scholarly journals Agricultural information sharing for climatic risk adaptation by smallholder livestock farmers in Eastern Amhara Region, Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Habtemariam Assefa ◽  
Paul Kibwika ◽  
Florence B. Kyazze ◽  
Million Getinet
Keyword(s):  
Information Diffusion ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Information Provision ◽  
Amhara Region ◽  
Credit Access ◽  
Climatic Risk ◽  
Livestock Farmers ◽  
Climatic Risks

This study aims at appraising the needed agricultural information, sources and the pathways that livestock farmers used for climatic risk adaptation in Eastern Amhara Region and also, determining factors that influenced farmer’s decision in selecting information pathways. Cross-section survey research design was used for the study. Sample was selected using multistage sampling design. From three agroecological zones, three districts and nine PAs were covered by the study. In the household survey, 317 livestock farmers were interviewed for quantitate data collection. Furthermore, FGD and Key Informant interviews were conducted to supplement survey’s result. Data were analysed using STATA (version 14) software. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis were deployed. The study revealed that livestock farmers needed different agricultural information to adapt climatic risks. The prominent information was relating to feed quality improvement, feed preservation, animal health management and soil and water conservations. Most farmers obtained the information from relatives, extension workers and fellow farmers. Informal discussion, farm-visit, training and village-meetings were the pathways that livestock farmers used to acquire agricultural information. The decision of a farmer in selecting information pathways was determined by different factors, but they differ from pathway to pathways. For example, radio selection was influenced by livestock size the farmer owned and extension access, while train was influenced by membership of farmer groups and credit access. In conclusion, livestock farmers need a diverse agricultural information to adapt climatic risks. They acquire the information from their intimate sources through affordable information pathways. To be effective in climatic risk adaptation, information provision should be need based, delivered through multisource and pathways. Besides, the existing conventional information pathways should also be supported by ICT resources and demonstration. Considering the determinate factors of information pathway selection is very crucial in designing information diffusion strategy.

scholarly journals Climatic risk adaptation strategies by smallholder livestock farmers in Eastern Amhara Region, Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Habtemariam Assefa ◽  
Paul Kibwika ◽  
Florence Birungi Kyazze ◽  
Zeleke Mekuriaw ◽  
Fred Kalanzi
Keyword(s):  
Stress Resistance ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Disease Outbreak ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Animal Disease ◽  
Amhara Region ◽  
Severity Level ◽  
Livestock Farmers ◽  
Climatic Risks

The study was conducted to analyze the predominant climatic risks and the strategies livestock farmers used to adapt climatic risks in Eastern Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Cross-sectional research design was used with mixed quantitative and qualitative research approach. The data were collected from 317 livestock farmers using household survey; and FGDs, key informant interviews and personal observation for complementation. The data were analyzed using STATA (version-14) and SPSS (version 23) software. The result shows that, 79.8% of livestock farmers were affected by different climatic risks over the period of 2009-2018. They were affected by drought, animal disease outbreak (ADOB), flood and frost. The percentage of the farmers affected by climatic risks have been fluctuating from year to years but the trends show increased over the last ten years. Every year, 6.7%, 6.8%, 6.4% and 3.6% of livestock farmers were affected by drought, frost, animal disease outbreak (ADOB) and flood, respectively. Seasonally, livestock farmers impacted by drought, flood and frost in autumn, summer and spring, respectively. Animal disease outbreak has occurred in all seasons but higher in autumn. The perception of the farmers was measured based on the frequencies of climatic risks occurrences and the severity level of their impacts. Majority of the farmers perceived that the frequencies of droughts (49.8%) and frosts (43.2%) increased over the last ten years; whereas flood (68.8%) and ADOB (67.5%) decreased. The impacts of drought and ADOB were found at moderate level of severity with the value of 2.2 and 1.8 WAI, respectively; whereas frost and flood at lower severity level, which accounts for 1.4 and 1.3 WAI values, respectively. Saving surplus feed (99.4%), using modern animal healthcare (91.8%), conserving soil and water resources (70.8%) and improving/ customizing animal shelters/shades (60.3%); and keeping stress resistance breeds (52.7%) were major strategies for livestock farmers to adapt to climatic risks. These findings imply that drought and ADOB are the predominant climatic risks for livestock farmers in Eastern Amhra Region. Drought majorly occur in autumn; whereas ADOBs occur throughout the year. The farmers also use multiple strategies to adapt to the diverse impacts of the risks. However, the farmers are still vulnerable to the risks and remaining in food insecure. To be the farmers more effective, therefore, the existing adaptation strategies should be supported with science and technology to create stress resistance breeds, improve the quality and availability of feeds and animal health management.

