In June 2025, ICARS team members Rodolphe Mader and Sunday Ochai travelled to Zambia and Zimbabwe to assess progress and provide technical support for ongoing projects aimed at sustainable antimicrobial use in livestock systems. These missions form part of ICARS’ commitment to working in close partnerships with country teams leading project implementation.
Strong institutional dialogue and farmer engagement in Zambia
In Zambia, the ICARS team held constructive discussions with senior officials at the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock. These meetings helped reaffirm shared priorities and fostered a deeper mutual understanding of how to support project implementation.
The team visited Farmer Field Schools (FFS) in the Copperbelt province, where farmers shared encouraging reports. Many have stopped using antibiotics preventively, citing noticeable improvements in animal health and reduced treatment costs. These early signs of behavioural change point to the potential long-term impact of the intervention.
“We didn’t actually realize or know why we should use those. We were just thinking, maybe if we give them, the chicks won’t die. […] But it is not necessary.” – Anni, farmer in a Broiler Farmer Field School in Kitwe, Zambia.
A steering committee meeting brought together key project stakeholders for an open and solution-focused dialogue. Meanwhile, ICARS-supported poultry treatment guidelines have now been finalized, sparking further investment by other international organisations to extend similar guidelines across additional livestock sectors.
Farmer Field School launch and innovation in Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe, ICARS supported the launch of the first FFS under ICARS funding, marking an important step forward in project delivery.
The visit also focused on the development of a tailored biosecurity assessment tool. Co-created through a series of expert workshops, this tool will help quantify progress in farm-level biosecurity and is inspired by recent ICARS-supported research. The process has not only strengthened technical capacity but also encouraged national ownership of the tool’s design and use.
Efforts to enhance feed residue testing also continued to progress. Plans were made for cross-country training with Zambian partners, and new testing approaches were identified to improve long-term sustainability in collaboration with the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe.
Continued commitment to local solutions
These visits highlight the value of in-person collaboration. Through sustained engagement and partnership, ICARS continues to support context-specific, scalable solutions to antimicrobial resistance in low- and middle-income settings.
- Follow ICARS on LinkedIn and explore more from the field, including farmer stories and behind-the-scenes footage: Zambia Highlights | Zimbabwe Highlights
- Learn more about the ICARS-supported projects in Zambia and in Zimbabwe.
