Participatory baseline survey of a case study rural livestock health management practice In Nigeria: the place of community based animal health workers

Abstract

A Participatory Baseline Survey study of a typical community based livestock production system in Igangan, lbarapa North Local Government of Oyo State. Nigeria was under taken in August 2010. The objective was to identify local animal health and management problems faced by livestock farmers in the study area and understand the local preferences for animal health management practices, including the place of community based animal health workers (CBAIIW) m rural livestock health and production management, in the study area. The main research method was through an interactive participatory workshop discussion with identified livestock farmers in the community who responded to invitation to a community livestock discussion workshop. Participants consisted of a total of one hundred and twenty (120) livestock farmers, made up of thirty (30) indigenous Yoruba farmers and ninety (90) Fulani and non-Fulani residents of the government Grazing Reserve in the community. Major livestock health and management problems unanimously highlighted by respondents during the interactive semi-structured interview included Foot-and-Mouth Disease. Contagious Bovine pleuropneumonia outbreaks {Here in Fulani). Diarrhoea in calves and severe respiratory problems in small ruminants; as well as crop farmers’ encroachment, occasional physical clashes with crop farmers, overpopulation and inadequate grazing space. While more respondents (45.83%) rate modern animal health practitioners as more effective than 1-ulani pastoralist (29.17%) and local healers (25%), modern health practitioners were described as less available (93.33%). less truthful/unreliable (91.67%), inaccessible (8167%). and most expensive (62.5%) The outcome/result of the workshop discussion are similar to those obtained in other studies on the place of CBAHW and the health issues highlighted by the community based