scholarly journals ‘Don’t Put the Cart before the Mule!’ Challenging Assumptions Regarding Health-Related Treatment Practices of Working Equid Owners in Northern India

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1307
Author(s):  
Caroline Nye ◽  
Tamlin Watson ◽  
Laura M. Kubasiewicz ◽  
Zoe Raw ◽  
Faith Burden
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Treatment Practices ◽  
Northern India ◽  
Brick Kilns ◽  
Treatment Measures ◽  
Working Equids

This paper challenges assumptions that the health management of working equids among some of India’s poorest communities is mainly dependent upon income, economic influence, or access to veterinary services. Using a mixed-methods approach, hierarchies of treatment practices are revealed through an examination of the ‘lived experience’ of equid owners in brick kilns and construction sites in northern India. Semi-structured interviews with 37 equid owners and corresponding livelihood surveys, combined with data from two focus groups with professional animal health practitioners and the welfare data of 63 working equids collected using the Equid Assessment, Research, and Scoping (EARS) tool, contributed to the findings of the study. Four principal influencing factors were found to affect the decision-making practices of equid owners. Infrastructural factors, community characteristics and experience, owners’ characteristics and experience, and economic factors all impact the belief structures of equid owners. However, without verifying the validity of the treatment measures being employed, some animals are at risk from hazardous treatment behaviours. By understanding decision-making using the theory of planned behaviour, the findings of this study can provide a crucial contribution to informing future interventions involved in the health management and welfare of working equids.

scholarly journals Animal Health Management Practices Among Smallholder Livestock Producers in Australia and Their Contribution to the Surveillance System

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Hernández-Jover ◽  
Lynne Hayes ◽  
Robert Woodgate ◽  
Luzia Rast ◽  
Jenny-Ann L. M. L. Toribio
Keyword(s):  
Surveillance System ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Animal Health

scholarly journals The role of infectious disease impact in informing decision-making for animal health management in aquaculture systems in Bangladesh

2019 ◽  
Vol 167 ◽  
pp. 202-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Garza ◽  
Chadag Vishnumurthy Mohan ◽  
Meezanur Rahman ◽  
Barbara Wieland ◽  
Barbara Häsler
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Disease Impact

scholarly journals Nutritional genomics: food industry applications from farm to fork

2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (6) ◽  
pp. 1027-1035 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Brown ◽  
Frans van der Ouderaa
Keyword(s):  
Food Industry ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Agriculture Sector ◽  
Genomic Technologies ◽  
Management Concepts ◽  
Science Area ◽  
Breeding Programmes ◽  
Nutritional Genomics

Nutritional genomics is a new and promising science area which can broadly be defined as the application of high throughput genomics (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics/metabonomics) and functional genomic technologies to the study of nutritional sciences and food technology. First utilised in the food industry by plant biotechnologists to manipulate plant biosynthetic pathways, the use of genomic technologies has now spread within the agriculture sector, unleashing a host of new applications (e.g. approaches for producing novel, non-transgenic plant varietals; identification of genetic markers to guide plant and animal breeding programmes; exploration of diet–gene interactions for enhancing product quality and plant/animal health). Beyond agriculture, genomic technologies are also contributing to the improvement of food processing, food safety and quality assurance as well as the development of functional food products and the evolution of new health management concepts such as ‘personalised nutrition’, an emerging paradigm in which the diet of an individual is customised, based on their own genomic information, to optimise health and prevent disease. In this review the relevance of nutritional genomics to the food industry will be considered and examples given on how this science area is starting to be leveraged for economic benefits and to improve human nutrition and health.

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