Livestock and Market Development Project helps reduction of diseases, pasture disputes, supports veterinary training

AKIPRESS.COM - Special machinery provided to Pasture Users Unions on a grant basis and construction of facilities for farm animals have become ones of the important activities of the Livestock and Market Development Project run in Kyrgyzstan since 2013. This information came from the meeting reviewing outcomes of the project on September 23. The Unions received bulldozers, excavators, tractors, balers. Mobile shearing points for sheep, dips, and other facilities were built under the project. Bridges and pasture roads have been rehabilitated; micro-projects have been implemented for the construction or repair of watering points, wells and damming, cleaning springs, and laying water pipes.
The Project supported the actions to delineate borders of pastures, which were blurred and led to conflict situations. The project allowed to reduce the number of disputes over pastures several times. Besides, absence of clear pasture borders before made it difficult to assess the current condition of pastures required for the preparation of Pasture Management Plans.
In Issyk-Kul and Naryn regions from 2010 to 2018, the collection of funds for the pastures use has grown by almost five times - from 9 to 42 million soms. The total amount of funds raised in the country in the last year exceeded 143 million soms.
The brucellosis control component of the project supported procurement of certified vaccines and drugs. Supplies and resources of veterinary service were replenished and modernized. All that led to almost 6-fold reduction of brucellosis incidence rate.
Implementation of the program to combat echinococcosis, the incidence rate dropped from 1,185 in 2014 to 905 people in 2018 or 1.3 times.
In order to reduce the deficit and renew veterinary personnel this year, more than 100 young veterinarians who have already gone to their home villages to work have graduated the Agrarian University with the project support.
The country has seen an increase in the number of veterinarians by 70%. One of the "catalysts" of the trend is to bring legislation and veterinary standards in line with the requirements of the World Organization for Animal Health, and strengthening the capacity and physical facilities of educational institutions for the training of veterinary personnel.
The Project covered Issyk-Kul and Naryn regions (125 ayil aimaks) and Toguz-Toro district of Jalal-Abad region (5 ayil aimaks). Activities to control brucellosis and echinococcosis were carried out throughout the country.
The main implementing agencies of the Project were Community and Development Agency, the Department for Pastures, Livestock and Fisheries, the State Inspectorate for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Safety, the National Center for Health Promotion, the Center for Certification of Veterinary Medicines, the Veterinary Chamber, Kyrgyz Livestock and Pasture Research Institute, Kyrgyz Scientific Veterinary Research Institute, Kyrgyz National Agricultural University. The Agricultural Projects Implementation Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Industry and Melioration coordinated the work of responsible partners.