STVS Reference Centre for Pastoral Development in the Greater Horn of Africa is specialized in pastoral development related issues in Arid and Semiarid lands of Eastern Africa. The Reference Centre collects, organizes and maintains an invaluable collection of most up-to date information, support the training programmes of the school and other information needs of the organization. The Reference Centre also plays a vital role of managing and disseminating STVS knowledge generated from its projects and programmes and is designed to meet the information needs of individuals and organizations working in the livestock sector including veterinary sciences, medical sciences, socio-economic sciences involving researchers, policy makers, managers and local communities.

Historical background of STVS reference centre
With the Civil war since 1991, all training institutions for the livestock sector collapsed and relevant documents and human resources were lost. In 2002, activities for the establishment of the Sheikh Technical Veterinary School (STVS) started with the objective of training new cadres for livestock industry in the Somali Ecosystem. In 2006 the reference centre was conceived in order to address the huge loss of documentation and expertise in the livestock industry within the Somali Ecosystem.

Our objectives:

To establish a repository system of knowledge retrieving relevant documentation on different aspects of Somali pastoral society destroyed or lost due to the civil war.
To develop/ carry out/ promote an applied research system addressing major challenges for pastoral communities
To provide external quality control and standard setting services for the livestock industry.
To provide a forum for discussion to relevant stakeholders involved in pastoral development within the Greater Horn of Africa
To develop and implement tailored training packages for continuous professional development and distance learning.