How Heifer International Improves Animal Well-Being

In the fight to eradicate poverty and hunger, healthier animals means more farmers earning a living income.

Heifer International supports farmers in raising livestock only at their request, helping them choose animals that are suitable for their geography, environment and culture, and that can be properly cared for with the resources available. Then Heifer helps livestock producers?secure the health of their animals?by providing access to knowledge, supplies and services to mitigate risks and increase productivity in?a thoughtful, sustainable way.

“Animal health and human health are interconnected."

Read a few simple techniques we teach families around the world to help build safe and profitable livestock farming systems.

1. Building Safe Shelter

Heifer encourages farmers to build a “closed farm” where animals are kept in a fenced yard or a barn, with good ventilation and sufficient space per the requirements for different species.

2. Securing Health Services and Treatment

Heifer trains?local community animal health workers?who provide services such as vaccination, deworming and first-aid treatment at nominal prices to farmers, which makes animal treatment accessible in rural areas.

3. Promoting Biosecurity Measures

To prevent diseases, Heifer encourages farmers to?maintain good biosecurity in and around their farms, including regular sanitization of animal sheds and modifying operations to reduce the risk of disease.

4. Providing Nutritious Feed and Fodder

Heifer promotes preparing and feeding animals green fodder and locally prepared feed containing essential minerals.

Kamala Makes a Living With Mulberry

“Animal health and human health are interconnected,” said Kamala Poudel, a dairy producer and member of a Heifer-supported women’s cooperative in Nepal.

As a community agrovet entrepreneur, Kamala helps?other dairy producers in the area treat and care for their livestock. And, with the support of Heifer and her women’s?cooperative, she’s launched a mulberry fodder business to take her enterprise one step further.

Read Kamala's story to learn how she is improving animal well-being for smallholder farmers in Nepal, as well as her family's livelihood.

How Rilli Grew Her Herd

For Rilli Maya Rai, the day’s work begins early.

“We spend about an hour and a half every morning cleaning the shed, milking the buffalo and providing them with good, nutritious feed,” said Rilli, a dairy producer and member of a Heifer-supported women’s cooperative in Rautahat, eastern Nepal.

There are an estimated 5 million buffalo in the country, but many farmers contend with low production levels, limited capital to grow their businesses and meager returns for their efforts.

Through training, collective business and an investment in farm infrastructure, she is at the helm of a?thriving farm ecosystem, building a future ripe with opportunity.

“I learned how proper care and improved practices can increase the productivity of livestock.”

Online Vet Training Opens Doors for a Mother in Nepal

Small livestock are a lifeline out of poverty for farming families, and a vital?link to food security.?But limited access to animal health services holds many back from growing their farms and their incomes.

When the world went into lockdown and many in-person activities moved online, Heifer Nepal followed suit, launching an initiative to digitally train project participants as agrovets. These skilled workers provide animal health services, such as livestock vaccinations and medications, to help local farmers keep their animals healthy and families’ livelihoods intact.?

Each day, once?her housework and farm chores were complete, Kusu Maya Malla studiously absorbed the training materials for the 35-day course on a tablet provided by Heifer.?Now, as a fully-trained and certified animal health care provider, Kusu administers critical veterinary services to farming families in two rural wards — a region totaling 600 households.

“This is what brings satisfaction: that I can help my family and my community with the skills that I have learnt.”

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