Community-based Animal Healthcare: A Practical Guide to Improving Primary Veterinary Services

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.