Contribution of small ruminants to food security for Ethiopian smallholder farmers

Wodajo, H.D.; Gemeda, Biruk Alemu; Kinati, Wole; Mulem, Annet Abenakyo; Eerdewijk, Anouka van; Wieland, Barbara

doi:10.1016/j.smallrumres.2020.106064

Cited by 81 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Further, ruminants (cattle) and particularly small ruminants (goats and sheep) are critical for food security in LMIC, especially in sub‐Saharan Africa. These vulnerable people depend on the nutrition and income derived from their livestock (e.g., meat, milk, wool, and fertilizer) and poultry (eggs and chicken) 50,51 …”

Section: The Noncommunicable Disease Burdenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healthy lifestyles and noncommunicable diseases: Nutrition, the life‐course, and health promotion

Cerf

2021

Lifestyle Medicine

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Cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases, targeted by Sustainable Development Goal 3.4, afflict millions of people and account for the highest global morbidity and mortality. Obesity is associated with noncommunicable diseases. Globally, diets have become sweeter, saltier with higher fat content, whereas physical activity has declined; which triggers the onset of obesity and noncommunicable diseases. Healthy nutrition and regular exercise are the foundations for healthy living and important for preventing noncommunicable diseases, in alignment with health promotion. The preconception, gestational, and lactational periods present windows for improving and optimizing progeny growth and development for better health outcomes. Malnutrition is a major risk factor for noncommunicable diseases; therefore ingesting healthy nutritious food, over the life‐course, is critical for countering these global epidemics that have a more profound adverse impact on people from low‐ and middle‐income countries. To combat obesity and noncommunicable diseases, people's ownership of their health, government action, and private sector responsibility should be aligned and supported by global initiatives and enabled through partnerships and collaborations. Many noncommunicable diseases are avertable through health promotion strategies mainly directed at the maternal and child health lifecycle, by focusing on women of reproductive age (prior to and during pregnancy, and during lactation) and during infancy and childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and ageing. Healthy lifestyles support health promotion and disease prevention, which is cost‐effective for noncommunicable diseases. The global high burden of obesity and noncommunicable diseases remains a complex and prevalent challenge; therefore, the adoption of healthy lifestyles is critical to slow down their onset and exacerbation.

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Section: The Noncommunicable Disease Burdenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healthy lifestyles and noncommunicable diseases: Nutrition, the life‐course, and health promotion

Cerf

2021

Lifestyle Medicine

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“…Livestock are important for the livelihoods of rural households in Ethiopia and contributes to food security and improves the income and wellbeing of farmers and pastoralist families [ 50 , 61 ]. Nevertheless, keeping livestock can also be a source of infection for humans [ 34 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, attitude, and practices to zoonotic disease risks from livestock birth products among smallholder communities in Ethiopia

Alemayehu

Mamo

Desta³

et al. 2021

One Health

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Many causes of abortion in livestock are due to zoonotic pathogens that pose serious infection risks for humans. Carefully designed, empirical One Health research allows to untangle the complexity around these risks and guides the development of practical health education guidelines and best prevention practices for veterinary public health interventions. To support this, the study presented here aimed at understanding knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) on zoonotic risks from livestock birth products among rural communities in Ethiopia. From July 2018 to February 2019, a cross-sectional study design was conducted with 327 randomly selected farmers and pastoralists in five districts in three regions in Ethiopia. The structured questionnaire consisted of 48 items to evaluate knowledge (24), attitude (9), and prevention practices (15) related to zoonotic diseases risks from livestock birth products. A unidimensional two-parameter logistic (2-PL) Item Response Theory (IRT) model was used for zoonotic disease risk KAP scale construction and evaluation. The 2-PL IRT model was fitted to determine the probability of a person to appropriately respond to an item with a provided zoonotic disease KAP level. We then examined differential item functioning (DIF) concerning to five important covariates. The attitude subscale had the highest total mean score (37.3, ± 28.92%) and the knowledge subscale had the lowest mean score (22.4, ± 33.6%) among the three subscales. The mixed model regression analysis indicated that region was the only apparent factor explaining differences in zoonotic diseases knowledge, attitude, and practice total mean scores. The knowledge and attitude subscales had good internal consistency with a Cronbach's α at 0.83 and 0.81, respectively, whereas the practice subscale had lower internal consistency with 0.51. There was a positive association between responding to knowledge questions correctly and a positive attitude (r2 = 0.44, p < 0.0001) and self-reported good practice (r 2 = 0.307, p < 0.0001). The differential item functioning test showed that 19 of 37 (51.35%) and 12 of 37 (32.43%) items of the retained KAPs survey items had non-uniform and uniform DIF linked to at least one covariate respectively and all the covariates were related with DIF in at least one item. This study found substantial knowledge gaps, a low level of the desired attitude, and high-risk behavioural practices regarding zoonotic disease from livestock birth products. Consequently, livestock keepers are likely exposed to pathogens and thus these practices are an important contributing factor for zoonotic disease infection in people.

