Language:
Search
 
Animal Health
Agriculture and Rural Development

A. Problem Analysis

 1. What was the problem before the implementation of the initiative?
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD), Gauteng Veterinary Services (GVS), is responsible for the control of animal diseases in Gauteng. Disease prevention, particularly for non-controlled diseases and livestock enterprise productivity improvement for resource poor farmers had historically not been prioritised by Government. The sub-directorate of Primary Animal Health is mandated with service delivery encompassing animal diseases control, dissemination of knowledge & training of farmers. The Rust de Winter area, north of Pretoria, is state owned land which is leased to small scale farmers, in line with government’s program of encouraging participation of other races in the agricultural sector. When new resource poor farmers were resettled in Rust de Winter in the 1990s, they had limited financial resources, patchy knowledge in livestock husbandry and were neither knowledgeable nor confident on how to access the various support programs which were available in several government departments. The community comprised of poor and unemployed people, mainly youth, middle aged and elderly people (both men and women). They only had a few livestock that where largely in poor condition and often died from preventable diseases and had poor productivity. Most of the farmers had no knowledge of any preventative veterinary interventions like deworming, vaccinations, record keeping and general livestock husbandry practices and as a result livestock production was suboptimal. Farmers were also not organized to facilitate sharing of information and knowledge, sharing of transport when selling livestock, sharing the cost of procurement of veterinary vaccines, medication and dipping chemicals. Like in most communal livestock settings, there was very little baseline data such as farm offtake rates and farm productivity to inform interventions by any party dedicated to rural development and upliftment of livelihoods. Other farming related problems that the farmers faced were lack of water for livestock and crop farming, lack of fencing, and poor road and farm infrastructure. The government of South Africa was also looking for an effective farmer post settlement support model which could be used in support of the agrarian reform initiatives. The main reason for starting this project was to assist and partner with farmers in Rust de Winter, in a coordinated delivery of animal health and livestock improvement programs that include vaccinations, treatment of diseases, record keeping and skills transfer. The area also served as a valuable pilot site for the development of an effective farmer post settlement support model.

B. Strategic Approach

 2. What was the solution?
The goal of the project is to facilitate coordinated service delivery to resource poor livestock farmers in Gauteng through partnership between Government and other stakeholders such as pharmaceutical companies, suppliers of livestock information management /traceability systems and the Faculty of Veterinary Science of the University of Pretoria. The specific objectives are: 1. To coordinate and mobilise government resources aimed at improving livelihoods of rural communities 2. To assist farmers in vaccination and treatment of their livestock and prevent deaths 3. To assist farmers in record keeping of their livestock enterprise’s through a livestock identification and traceability system 4. To train farmers in good animal husbandry practices and raise awareness on important diseases affecting their livestock 5. To raise awareness among farmers on the economic importance of livestock and improve the livelihoods of the community through viable livestock businesses. Service delivery to resource poor livestock farmers in South Africa has historically been done on an ad hoc basis in response to disease outbreaks. This presented challenges to farmers in raising healthy animals and improve productivity. Through a well-planned and coordinated animal health program of vaccinations, treatments and good husbandry practices, these challenges have been overcome. Once a year, students from the Faculty of Veterinary Science are mobilized to assist with the vaccination and treatment of close to 5000 livestock in the area. Communal farmers had also generally lost trust in the ability of government to deliver services. This program is designed to form strong partnerships with farmers where government effectively delivers on its mandate while uplifting the livelihoods of farmers and builds trust. Financial resources were mobilized from other government departments to upgrade farm infrastructure which enabled both the farmers and government officials to work under a safe environment. Identification and traceability of animals and record keeping is key to successful farming regardless of type and scale. Livestock in the poor communities are largely not uniquely identified and some are only identified through specific names given by the owner. In order to facilitate the proper identification of livestock and implement a record keeping system towards improvement of livestock husbandry, a livestock identification and traceability system was introduced. This system allows all the records of both individual animals and animal herds to be captured in a computer and used by the extension animal health officers, veterinarians and veterinary services management to implement effective disease control programs. Farmers have access to these records anytime and can make use of record sheets to capture any livestock husbandry practices which can be updated later onto the database. In Rust de Winter veterinary interventions that have been implemented in this program have led to substantial increase in animal numbers from less than a 1000 cattle and 300 sheep/goats in the 1990’s when the farmers were resettled, to a population of over 5000 cattle and 2000 sheep/goats in 2013. It is therefore necessary that all the livestock are uniquely identified and production records of individual animals and herds are kept. The other benefit of the animal identification system is in the prevention or solving of stock theft problems. It is easier to track and convict stock theft criminals in court if the animals are identified or the identification system has been tempered with. The GMP electronic ear tags are very robust and cannot easily be removed without damaging the ear. This makes it difficult for criminals to get away with stock theft. In future, the traceability system is also going to be indispensable in enabling these farmers to satisfy the conditions of the lucrative urban and international markets and thereby derive premium prices for their animals.
 3. How did the initiative solve the problem and improve people’s lives?
Gauteng Veterinary Services management recognizes and promotes thought leadership which is a key pillar for innovative solutions to intractable problems of service delivery. The extension officer was allowed to take the initiative of building a relationship of trust with the farmers, organizing them into a structured and cohesive unit so that they could bring up the constraints and frustrations which they faced. Management also recognizes the value of a bottom-up approach in seeking ideas from the potential beneficiaries and through this empowering them to be participants rather than passive recipients of government services. This process allowed for problem identification, issue prioritization, seeking of appropriate solutions and resources from within and outside government to bring a multi-disciplinary approach which yielded optimization of resources for optimum results. The introduction of an electronic identification and traceability system set in motion the process of obtaining farm based data which will be used for profiling and informing decision making and interventions. This system will enhance the recording and collection of individual animal and farm level epidemiological and productivity data to facilitate disease control and productivity. The data will be aggregated and collated to generate economic analysis data i.e income, profitability, and livestock off-take to markets.

