The impact of best practice health and husbandry interventions on smallholder cattle productivity in southern Cambodia

2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (5) ◽  
pp. 629 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Young ◽  
L. Rast ◽  
S. Suon ◽  
R. D. Bush ◽  
L. A. Henry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Rural Poverty ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Farmer Knowledge ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
The Impact

Future food security has become a major global concern and is particularly important in the Greater Mekong Subregion where several countries have seen rapid urban economic development and increasing demand for red meat. In Cambodia, the majority of livestock producers are subsistence or semi-subsistence rural smallholder farmers using cattle as a source of protein, fertiliser, draught power, and asset storage. Potential income from smallholder cattle is limited by a range of factors that compromise productivity, including endemic diseases, poor nutrition, and lack of knowledge of husbandry techniques and marketing practices. To address the developing opportunities to improve rural incomes from cattle production in Cambodia, a 4-year longitudinal study was conducted to examine ‘best practice’ interventions that could improve productivity and profitability of cattle within smallholder farming systems. The study involved six villages from three provinces, with two villages in each of the provinces of Takeo, Kandal and Kampong Cham paired and designated as either high intervention (HI) or low intervention (LI). A best practice intervention program was introduced to the HI villages to develop the husbandry skills of farmers, including implementation of forage technology, disease prevention through vaccination for foot-and-mouth disease and haemorrhagic septicaemia, deworming, and education in nutrition, biosecurity, disease control, and marketing. Between April 2008 and February 2012, eight repeat-measures capturing data on animal health and production, including cattle weights used to evaluate the impact of interventions on average daily gains, were completed. Cattle in HI villages had significantly (P < 0.01) higher mean liveweight during the last three sampling periods, and average daily gains were 2.4 times higher than in cattle of the LI villages. This study provides evidence that best practice interventions resulted in improved cattle productivity, farmer knowledge and positive impacts on household income over time, offering a pathway that can address food security concerns and more rapidly alleviate rural poverty in the GMS.

Fasciola gigantica infection in large ruminants in northern Laos: smallholder knowledge and practices

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 141 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Rast ◽  
S. Nampanya ◽  
J.-A. L. M. L. Toribio ◽  
S. Khounsy ◽  
P. A. Windsor
Keyword(s):  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Rural Poverty ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Farmer Knowledge ◽  
The Past ◽  
Large Ruminant ◽  
Fasciola Spp ◽  
And Control

High prevalence of Fasciola spp. infection in smallholder large ruminant farming systems has been confirmed in many regions of South-East Asia, yet information on trematode knowledge and any control practices of large ruminant farmers is lacking. We surveyed smallholder farmers (n = 326) in northern Laos on knowledge of liver fluke and its management in their large ruminants, identifying 93.1% of farmers had no knowledge and 6.9% minimal knowledge of the parasite and impacts on large ruminant production. The survey further confirmed anecdotal reports that control or prevention measures were lacking, with none of the surveyed producers using effective anthelminthic treatments or grazing strategies to control Fasciola spp. This was despite 20.6% of farmers having reported observing leaf-shaped parasites in the liver of their cattle or buffalo when slaughtered in the past. With increasing demand for red meat in the region, subsistence smallholder farmers are able to supply this market and increase their income. Athough the production impact of fascioliasis in large ruminants in these farming systems still needs to be quantified, farmer knowledge and control of fascioliasis in this region is likely to increase livestock productivity and improve rural livelihoods. This would help to address regional rural poverty and food insecurity, but requires improved knowledge to address the identified knowledge and practice gaps on presence, impact and control of fasciolosis. The majority (95.4%) of surveyed farmers indicated a desire to learn more about fascioliasis in large ruminants, suggesting that extension methods used in the past need adapting to result in more effective knowledge transfer and changed practices in future.

scholarly journals Post-NAFTA Changes in Peasant Land Use—The Case of the Pátzcuaro Lake Watershed Region in the Central-West México

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Astier ◽  
Quetzalcóatl Orozco-Ramírez ◽  
Robert Walker ◽  
Yankuic Galván-Miyoshi ◽  
Carlos González-Esquivel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Feed ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Trade Agreement ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Maize Varieties ◽  
The Impact

Rural life in México has changed drastically over the past several decades in the wake of structural reforms in the 1980s and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) implemented in 1994. Researchers predicted dire consequences for smallholder farmers following trade liberalization and in certain respects the prophecies have been fulfilled. Indeed, many regions experienced significant out-migration as smallholders, unable to compete with global maize imports without price subsidies, sold or abandoned their lands, making way for the expansion of industrial agriculture into forests, secondary vegetation and primary crops. Nevertheless, many smallholders have adapted to the new economic environment with farming systems that manage risk by diversifying portfolios to incorporate commercialized maize and livestock production. This article examines the evolution of smallholder farming systems since the mid 1980s, when the impact of neoliberal reforms emerged, using data collected from field research on 130 smallholder farms in the Pátzcuaro Lake Watershed (PLW) in the State of Michoacán. Farmers in the PLW have been characterized as traditional peasant farmers, planting crops for subsistence, including a diverse array of domestic maize varieties and practicing limited animal husbandry with chickens, turkeys, pigs, an oxen and a cow or two for milk. But the results presented in this article show that the traditional peasant farming systems in the region have changed substantially to a highly diversified agriculture-cattle-forest system. Most notable changes include the use of fertilizers and pesticides; and the increase in livestock herd and reorientation to beef production. The results demonstrate the resilience of smallholder farmers, while at the same time raising potential concern that increased reliance on livestock and beef production specialization, might lead to shifts in farming systems that replace domestic maize varieties with hybrid corn used primarily for animal feed and thereby leaving vulnerable the genetic reservoir of traditional maize landraces.

