Farmers in northern Ghana are returning to traditional medicines to treat their livestock. These scientifically backed indigenous treatments are more affordable than conventional veterinary drugs, and are less susceptible to antibacterial resistance.
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00:00 Timbia Gabambil is deworming his herd today.
00:09 The livestock farmer uses indigenous medicines and herbal remedies, all based on knowledge
00:14 passed down to him by his grandparents.
00:18 Here in Nakpasalugu in Ghana's Upper East Region, animals are vulnerable to diseases
00:23 like goat plague, livestock dysentery and parasitical infections that cause stomach
00:30 bloating.
00:31 "They have worms in their stomach that are making them sick.
00:36 So I have to get mahogany tree bark and mix that with other native herbs and give them
00:41 several doses over three days.
00:44 This mixture kills the worms."
00:49 This knowledge of the medicinal properties of plants and herbs is invaluable, both for
00:54 the region's farmers and their herds, and for researchers.
00:58 That's because Timbia Gabambil is part of a major interdisciplinary project to implement
01:03 ethno-veterinary medicine in Ghana.
01:09 At the Center for Plant Medicine Research in the town of Mampong Akwapem, not far from
01:14 the capital Accra, scientists are investigating the healing properties of native plants.
01:22 The government originally established the facility to provide alternative health care
01:27 to local people.
01:29 Now it's carrying out research into animal health.
01:36 But the laboratory here has been studying the chemical and pharmaceutical properties
01:41 of plants for some time now.
01:44 "Our focus was to look out for what is the chemistry of these plants, what is the biological
01:51 activities of these plants, and relate them with the diseases that these farmers or innovators
01:58 claim to be treating with."
02:02 In Ghana, 10 percent of livestock succumb to disease.
02:06 In a country with few trained veterinarians, farmers often rely on the advice of cattle
02:11 herders and other locals, who recommend medicines sold in open markets like this one.
02:17 The unregulated misuse and overuse of antibiotics can lead to high levels of antibiotic residues
02:23 in animal products, and it can encourage antibiotic resistance, which affects the health of both
02:29 livestock and people who consume animal products.
02:32 Meanwhile, 75 percent of livestock in Ghana are resistant to the antibiotics used to treat
02:39 them.
02:41 At the same time, many livestock owners don't trust herbal medicines, which aren't scientifically
02:47 tested and don't come with a company leaflet and packaging.
02:51 "Once we provide this information, where this project is aiming at, that would provide this
03:00 evidence that these herbal medicines work against the disease that we are studying,
03:07 we want to prove that these medicines or innovations are good."
03:12 If herbal treatments do become more accepted, sourcing these medicinal plants will also
03:17 be an issue.
03:19 In Ghana, there are sacred groves that are preserved for ceremonial reasons.
03:24 Local people often collect plants and herbs there for domestic use.
03:28 For indigenous botanist Nyaba James Oswald Amaligo, who's the project's lead consultant,
03:33 these groves are a treasure that could make a real difference to livestock farmers.
03:39 "That means now they can prepare in good quantities and can save more farmers so that they will
03:46 also help in the production of animals.
03:49 Therefore their wealth is going to increase because they will have a good number of their
03:53 animals alive and then they can sell and also make money."
03:57 As a participant in the project, Timbik Bambil no longer has to rely on the plants in the
04:02 forest.
04:03 The project gave him exclusive use of an herb garden.
04:07 He's one of a selected group of herbalists who are receiving support from the Ethno-Veterinary
04:12 Medicine Project.
04:14 On this protected patch of land, he's planting a variety of native plants, including mahogany
04:19 and oak trees and dawadawa.
04:22 "These plant species are hard to find.
04:27 There aren't any more of them nearby.
04:29 That's why the project is helping us to both plant and protect them, so that when we need
04:34 them they'll be easily available."
04:39 Native plant gardens are an eco-friendly source of medicines for traditional practitioners
04:44 like Timbik Bambil.
04:46 If this project catches on, Ghana could become a forerunner in ethno-veterinary medicine.
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