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Like many people who grew up in rural Africa, livestock was our family’s most valuable asset. We traded them for schooling and medication, relied on them for nutrition through milking, and included them in cultural events. Like many others before us, I became frustrated watching my family lose cows simply because there was no veterinary laboratory in our town. Animal treatment often felt like a guessing game for the veterinary officers. Unfortunately, this is still the reality for 95% of rural markets in Africa today.

Over the past decade, my co-founder Robert and I have led a remarkable team dedicated to developing and delivering financial products aimed at empowering women in underbanked areas. Through the strategic use of technology and a network of field officers, we provided financial literacy content, productive assets, and credit directly to underserved communities, positively impacting over 400,000 lives.

Through our work, we identified that for many rural families, livestock represents the most valuable asset used as collateral to access credit. However, these herds primarily consist of indigenous breeds with limited productivity, high susceptibility to diseases, and substantial greenhouse gas emissions.

Listening to farmers, we formulated the Cherehani Labs hypothesis: Smallholder farmers, when provided with reliable and timely health interventions, will adopt improved livestock breeds. This shift not only enhances productivity but also reduces methane emissions by more than 50% per farm, all while facilitating affordable financing options for farmers.

This compelling challenge motivated us to roll up our sleeves.