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“…It is a limiting production factor, as it decreases the potential number of replacement stocks for flock and milk production and increases the number of unproductive females maintained for long periods in the flock (1,2). Thus, abortion in sheep and goats significantly impacts the food security and livelihoods of rural smallholder Ethiopian farmers, as sheep and goats are an integral part of households by providing nutrition, employment and sources of income (3)(4)(5).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Causes and Flock Level Risk Factors of Sheep and Goat Abortion in Three Agroecology Zones in Ethiopia

Alemayehu

Mamo

Alemu³

et al. 2021

Front. Vet. Sci.

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A cross-sectional survey was conducted to estimate the incidence of small ruminant abortion and identify its major causes and potential risk factors in goat and sheep flocks in three agroecology and production systems of Ethiopia. Information on pregnancy outcomes and management risk factors were collected for 299 goat and 242 sheep flocks. Blood samples were collected from 133 sheep and 90 goat flocks and tested for Coxiella burnetii, Brucella spp., Chlamydia abortus, and Toxoplasma gondii. A causal diagram outlined relationships between potential predictor variables and abortion in the flock. The effect of management and exposure to infectious causes on the number of abortions in the flock across agroecology was tested using zero-inflated negative binomial regression. Results showed that 142 (58.68%) goats and 53 (17.73%) sheep flocks reported abortions in the 12 months before the survey. The mean annual flock abortion percentages were 16.1% (±26.23) for does and 12.6% (±23.5) for ewes. Farmers perceived infectious diseases, extreme weather conditions, feed shortage, physical traumas, and plant poisoning as the most important causes of abortion. A higher proportion of abortion was recorded during the short rainy season (March to May) and start of the short dry and cold season (June to August) in the lowland mixed crop-livestock and pastoral agroecology and production system, respectively. Overall, 65.41% sheep and 92.22% goat flocks tested positive for one or more abortion causing agents, namely, C. burnetti, C. abortus, Brucella spp., and T. gondii; mixed infection was found in 31.58% sheep and 63.33% goat flocks. Spending the night in a traditional house and providing supplementary feed for pregnant dams were important management factors which significantly (p ≤ 0.05) decreased the risk of abortion by 2.63 and 4.55 times, respectively. However, the presence of other livestock species and dogs in the household and exposure of the flock to Brucella spp. or anyone of the four tested infectious agents significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased the risk of abortion in sheep and goat flocks. In general, abortion is a challenge for small ruminant production in the study area especially in lowland agroecology and calls for improvement in husbandry practices, health care and biosecurity practices.

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Contribution of small ruminants to food security for Ethiopian smallholder farmers

Cited by 81 publications

References 15 publications

Healthy lifestyles and noncommunicable diseases: Nutrition, the life‐course, and health promotion

Healthy lifestyles and noncommunicable diseases: Nutrition, the life‐course, and health promotion

Knowledge, attitude, and practices to zoonotic disease risks from livestock birth products among smallholder communities in Ethiopia

Causes and Flock Level Risk Factors of Sheep and Goat Abortion in Three Agroecology Zones in Ethiopia

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