Seasonal changes in pasture biomass and grazing behaviour of cattle in the Guinea Savanna agroecological zone of Ghana

Akapali, M.; Ansah, T.; Abdul-Rahman, Ibn Iddriss; Alenyorege, B; Baatuuwie, Bernard Nuoleyeng

doi:10.2989/10220119.2018.1480526

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Our study findings indicate that the search for water and pastures, political insecurity, disease outbreaks, cattle raids, internal conflicts, and climatic factors such as flooding and drought are some of the major drivers of pastoralist migration in South Sudan. The search for water and pastures is a common migration influencer for pastoralist communities throughout the world, and this is in accordance with findings from other studies by Wafula et al (24) and Njiru et al (31) in Kenya, and Akapali et al (32) in Ghana, that identified limited water and pastures as drivers of pastoralist migration (24,31,32). Wild et al (33) reported that cattle raiding is a longstanding feature of many East African pastoralist societies, including those in South Sudan (33).…”

Section: Factors That Influence Pastoralists' Migration Patternssupporting

confidence: 81%

Challenges and strategies for the uptake of mass drug administration among pastoralist communities in South Sudan

Muchiri

Okwii²,

Bukuluki³

et al. 2023

Front. Trop. Dis

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Preventive chemotherapy through mass drug administration (MDA) to control and eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) requires the active participation of communities living with NTDs, or at risk of NTD infections. Despite considerable progress by national control and elimination programs, achieving consistent and sustainable treatment campaigns that reach pastoralist communities remains challenging, which in turn delays the achievement of global disease elimination goals. The challenges of accessing pastoralist communities for treatment also hinder the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs) pledge to “leave no one behind“. Elimination targets cannot be achieved if significant proportions of endemic populations, such as pastoralists, are missed out during treatment campaigns. In South Sudan, close to 70% of the population is categorized as pastoralist, with previous data on MDA showing low access to and acceptance of MDA among the pastoralist community, as well as inconsistent treatment coverage. To address this challenge, a cross-sectional study design was conducted in five counties, with 239 pastoralist community respondents participating in in-depth interviews (IDIs), key informant interviews (KIIs), and focus group discussions (FGDs). Our findings show that, in the pastoralist community, high mobility, lay perceptions about the causes of NTDs and methods of treating them, limited awareness of MDA, and suboptimal health-seeking behaviors are the major factors that limit accessibility and participation. Our results suggest that improved uptake of MDA in these communities may be achieved by timing treatment campaigns to take account of pastoralists’ seasonal migration patterns, by involving pastoralist leaders in planning and social mobilization activities, by engaging community members as community drug distributors (CDDs), by using participatory behavior change approaches to design NTD interventions, and by addressing negative perceptions around the medicines involved, including those related to drug expiry and drugs causing impotence or other side effects. The results from this study could enable national programs to address the challenges of implementing treatment campaigns through the enhanced involvement and representation of pastoralist communities.

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Section: Factors That Influence Pastoralists' Migration Patternssupporting

confidence: 81%

Challenges and strategies for the uptake of mass drug administration among pastoralist communities in South Sudan

Muchiri

Okwii²,

Bukuluki³

et al. 2023

Front. Trop. Dis

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“…These results depict that anthropogenic activities in these rangelands degrade the lands and increase poverty. Many studies have shown that cutting trees, medicinal plant harvesting and keeping livestock in kraals near homes all become major causes of over exploitation of range resources [55][56][57], leading towards decreased plant cover, lower diversity and increased bare soil patches. These findings were based on an appropriate number of samples, as demonstrated by the rarefaction curves.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Human Settlements on Diversity of Range Vegetation

et al. 2022

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The rapidly increasing population of human beings in semi-arid areas is often considered as a major factor of land degradation. Only a few studies have examined the dynamics of human settlements on the composition, diversity, structure and palatability of range vegetation in Southern Punjab Pakistan. The current study aims to assess whether the distance from settlements had any effect on the range vegetation’s diversity and cover. In order to determine the impact of human settlements on the vegetation, the sampling area (Thal rangeland) was classified into three categories, i.e., Near (1–2 km from human communities), Away (2–4 km from human communities), and Far (4–6 km from human settlements). A total of 75 transects in all of the three sites were placed in the study sites. Along the transects, a quadrate of 1 m2 after every 10 m was randomly placed. The study site yielded floral diversity of a total of 29 species, representing 23 genera and belonging to 9 families. Results showed that the areas away from the human communities had higher species diversity (20), while the site near to human settlements depicted lower diversity (14). It was observed that, although the site near to communities had lower diversity, it depicted higher plant density, while the highest diversity along with the lowest plant density was observed in sites away from the communities. The study concluded that the diversity of range grasses, especially desirable species, was affected by distance to human settlements. These findings could be useful to detect flora changes, establish habitat protection priorities and improve efforts for conserving natural landscapes.

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“…The added stress of transportation increases the likelihood that sick animals will die during or shortly after transport. Seasonal availability of feed for cattle is a challenge faced by the entire livestock industry [ 36 , 37 ], and transporters may prioritize delivery of the animals over the provision of feed. The main objective of the transporter seems to deliver the animal alive, rather than in optimal condition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cattle transporters' attitudes, indigenous knowledge, and current practices towards animal welfare, occupational well-being, and operational challenges: A survey of five regions in Ghana

Mogre,

Adzitey,

Teye

et al. 2024

Heliyon

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Seasonal changes in pasture biomass and grazing behaviour of cattle in the Guinea Savanna agroecological zone of Ghana

Cited by 7 publications

References 18 publications

Challenges and strategies for the uptake of mass drug administration among pastoralist communities in South Sudan

Challenges and strategies for the uptake of mass drug administration among pastoralist communities in South Sudan

Impact of Human Settlements on Diversity of Range Vegetation

Cattle transporters' attitudes, indigenous knowledge, and current practices towards animal welfare, occupational well-being, and operational challenges: A survey of five regions in Ghana

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