ANIMAL HEALTHCARE TRAINING: PB (Case Study)

ISBN: 1853392456

Author: Young, John

Condition: New

Product Description Young, John, etc., Stoufer, Karen, Ojha, Narayan, Dijkema, Henk-Peter Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Animal Healthcare TrainingNepal's Animal Health Improvement Training ProgrammeBy John Young, Karen Stouter, Narayan Ojha, Henk Peter Dijkema, Sarah JonesPractical Action Publishing LtdCopyright 1994 Intermediate Technology Publications LtdAll rights reserved.ISBN: 978-1-85339-245-0ContentsFigures and Tables, vi,Preface, vii,Acknowledgements, ix,Acronyms, x,Introduction,Animal health improvement training programme, 8,Field visits, 22,Conclusions, 41,Appendices, 46,Appendix 1: Diseases treated by the VAHWs, 46,Appendix 2: Beginners' course contents, 48,Appendix 3: Refresher course contents, 49,Appendix 4: The AHITP recommended medicine kit, 50,CHAPTER 1THE ANIMAL HEALTH IMPROVEMENT TRAINING PROGRAMMEIn 1978, in response to the requests for animal healthcare training for farmers, a UMN veterinarian who was running the farm at Gandaki Boarding School designed two experimental training courses. The first was a short (three-day) course held for farmers in different villages close to Tansen in Palpa. This proved to be largely unsuccessful as the fanners were unwilling to allow the trainers or trainees to handle their animals. The need to organize practical hands-on training resulted in a two-week course for project staff held on the GBS farm, Lamachaur, in Pokhara District. The farm was found to be an ideal setting; not only did it have its own animals, but the animals of neighbouring farmers were being brought to the farm for treatment. The Animal Health Improvement Project was born of the success of this trial course.In mid 1981, the Rural Development Centre (RDC) of UMN was established as a consultancy service to provide technical expertise to UMN community development projects in Lalitpur, Palpa and Gorkha in animal husbandry and health, forestry, water supplies and horticulture. Once established, the RDC took over the GBS farm as part of its operations. The AHITP forms part of RDC (see Fig. 3) providing training rather than consultancy expertise in the areas of animal husbandry and health. Since 1987, RDC's three other programmes, Forestry (Trees), Drinking Water Systems (WSSTP) and Horticulture and Agronomy (HATSP), have evolved into training rather than consultancy services.The farm and veterinary clinicThe farm, covering just over three hectares, is primarily a livestock farm with 40 per cent of the land used for fodder and fruit trees, 35 per cent for fodder grass and fodder grain crops, and 25 per cent for buildings and pathways. Most of the fodder produced is for the farm's own livestock, which includes seventeen breeding goats and their offspring, five male goats, seven breeding rabbits and offspring, one milking buffalo and calf, two oxen, two fattening pigs and about twenty chickens. The buildings consist of offices, animal buildings, a classroom and two dormitories for the male and female trainees, a kitchen, and the clinic.Although an expensive operation, the farm serves a number of functions. As a training centre for VAHWs it is able to demonstrate housing, feeding and general animal care techniques with healthy animals on the farm itself and the farm animal health clinic can provide cases to be used for teaching purposes and for practical treatment experience. Small-scale livestock trials (e.g. the monitoring of productivity of livestock) are conducted, thus providing some research background to support choices in course content.The farm's fodder production, including short term crops, maize and oats, fodder trees and grass and the preservation of excess fodder such as silage and hay, the stall feeding of animals, and the results of a comprehensive preventative treatment of livestock against parasites are all examples of the farm's activities. Other small-scale trials have included, live fencing, cropping under