首页 | 本学科首页   官方微博 | 高级检索  
相似文献
 共查询到20条相似文献,搜索用时 31 毫秒
1.
The study was carried out to determine the characteristics of snail farming in Edo South Agricultural Zone of Edo State Nigeria. The interview schedule was used to collect data from 60 snail farmers randomly selected from six cells in the study area. Information on the socioeconomic status of the farmers, production system, management practices and production constraints in the snail farms were elicited. The constraints were determined using a four-point Likert-type scale; a mean score of ≥2.5 was considered as a production constraint. Majority (85.0 %) of the respondents were part-time snail farmers. The major species of snails reared were Achatina achatina and Archachatina marginata, reared by 43.3 and 26.7 % of the farmers, respectively. Semi-intensive system of production was practised by 40.0 % of the farmers. Majority (78.0 %) of the respondents used car tyres to house their snails. About 56 % of the respondents kept their snails for 1–2 years before sale. Up to 51.7 % of the respondents separated their snails into different pens according to their size/age. The most commonly used feeds were vegetables (71.2 %), plant leaves (67.8 %) and kitchen waste (59.3 %). Records of snail production activities were kept by 75.0 % of respondents. The major constraints identified were lack of capital (3.31), inability to get good laying stock (3.00), lack of formulated feed to buy (2.98) and slow growth rate of snails (2.52). The potentials of snail farming in the study area have not been fully exploited as farmers produced at subsistence level.  相似文献   

2.

Purpose and methods

In situ conservation of pig genetic resources requires understanding of the farming systems under which the pigs are kept. The objective of the study was to characterise smallholder pig production systems where indigenous pigs are kept in order to assess opportunities for in situ conservation of these pigs. Factors influencing pig herd sizes, ranking of pigs in smallholder production systems, breeds and breed preferences, pig ownership patterns, traits preferred by farmers and constraints to production were investigated in a survey involving 199 farmers from Chirimhanzu District of Zimbabwe, Vhembe, Alfred Nzo and O. R. Tambo Districts of South Africa.

Results

Income was the major factor influencing most pig production related parameters. Most pigs (69.67 %) were owned by women, with most of the women falling into the very low income group. Farmers kept pigs for several reasons that were common across geographical zones and income groups. The odds of a farmer ranking pigs first in the production system depended on the absence of other livestock (P?<?0.05). Farmers in the higher income group tended to mention poor feed resources and access to information as constraints (P?<?0.05) compared to the very low income group. There was preference heterogeneity in the breeds kept and the reasons for breed choice across the income groups and geographical zones. Fewer farmers in the very low income group (42.62 %) recognised the need to conserve local pigs compared to the low income group (80.49 %), the medium income group (50.00 %) and the high income group (100.00 %; χ 2?=?19.14; P?<?0.001).

Conclusions

It was concluded that farmers see value in local pigs and are willing to conserve them. In situ conservation programmes are possible and these should recognise the role of poor women in conserving and enhancing indigenous pig genetic resources.  相似文献   

3.
The present study was conducted to know the smallholder pig production system in tribal areas of Sikkim State, India. Two hundred tribal farmers were selected randomly from the North and East District of the state. Information on socio-economic characteristics of farmers (gender, occupation, educational status, and farming experience), management practices, disease prevalence, and economics in pig production was collected. The study recorded the mean land holding as 1.2?±?0.8 ha, and the number of pigs per farm was 5.0?±?0.28. Pigs were mainly kept as a source of income, and 70 % of farmers reared crossbreed pigs. Ninety percent (90 %) of respondents practiced the intensive system of management whereby kitchen wastes along with cooked mixture comprising maize bhusa, mustard oil cake, pseudostem of banana, tuber, stem, and plant leaves were used to feed their animals. About 40.5 % of farmers procured their breeding stock from government farms that had good records and utilized veterinary services like timely vaccination and deworming. The diseases prevalent in the study area were swine fever, diarrhea, helminthoses, sarcoptic mange, pneumonia, etc. The litter sizes at birth (local, 4.3?±?0.45; crossbreed, 7.2?±?0.33), at weaning (local, 2.79?±?0.24; crossbreed, 6.1?±?0.21), and age at first farrowing (local, 365.39?±?7.96 days; crossbreed, 337.24?±?8.79 days) were recorded. Production costs of meat extracted from local and crossbred pigs were 1.08 $/kg and 0.86 $/kg, respectively.  相似文献   

