The use of mobile phones for demographic surveillance of mobile pastoralists and their animals in Chad: proof of principle

Abstract

BackgroundDemographic information is foundational for the planning and management of social programmes, in particular health services. The existing INDEPTH network surveillance sites are limited to coverage of sedentary populations. Including mobile populations in this approach would be expensive, time consuming and possibly low in accuracy. Very little is known about the demography of mobile pastoralists and their animals, so innovative approaches are urgently needed.ObjectiveTo test and evaluate a mobile demographic surveillance system for mobile pastoralist households, including livestock herds, using mobile phones.DesignMobile pastoralist camps were monitored (10 for 12 months and 10 for 18 months) using biweekly mobile phone calls with camp leaders and their wives to conduct interviews about the households and livestock. The collected information was validated through personal visits, GPS data and a livestock demographic model.ResultsThe study showed the feasibility of mobile phone surveillance for mobile pastoralist camps, providing usable, valid information on human and livestock population structures, pregnancy outcomes and herd dynamics, as well as migration patterns. The approach was low-cost and applicable with the existing local resources.ConclusionDemographic surveillance in mobile populations is feasible using mobile phones. Expansion of the small-scale system into a full mobile demographic surveillance system is warranted and would likely lead to improved planning and provision of human and animal health care.

Estimating population and livestock density of mobile pastoralists and sedentary settlements in the south-eastern Lake Chad area

“…However, it is more likely that the data concerning animal numbers was underestimated since mobile pastoralists are reluctant to answer questions concerning numbers of livestock based on concern that the data might be used for taxation purposes (Homewood and Randall, 2009). Notably, the reported animal per person ratio is comparable to numbers recorded during a small-scale demographic survey within the communities (Jean-Richard et al, 2014). Finally, data were highly dynamic over the collection period of two consecutive years.…”

“…The CIs of the animal per person ratio for cattle, sheep and goats overlapped with CIs of data collected from households during a longitudinal surveillance study in the same area (Jean-Richard et al, 2014), as shown in Figure 4. However, the household level data represent only cattle breeding families, who remained in the study zone year round selected by convenience sampling, while the camp data represent all mobile pastoralists in the area at the time of sampling.…”

“…Discrepancies were corrected, and statistical analysis carried out with Stata IC 10.1 (StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA). Finally, the data were compared with data from a longitudinal surveillance study at the household level in the same area (Jean-Richard et al, 2014) for triangulation.…”

Prevalence of Fasciola giganticainfection in slaughtered animals in south-eastern Lake Chad area in relation to husbandry practices and seasonal water levels

“…Most pastoralist camp leaders expressed concerns about their animals grazing on contaminated pastures in close proximity to water bodies of Lake Chad during a participatory research needs assessment [10]. Some pastoralists are aware that it is possible to treat animals for liver flukes with anti-parasitic drugs, but access to quality drugs is difficult in the remote zones [11].…”

Where have all the nomads gone? Fifty years of statistical and demographic invisibilities of African mobile pastoralists

“…However, in contrast to censuses which probably tend to enumerate the least mobile, such approaches might be a good way to capture the most mobile and the most integrated into traditional power structures and social organisation although care would need to be taken to avoid double counting of more sedentary individuals. Innovative ways of collecting demographic data on both mobile herders and their herds have been tested (Jean-Richard et al 2014) in a feasibility study in Chad using mobile phones and small-scale incentives to report events, which showed that relatively good demographic data could be collected this way, although a number of problems remain to be resolved. Both these approaches are locally targeted -they cannot be replicated on a national scale; they would add to the, already well-developed, collection of local studies on mobile pastoral populations (see Randall 2008 for examples), but they would be impossible to integrate into the national data collection schemes and thus into the pathways to reporting many of the SDG indicators.…”