Duolikun Nuershafa (right) at a local cattle farm (COURTESY PHOTO)

On the farm of the Henderson Research Institute in Zimbabwe, it's bath time ... for cows. However, rather than washing animals with ordinary water, local staff use a specially designed medicinal preparation developed by Chinese veterinarian Duolikun Nuershafa.

"In Zimbabwe, large numbers of cattle and sheep die from diseases carried by parasites such as ticks, causing huge losses to local farmers every year. This medicinal preparation is the most effective way to prevent such diseases," Duolikun told ChinAfrica.

Duolikun,50, was born in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, one of China's most important regions for livestock farming. He has spent more than 30 years working in veterinary laboratories, during which he developed a strong expertise in the prevention and treatment of various bovine diseases.

"I know that livestock farming is an important economic sector in many African countries. I hope that my knowledge will somewhat contribute to the development of livestock farming in these countries," he said.

Duolikun is a member of the third group of agricultural experts sent to Zimbabwe by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. His team also comprises nine other agricultural experts, including specialists in aquaculture, horticulture, agricultural machinery and livestock. Together, they set foot in Zimbabwe on November 8, 2018 for a mission that will last for three years.

Taking stock

Upon their arrival in Zimbabwe, the 10 agricultural experts were assigned to different local departments based on their specialty. Duolikun ended up in the laboratory of the Department of Veterinary Services of the Zimbabwean Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement.

In order to make sure that the agricultural assistance projects were implemented in a targeted way to respond effectively to Zimbabwe's real needs, the experts first conducted extensive research along with local technicians. After visiting a number of veterinary service stations and farms, Duolikun found many problems. Together with his colleagues, they then wrote several research reports, both in Chinese and English, to put forward effective solutions. In particular, they formulated a number of measures related to the prevention and control of ticks, as well as immunological tests for animal brucellosis.

Duolikun quickly realized that tick-borne diseases among cattle and sheep were one of the main obstacles to the development of local livestock farming. Ticks are ectoparasites that feed on the blood of animals. They carry various infectious diseases that cause weight loss and anemia, threatening the health and even the life of livestock. In 2018, about 50,000 cows died from these diseases, causing considerable losses to local herders.

"In addition to clinical treatment, prevention is the most important task. Medicinal dip tanks and vaccination are effective and widespread measures in China," said Duolikun.

But difficulties were not long in coming. The lack of local medicines and vaccines meant that they had to be imported at very high prices. Some of the medicines available in Zimbabwe needed to be replaced, as ticks had already become resistant to them. In addition, most on-site medicinal dip tank installations were defective and needed to be repaired before they could be used.

Turning to action

Duolikun made a request to the group of experts to purchase medicines. With the help of local technicians, he also piloted the construction of a 15,000-litre medicinal dip tank in Mashonaland Central Province, in north Zimbabwe.

"This medicinal dip tank can enable 120 farming families to treat about 1,500 cattle. The dip tank will effectively prevent parasites and has been warmly welcomed by local farmers and government," said Duolikun.

"Duolikun gave us technical guidance and a demonstration of technology for the prevention and control of ticks. The dip tank has immensely benefited the rural people of Mashonaland who are dependent on the dip tank for the health of their cattle in the wake of a theileriosis disease currently affecting Zimbabwe," said Reverend Spargo, Principal Veterinary Officer at Zimbabwe's Department of Veterinary Services.

Another problem affecting the development of local livestock farming in Zimbabwe is animal brucellosis. This chronic infectious disease causes miscarriages and infertility among livestock. The disease can also be transmitted to humans through contact with an infected animal. It therefore poses a risk to the health of livestock farmers.

"In Zimbabwe, most vaccines for animal brucellosis are imported. In addition, the efficacy and safety of these vaccines have not yet been scientifically established. This poses a serious threat to human and animal health," said Duolikun.

Based on his professional experience in China, Duolikun then decided to perform an experiment to see whether the vaccines were actually working. After consulting with their Zimbabwean colleagues, his group chose the farm of the Henderson Research Institute as their test base. After one month of vaccination, they had positive results: Tests indicated that all animals that had undergone the trial were producing antibodies against brucellosis.

"The success of this trial provided a scientific basis for Zimbabwe's vaccination program and improved the epidemic prevention system in Zimbabwe," he said.

"Duolikun has provided us Chinese advanced experience and practices in animal brucellosis prevention and control, which has benefited our farmers. This is greatly appreciated," said Priscilla Tembinkosi Tshabalala, Principal Veterinary Technologist at the Department of Veterinary Services.

Skill development

Training has always been a key area of Sino-African agricultural cooperation and Zimbabwe is no exception. From the first semester after their arrival, Duolikun and his Chinese colleagues set about the task of training their local partners. According to data from the Center of International Cooperation Service of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Chinese experts have trained about 700 participants till now. Each of them focused on their particular field of expertise, with Duolikun being in charge of training on the prevention and control of African swine fever, brucellosis and ticks.

Douglass Karoro, Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement of Zimbabwe, has welcomed the work of these 10 Chinese agricultural experts and expressed his sincere thanks for their hard work and support for Zimbabwe's agricultural development.

Aimed at deepening agricultural cooperation between the two countries, on May 21, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China made a donation of agricultural equipment to Zimbabwe. These supplies, worth around $136,000, will be used by both Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement of Zimbabwe and Chinese experts to further their agricultural research and training activities.

Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Guo Shaochun said the donation reflected not only the Chinese Government's strong support for agricultural development in Zimbabwe, but also the deep friendship between the two peoples.

The Chinese Government will continue to work with Zimbabwe to improve its agricultural sector, share China's useful agricultural experience, assist in building the local economy and raise people's living standards, in order to help Zimbabwe regain its reputation as "the breadbasket of Africa," he said.

(Comments to lijing@chinafrica.cn)