RANIA ABDULLAH

 Yemen- Since the war started in Yemen in 2015, many animal diseases have been spreading in the country and people, especially living in Yemen’s rural areas, have no access to reliable veterinary services. 

Nabiha Ahmed Saeed, a resident of the village of Al-Sayahi located in the countryside of the city of Taiz, southern Yemen, told us that they could not treat their animals, their source of income, due to the lack of veterinarians. “Our animals get sick and die. We do not know the reason for their death or even the reasons that lead to the diseases due to the lack of veterinarians or specialists. As farmers, we call on the relevant authorities to find a solution in order to stop livestock deaths.”

Animals are the only source of income for farmers, Nabiha Ahmed Saeed added. “Veterinarians in Yemen no longer pay attention to animal diseases because they disregard the lives of animals. If animals die, it causes the ecosystem to deteriorate.”

‘The number has increased due to the ongoing conflict’

In Yemen, some think that the number of livestock deaths in Yemen has increased due to the ongoing conflict. Dalia Mohammed, a laboratory graduate in Al-Sayahi, is one of them. “Farmers suffer from the ongoing bombardments. In our region, 95% of people depend on agricultural activities and literacy rate is very low because the government does not build schools. Due to the lack of schools, people invest in livestock and agriculture to make ends meet. The prices of seeds, fertilizers and fuel are on rise due to the ongoing conflict. In addition, farmers have faced many problems due to the lack of veterinarians for more than 10 years. Therefore, there is an increase in livestock deaths because the farmers cannot find veterinarians in our region and across Taiz.”

Dalia Muhammad thinks that the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation in Yemen should coordinate with other organizations to implement strategic projects that serve society and farmers, especially in rural areas. “They organize workshops but these workshops are insufficient to solve the problems faced by farmers. The ministry and agriculture organizations must take serious actions to develop projects and hold workshops for both women and men farmers in rural areas on how to deal with diseases that affect animals.”

‘We have no experience in treating animals’

Farmer Fatima Ahmed believes that the lack of veterinarians in Yemen increases the livestock deaths. “We have no experience in treating animals. The relevant authorities must provide veterinary services to farmers in rural areas and open veterinary clinics.”