C. Execution and Implementation

 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
In 2009, when the current term of government started, 12 priority outcomes were identified to guide the strategies and operational plans of government departments. GDARD operates under the “Vibrant, Equitable and Sustainable Rural Communities Contributing Towards Food Security For All”. The GVS in turn has amongst its key strategic priorities the “Provision of a Primary Animal Health Care and Veterinary Awareness to Emerging Farmers”. Various stakeholders were introduced to the identified problems so that they could determine how they could be involved and what resources would be required. Summary Action Plan Activity Person(s) Responsible Timeframe Ongoing Stakeholder consultations: Farmers, University, DRDLR, DAFF, Pharmaceutical companies, other service providers GVS management 2009 to date Vaccination campaign: • Livestock with Black leg, anthrax, botulism, pulpy kidney vaccines • Pets: Rabies, and 5-in-1. Parasite control and treatment of livestock Main responsibility rests with GVS Personnel (technicians and veterinarians). Veterinary students from University of Pretoria, Animal health students from University of Southern Africa provide additional HR capacity,. Annual campaigns Ongoing as required Farmers Study Groups and Training of farmers Chief Animal Health Technician (AHT) and Farmers Ongoing: Every two weeks Disease control activities: TB and CA control Targeted clinical services Chief State Veterinary Officer and AHT Ongoing testing, vaccination of heifers and positive herds Research and development: • Reproductive disease investigation • Anthelmintic resistance Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute 2010 Repair of fences Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) June 2013 Install crush pens Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) 2010 and ongoing Animal Identification and Traceability system GDARD April 2013 and ongoing Borehole revitalization DRDLR 2013 and ongoing Specific Detailed Activities Access to veterinary Services More than 200 farmers in Rust de Winter now have full access the Veterinary Services. More farmers are positive on farming and they have started to attend the study groups. Since 2006/7 more than 20,000 cattle, sheep, goats and dog have been vaccinated against important livestock diseases like anthrax, botulism, rabies, brucellosis, black leg, pulpy kidney, and lumpy skin disease. Government officials visit the area on a regular basis (2-4 times a week). An experienced Chief Animal Health Technician, supervised by a Chief State Veterinarian has been allocated to work in the area full-time. Infrastructural Development Officials from the Departments of Rural Development and Land Reform, are now involved in infrastructural development i.e. boreholes, fencing, roads, electricity etc. 13 handling facilities (crush pens) for cattle have been installed and this facilitates the management of livestock for dipping, vaccination, dosing and treatment. Capacity Development and Skills transfer Skills transfer programmes have been implemented through Study Groups (fortnightly to monthly) and Farmers’ Days (quarterly) where farmers are trained on good animal husbandry practices. Two feedlots have been established in Rooikop with 190 cattle belonging to Mr June Matsheni and Melkhoutfontein with 700 cattle belonging to Mr Strike Msiza. Through this intervention, farmers have won prizes in Provincial Female Farmer of the Year and National Female Farmer of the Year (see section 10 for details) Vaccination Campaigns On an annual basis a large scale vaccination campaign involving various stakeholders and where over 5000 livestock are vaccinated is held. See table below for the campaign held in 2013. Number and species of animals that were vaccinated in Rust de Winter on 26 April 2013 Species Vaccinated Type of Vaccine used Number of animals vaccinated Cattle Botulism (Clostridium botulinum), Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) and Quarter evil (Clostridium chauvoei) 3753 Goats Pulpy kidney (Clostridium perfringens) 1849 Sheep Pulpy kidney (Clostridium perfringens) 108 Dogs Rabies and 5 in 1 52 Cats Rabies 20
 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