4.
Rearing of goats under communal farming conditions is characterised by high kid mortality and low weaning percentages. A survey was conducted to determine farmers’ perceptions on the causes of kid mortality during summer under the communal farming system in Nkonkobe Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. This was done by administering questionnaires to a total of 162 respondents in 14 villages around Nkonkobe Local Municipality. The study showed that majority of farmers (75 %) keep flock sizes of less than 10 goats and kids, and this indicates that goat production in Nkonkobe Local Municipality is suppressed. According to the farmers, diseases (89 %), endo-parasites (72 %) and ecto-parasites (68 %) were perceived as the major causes of kid mortality. Other causes reported include starvation (15 %), extreme weather conditions (28 %), abortion (7 %), theft (35 %), diarrhoea (43 %), accidents (10 %) and wounds (9 %). The low number of goats could be attributed to high mortalities. It was also found that all causes reported by farmers played a role in high kid mortality in Nkonkobe Local Municipality. However, the causes which require more emphasis to formulate extension support were tick-borne diseases and parasites. This study provided baseline information on possible causes of kid mortalities in Nkonkobe Local Municipality. There is, however, a need to conduct further studies to determine actual causes of high kid mortalities so as to develop preventive strategies that would minimize kid mortality for good economic returns.  相似文献   

5.
Feeding regime and management of local Lao pigs in Central Lao PDR   总被引:1,自引:1,他引:0  
A survey was carried out in smallholder farming systems in the districts of Borrikun, Khamkeuth, and Pakkading, in central Lao People's Democratic Republic, to assess the feeding regime and health status of local Lao pigs. In total, 216 farmers, 72 in each district, were interviewed using a questionnaire. Feed samples were collected for nutrient analysis and pen soil samples for mineral content determination. Farmers kept sows of native breeds such as Moo Lath, Moo Chid, and Moo Hmong. The number of sows per household was low (1.1?±?0.1, 1.1?±?0.1, and 1.2?±?0.1 in Borrikun, Khamkeuth, and Pakkading, respectively) and pigs were mainly fed with rice bran and fresh cassava roots. Daily protein and mineral (Calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium) allowances were lower than requirements. In all districts, the number of piglets at birth was around seven and pre-weaning piglet mortality was around 20 %. The most common causes of piglet death, before weaning, were diarrhea, runts, and squashed piglets. Most piglets were weaned after 4 months of age, but in the Borrikun and Pakkading districts, 11–16 % of households were weaned at <4 months. In all districts, pig management was mainly women's responsibility (around 90 %) and most farmers spent less than 1 h per day on pig management. A feasible and cheap way to increase nutrient supply to local pigs in central Lao People's Democratic Republic would be to include more fresh plant material (e.g., thick head, taro) and salt in the diet. Information and education on improving pig management should be targeted towards women.  相似文献   

6.
7.
Viability of smallholder dairying in Wedza, Zimbabwe   总被引:1,自引:1,他引:0  
Viability differences in smallholder dairy farming are a result of differences in access to markets and services. It is hypothesized that innovations that improve productivity and market linkages also improve returns and viability. The viability of smallholder dairying in Wedza was characterised by interviewing 52 households using semi-structured questionnaires. Information on demographics, production, marketing, livestock numbers, assets and constraints was obtained. Farmers were resource-constrained with differences in access to resources. The highly resourced farmers had higher milk output and numbers of livestock. Almost 40 % of the households were female-headed, and these dominated the poor category. Household sizes ranged from 4 to 13 persons. Milk off-take was low (3.7?±?0.53 l/cow/day), due to various constraints. Only rich farmers had viable enterprises in purely financial terms. Per litre cost of milk was more than selling price (US$0.96) for most farmers except the relatively rich. Operating ratios were 1.7, 0.6, 1.4 and 1.1 for the poor, rich, sub-centre and milk collection centre farmers, respectively. This means incomes from the dairy activities did not cover costs. Sensitivity analysis indicated that increases in total variable costs and labour reduced returns. Milk production and viability were influenced by access to resources and markets.  相似文献   

8.
The Namaqua Afrikaner is an endangered sheep breed indigenous to South Africa, primarily used in smallholder farming systems. Genetic characterization is essential for the breed’s conservation and utilization. In this study, a genetic characterization was performed on 144 Namaqua Afrikaner sheep kept at the Karakul Experimental Station (KES), Carnarvon Experimental Station (CES), and a private farm Welgeluk (WGK) using 22 microsatellite markers. The mean number of alleles observed was low (3.7 for KES, 3.9 for CES, and 4.2 for WGK). Expected heterozygosity values across loci ranged between 46 % for WGK, 48 % for KES, and 55 % for CES, indicating low to moderate genetic variation. The analysis of molecular variance revealed that 89.5 % of the genetic variation was due to differences within populations. The population structure confirmed the differentiation of three clusters with high relationships between the CES and WGK populations. In the population structure comparison with Pedi and South African Mutton Merino sheep, limited hybridization between the Namaqua Afrikaner sheep and both of these breeds was observed. The results of this study will serve as a reference for genetic management and conservation of Namaqua Afrikaner sheep.  相似文献   

