Holistic approach for pastoralists’ future

THERE is need to initiate a holistic approach for design of an integrated intervention encompassing packages of services for populations of pastoralists in Africa if infectious diseases to animals, livestock and wildlife are to be avoided, social scientists have warned.

A Principal investigator on health and livelihoods of pastoral communities and their access to basic social services, Dr Gilbert Fokou unveiled in his recent research that there is need to secure access to pas- tures, water, and access to markets as well as education to the commu- nities.

The expert opinion comes as the government seeks to brand all live- stock in the country while advising pastoralists to adhere to its plan in order to establish ownership.

It has since called for them to only keep flocks that they can manage.

The Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Mr Luhaga Mpina has persistently sought to have cattle well-kept in good environs while his deputy, Mr. Abdallah Ulega, has issued a directive for branding of all cattle, saying lack of proper marking has made it difficult to know the exact number of cattle in the country and differentiate owners.

“Packages of services for mobile populations include health, access to resources, drinking water, edu- cation, markets and information … the above mentioned examples show the critical importance of so- cial science in research today and especially intervention research … however, one should recognise that integrating social scientists is not al- ways a panacea.

The success relies on the way scientists from various disciplines collaborate with non-sci- entists for more adapted solutions to complex social problems,” said the expert.

Dr Fokou who works under the Afrique One-African Science Partnership for Intervention Research Excellence (ASPIRE) that conducts researches in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and other countries in East, Central and West Africa, unveiled that there is need for ‘One Health’ approach consisting of human and animal vaccination delivery to remote nomadic families, and that health for nomadic people is closely linked to access of pastoral resources.

He said that he once collabo- rated with scientists from other fields on such matters near Lake Chad, where the project relied on interdisciplinary studies such as geography, anthropology, biology, veterinary and human medicine, and even microbiology so that the intervention, consisting of a joint campaign for humans and animals proved to be efficient in terms of vaccination coverage and reduction of costs.

ASPIRE Director; Professor Bassirou Bonfoh said that further researches are being carried out in Tanzania and other African coun- tries, seeking to build a strong foun- dation for avoidance and proper treatment of diseases that affect humans, livestock and wildlife.