The whole farmer development program is championed by GVS together with counterparts in the agriculture and rural development units, who sought and accessed funds which lay in other government programs to implement the project in Rust de Winter. The farmers participated actively in delineating their constraints and in what order of priority solutions could be implemented. There is also active participation of suppliers of the vaccines, medications, equipment and software who include Zoetis (formerly Pfizer Animal Health) MSD, OBP and GMP Traceability Management Software. Sixth year veterinary students from the University of Pretoria, accompanied by their lecturer also participate in the project. Animal health technicians interns who are doing their Diploma studies at the University of South Africa are also involved. The students appreciate the opportunity to interact with the farmers and gain valuable practical field experience; veterinary supplies companies benefit in marketing their products and fulfilling their corporate social responsibilities; GVS delivers its government mandate; and farmers benefit from the services provided, so the programme is a win-win for all stakeholders. Stakeholders who attended the vaccination campaign at Rust de Winter on 26 April 2013 Stakeholder Group Institution/Organisation Number Small Scale Livestock (resource poor) Farmers Rust de Winter Communal Area 50 Animal Health Technicians GVS 16 State Veterinarians, including management GVS 7 Veterinarians University of Pretoria 1 Veterinary Science Degree Students University of Pretoria 130 Diploma in Animal Health students (interns) University of South Africa 7 Other Government Officials GDARD 4 Other Government Officials Land Affairs and Rural Development Department 1 Suppliers of Vaccines and medicines Zoetis, (Pfizer) 1 Suppliers of Vaccines and medicines MSD 1 Suppliers of Vaccines and medicines Onderstepoort Biological Products 1 Suppliers of GMP Basic tags GMP Tracebility Management and Software 2 Total: Veterinarians, Para-Veterinarians and students 206
 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
Financial Resources: Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) provides R1 million per annum for the operational budget for vaccines, stock remedies, staff compensation, ear tags, farmer’s days and travelling costs. It has taken a few years to facilitate access to a capital budget so that the gaps hampering increased productivity could be addressed. The capital budget for farm infrastructure (fencing, crush pens, boreholes) comes from the GDARD’s Comprehensive Agricultural Support Program and the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) budgets. In 2012 DRDLR allocated R9.5 Million for erection of about 120km boundary fencing which is currently being erected. A further R5 Million has been made available in 2013/14 by DRDLR for livestock infrastructure development, including boreholes. DRDLR is also considering the funding of internal fences once the boundary fences have been completed. Technical Resources The supply of the ear tags for the traceability and identification of the animals and farms as well as the database is funded by Gauteng Veterinary Services (GVS) and outsourced to a service provider. The budget for the ear tags was R450 000 for the tagging of all animals in the area in 2013. Human Resources The GDARD provides budget for the extension staff (two animal health extension officers and a chief state veterinarian) who work regularly with the farmers to implement the program. Once a year the Faculty of Veterinary Science avails students for the annual vaccination campaign which also serves as invaluable field practical experience for the students. The group cohesion of the farmers and their determination to make success of their enterprises cannot be underestimated and is the minimum determinant for the project to be sustained. This is the one resource, unquantifiable as it is, which is key and in the absence of which government’s support risks developing dependents and not independednt farmers. The farmers have also volunteered their labour for the erection of the boundary fences so that as large an area as possible could be fenced.
 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
Financial Resources: Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) provides R1 million per annum for the operational budget for vaccines, stock remedies, staff compensation, ear tags, farmer’s days and travelling costs. It has taken a few years to facilitate access to a capital budget so that the gaps hampering increased productivity could be addressed. The capital budget for farm infrastructure (fencing, crush pens, boreholes) comes from the GDARD’s Comprehensive Agricultural Support Program and the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) budgets. In 2012 DRDLR allocated R9.5 Million for erection of about 120km boundary fencing which is currently being erected. A