This good practice fact sheet sets out to show how an SMS Gateway system developed by FAO has been used to improve rural communication, support animal disease crisis management and contribute to livelihood resilience for small-scale farmers. Focusing on the case study of avian influenza in Bangladesh, the information factsheet explores how the SMS alert system has bolstered disease prevention, surveillance and reporting among poultry farmers.

This resilience good practice factsheet is designed for practitioners who are interested in using an SMS Gateway system, or other cellular or web-based technologies, to improve reporting of animal disease outbreaks and exchange other types of information. It is expected to be of particular interest to farmers and producers’ organizations, animal health workers, government ministry officials and institutions involved in carrying out or supporting development projects.