PRT News
PRT Furthers Strong Engagement with Iraqi Farmers
(Muthanna PRT sponsors sheep-dipping program)
By Aaron Snipe
Special Correspondent
October 23, 2008
Muthanna Province – An American agricultural expert and his Iraqi counterpart, a senior Provincial official, were taken aback for a moment as they faced the prospect of “dipping” sheep, something neither had done before.
But Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Senior Agricultural Advisor, Dr. Indu Ram, and the Director General of Veterinary Service for Muthanna Province, Dr. Kareem AbdZahra Raheem rose to the occasion.
Both men, agricultural experts, had never actually “dipped” a sheep, but with the help of an Iraqi farmer named Hussein, several hundred of the animals recently received much-needed preventative healthcare, courtesy of the PRT.
Hundreds of thousands of Muthanna’s farm animals are at risk of contracting a myriad of diseases. For example, foot and mouth disease has wrought havoc on rural flocks. Under ideal conditions, sheep normally receive vaccinations twice a year. But until the PRT-sponsored initiative, most farmers went without the preventative treatment for three years.
The program continues a strong PRT goal of rural engagement with the Muthanna's farmers by supporting the Provincial Government's efforts to rehabilitate the region's at-risk livestock population.
The vast majority of Muthanna's residents work in the agricultural sector and the health and welfare of the provinces’ livestock is of paramount importance to farmers and the economy of the region.
“We have received medicine from Baghdad, but there are more livestock here than medicine. Without the help of the PRT, we would not be able to help these farmers and their flocks,” Dr. Karem told Dr. Ram and Acting Team Leader Aaron Snipe during a recent meeting.
To address the problem the Ministry of Agriculture recently increased the amount of immunizations to Muthanna and the vaccination partnership between the government and PRT is expected to decrease the sheep mortality rate by 80%. Dr. Karem pointed out, “With this program and the PRT’s help, 20,000 sheep will be vaccinated.”
Doctor Ram and Snipe recently visited a site in rural Khider, where veterinary representatives from the provincial government conducted a series of vaccinations for livestock in the area.
While previous veterinary inoculations were sponsored by the PRT in partnership with the United States Military, this most recent event was different. With Dr. Karem in charge the event was a sterling example of Iraqis taking responsibility to remedy the farming needs of their own community.
“Last time we came, the U.S. military physicians did the inoculating. But now look,” said Dr. Ram, “these are all Iraqi veterinarians, responding to the needs of the people.”
During this round of treatment, veterinarians injected livestock with vaccines for seasonal common diseases, and administered oral treatments to the animals for internal parasites. Subsequent sheep-dipping that day – to help prevent against external parasites – treated an entire flock.
As the visit came to a close, everyone was smiling. In this forgotten corner of Iraq, where Muthanna’s farmers struggle with so many challenges, the PRT’s support of provincial efforts was paying large dividends.
Before Snipe and Ram left, the farmers made one final request of the PRT: stay for lunch. “We will slaughter a sheep in your honor! Please stay and eat with us.”
With other pressing business in the province on that day, the team was unable to stay and break bread with their new friends. But, Snipe promised to return in November for another vaccination event and the team fully intends to take the farmers up on their offer of lunch then.