FAMACHA is a diagnostic tool to help farmers identify parasite infection in small ruminants, such as sheep and goats. The tool is a chart that matches eyelid color to anemia levels, an indicator of parasite infection. This type of diagnosis allows farmers to target treatment only to infected animals, which in some systems has reduced use of deworming agents by 90 percent. Not only do farmers save money, they significantly reduce the likelihood of causing parasites to become resistant to dewormers. FAMACHA was developed in South Africa and is distributed in the United States through the American Consortium for Small Ruminant Pest Control.
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This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.