9.
10.
A three-phase study was conducted in high-potential farming and peri-urban area in Kikuyu Division central Kenya to obtain farm and management data and to monitor health and productivity of pigs in smallholder farms. The first phase was a cross-sectional study in which 87 farms (that had been selected from a total of 179 farms using a simple random selection) were visited once and data on important farm and management factors were gathered using semi-structured questionnaires. The second phase was a pilot study that was conducted in the 87 study farms for a period of 3 months to pretest the data-collection tools and to evaluate the general research methodology for the longitudinal study. The third phase was a prospective 12-month observational study in which health and productivity of pigs were monitored monthly in 76 herds that were still active and had participated in the previous studies.

The initial voluntary enrolment among the eligible farms was 99%. The median farm size was 1 acre. All the farms kept crossbreed pigs of Large White or Landrace (median nine pigs per farm). The median number of sows per herd was one. Most farmers engaged in farrow-to-finish pig-production system and most (60%) did not keep a breeding boar. The pigs were stall-fed the year round. Guard rails/piglet devices were present in 22% of the herds. Few (8%) farmers disinfected pig pens (especially the farrowing area). None of the farmers reported the use of vaccination against pig diseases. Most farmers (84 and 96%) indicated that they controlled for mange and worm infestations, respectively. To control mange, 50% of the farmers used acaricides, 34% used engine oil and 12% used both. Anthelmintics were used to control worms. No farmer had a particular control programme in place for both worms and mange. Artificial heating for piglets was not used in any of the farms. High costs of feeds (which were of variable qualities) lack of credit and genetically high-quality breeding boars and diseases were ranked highly by the farmers as the main production constraints. Thirteen percent (11/87) of farmers withdrew during the pilot study; 10 farmers had sold their pigs and one had died. Thirty-three percent (25/76) of the farms withdrew during the longitudinal study for various reasons that included death of pigs (3%; 2/76) and sale of the pigs (30%; 23/76)—mainly because of financial need.  相似文献   


11.
A study was conducted on 37 randomly selected broiler poultry farmers in Rwanda to characterize the production system using pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires. The data were processed in SPSS and presented as means, percentages and ranges in tables and text. All respondents kept Cobb breed and young stock was mainly (73 %) imported from abroad. The majority of respondents were males (68 %) and most farmers had attended only primary level of education (40.5 %). Most of the farms were in the peri-urban (48.6 %) and urban (37.8 %) areas and hired male youth (62.2 %) mainly aged 19–35 years. The majority of respondents (68 %) kept less than 500 birds per batch. Recordkeeping was well practiced (91.9 %) and (62.6 %) had permanent poultry houses and all farmers used deep litter system. Purchased feedstuffs were reportedly (92 %) mixed at farm level as the main feed resource. Maize bran was reported (97.06 %) the main, basal feedstuff. The mortality rates of chick and growers were 12.3 and 9.4 %, respectively. The slaughter age was reportedly 60 days with an average dressing percentage of 75.67 %. The main challenges reported were scarcity and unaffordability of quality feeds (59.5 %), lack of market access (45 %) and lack of credit (21 %). The farmers had various views on improving broiler production in Rwanda ranging from establishing feed processing industries 62.2 %, improving marketing facilities 35.1 %, increasing availability of day-old chick and access credit 27 %, to intensification of farmer training 16.2 %.  相似文献   

12.
The objective of this study was to determine the average daily gain (ADG) of pigs on rural and peri-urban smallholder farms in two districts of Western Kenya, in order to establish a baseline to measure the impact of future management interventions. Average daily gain (kilograms per day) for 664 pigs weighed one, two or three times and the proportion of local and crossbreed pigs was determined. Assuming a uniform birth weight of 1 kg, ADG did not differ between pigs weighed once or twice. Overall, ADG was higher in peri-urban pigs (0.15?±?0.058 kg/day) than rural pigs (0.11?±?0.047 kg/day). Pigs at 1 to 2 months had a higher ADG than those at 3 months or 10 to 12 months and ADG was higher in crossbreed than local pigs. Over the two districts, the ADG was low (0.13?±?0.002 kg/day). Most (87.2 %) pigs were of local breed. Low ADG may be due to malnourishment, high maintenance energy expenditure, high parasite prevalence, disease, and/or low genetic potential. This low ADG of pigs raised on smallholder farms in Western Kenya indicates a high potential for improvement. The growth rate of pigs in Western Kenya must be improved using locally available feedstuffs to make efficient use of resources, promote sustainable smallholder pig production, and improve the livelihood of smallholder farmers.  相似文献   

