Medical pluralism and livestock health: ethnomedical and biomedical veterinary knowledge among East African agropastoralists (original) (raw)
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The present study entitled "Ethno-veterinary knowledge and practices amongst indigenous pastoralists in the Menoua division, West region of Cameroon" was conducted from January to June 2019. It was aimed at assessing and analyzing more specifically; pastoralists' perceptions regarding ethno-veterinary practices, major ethno-veterinary practices in the study area, major challenges faced by pastoralists in the field of ethno-veterinary, and pastoralists' conservation measures for proper management of these knowledge/practices. A descriptive method of statistics was employed where survey questionnaires, FGDs, and field observations were used for data collection. A sample size of 200 respondents was targeted through both purposive and stratified sampling methods. The major findings indicate that, there is disease prevalence in the study area with over 93.0% of responses. A large majority of respondents (62.0%) use both ethno-veterinary and modern means of treatments while over 26.5% depends only on ethno-veterinary medicines. Pastoralists in the study area proved to have positive attitude and concern for ethno-veterinary medicines and over 58.0% of them judged it to be 'very effective and fruitful'. Documentation of major ethno-veterinary practices was realized for the following cattle diseases plaguing the study area; Brucellosis, FMD, Cowdriosis, Streptothricosis, Babesiosis, Diarrhoea, Ringworm, Infertility, Epheral fever, Bloat, Wound, Poisoning, Fracture, Lumpy skin, Lice, Ticks, and Flies. The major challenges encountered by pastoralists in ethno-veterinary practices were; difficulties in obtaining medicinal plants due to recent physico-demographic challenges, difficulties in preparation and/or usage of dosage, and challenges in storage/preservation, accounting for 93.0%, 89.5% and 82.5% of responses respectively. Despite these challenges, pastoralists in the study area pass down ethno-veterinary knowledge/practices to the younger generation and some of them still conserve medicinal plants in home gardens as effective means to preserve and promote this very important resource pool necessary for man and his society. Nevertheless, according to the respondents, the most important workable solution for the preservation and promotion of ethno-veterinary practices include; documentation of the knowledge/practices, full integration of this system of medicine into the educational milieu, protection of areas containing ethno-medicinal plants, and the promotion of home gardening of medicinal plants.
Ethno-veterinary practices amongst livestock farmers in Ngamiland district, Botswana
African Journal of Traditional, Complementary & Alternative Medicine 10(3), pp. 490-502 , 2013
We carried out a study to determine ethno-veterinary knowledge used to treat and prevent livestock diseases in Toteng Village in Ngamiland District, northwestern Botswana. Primary data were collected through simple random sampling of 45 households in Toteng. Respondents were either livestock owners or cattle herders. Respondents were interviewed using a structured questionnaire which had both open and closed-ended questions. Cattle ownership or herdership in Toteng is an inter-generational occupation with people ranging from 15 to 94 years old. Cattle were acquired either through inheritance, buying, mafisa (reciprocal exchange) system or government scheme. Women in the study area were more involved in livestock farming activities. Eleven livestock diseases were reported to be prevalent in the study area. The top six diseases were tlhako le molomo -foot and mouth disease (FMD), matlho -eye infections, letshololo-diarrhea, madi -pasteurollosis, mokokomalo -aphosphorisis and pholoso-contagious abortion. At least nine medicinal plant species having ethno-veterinary applications were recorded in the study area. Single plants are mostly used rather than a combination of plants. A number of social strategies were mentioned such as 'go fetola mafudiso' -to change grazing areas, and 'go thaa lesaka' -to ritualistically 'protect a kraal' or livestock against evil spells and predators (lions). Although the intervention of conventional veterinary medicine is pervasive in Toteng, and many livestock owners are resorting to it, there is evidence, however, of generalized ethno-veterinary knowledge used to treat and prevent livestock diseases. Local farmers and their herders in Ngamiland are not only knowledgeable and experienced in treating a range of livestock diseases, but also in performing other veterinary tasks such as assisting in births, treating fractures and range management strategies to mitigate particular threats from their local environment. The efficacy of ethno-veterinary knowledge for preventing and treating livestock diseases and range management strategies identified in this study need to be fully investigated and integrated in veterinary extension services.
A study was conducted to survey the ethno-veterinary knowledge and practices Issa-Somali pastoralists have and apply in managing their goats around Dire Dawa, eastern Ethiopia. The Issa-Somali community is known for its long history of traditional goat keeping. Pastoral livestock production is the dominant livelihood system in the area where-in disease was prioritized as the major production constraint. Poor accessibility of conventional veterinary services, amid the flock and family mobility characterizing the production system, has left the Issa pastoralists with no choice but uphold the traditional livestock treatment systems passed down through generations. The community employs unique ethno-semantics and ethno-taxonomy approaches to understand, diagnose and treat various goat diseases. Traditional healers within the community practiced rather complex ethno-veterinary practices to treat sick animals. Indigenous knowledge inherited from ancestors and traditional belief/rituals in...
This study aimed at identifying factors influencing the use of ethno-veterinary practices amongst farmers in Ogbomoso north and south areas of Oyo state, Nigeria. It specifically described the socioeconomic characteristics of the farmers; identified some diseases of goats and poultry with their corresponding indigenous cures. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 100 respondents from ten communities using pre-tested structured and unstructured interview schedules to collect quantitative data, while Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) were used to elicit qualitative data from the respondents and analysed with a descriptive statistical tools. In ogbomoso north and south it has been found that male of between 41-50 year of age are mostly engaged in the practice. Most of the respondents were educated while few are not educated and most of the animals are commonly affected by coccidiosis. Some of the problems (associated with the use of indigenous knowledge) identified by the farmers were lack of institutional support and the seasonal nature of some medicinal plants. It is, thus, suggested that all identified constraints need be removed by government to enhance the use of low-external inputs for sustainable agricultural development.
