FAO recognizes the LIDISKI project for its animal health innovations in Nigeria

Some 2.25 million vaccines distributed, and 138 community agents trained and deployed to benefit 11 000 livestock farmers. In short, these are the results of the LIDISKI project. The project ended last year, and has already had a visible impact, since 99% of the farmers surveyed said that their incomes had improved, as a result of the reduced animal losses and higher productivity seen following the rollout of the project.

This award, in the "Sustainable livestock transformation, One Health, animal health, and reference centres" category, salutes the LIDISKI (Livestock Disease Surveillance Knowledge Integration) project's contribution to a sustainable transformation of livestock production in Nigeria and to promoting an integrated animal health approach. These initiatives fit with the four FAO strategic objectives: "better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind".

At the award ceremony, Thanawat Tiensin, Director of the FAO Animal Production and Health Division, saluted the power of collaboration and excellence in action.

Innovations for sustainable livestock transformation in Nigeria

The project received 2.5 million euros of funding and was conducted between 2020 and 2024 by CIRAD and three partners: the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI, Nigeria), the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe, Italy) and Ikore International Development (Nigeria). LIDISKI combined scientific research and operational development operations, to improve access to veterinary services in rural parts of northern Nigeria and build animal disease monitoring and control capacity in the field.

For Marion Bordier, project coordinator and epidemiologist with CIRAD, "the project was a big success, not just on a scientific level, with its sound, significant results, but in terms of development: it enabled concrete changes at grassroots level. Above all, it was a really rewarding experience in human terms, built on solid collaboration, commitment and mutual learning on the part of all the partners".

The project's activities centred on two major diseases affecting family farms in Nigeria: la Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), which primarily affects goats and sheep, and Newcastle disease (ND), which affects poultry. In building capacity among animal health players and improving access to veterinary services, LIDISKI made livestock systems more resilient and supported smallholders' livelihoods against a backdrop of climate change.

An innovative, sustainable and inclusive approach

To improve management of the two animal diseases, LIDISKI adopted an integrated, participatory approach resting on three pillars:

• Building scientific, technical and material capacity among animal health players in terms of PPR and ND control and monitoring. The project served to improve the production and distribution of effective, quality vaccines and to establish an integrated information system to record disease cases and vaccination operations.
• Improving scientific, epidemiological and socioeconomic knowledge of the two diseases, to support the development of disease management strategies tailored to context.
• Involving communities in disease monitoring and control via wide-ranging disease management awareness-raising campaigns. A community animal health agent network has been set up. The agents provide essential healthcare and serve as a relay between livestock farmers and public veterinary services.

Measurable, sustainable impacts

The results obtained thanks to the project bear witness to the scope and soundness of the operations conducted:

• More than 2.25 million vaccine doses have been distributed, contributing to better herd health protection.
• 99% 99% of farmers say that their incomes have improved, as a result of the reduced animal losses and higher productivity seen following the rollout of the project.
• 138 community agents have been trained and deployed, providing 10 500 small ruminant farmers and 500 poultry farmers with veterinary healthcare.
• Almost 200 000 farmers have been made more aware of disease prevention and control by means of radio campaigns, videos, posters and community meetings.
• Lastly, the project's activities have fostered rural women's economic empowerment, notably by improving women farmers' incomes and taking on women as community animal health agents.