Elanco Animal Health has received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to provide sustainable development solutions to address food insecurity in East African countries. Elanco will work to improve animal health and productivity in dairy herds and poultry flocks for smallholder farms in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

The $2.86 million grant will help Elanco enable the registration and distribution of high-quality veterinary products and training initiatives for smallholder farmers to assist with improved animal health practices and programs for disease prevention and treatment.

“My main challenge has been mycoplasma, where the birds would develop the condition at three months,” said Beatrice Wanjiku, a smallholder poultry farmer in Thika, Kenya, where livestock diseases are a source of economic losses for people who depend on livestock production for their livelihood. “This would eventually lead to a drop in production.”

“Elanco is a cause-driven organization and our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life is at the core of why we do what we do. We are committed to addressing global hunger by supporting efforts that ensure nutritious food is accessible and affordable to all. The grant from the foundation will further advance our vision by improving the lives of smallholder farmers through sustainable livestock production,” said Jeffrey N. Simmons, president, Elanco Animal Health.”

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 32 percent of the people in East Africa are undernourished1 and 40 percent of those living in sub-Saharan Africa are living on less than $1.25 per day. In East Africa, 18 percent of children are underweight. Through this collaboration, Elanco intends to apply the learnings from East Africa to other geographies and continue its leadership in food security efforts.