Microfinance and Livestock Health Stability in Sudanese Rural Areas: A Quantitative Review

Microfinance interventions have been implemented in various parts of Sudan to support smallholder livestock farmers, aiming to improve their financial stability and animal health status. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data from surveys with qualitative insights through interviews. Data were collected in three regions: Red Sea, North Kordofan, and West Darfur. Microfinance programmes showed significant positive effects on farmers' financial stability (p < 0.01), with a mean increase of $250 per farmer over two years compared to controls. The review supports the efficacy of microfinance in enhancing smallholder livestock farmers' economic resilience and animal health outcomes, suggesting targeted interventions could further improve these impacts. Future research should focus on scaling up successful models, addressing challenges such as high interest rates, and exploring complementary support for veterinary services. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.