ILRI trains regional livestock officers in Ghana on the interface for Marek’s Disease Economic Impact and Trade-off (i-MaDE-IT).

In November 2024, ILRI researchers in Ghana hosted a dissemination workshop as part of the concluding phase of the Marek's disease project, a US-UK led research initiative using mathematical models to understand the spread and management of an important viral disease of poultry[1]. The objective of the workshop was to share research findings with a cross-section of stakeholders from the poultry sub-sector and to introduce to regional livestock officers, the i-MaDE-IT Decision Support Tool—a key output of the project developed to enhance capacities of extension officers to support small and medium-scale farmers with poultry husbandry and the management of Marek's disease.

The Ghana component of the Marek’s disease project, led by ILRI researchers, had explored how socio-economic factors influence producer strategies in the management and control of Marek’s disease; and the (gendered) impacts of these strategies on the livelihoods and incomes of farmers. Using Group Model Building (GMB) and System Dynamics (SD) modelling approaches, the study identified relevant entry points for interventions in the poultry system, and appropriate policy options and investment priorities.  The dissemination workshop in November 2024 was a follow up to the second Group Model Building workshop of the project held also in Accra, Ghana, in April 2024.

Mr Louis Opoku Mensah, the representative of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) delivered the opening address at the dissemination workshop, using this occasion to express the ministry’s interest in ILRI’s poultry research in Ghana and his hope for increased collaboration across Ghana’s livestock sub-sectors. 

Joshua Aboah, a scientist of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia, and member of the ILRI-led research team, and Folusho Onifade, a communications specialist with the ILRI team, together presented a comprehensive overview of the project's key activities and achievements. Their joint presentation included a video showcasing the project's progress from field work to workshops. This overview helped participants to better understand the project's impact and the challenges and successes faced by the team, and was particularly helpful to those participants who had not previously been involved in the project.

ILRI scientist and project lead, Dolapo Enahoro emphasized the roles that stakeholders had played in the project’s implementation. In addition to their participation in interviews and other data collection processes. different stakeholder groups, made up of Agriculture and other Ministry officials, academics, veterinary practitioners and technicians, farmers and poultry business owners and managers, had been variously involved in the processes of guiding the selection of study sites, co-building and validating the system dynamics models, and validating the model’s input and output data using their expert knowledge.  These inputs had yielded a robust methodology for exploring the complex challenges of the poultry industry in Ghana and for identifying interventions that could be appropriately targeted to specific components of the poultry sector for system-wide management of viral poultry diseases.

During the two-day workshop, participants offered insights on the interventions that could improve gender inclusivity in the sector as well as government policies that will incentivize or support different value chain actors, such as input dealers and suppliers, producers, processors, service providers and marketers, to act in ways that enhance performance and efficiency of the value chain as a whole. Some of the interventions proposed were: 

• Empowering women: Participants advocated for greater empowerment of women in the poultry sector, ensuring they have equal access to resources, training, and opportunities.
• Gender-neutral incentives: It was suggested that both male and female farmers should receive incentives based on their needs and performance, without discrimination, as is often the practice currently.
• Promoting local consumption: Participants emphasized the importance of encouraging the consumption of locally produced poultry products to strengthen domestic markets and reduce reliance on imports.
• Enhancing biosecurity: Strict biosecurity measures, including vaccination programs, hygiene practices, and farm-level protocols, were deemed essential to protect poultry flocks from diseases and maintain a healthy industry.
• Government support: Participants identified the roles of the government in improving the access of farmers to biosecurity tools and chemicals, as well as strengthening farmer groups and associations to improve their operational capacity.

By implementing these interventions simultaneously, the workshop participants emphasized that the poultry sector could become more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient to challenges.

Workshop Participants Share Insights on the i-MaDE-IT Tool and Its Impact

"This workshop has been a real eye-opener," said Esther Agumah, the Regional livestock officer (APD) for the Upper East region. "It's going to help us equip extension officers and farmers with the knowledge they need to tackle Marek's disease head-on."

Mrs. Dora Devine, Municipal livestock officer from Adenta Municipal assembly also agreed. 

"The MaDE-IT tool is a game-changer," she said. "It'll help farmers identify the disease early and keep better records, which is a huge challenge for many."

Mr. Samuel Owusu, the Regional livestock officer (APD) for the Ahafo region, expressed his delight on the outcome of the workshop. 

"This workshop has given us a much-needed boost in understanding Marek's disease and how to combat it," he said. "I'm confident that we can now make a real difference in reducing its prevalence and improving poultry production in Ghana more generally."

Mr. Godwin Kwaku Abenyegah, the Regional animal production officer (APD) for the Volta region, echoed the sentiment. 

"For too long, we've been silent on Marek's disease due to lack of information," he said. "This workshop has shed light on its prevalence and economic impact, and provided us with valuable tools for [its] management."

Next Steps

The regional livestock officers, with guidance from the project team, will oversee the dissemination of the i-MaDE-IT tool to various district representatives and conduct step-down training programs. They will also strive to foster active participation from both government and private sector stakeholders to reduce the prevalence of Marek's disease and boost local poultry production in Ghana.