Community-based Animal Healthcare

Community based approaches to improving animal health have been evolving for many years. Numerous organisations and institutions, including government veterinary services, are now beginning to implement community-based animal health projects in order to provide basic veterinary services in rural areas. However, both governmental and non-governmental organisations can lack experience of community-based animal health systems and, to date, there are few publications available to guide them. This book is a how to do it manual covering all aspects of community-based animal health work. The book is designed for animal health professionals at field-level, though will also be relevant to policy makers, donors and veterinary training institutes. The book will draw on the experiences of community-based animal health projects implemented by government and NGOs during the last twenty years and will relate to on-going structural reform of veterinary services in developing countries. The book aims to provide practical guidance for the design and management of community-based animal health services and, in particular, will focus on issues related to sustainability and linkages between basic level workers, private veterinarians and state veterinary services.

Andy Catley is a veterinarian with experience of primary-level veterinary services and participatory research in the Horn of Africa. He currently works for the International Institute for Environment and Development, and the Organisation of African Unity/Inter-Africa Bureau for Animal Resources.

Stephen Blakeway is a veterinarian with particular interests in animal welfare and human-animal interactions.

Tim Leyland is a veterinarian who introduced community-based animal health services into Afghanistan and southern Sudan. He currently provides technical support to government and NGOs for the development of community-based systems in pastoralist areas of East Africa and the Horn of Africa.