The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will provide technical assistance for the design and implementation of new technologies regarding animal and livestock and husbandry tailored to India’s needs.
In New Delhi this Wednesday, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy (DAHD), Government of India, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation signed an agreement (MoU).
In this collaboration, the partners will work together to improve India’s livestock sector for food and nutritional security as well as to safeguard small-scale livestock producers’ economic well being.
The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying works to ensure food security and economic development by improving animal health and production programs. Strengthening animal husbandry infrastructure, boosting entrepreneurship and implementing the “One Health Framework” are key to developing the livestock sector. As a means of ensuring food and nutritional security and safeguarding human health, animal health needs to be prioritized.
Defining scientific and technological solutions to major infectious diseases, providing technical assistance in translational sciences, identifying opportunities for scientific and technological collaboration, and executing the One Health Framework will all be part of the joint support programme. A growing need for environmental, animal, and human health solutions have been exacerbated by COVID-19. The One Health framework will enable tracking and resolution of animal and human health challenges as well as prevent possible infection and disease outbreaks. This partnership will establish a National One Health platform to improve coordination, productivity, and livelihoods of small-scale producers.
The Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, ParshottamRupala, said in response to the collaboration, “The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying is committed to monitor and significantly improve animal health and production in the country. This partnership with the Gates Foundation will provide technical assistance to the department to ensure sustainable growth and prosperity of India’s livestock sector and to promote an efficient, multisectoral One Health approach on critical animal health issues among a broad set of stakeholders.”
In his presentation, Dr. K Vijayaraghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, stressed the importance of the collaboration and emphasized that the anticipated outcomes will significantly improve the livestock sector, thereby resulting in economic growth.
According to Atul Chaturvedi, Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, “Strengthening the livestock sector is one of the pre-requisites for effective implementation of One Health. This collaboration will strengthen our digital infrastructure, research and development capabilities and bridge the information gap with respect to animal-human interactions among public and private stakeholders”.
“Gates Foundation is honoured to deepen partnership with DAHD, with the aim of contributing to the Government of India’s national goals for sustainable development and improvement of the livestock sector. This partnership builds on our focus on enhancing productivity and income for small livestock keepers and we hope to bring in contextually relevant expertise, innovations, and global and domestic best practices through partners to support the DAHD’s priorities of nutritional security, inclusive economic empowerment while aligning with India’s One Health Framework” : Hari Menon, Director, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s India Country Office, said at the signing of the memorandum of understanding.
Researchers, academicians, state animal husbandry officials, key personnel from health and wildlife departments, subject matter experts, and others participated in a forum to discuss collaborative activities to implement the One Health initiative in India.
