That Sheep May Safely Graze ― Rebuilding Animal Health Care in War-torn Afghanistan

The very mention of Afghanistan conjures images of war, international power politics, the opium trade, and widespread corruption. Yet the untold story of Afghanistan's seemingly endless misfortune is the disruptive impact that prolonged conflict has had on ordinary rural Afghans, their culture, and the timeless relationship they share with their land and animals. In rural Afghanistan, when animals die, livelihoods are lost, families and communities suffer, and people may perish.

That Sheep May Safely Graze details a determined effort, in the midst of war, to bring essential veterinary services to an agrarian society that depends day in and day out on the well-being and productivity of its animals, but which, because of decades of war and the disintegration of civil society, had no reliable access to even the most basic animal health care.

The book describes how, in the face of many obstacles, a dedicated group of Afghan and expatriate veterinarians working for a small nongovernmental organization (NGO) in Kabul was able to create a national network of more than 400 veterinary field units staffed by more than 600 veterinary paraprofessionals. These paravets were selected by their own communities and then trained and outfitted by the NGO so that nearly every district in the country that needed basic veterinary services now has reliable access to such services.

Most notably, over a decade after its inception and with Afghanistan still in free fall, this private sector, district-based animal health program remains vitally active. The community-based veterinary paraprofessionals continue to provide quality services to farmers and herders, protecting their animals from the ravages of disease and improving their livelihoods, despite the political upheavals and instability that continue to plague the country. The elements contributing to this sustainability and their application to programs for improved veterinary service delivery in developing countries beyond Afghanistan are described in the narrative.

David M. Sherman is an American veterinarian with a global practice. He has worked and consulted in more than 40 countries for a variety of international agencies, including the UNDP, FAO, the World Bank, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), Heifer International, Farm Africa, and others. He is the author of Tending Animals in the Global Village: A Guide to International Veterinary Medicine and co-author of the textbook Goat Medicine. His international activities include animal health service delivery, veterinary infrastructure development, transboundary animal disease control, goat health and production, and veterinary and veterinary paraprofessional education. From 2004–2009, Sherman worked in Afghanistan, managing a nationwide USAID-funded program to restore basic veterinary service delivery to livestock owners in that war-torn country. In 2006, the American Veterinary Medical Association awarded him the XII International Veterinary Congress Prize for his outstanding contribution to international understanding of the importance of veterinary medicine in society. He currently works for the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) at their headquarters in Paris.