A Kenyan animal health business is being supported to provide vital veterinary services to a remote part of Kenya where one in four animals die each year from sickness.

Paves Vetagro is receiving backing from the EU and Slovak Aid financed AgriFI Kenya Challenge Fund to extend it’s reach and distribution of animal health and farm input products to tens of thousands of households across the sprawling West Pokot and Turkana counties in Kenya’s far north.

The company is using AgriFI funding to develop its distribution network. Paves have already constructed two agro-input distribution and training centres as part of an ambitious expansion plan.

The business will also extend its sales network to 400 agro-dealers across the region, and are creating mobile distribution transport routes across Kenya’s north and north-west, bringing animal vaccines, anti-parasite drugs, as well as fertilizer, seed and other essential farm inputs to households who need them.

The company are to provide training to 7,000 local farmers as para-vets and community-based animal health workers, to strengthen animal health services in the region for years to come.

Paves managing director Benson Ririmpoi says that they want to bring animal health and other farm services closer to the people, and added that as a part of their business growth they will create up to 170 new jobs. “Up to 70% of small scale farmers in the region rely on livestock, and animal mortality levels across the region are unacceptably high,” he said.

He added that Paves Vetagro has also acquired 30 acres of land, and over the coming year will develop a training centre and model farm for pasture and animal feed development.