North-West University’s (NWU) faculty of natural and agricultural sciences offers a comprehensive and well-structured animal health programme.
According to the university, the programme is intended to revolutionise agriculture and food security in South Africa. With state-of-the-art facilities, students are well-equipped to participate in disease-control initiatives within the agricultural sector.
Professor Mulunda Mwanza, the head of the animal health department, emphasises that the programme offers the necessary education for various career opportunities.
“Animal health at the NWU is so unique because it provides so many opportunities and so much exposure to students,” he said.
Comprehensive agricultural training
“In addition to the veterinary possibilities, the programme offers students a wide variety of employment opportunities that include meat inspection, employment at animal feed companies, animal breeding stations and agricultural firms, and they are given training to be self-employed through entrepreneurship programmes,” he explained.
Mwanza noted that the programme prepares students for self-employment through entrepreneurship training. The programme also covers numerous areas, including animal health, veterinary microbiology, biosecurity, food safety, community engagement, production, primary and companion animal healthcare, wildlife, and research.
“They are taught to think outside the box and to be independent thinkers as well as entrepreneurs who can significantly contribute to South Africa’s economic growth.”
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Making a difference in NW farming community
“In this important field, students form part of a bigger picture, namely to protect the country against animal diseases through prevention, treatment, research and innovation with regard to diseases. Successful graduates also participate in the growth of agriculture, thus benefiting the country’s economy,” Mwanza said.
“The programme includes a strong community engagement component, where students work with emerging farmers four days a week to provide primary animal healthcare and disease advice. This engagement has seen a drop in the disease burden in the area surrounding the NWU’s Mahikeng Campus, where the programme is hosted.”
NWU has a veterinary laboratory approved by the department of agriculture, the faculty also has a fully equipped animal health hospital offering surgery, dentistry, orthopaedic, radiology, endoscopy, and sonar services.
“We are doing some very exciting and impactful research on emerging animal diseases and others like mastitis, rabies, campylobacter resistance, antibiotic residues, lumpy skin disease and foot-and-mouth disease, and we are developing new technologies for environment control.
“We are also invested in ethnoveterinary research to help farmers reduce the use of drugs and other harmful chemicals,” Mwanza said.
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