Rwamagana: early mobilization of livestock farmers against RVF lessens the effects and loss related to the disease
Livestock farmers in Rwamagana district eastern province of Rwanda affirm that the early campaigning against the rift valley fever (RVF) helped them to deal with the epidemic, the consequences and losses it would cause them.
Rwamagana is an area close to the city of Kigali, where most of the local people are engaged in commercial activities rather than agricultural and breeding activities; the farmers and breeders there, do their work on small land compared to other areas of the eastern province.
During the outbreak of RVF, local authorities urged farmers to prevent and control it by vaccinating their animals, feeding them well to build immunity, and spraying them regularly with appropriate chemicals.
Through the livestock farmers field school (LFFS) program, the local government trained the most influencing among livestock farmers for them to train and mobilize their fellows, this program is based on cell level, and one advisor is in charge of a certain number of fellows.
The RVF intensity eased
Elie Ugiraneza is a livestock farmer but also an advisor in this program from Karenge sector in Rwamagana district, he had two cows both got RVF but were treated on time and recovered. He says that he was well aware of the disease and prepared in case it could reach his cattle.
“When the disease attacked my cows, I knew that I shouldn’t touch their blood so that I don’t get myself infected, but that I had to call in the veterinary as soon as I see RVF symptoms.” Said Ugiraneza.
He says that he was aware of some RVF symptoms like fever, nose bleeding, lack of energy and so others, when he saw them with his cow he quickly contacted the veterinary who came and started to treat that cow. Soon after the second cow was affected but both cows were treated and survived the RVF.
Some of the advice given to livestock farmers in order to prevent and ease the intensity of RVF is to feed their livestock well with nutrients diet to boost their immunity, spraying at least twice a week and get their livestock vaccinated.
In addition, if they see signs of the disease, avoid the contact with the blood of a sick animal and call a veterinarian instead.
Ugiraneza confirms that in the group he is in charge of, those who follow the given advice nothing happened to their cattle.
RVF explained
Rift RVF is a viral disease most commonly seen in domesticated animals in sub-Saharan Africa, such as cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and camels. People can get RVF through contact with blood, body fluids, or tissues of infected animals, or through bites from infected mosquitoes.
This being explained to the livestock farmers in Rwamagana, therefor they did everything possible to prevent it like cutting down bushes so that mosquitoes cannot hide and draining water bodies so they cannot breed.
Goreth Murekerisoni, a livestock farmer in Nsinda cell, Muhazi sector, Rwamagana district says that since they knew how to prevent the appearance of RVF, they did all they could to do so.
“I used to hear on radio about the RVF, and our local leaders used to remind us to be on guard, so I cut all bushes around my home, and I was always vigilant in case one of my cows would show the RVF symptoms,” said Murekerisoni.
She says that she feeds her cattle with the reeds planted for them and gives them enough water; their barn is also clean enough and they are sprayed many times a week.
Although RVF often causes severe illness in animals, most people with RVF have either no symptoms or a mild illness with fever, weakness, back pain, and dizziness. However, a small percentage (8-10%) of people with RVF develop much more severe symptoms, including eye disease, hemorrhage (excessive bleeding), and encephalitis (swelling of the brain).
Other diseases in the same family with RVF
The research by Marie Fausta Dutuze, an assistant lecturer in University of Rwanda, college of agriculture, animal science and veterinary medicine DVM, published by Louisiana State University at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/4995 , states that other viruses in the same family as RVF are most of the time mistaken as RVF.
However, areas near lakes and swamps such as Rwamagana, and near the rivers of Akagera and Akanyaru where there are mosquitoes, it is easy for animals to be infected with Rvf.
According to Rwanda agriculture and Animal resource development Board, Rwamagana had 60 RVF cases 26 were treated and 34 died; but many livestock farmers did not have RVF reach their cattle.
According to Rwamagana district animal resources officer, Dr. Jean De Dieu Niyitanga, since April to July 2022, 285005 cows were vaccinated. So far, there is no more RVF in the region. Moreover, in just three months, the anti-RVF operations cost around 15 million Rwandan francs.
About the livestock farmers field school program
The LFFS program is an organized and decentralized livestock farmers’ advisory organ that operates from the cell level, every cell has at least an advisor selected among other livestock farmers, who is trained and whose role is to work closely with his/her fellows by advising them.
Selected among his peers based on his/her influence, skills, knowledge, dedication and willingness to help his peers, a livestock advisor trains them on how to take care of their animals.
Livestock advisors are trained for five years, the training is carried out in stages based on what they should be trained on; some will last for 2 months, some will last for two weeks, among what they are trained are different diseases, how to treat them and how to prevent them, including feeding the animals well to raise their immunity.
Jean Paul Mutsinzi, a beneficially of LFFS from Kigarama cell, Nzige sector, says that after training they are expected to go down in their villages to help their fellows with the skills they got from training.
They form groups of livestock farmers in the villages where they work, in these groups teach them what they have learned, and raise awareness about government programs in livestock sector such as immunizing their animals to deal with various diseases and putting them in insurance.
The whole Rwamagana district counts 67 trained livestock advisors who operates in 82 cells with 17920 livestock farmers. They are not on paycheck; they just work as volunteers and get some little motivation once in a time; as now they have bicycles.
In addition to being mentors to their colleagues, the trainees make use of the knowledge they have gained from the training, for example, Mutsinzi now grows and multiply reeds for livestock professionally, earning his own income and doing it as a job and business.
Sekabera from Muhazi sector says that these advisors are the ones who taught them how to deal with epidemics like RVF, and taught them how to feed their livestock properly.
Murekerisoni says that livestock advisors trained them on how to fight mosquitoes that are said to be spreading RVF, how to grow grass and how to feed cows properly; they also encourage them to take livestock insurance.
Still fear for the next outbreak
Despite being able to handle the last RVF outbreak, livestock farmers in Rwamagana are still afraid that the next outbreak might not go easy on their cattle, what they see as difficult is to get insurance.
Murekerisoni says that insurance is still expensive for the low-income livestock farmer; “not all variety of cattle is allowed in insurance scheme, and when they are sick you will have to get them treated on your account, insurance will step in only if they are dead.” She said.
Ugiraneza shares the concern, they still find insurance costs to be high for those with one or two cows, as an advisor, it is not easy to convince his fellows to insure their livestock but keeps mobilizing.