LastMile, an initiative of Boehringer Ingelheim, financed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) in partnership with the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed), disclosed that it has empowered over 40,000 smallholder farmers in six African countries with access to veterinary medicine and the prevention of animal diseases.
The project lead for LastMile at Boehringer Ingelheim, Tiago Teixeira, noted, while addressing journalists, that the initiative is a sustainable model designed to improve the health and wellbeing of animals by increasing disease awareness and improving access to animal medicine.
Boehringer Ingelheim Group, which was founded in 1885 by Albert Boehringer in Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany, is one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. It supports smallholder farmers in Kenya, Cameroon, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ethiopia and has enabled 56 product registrations in these countries.
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Teixeira pointed out that the initiative had a positive impact on vulnerable communities, while commending animal technicians from local communities for their major role in demonstrating product usage and providing education to smallholder farmers.
“More than 20 animal technicians held close to 20,000 farm visits and consulted with more than 17,000 agricultural retail shops on how to optimize product availability and shelving”. Furthermore, during more than 8,600 visits to veterinarians, animal technicians provided them with information and training on prevention and treatment options”. Teixeira said
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Also speaking was Ayman Eissa, Head of Sustainable Development for Generations at Boehringer Ingelheim in India, the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, who stressed that they are committed to addressing global health challenges in developing countries and improving animal health.
“With our LastMile initiative, we aim to strengthen smallholder farmers’ income and productivity, highlight the importance of disease prevention to ensure food security, and drive sustainable businesses that are integrated into the wider economy in Africa.”
