Rwanda Agriculture Board has started training Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs) to serve farmers across the country.

Celestin Nyambi, the Rwanda Agriculture Board (Rab) director in Eastern Province, said CAHWs are locals trained in basic animal health. The staff are equipped to use the knowledge for the benefit of their communities.

Nyambi said the training included how to assess, diagnosis and treat animals, identifying common causes of animal diseases, prevention and animal husbandry.

He said the theory given would be followed by field work, where the CAHWs will be able to utilise their skills in a hands-on setting.

"The farmers are given the opportunity to address concerns and ask the veterinary team some questions. CAHWs are provided routine animal health measures, sick call for respiratory, foot, and skin problems, tick diseases, minor surgical procedures and other miscellaneous treatments," he said.

The trainees will get certificates, veterinary kit and starter medicine.

Patrice Rutamu, a farmer, said farmers have been grappling with the problem of how best to keep their animals healthy and treat them when they are sick.