In rural sub-Saharan Africa, where veterinarians are scarce, private sector veterinary paraprofessionals (VPPs) are often the frontline of livestock healthcare. FAO’s Empowering Veterinary Paraprofessional Entrepreneurs project in Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda aimed to strengthen VPPs as preventive healthcare providers holistically, with approaches involving training, mentorship, improved regulation, recognition and business environments.

Impacts were assessed at two levels

VPP businesses
A livelihoods framework model was used to assess how the project’s activities impacted VPPs. This model is used to understand how people make a living by examining their access to five key types of assets: human, social, natural, physical and financial.

• 98 percent of participants completed the eight-month training programme and all requested to continue mentorship relationships beyond the formal programme period.
• One year after training, VPPs saw their incomes increase by 53 percent and doubled the number of farmers they served. One example is Joseph, a male VPP from Uganda who used extension services to increase demand for his services and grow his farmer client base.
• The programme particularly supported women VPPs, narrowing the income gap with men counterparts and helping them overcome cultural barriers through specialized training in animal handling and communication skills. As an example, Blessing, a female VPP from Nigeria initially struggled to earn a living but has doubled her client base and income, and can now support her family.

• Both men and women farmers experienced higher satisfaction with VPP services after their VPP received training. 91 percent of farmers responded that they were “More satisfied” with VPP services.
• Farmers reported increased adoption of multiple disease prevention measures after VPP advice, including vaccination, biosecurity and parasite control.
• Vaccination showed particularly strong uptake. In Uganda, 84 percent of farmers reported vaccinating their poultry against Newcastle disease in the year following the VPP’s training, whereas previously only 14 percent had done so.
• Over 80 percent of farmers surveyed answered that their farms were “performing better” with over 70 percent reporting increases in key production indices such as egg, meat or milk production.