July 2017—Lack of resources and veterinary expertise to prevent and control the spread of disease results in significant losses to livestock in communities across northern Afghanistan. Livestock are a significant part of the country’s economy, and disease is a significant challenge in maintaining a healthy herd and improving animal productivity.

Livestock owners are often among the poorest people and make up some of the least food secure households in the country.

To address this issue, USAID’s Regional Agricultural Development Program (RADP)-North created a paraveterinary training initiative in 2016. The rigorous six-month training program was designed for 15 female and male trainees in Balkh, Jawzjan, Samangan, Baghlan and Badakhshan provinces. The training provided theoretical and practical instruction on animal health care to improve herd health and productivity and increase household incomes.

Burhanuddin*, a 25-year-old man who graduated from the training course, established a new Veterinary Field Unit (VFU) in Langar village in the Khuram Wa Sarbagh district of Samangan province.

“I am involved in providing services to 600 to 800 farmers, and I treat roughly 60 to 80 livestock per week,” Burhanuddin said. “My solid profit would be about 3,000 AFN [Afghan afghani, or $43] per day since opening this VFU, and can be as high as 10,000 AFN [$145]. I provide veterinary services to around 18 to 20 surrounding villages, but I am fully able to travel to any village where farmers and herders need service.”

Burhanuddin explained that he recently helped a farmer who had just lost eight new lambs. When he visited the man’s herd, he found that the animals had PPR (peste des petits ruminants) virus, which he was able to identify from his paraveterinary training. Burhanuddin prescribed medicine for the animals and, after three days, vaccinated the farmer’s lambs and goats to prevent further disease. When Burhanuddin followed up, the farmer had not lost any more lambs.

USAID’s RADP-North program, which runs from 2014 to 2019, works in six provinces in Afghanistan to strengthen selected value chains for wheat, high-value crops, and livestock to provide food and economic security for rural citizens.

*Many Afghans use only one name.

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