The tripartite project “Working together to fight antimicrobial resistance” involves seven Latin American countries and supports the efforts of each of them through their National Action Plans for the control of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
During the life of the project (2020-2023), the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) aimed to expand the channels through which it usually communicates about the responsible and prudent use of antimicrobials. To this end, it designed and developed an innovative communication strategy to reach small livestock producers directly, taking into account that their access to digital media is generally limited.
This strategy was developed in three stages with a clear focus: to contemplate in each of the pieces the particularity of the daily work of the producers on their farms.
The first piece was launched in 2020, and it was a printed calendar, with texts and images that invited producers to inform themselves about the good use of antimicrobials. This calendar was distributed to all ICA branches, and from there delivered to each producer farm.
The second action took place in 2021 and was a series of jingles with information on antimicrobial prescribing, each set to music with a typical musical rhythm of the region of Colombia. These jingles were broadcast on ICA’s own radio programmes, on local and regional radio stations, and also through Spotify.
Finally, in 2022, ICA designed and distributed a World Cup fixture, taking advantage of the relevance of the World Cup event for Colombia. This calendar included the qualifying stages of the World Cup accompanied by phrases alluding to antimicrobial resistance and its relationship with good agricultural and livestock practices.
WAOH believes it is important to highlight the originality of this initiative and its positive impact on the local livestock sector. Colombia’s experience shows that there are innovative and effective ways of communicating about AMR that can be adapted and replicated by other countries in the region.
To strengthen the control of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the Americas region, tripartite (WOAH, FAO and PAHO) is implementing the project “Working Together to Fight Antimicrobial Resistance” funded by the European Union. The seven beneficiary countries of the project are: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.
The objective of this project is to support the selected countries in the implementation of their National Action Plans (NAP), share experiences, advocate best practices and promote collaboration.
