Developments in policy; A case study of Community Animal Health Service Delivery in Nigeria

Abstract

In Nigeria, smallholder poultry production constitutes 43% and 89% of the national egg and meat production respectively. Despite the significance of smallholders in National food security, their productivity has remained low and threatened by high incidence of diseases resulting from poor access to veterinary services. Although the unavailability of suitable products, rural distribution network and information are commonly cited barriers to access, the absence of skilled professionals for product and service delivery posed a bigger challenge. The latter was due to the policy restrictions in engaging paraprofessionals to offer animal health services at community level. This paper aims to articulate the effect of
community-based animal health service delivery policy on rural veterinary access and productivity of smallholder poultry. It also highlights other areas for policy intervention crucial to growing the smallholder poultry sector.