Final Evaluation of the Project for Building Resilience and Self-reliance of Livestock Keepers by Improving Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease and other Transboundary Animal Diseases in Afghanistan

Livestock play an important role in Afghanistan, boosting nutrition and providing livelihoods. Outbreaks of animal diseases such as Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) and peste des petits ruminants (PPR) are a constant threat to improving nutrition and farmer incomes. The Project ‘Building resilience and self-reliance of livestock keepers by improving control of FMD and other Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs)’ aimed at providing assistance at central, province, and community level, in strengthening food security through an improved on-farm livestock healthcare system. The evaluation found there was good progress in improving animal health and disease control. The Project exceeded original vaccination targets, owing to a close collaboration with the private sector and non-governmental organizations. Epidemiology skills were improved in the country but remain limited while analytical skills remain a critical need and there is a continuing need for better capture of outbreak and disease surveillance data. The major weakness of the Project was the lack of sustainability with no clear exit plan. The evaluation recommends that there be an immediate follow-up project.