On-farm introduction of some dry season feeding strategies to cattle farmers on the Accra Plains of Ghana and the response of cattle to these strategies. 1. A survey on reasons for non-adoption of strategies

Oddoye, E.O.K.; Fleischer, J. E.; Amaning-Kwarteng, K.; Awotwi, E.K.

doi:10.4314/gjas.v35i1.1846

Cited by 2 publications

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“…Fifth, the independence of animals, although a source of complaints, also encouraged ownership due to the convenience of animal self‐management compared to other activities. This makes an important contribution to knowledge on Ghanaian agriculture (Obosu‐Mensah 1999; Oddoye et al 2002). Sixth, links between human and animal behaviour and the five points listed above explain the distribution of livestock, supporting the position that an integration of socio‐cultural/economic geography and animal studies contribute to a more informed zoogeography, supporting an important strand of the animal geography literature (Johnston et al 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The findings of this study support six main positions. Firstly, animal behaviour is at least as important to livestock ownership (species choices) as economic considerations (general acquisition), contributing to the literature that neglects this issue (Oddoye et al 2002; Danso et al 2003). Secondly, these animals exhibit actant behaviour, depending on the definition of this characteristic, this manifested by intra‐species individualism in food thefts, aggression and ‘smart’ individual reactions to human actions (Johnston et al 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The impact of livestock behaviour on animal acquisition, social structures and economic decisionmaking is important, but under‐researched in West Africa (Campbell 1998; Oddoye et al 2002). Livestock acquisition depends on assessments of particular species and individual animals, and environmental and economic variables (Okantah et al 1999; Canagarajah et al 2001; Turkson 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the dry coastal savanna of Ghana (population 21 million, area 238 540 km 2 ; Central Intelligence Agency 2005), the dry season restricts rainfed farming and greatly increases the value of livestock as a food, income and/or insurance source (Oddoye et al 2002). Cattle, goat and sheep ownership, as an all‐season activity, ensures a stable income source within the constraints of animal behaviour, disease and breeding rates, meat prices, social tolerance of livestock behaviour and socio‐cultural norms influencing livelihood decisionmaking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By contrast, classical zoogeography is dominated by or even exclusively concerned with positivist quantification of animal presence, the better to understand spatial ecological variation (Campbell 1998). These research questions are particularly important in the Ghanaian context, as rising human populations, environmental degradation and individualised livelihood decisionmaking have contributed to complex, under‐researched issues in human–animal relations (Oddoye et al 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A new zoogeography of domestication and agricultural planning in Southern Ghana

Campbell

2009

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Animal behaviour is vital for livestock choices, but is less researched in West Africa than economic considerations. An animal geography framework is applied to the socio‐economic context of livestock behaviour in coastal Ghana, assessing the shared ‘actant’ behaviour of people and animals, and the contribution of such a study to animal geography and agricultural knowledge. Data were gathered on cattle, sheep and goat behaviour and the impact of these on human livelihoods, perceptions and the socio‐environmental context. Animal behaviour was more important in the choice of livestock species, but economic considerations were more important in the decision to acquire animals. Goats had more incidents with people in village centres than sheep and cattle. Cattle had more incidents in farmland and grassland than goats and sheep. Women and young people were more affected by livestock behaviour. These findings increase the understanding of livestock zoogeography and livelihood decisionmaking, and contribute to animal geography by documenting the relevance of individualised gender‐ and age‐based human behaviour, as well as intra‐ and inter‐species animal behaviour to a shared actancy perspective, and a more dynamic zoogeography.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A new zoogeography of domestication and agricultural planning in Southern Ghana

Campbell

2009

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Contracts in cattle production in Ghana : their nature, and effects on input use and technical efficiency

Ameleke¹

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CHAPTER General introduction 1.1 BackgroundRising incomes and urbanization in developing countries are increasing the demand for food especially meat and milk (Delgado, 1999). It poses the need to increase the output of animal products. Productivity levels in existing livestock production systems are typically low in developing countries, thus attempts to increase meat and milk production require steps to improve farm efficiency and productivity. In Ghana, cattle contributes the largest portion (at least a half) of the total economic value of livestock raised by households (GSS, 2008, GSS, 2014. Therefore, improvements in cattle production can contribute significantly to satisfying the growing demand for animal products.Cattle production in Ghana is based predominantly on extensive systems which depends on minimal housing and grazing on natural pasture (Oppong-Anane, 2006). Often, cattle in a kraal are owned by multiple owners. According to Oddoye (2001), in some parts of the Accra Plains one person owned all cattle in less than a third of all kraals, two to five people owned cattle in at least half of the kraals, and more than five people owned cattle in the rest of the kraals. Cattle productivity under this production system is linked to factors like the natural environment, including rainfall patterns and cattle breeds, how production is organised, production practices, and motives for keeping cattle. A description of these features of the production system is provided in the next paragraphs.Generally, indigenous breeds of cattle are kept. These breeds include the West African Short Horn (WASH) and a cross between the WASH and zebu breeds, which is known as Sanga (Otchere and Okantah, 2001). The Sanga has become an established breed in its own right. Attempts by the state to introduce exotic breeds such as the Friesian and Jersey have not been successful due to their ill-adaptation to the tropical climatic conditions. Local breed improvement, using semen from exotic breeds, has also been tried.However, this has not been successful. The resulting cross-breeds have to be under intensive production systems, but most farmers are unable to deal with this.Herd sizes are generally small and range between 10 to 50 head in northern Ghana and 50 to 200 head in southern Ghana (Otchere and Okantah, 2001). The herd owner, who may be the household head if the cattle belongs to a family, usually constructs a kraal, an enclosure in which cattle are kept, or acquires appropriate space for the cattle to pass the night. Often, the kraal is close to the herd owner or kraal owner's compound. During the day, the cattle are herded to the rangeland or natural pastures to graze. In Ghana, the extensive system is largely sedentary and agro-pastoral with limited transhumance (Otchere and Okantah, 2001). The kraal owner uses either family labour or hired labour to herd the cattle in the rangeland; he himself prefers to work on his crop farm, especially during the farming season. In return for providing herding services, the herdsman rece...

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On-farm introduction of some dry season feeding strategies to cattle farmers on the Accra Plains of Ghana and the response of cattle to these strategies. 1. A survey on reasons for non-adoption of strategies

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

A new zoogeography of domestication and agricultural planning in Southern Ghana

A new zoogeography of domestication and agricultural planning in Southern Ghana

Contracts in cattle production in Ghana : their nature, and effects on input use and technical efficiency

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