The Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations (FAO) has held a Stakeholder’s feedback workshop on the recommendations to overcome challenges arising out of the escalating problem of ticks, tick-borne diseases and tick acaricide resistance in Uganda. The workshop was held in Mbarara, Uganda.

FAO works with different countries to overcome poverty, malnutrition, hunger, and unemployment, among other objectives.

Pests and vectors complicate livestock productivity worldwide hence the need for systems, technologies and technical expertise to keep them at zero or minimal impact.

FAO designed a technical cooperation facility to explore the response approach to the problem(s) between November, 2017 – August, 2018. The technical cooperation project (TCP) anticipated contributions during the project implementation included field visits, sample collection, sample analysis,  risk assessment, questionnaire administration and stakeholder consultations. A TCP validation workshop was held at Imperial Royale Kampala, Uganda from 20th to 21st June 2018.

This project is responding to a request by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) to curb the escalating problem of ticks, tick-borne diseases and tick acaricide resistance in Uganda.

FAO has developed a number of follow up actions including the design of a catalytic technical cooperation project and development of a comprehensive proposal to seek for funds. One of the immediate intervention measures was to have a feedback workshop so as to share the outputs of the TCP and support alignment of different players to holistically address identified challenges.

The objectives of the feedback workshop included:

  1. Disseminating the findings of the technical assessment report on animal health challenges caused by ticks and tick-borne diseases.
  2. Agreeing on stakeholder roles and commitment in control of TTBDS
  3. Reviewing and harmonising the proposed action for the improved control of ticks, tick-borne diseases, and tick acaricide resistance & potential financial and technical resources

The workshop was attended by stakeholders from FAO, MAAIF, Ministry of Finance, Planning & Economic Development, College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources & Bio-security (COVAB), National Drug Authority (NDA), National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), among others.