Afrika Focus, 2009
Karamojong, semi-nomadic pastoralists of Uganda, rely on indigenous knowledge (IK) for their own healthcare and their livestock's. It is important to preserve, promote and protect IK, in order to keep it from disappearing. One way is to facilitate its diffusion. The aim of this study was to compare the status of ethnoveterinary knowledge (EVK) in three unrelated communities to investigate whether organised healer-promoted EVK is more easily diffused and to what extent. This study applies a 'knowledge, attitude and practices' (KAP) survey to measure EVK application relating to twelve livestock diseases and sixteen remedies in different communities. Only in the community of Nabilatuk do registered healers regularly meet for participatory EVK sharing and afterwards pass on ideas to neighbours. Participants from the Lorengedwat community rarely interact with Nabilatuk while the interviewees of the Kaabong group have had virtually no chance to interact with the two other communities. In total 180 people (60 per site) were interviewed. Data were analysed in relation to distance from the healers' association; this significantly influenced EVK scores. Overall Nabilatuk scores were higher than those obtained in both other villages, while Lorengedwat was higher than the most distant and remote community of Kaabong. This indicates that organised healers have been effective in divulging their information and in promoting EVK diffusion.
Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2021
Global, national, and local efforts to limit antimicrobial resistance (AMR) often stress the importance of raising awareness among users, sellers, and prescribers of antimicrobial drugs. This emphasis is founded upon two assumptions. First, awareness is limited, particularly concerning the links between antimicrobial use (AMU) and AMR. Second, “filling the awareness gaps” will motivate practises that will limit AMR. The first assumption is supported by knowledge, attitudes, and practises (KAP) surveys but these same studies provide mixed support for the second, with several studies finding that knowledge and attitudes are not correlated with related practises. This disconnect may arise as these surveys typically do not collect data on the cultural or historical contexts that pattern AMU. To explore how these contexts impact KAP related to AMU and AMR, we use a mixed-methods approach to examine veterinary practises among Maasai pastoralists in Tanzania. We combine a quantitative KAP ...
Journal of Veterinary Science & Technology, 2017
Background: Modern livestock health care is still at its lowest stage in Ethiopia and most modern veterinary services like drugs and veterinary professionals are not accessible and affordable to the majority of pastoral farmers. As a result, they are heavily relying on their traditional knowledge and practices on locally available materials mainly plants in the management of animal diseases. However, this traditional knowledge has not yet been well documented and analyzed. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify medicinal plants and examine factors that threaten ethno-veterinary. Methods: This study was conducted in Ethiopian Somaliland regional state, Shinle zone. Survey was conducted to gather information from 180 households on indigenous knowledge using a semi-structured questionnaire and filed guided observations. The data was collected and analyzed using SPSS. The variability of documented knowledge and the homogeneity of the information given by the respondents were estimated by informant consensus factor. Results: Thirty-one plant species belonging to eighteen families used against fourteen types of livestock health problems. Majority of plant identified fall under Fabaceae (22.5%) and Euphorbiaceae (16.1%) family that are largely shrubs. The most commonly used plant parts were roots (35.5%) followed by leaves (25.8%). Remedy preparation was mainly through chop and soak in concoction of water and salt. Oral, topical and nasal route were the common mode of administration with no standardized dosing and treatment duration. The principal threats of medicinal plants were invasive plants, drought, over grazing, agricultural activity and firewood collection. Indigenous knowledge on ethno-veterinary medicinal plants was accepted orally from healer's forefathers and transmitted similarly. Conclusion: Awareness should be raised and ethno-veterinary medicine should be integrated in to livestock extension delivery systems for the need to exploit the possibility of discovering more medicinally viable plants. Further studies needed under controlled conditions on the efficacy of such plants.
Review on Ethnoveterinary Practices in Sub-Saharan Africa
Veterinary Sciences, 2021
Background: Livestock represents an important sector for the livelihood of sub-Saharan African countries’ inhabitants. In these countries, farmers raise livestock to meet household food demands and as additional sources of incomes, but its production is hampered by rampant animal diseases. The impact of animal diseases is particularly severe for poor communities that, although relying heavily on livestock, have limited access to modern veterinary services and therefore rely on indigenous medicines for the treatment of livestock ailments. Methods: The current review focuses on the ethnoveterinary health management practices found amongst livestock producers in sub-Saharan Africa. Documents were sourced from Google databases. Results: A total of 56 documents were reviewed, most of which were published recently (after 2000). The documents revealed the wide use of ethnoveterinary medicines among livestock producers in sub-Saharan African countries because of their cost and accessibility...
2017
Savoir ethnobiologique engendre durant les « jeux de conduite de troupeau » dans la societe Maasai pastoraliste (sud Kenya). Cet article explore la production du savoir ethnobiologique relatif au betail par les enfants Maasai du sud du Kenya, a travers des jeux de conduite de troupeau. Dans la communaute Maasai qui continue a utiliser et a gerer collectivement les terres, les enfants prennent part activement aux tâches quotidiennes liees au betail, lesquelles servent de cadre a la production du savoir ethnobiologique. Pendant le jeu, les enfants mettent en pratique et communiquent leurs competences relatives au betail, tout en les ajustant aux conditions sociales et environnementales actuelles, et en mettant en scene les relations sociales qu’ils decouvrent au fil de leurs tâches quotidiennes. L’etude met en lumiere la pertinence du jeu dans la construction du savoir ethnobiologique dans des contextes sociaux pastoraux durant les jeux de betail. Ce faisant, les enfants contribuent a...