Ethnovet Project: Promoting Ethnoveterinary Medicine for Sustainable Livestock Husbandry in Northern Ghana
Introduction
The 3-year Ethnovet Project (2019–2022), funded by Misereor/KZE (Catholic Central Agency for Development Aid, Germany), is being implemented by the Association of Church-based Development Projects (ACDEP), an NGO in northern Ghana. It is working in four districts in the Northern, North East and Upper East Regions of Ghana with four Ghanaian partner institutions:
- Animal Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-ARI);
- Veterinary Services Department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA);
- Pong-Tamale Central Veterinary Laboratory; and
- Animal Science Department of the University for Development Studies.
The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPA) is the international technical backstopper of the project.
The project aims to improve animal health and productivity of small-scale rural farmers through increased recognition and use of ethnoveterinary medicine as a complementary and integral part of veterinary services in northern Ghana. It pursues the following specific objectives:
- Validating potential herbal treatments commonly used by small-scale farmers for poultry, small ruminants and pigs;
- Improving preparation, packaging, use and commercialisation of selected herbal medicines; and
- Establishing a strong network of ethnovet practitioners for research, learning and advocacy in northern Ghana.
The project aims to collaborate with 1000 small-scale livestock farmers (at least 30% female), 40 EVM practitioners and community animal health workers (CAHWs) and 40 formal veterinary staff and rural advisors (at least 15% female) in 20 communities in the four districts. At least 20 ethnovet innovations and practices will be jointly validated by farmers and scientists.
A brief on the Ethnovet project can be found here in English and French, as well as a project flyer in English.