scholarly journals Can Enhancing Efficiency Promote the Economic Viability of Smallholder Farmers? A Case of Sierra Leone

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4235
Author(s):  
Silvia Saravia-Matus ◽  
T. S. Amjath-Babu ◽  
Sreejith Aravindakshan ◽  
Stefan Sieber ◽  
Jimmy A. Saravia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Economic Viability ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Smallholder Farming

By developing meta-frontier efficiency and structural equation models, the paper examines whether farm economic viability is positively associated with technical efficiency in a highly food insecure context, such as that of rural Sierra Leone. The findings show that technical efficiency can be a sufficient but not necessary condition in determining economic viability of smallholder farming. It is possible to breach reproductive thresholds at the cost of reduced technical efficiency, when the crop diversification strategy of smallholders includes market-oriented high-value crops. This calls for a dual policy approach that addresses farmers’ internal needs for self-consumption (increasing efficiency of food crop production) while encouraging market-oriented cash crop production (diversification assisted through the reduction of associated transaction costs and the establishment of accessible commercialization channels of export related crops and/or high-value crops). The work also calls out for a move-up or move-out strategy for small holders to create viable farming systems in developing world.

scholarly journals Farmer Field Schools (FFSs): A Tool Empowering Sustainability and Food Security in Peasant Farming Systems in the Nicaraguan Highlands

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esperanza Arnés ◽  
Carlos G. H. Díaz-Ambrona ◽  
Omar Marín-González ◽  
Marta Astier
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Farming System ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Farmer Field Schools ◽  
Basic Services ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
Field Schools ◽  
The Impact

Farmer field schools (FFSs) emerged in response to the gap left by the worldwide decline in agricultural extension services. With time, this methodology has been adapted to specific rural contexts to solve problems related to the sustainability of peasant-farming systems. In this study we draw upon empirical data regarding the peasant-farming system in the Nicaraguan highlands to evaluate whether FFSs have helped communities improve the sustainability of their systems and the food security of their residents using socioeconomic, environmental, and food and nutrition security (FNS) indicators. In order to appreciate the long-term impact, we studied three communities where FFSs were implemented eight, five, and three years ago, respectively, and we included participants and nonparticipants from each community. We found that FFSs have a gradual impact, as there are significant differences between participants and nonparticipants, and it is the community that first implemented FFSs that scores highest. The impact of FFSs is broad and long lasting for indicators related to participation, access to basic services, and conservation of natural resources. Finally, this paper provides evidence that FFSs have the potential to empower farmers; however, more attention needs to be paid to critical indicators like production costs and the use of external inputs in order to scale up their potential in the future.

scholarly journals Animal health constraints in dairy goats kept under smallholder farming systems in Kongwa and Mvomero Districts, Tanzania

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 268-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Said Ngasa Shija Dismas ◽  
Jeremy Moses Kusiluka Lughano ◽  
Wilson Chenyambuga Sebastian ◽  
Shayo Deogratias ◽  
Paul Lekule Faustin
Keyword(s):  
Animal Health ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Dairy Goats ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Smallholder Farming Systems

scholarly journals SMALLHOLDER FARMERS’ RESOURCE ALLOCATION DECISIONS IN A MAIZE-FARMING SYSTEM UNDER CLIMATE RISKS IN MALAWI

AGROFOR ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth MAGRETA ◽  
Henderson NG’ONG’OLA ◽  
Julius MANGISONI ◽  
Kennedy MACHILA ◽  
Sika GBEGBELEGBE
Keyword(s):  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
The Body ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
Climatic Risk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Allocation Decisions ◽  
Resource Allocation Decisions

Using household data from Lilongwe districts, along with crop phenology, agronomic management and climatic data from Chitedze Research Station, the Target-MOTAD and DSSAT-CSM models examined the resource allocation decisions of smallholder farmers in maize farming systems under climate risk in Malawi. Specific aims were to evaluate the ability of DSSAT to predict and collate DTM and non-DTM yields under climatic risk and to use a bio-economic procedure developed using DSSAT and Target-MOTAD to explore the impact of climatic risk on allocation of resources to DTM and non-DTM production. The paper argues that higher average yields observed from DTM varieties make it the most optimal maize production plan, in maximizing household incomes, food security, and minimizing deviations from the mean while meeting the set target incomes of farmers compared to non-DTM varieties. The multidisciplinary nature of this paper has contributed to the body of research by providing a powerful analytical procedure of modelling farmers’ resource allocation decisions in maize based farming systems in Malawi. This study necessitates the use of a combination of biophysical and economic procedures when evaluating promising lines prior to variety release in order to identify the high yielding variety that will continuously bring sustained profits to the farmers amidst climate change.

