Supporting Evidence Based Interventions (SEBI)

In 2015 the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Agricultural Development team set its 2020 goals for livestock productivity^[1].  One of the major contributors to low productivity in the BMGF geographies is animal mortality, caused by high incidence of disease and reproductive losses.  This in turn leads to losses in household assets and income for smallholder livestock keepers. 

While technologies and practices exist that could reduce mortality, it has become apparent that there are limited relevant data on the status of animal health by location, and mortality rates in the livestock holdings of the target geographies.

In addition, the BMFG Agricultural Development team has acknowledged that there is no structured way to access and use livestock data in a timely manner to monitor and evaluate the progress made in implementation by BMFG grantees and partners.

In order to address the above challenges, SEBI, a 3-year project based at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK was initiated in May 2016.  The core objectives of SEBI are as follows:

1. Reduce animal mortality, disease and reproductive losses in BMGF anchor geographies (Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania).
2. Strengthen and integrate systems to prioritise, design and track output and outcomes of livestock investments in BMGF anchor geographies.

In order to achieve the overall objectives, SEBI has designed 3 inter-related programs:

Program 1: Evidence-based interventions to reduce livestock mortality and reproduction losses in Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania.  

Program 2: Data collection and modelling: Implementation of the BMGF harmonized indicators-framework through building an open data modelling Community of Practice (CoP).  

Program 3: Assessment of technology interventions for development and transfer to target geographies.  

Active partnerships are critical to all of the above programs and their deliverables.  Our partners to-date include Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), Tableau, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Universities of Glasgow UK, University of Ilorin, Nigeria and University of Guelph Canada, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), GALVmed and BAIF Development Research Foundation, India.

An External Advisory Panel will be appointed to assist with all SEBI programs and to provide additional advice and support to the SEBI team on an ad hoc basis.  The first Chairman is Dr Mizeck Chagunda (SRUC).

[1] BMGF goals include: double milk productivity in sub-Saharan Africa and increase it by 30% in South Asia, increase poultry egg production by 100% in SSA; and decrease mortality of poultry, small ruminants, and dairy cattle by 15% in SSA.