When disease hits
When disease leads to the loss of small ruminants, the economic, nutritional, and social consequences for poor farmers are often dramatic.
The loss of animals and their reduced market value due to debilitating side effects (weight loss, delayed growth, drop in fertility) keep households trapped in poverty and destroys or weakens their resilience, meaning their capacity to cope with recurrent crisis situations (poor harvests, natural disasters, political instability), which had been sustained by their small ruminant production.
In pastoral communities where livestock farming takes centre stage, the disappearance of small livestock has repercussions that go beyond economic impoverishment. It can lead to social marginalization and to the migration of livestock farmers towards cities where they encounter peri-urban poverty and crowding.
Poor livestock farmers in countries in the South often are vulnerable to animal diseases. Theys are hindered from managing health risks due to:
weak veterinary services,
a lack of trained professionals,
inadequate training and information on animal health, and
difficult access to veterinary services, medicines and vaccines.
"Sheep and goats are essential for the food security and incomes of pastoral communities. The presence of disease directly affects household wealth."
Juan Lubroth - FAO, 2010
