Linking Livestock Health to Household Nutrition

Malnutrition in developing regions affects millions of people. The serious health issues that result from malnutrition call for appropriate policy interventions. Livestock is an important financial and nutritional asset that affects household food consumption and health. The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of animal disease control on human food consumption. An agricultural household model is extended to link animal health to food consumption choices. We use Population Based Animal Syndromic Surveillance and Socio–Economic Survey data conducted in Kenya to test the hypothesis whether households with health livestock consume significantly more food sourced from animals than households who have sick animals. Results show that households with more unhealthy livestock consume significantly less milk and beef, which are high-quality protein sources and among the best sources of energy from fat. Thus policies concerning investment in livestock health may reduce the risk of malnutrition and disease