further R5 Million has been made available in 2013/14 by DRDLR for livestock infrastructure development, including boreholes. DRDLR is also considering the funding of internal fences once the boundary fences have been completed. Technical Resources The supply of the ear tags for the traceability and identification of the animals and farms as well as the database is funded by Gauteng Veterinary Services (GVS) and outsourced to a service provider. The budget for the ear tags was R450 000 for the tagging of all animals in the area in 2013. Human Resources The GDARD provides budget for the extension staff (two animal health extension officers and a chief state veterinarian) who work regularly with the farmers to implement the program. Once a year the Faculty of Veterinary Science avails students for the annual vaccination campaign which also serves as invaluable field practical experience for the students. The group cohesion of the farmers and their determination to make success of their enterprises cannot be underestimated and is the minimum determinant for the project to be sustained. This is the one resource, unquantifiable as it is, which is key and in the absence of which government’s support risks developing dependents and not independednt farmers. The farmers have also volunteered their labour for the erection of the boundary fences so that as large an area as possible could be fenced.
 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
The Director –Animal Health is the senior manager responsible for all activities within the directorate. The Deputy Director (DD), Primary Animal Health has the overall responsibility of monitoring and running the project. The project is supervised by the Chief State Veterinarian (CSV) who supervises the Animal Health Technician (AHT) who in turn works directly with the farmers. The technician visits the area on a regular basis (3-4 times a week). Supervision and monitoring is done through monthly and quarterly reports. The vaccination campaigns are organised and monitored by the AHT. The electronic ear tags have facilitated the monitoring of farm level animal health and husbandry activities. The AHT writes daily activity and monthly reports to the CSV, who evaluates the reports and regularly visits the project area to evaluate progress, attend farmer’s meetings, study groups and attend to complex disease problems. The CSV writes monthly and quarterly reports to the DD who will analyse and compile them and forward to the Director, Animal Health and Chief Director Veterinary Services. These reports are evaluated on the resources utilised and activities done and progress made.
 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
The initial challenge was lack of cooperation from farmers due to lack of trust in government officials and government programs. This was overcome by commitment from government officials and the apparent benefits to the few farmers who were participating. As more farmers gained trust and participated more farmers joined and the program became a success. Most of the farmers had poor handing facilities in the form of crush pens, holding pens and neck clamps. Although 13 crush pens have been installed to date, this falls short of the handling facilities required by the more than 50 farmers in the area.. The involvement of other government departments like Rural Development and Land Reform will provide funding to erect more handling facilities and other infrastructure needs. Fences and gates were in poor condition. This presented challenges in the management of livestock and in creating paddocks for controlled breeding. Farmers are however participating in fencing programs that are funded by government. Livestock in Rust de Winter depend on a seasonal river for drinking water.. Farmers are encouraged to sink boreholes, however this is expensive. The Department of Rural Development and Department of Water affairs have been consulted to solve this problemwithin the many competing needs of their departments. Other challenges include poor road infrastructure, poor telephone network connectivity and limited financial resources. The implementation of the traceability and identification system is not without its challenges. A new procedure of extension visit has to be developed, discussed with the officials and farmers and implemented. The officials have to be trained on how to capture farm based data and how to derive farm profile reports from the database. The service provider has been key in hand-holding the officials and giving them the necessary confidence that they can use the system to their advantage.

