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Summary
The Livestock Vaccine Innovation Fund (LVIF) supports the development and production of innovative vaccines to improve livestock health and the livelihoods of farmers.

This seven-year, CA$57 million partnership seeks to improve the health of livestock and to protect the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

Livestock provide food and income for roughly 1.4 billion farmers globally, but one-quarter of animals owned by poor livestock keepers die from disease each year. LVIF addresses this issue by supporting the development, production, and commercialization of innovative vaccines against neglected livestock diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Learn more about LVIF projects

The challenge

Livestock provide food and income for roughly 1.4 billion farmers globally, including 800 million poor livestock keepers. However, one-quarter of animals owned by poor livestock keepers die from disease each year, keeping millions of people trapped in a perpetual cycle of poverty. Women — who make up two-thirds of small-scale livestock farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia — are particularly vulnerable to these losses because they rely on livestock to meet the needs of their families.  

In addition to economic hardship, livestock diseases pose serious public health risks. Some diseases, like brucellosis, can cause serious illness or death in humans.

Our objectives

LVIF brings vaccine researchers, manufacturers, and distributors together to:

  • Support innovation and leading-edge research by accelerating the development of new vaccines against neglected livestock diseases;
  • Increase the efficacy, marketability, and use of existing livestock vaccines; and
  • Foster effective partnerships between vaccine researchers and public and private sector actors to develop, register, commercialize, and deploy livestock vaccines in a more efficient manner.

LVIF has adopted a strategic model that intervenes at key entry points in the vaccine development, production, and access continuum. The Fund carries out research activities along three broad streams: 

  • cutting-edge vaccine development
  • vaccine improvement and manufacturing
  • vaccine demand, access, and use (divided in three focal areas: women’s empowerment, scaling up, and partnerships) 
Media
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Researchers in France, Kenya, and Burkina Faso are developing a new combined heartwater-CCPP vaccine that offers broader protection against more strains of heartwater.

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Bringing together vaccine researchers, manufacturers and distributors, the Livestock Vaccine Innovation Fund accelerates the discovery of new vaccines and the improvement of existing solutions.

 

 

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Researchers at Onderstepoort in South Africa are developing a new tissue-culture derived heartwater vaccine that is simple to administer and does not require antibiotics.

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Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a viral disease of goats, sheep, cattle, and humans. It is endemic in large parts of Africa, with outbreaks occurring in three to five-year cycles. RVF not only affects the economic and food security of smallholder farmers in Africa, it also poses a serious public health risk.

Explore research projects that we support.

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