Vaccines Ltd, our philosophy is to do business in a manner that will
transform the livelihood of rural households in Africa by delivering animal
health solutions for farmers. Our first step has been the introduction of our
KUKUSTAR I-2 Thermostable Newcastle Disease Vaccine in rural Uganda, which was tested and certified by the Pan African Veterinary Vaccine Centre (PANVAC), in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia. The vaccine is
helping these farmers protect their poultry from the killer Newcastle Disease, which wipes out hundreds of thousands of birds every year and leaves
poultry farmers without an income.
We
designed KUKUSTAR with these rural farmers in mind, producing a thermostable
vaccine that is easier to transport to remote areas unlike other Newcastle
Disease vaccines that require a cold-chain delivery system. We also make the
vaccine available in smaller doses (25-30) for farmers who may have less than
20 birds and made it easy to administer through eye drops (the vaccine is sold
in a dropper for the smaller doses). The vaccine, unlike others available, can
be administered to all age groups, including one-day old chicks, and can be
used on chickens, ducks, turkeys, pigeons, and guinea fowl. In addition,
we train farmers to administer the vaccine themselves.
By focusing on rural farmers, we are choosing to address a group that has often been overlooked when designing animal health technologies. By helping these farmers become more successful, we are doing more than just saving animals, we are transforming the livelihoods of the people in their households.
By focusing on rural farmers, we are choosing to address a group that has often been overlooked when designing animal health technologies. By helping these farmers become more successful, we are doing more than just saving animals, we are transforming the livelihoods of the people in their households.
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| One of our representatives explains the characteristics of Newcastle Disease and how KUKUSTAR can help these farmers. |
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| School girls (one of which owns poultry) visit our KUKUSTAR table to learn more about vaccination at the 21st Source of the Nile National Agricultural and Trade Show in Jinja, Uganda. |