D. Impact and Sustainability

 10. What were the key benefits resulting from this initiative?
Since the project started there has been notable increase in the total number of livestock owned by the farmers. There has also been a reduction in cattle deaths due to diseases. During the early stages of the program in 2006-2009 there were many cases of abortions as cattle were not being vaccinated. With the introduction of the annual vaccination program and the skills and information transfer through Study Groups and Farmers’ Days, farmers now know when and what to vaccinate their animals against in order to prevent abortions and other diseases. The skills levels of the farmers are progressively improving leading to higher farm productivity which has directly translated to higher household incomes, improved livelihoods, poverty reduction and food security.. Trends in the animals vaccinated between 2006 and 2013 Year Number of farmers participating No of livestock vaccinated Cattle Sheep/goats Dogs 2006/7 40 2726 789 28 2008/9 40 3000 1102 37 2010/11 43 3258 1365 44 2013/14 65 5653 1849 52 Two feedlots have been established in Rooikop with 190 cattle belonging to Mr June Matsheni and Melkhoutfontein with 700 cattle belonging to Mr Strike Msiza. This has facilitated the offtake of weaner calves from the farmers and enables access to premium commercial beef markets other than the local butcheries and sales in local communities. The Rust de Winter livestock farmers are now in a position to be major contributors to the supply of beef to the Gauteng City Region urban market. In 2010, Ms Dora Matlou, who owns 115 cattle won first prize in the Provincial Female Farmer of the Year awards and won a prize of R33,000. Ms Matlou won third prize for the National Female Farmer of the Year award in the same year. In 2011, the Provincial Female Farmer of the Year Award was won by Ms Leah Mthombeni and she won R35,000. The runner up was Ms Dinah Mudau, also from the area, who won R20,000. In 2012 Ms Dinah Mudau won the Provincial Female Farmer of the Year Award and won R35,000. The runner up was Ms Dora Matlou and third prize was won by Ms Rachel Swahledi. All these farmers are from Rust de Winter. The emergence of these female farmers as winners is a strong motivation factor for other women to participate in livestock farming. The success of the project demonstrates to us as public servants that we can derive fulfilment from using resources available within the government system to contribute to both the government’s and societal development programs. GVS is currently not able to quantify the socio-economic benefits accruing from this project. The data being collected through the traceability system will, at a later stage, enable economic impact analyses
 11. Did the initiative improve integrity and/or accountability in public service? (If applicable)
Sustainability The ultimate goal of government in this project is to get the farmers to a stage where they are confident in their abilities to practice farming sustainably, have above average farming knowledge and skills and most importantly, can run the enterprises along business principles, whereby there will be very limited need for resource mobilization from Government. The farm profile information from the traceability system and notable improvements in farm productivity indices, will be a key indicator of the ability of the farms to be weaned off government support. There are already some indications that some progress has been made as some of the farmers are expanding to add value to their enterprises (feedlotting), are procuring some of the farm supplies on their own and already serve as mentors to their fellow farmers. Farmers are now well organized and they network and assist each other. It is anticipated that as farmers are equipped with knowledge on running farming as a business and become financially sound, a full cost recovery program could then be implemented on the medicines, vaccines and other services provided. Replicability The project is being replicated in other small scale (resource poor) farmers in Gauteng province. Vaccination campaigns, study groups and farmer’s days are also done in other areas, albeit at a smaller scale, and coordinated through the Gauteng Veterinary Service Centres in Germiston, Randfontein and Pretoria. The project has clearly demonstrated that working outside silos, mobilizing the resources from wherever they lie within the government system, can lead to successful small scale farming enterprises. The farmer post settlement support program and the primary animal health care can be implemented successfully following a model similar to that implemented with the Rust de Winter area. Proper coordination, planning and cooperation by farmers is key in order to run similar programs successfully in other provinces to the benefit of the farmers and the South African economy. The livestock identification and traceability system is already finding potential use in other parts of the country where there is need to track movements of animals and monitor the distribution of individual animals and herds in a specific disease control zone. This will be over and above the individual farm and farming area profiling benefits.
 12. Were special measures put in place to ensure that the initiative benefits women and girls and improves the situation of the poorest and most vulnerable? (If applicable)
Lesson learned: • Effective consultation is important to build cohesion, confidence and trust between the different stakeholders. • Success in livestock farming requires total commitment and passion from the farmers themselves. • There are sufficient budgets lying in the various government departments that can be accessed to unblock service delivery constraints for farmers. • The collaboration between the different government departments in this project has opened doors for working together across departments and stop working in silos. • Through a well-coordinated training programme with external stakeholders, farmers can benefit from a wider pool of expertise. • A electronic based livestock identification and traceability system is a very valuable tool for collecting data from any farming enterprise which can then be used for decision making and intervention, by both the farmer and government officials. The output from the early phase implementation of this system already can depict the herd composition for individual farms and for the whole area. Recommendations: • Any government land reform project where several farmers are resettled in one area needs to first build the farmers into a cohesive unit so that they can use each other as a resource. • A data collection and livestock management system is critical not only for profiling of the farmers but for tracking and monitoring productivity of the enterprises which in turn informs what gaps there may be which would require intervention. • The risk of GVS and government weaning off the farmers totally is that the trust that has been built up can slowly erode, which would then make it difficult for required surveillance for diseases. Mechanisms need to be put into place to continue nurturing the trust relationship.

Contact Information

Institution Name:   Agriculture and Rural Development
Institution Type:   Government Department  
Contact Person:   Charles Katsande
Title:   Mr  
Telephone/ Fax:   +27 12 123 1604
Institution's / Project's Website:  
E-mail:   charles.katsande@gauteng.gov.za  
Address:   Private bag x 369 Arcadia
Postal Code:   0001
City:   Pretoria
State/Province:   Gauteng
Country:  

          Go Back
Print friendly Page