AFRICA – FAO Farmer Field Schools (FFS) has shown that changes in animal production techniques can result in judicious antimicrobial use (AMU), safe food, and higher profit margins.
Results from pilots in Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, and Zimbabwe reveal that farmers who took part in the FAO’s poultry FFS boosted their efforts in infection prevention and control while decreasing their usage of antimicrobials on the farm.
Increased awareness and more cautious attitudes and practices on AMU led to a rise in the usage of biosecurity measures including footbaths and personal protective equipment.
Farmers who participated in the four countries showed increased enthusiasm and connection with animal health experts.
In comparison to farmers in the same region who did not take part in the FFS, producers reported higher profit margins due to lower production costs.
The FAO is dedicated to minimizing the use of antimicrobials in agricultural and food production.
FAO is presently putting the Farmer Field Schools (FFS) into action in partnership with other stakeholders, with an emphasis on smart AMU throughout the entire production cycle.
Farmers of layers and broilers of poultry enroll in FFS, study best practices for poultry production throughout the production cycle, and collaborate to develop solutions that are appropriate for their local contexts.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is fueled by several on- and off-farm causes, including the abuse of antibiotics and inadequate preventative and control measures.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health concern and a food safety issue.
AMR infections are thought to have contributed to 5 million fatalities in 2019.
Food can be contaminated with antimicrobial-resistant bacteria which can be avoided through the careful of antimicrobials in food production.
The FFS strategy is being scaled up in response to the encouraging results during the last five years.
For FFS to continue operating, FFS participants can train to become FFS facilitators, enabling them to spread the methodology throughout their communities.
The livestock and agriculture ministries of various nations may think about incorporating the strategy into their development plans and policies from the national to sub-national levels.
“It is important to ensure that a bottom-up approach is constantly embedded in the processes of solving the AMR challenge, especially during the designing and programming of interventions, to assure sustainability,” said Emmanuel Kabali, FAO AMR Project Coordination, and Technical Support Consultant.
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