Transaction Costs and the Marketable Surplus of Milk in Smallholder Farming Systems of the Gambia

2005 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacques Somda ◽  
Eric Tollens ◽  
Mulumba Kamuanga
Keyword(s):  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
The Gambia ◽  
Perfect Competition ◽  
Subsistence Farming ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Economic Paradigm ◽  
Marketable Surplus ◽  
Milk Marketing ◽  
Cost Factors

The neoclassical economic paradigm views market linkages as efficient mechanisms for trading. However, the validity of this position is questionable, as markets frequently do not possess the structural conditions necessary for perfect competition. In subsistence-farming systems, factors that prevent greater participation of smallholders in markets can be found from the production level to the access to markets themselves. This study investigates the transaction-cost factors operating in smallholder dairy farms in The Gambia. The results indicate that access to market at the farm gate, the number of local cows and the distance to the nearest city increase the likelihood of market participation by producers and the marketing of surpluses of dairy products. Increases in home consumption lead to decreases in sales and of farmers' participation in milk marketing. To achieve pro-poor rural growth, it is therefore essential to address explicitly the low productivity of dairy cattle, low capital endowments and market accessibility for smallholder farmers.

scholarly journals Efficacy of Neem Tree (Azadirachta indica A. Jusieu) Extract on White Cabbage Aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae L. (Hem: Aphididae) Control in the Field

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 370
Author(s):  
Amongi Evaline Stella ◽  
Murongo Marius Flarian ◽  
Mwine Julius Tedson
Keyword(s):  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Root Bark ◽  
Economic Injury Level ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Neem Tree ◽  
Neem Extract ◽  
Cabbage Aphid

Neem tree extracts from root, bark and leaves have generally been used in the control of pests. The extracts’ efficacy in the control of aphids in cabbages under smallholder farming systems formed the subject of the study. The dose of the admixture of the extract that effectively controlled aphids was determined through experimental methods that involved harvesting and crashing 0.1 × 10-4 of Neem tree parts. The extract was fermented for 18-48 hours.Treatment tests solutions varied were 20 mL, 30 mL and 40 mL of the extract respectively in 10litres of water and applied to cabbage in the field at intervals of once a week, twice a week and once in 2 weeks in a triplicated completely Randomized Block Design. The treated plants were observed for average number of live aphids, number of dead aphids, degree of leaf perforation, leaf curls, stunting, and finally the yield of the cabbage visa vis treatments. Aphid counts at the concentration of 30mL in 10L of water were significantly lower for live aphids and higher for dead aphids (P < 0.05), Although all treatments revealed significant differences from the control in terms of Aphid mortality, overall mean aphid counts showed a reduction in number (implying high mortality) with an increase in the concentration of Neem extract applied and cabbage vigour increased with increase in the frequency of admixture application, with a bi-weekly application producing significant results (P < 0.05). High concentration (40 mL) more effectively controlled aphids but resulted in mild scorched leaves. Smallholder farmers should take advantage of the naturally available Neem tree concoctions of 30 mLs in 10litres of water twice a week to keep aphid’s population below the economic injury level.

scholarly journals Linking Smallholder Farmers to the Heilongjiang Province Crop Rotation Project: Assessing the Impact on Production and Well-Being

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Zheng Cai ◽  
Shengsheng Li ◽  
Guoming Du ◽  
Ruhao Xue
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Crop Rotation ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Heilongjiang Province ◽  
The Impact

Food security and environmental protection—led by sustainable agricultural development—are key development goals of Heilongjiang Province. One of the main challenges facing the Heilongjiang Province is improving soil and livelihood by integrating smallholder farmers into the pilot crop rotation project. This paper investigates a comprehensive project—the new crop rotation pilot project in Heilongjiang (NCRPPH)—which aims to improve the livelihood of the pilot participants by involving smallholder farmers in the pilot crop rotation program and connecting them with the food industry through farmers’ cooperatives. This paper analyzes the impact of the NCRPPH on farmers’ crop rotation, grain yield, multi-agent cooperation, food security, and education based on data collected in 2019 and other retrospective information. The instrumental variable method and three different estimation strategies are used to solve the endogenous problem. The results show that the project has a vast and positive impact on the gross and net value of grain production per hectare and the share of products sold to food manufacturers through cooperatives. Regardless of the farm size, farmers have equal opportunities from which they can benefit. In addition, our analysis shows that the NCRPPH improves the educational situation and food security without affecting crop rotation practices. Finally, our research proves the effectiveness of this project.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document