13.
Toxocara vitulorum infection in large ruminants is endemic in many tropical countries and particularly in South-East Asia. A single treatment of calves with pyrantel at 14–21 days of age effectively controls the parasite. Despite this treatment being readily available, T. vitulorum infection remains common and widespread. To understand drivers of effective control of T. vitulorum infection, we examined treatment practices and knowledge of smallholder farmers of this parasite plus determined annual calf morbidity and mortality and identified potential risk factors for these estimates. Interviews were conducted with 273 smallholder farmers who had calves tested for T. vitulorum 4–6 months earlier. Reproductive rates of 0.6 and 0.4 calf per annum in cattle and buffalo respectively, and annual calf morbidity and mortality of 42.6% (CI 0.38–0.47) and 37.3% (CI 0.33–0.42) respectively, were identified. Interviewed farmers had either none (80.6%) or only minimal (19.4%) knowledge about T. vitulorum and only 2.5% of the farmers treated their calves for T. vitulorum using the recommended control regime. Multivariable logistic regression analyses with random effects showed that the number of adult cattle per household, T. vitulorum infection status of the household herd and farmer knowledge of T. vitulorum were significantly associated with calf morbidity and mortality. Financial analysis using partial budgeting showed a net benefit of USD 3.69, 7.46, 11.09 or 14.86 per calf when treating calves with pyrantel and attributing 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% of morbidity and mortality to T. vitulorum infection. The study identified that poor reproduction, high calf morbidity and mortality combined with very limited farmer knowledge and effective control of endemic Toxocariasis, contribute to suboptimal large ruminant production in mixed smallholder farming systems in South-East Asia. The large net benefit per calf achievable by a single pyrantel treatment should drive implementation of this intervention by smallholder farmers, especially as demand for livestock products continues to increase in this region and forces a change to more production oriented farming. To support this, continued capacity building that ensures knowledge transfer of best practice T. vitulorum control to smallholder farmers is required.  相似文献   

14.
Data on pig production system was derived through structured household interviews from a total number of 320 rural households and performance of pigs was assessed. Results revealed that the pig production system represented mixed farming based mainly on the common property resources. Majority of the pigs were reared in intensive system and fed with home made cooked feed (kitchen waste and locally available plants). The body weight of crossbred, Burmese and local pigs were 67, 65.4 and 45.6 kg, respectively at 12 months of age with average daily body weight of 184, 179 and 125 g, respectively. The overall mortality among the pigs was 17.96%. The major causes of mortality in pigs were Swine fever, Swine erysipelas, digestive disorders, nephritis and respiratory disorders. The body weight gain in pigs subjected to deworming and mineral mixture supplementation (218 g/day) was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than the control group (178 g/day). The input output ratio was 1:1.7 for both crossbred and Burmese pigs, while the corresponding ratio for local pigs was 1:1.2. It is inferred that the smallholder resource driven pig production system is economically viable and sustainable at household level and there is enough scope to improve the smallholder resource driven pig production system.  相似文献   

15.
Factors influencing dairy technology adoption and impact on milk yield were studied in 240 smallholder farms in Dejen district, Ethiopia. The majority of the smallholders had more than 20 years of farming experience and were living at more than 10 km distance from market or trading centers (67% and 54% in that order). The dairy technologies studied included the use of crossbred animals, improved feed technologies and improved management practices. Application of acaricides, deworming, vaccination, heat-detection and haymaking had wide application (more than 80% adoption levels) while urea straw treatment, silage making, rotational grazing and fodder beet development were the least practiced ones. Only 20 percent of the cows were crossbred animals. It has been found that higher level of technology adoption is associated with better milk yield regardless of the breed of cattle (local or crossbred) owned by the farmers. Milk yields in local breeds increased by 0.07 times when the number of technologies increased by one unit. In crossbred cows, this rate of increase was five fold higher (0.38 times for one unit increase). Correlation coefficients between and within farm household characteristics and technologies adoption were, generally, significant. Male-headed households adopted significantly higher number of technologies than female-headed households (P?<?0.001). Technology adoption rates increased significantly with increased education level and family size and decreasing distance from market or trade centers (P?<?0.01). The level of technology adoption by smallholder farmers is still unsatisfactory and is highly dependent on gender, family size and level of education of smallholder farmers and location of farms.  相似文献   

16.
A structured questionnaire survey was conducted to determine the ethno-veterinary practices and other control methods used by smallholder farmers for the management of bovine dermatophilosis and ticks. A total of 153 farmers were interviewed from Njelele, Zhombe communal and Shamrock resettlement areas. Crop production contributed most to livelihoods (83.2 %) while livestock contributed 9.0 %. Over 90 % of the respondents had attended school up to primary level, with 11.4 % undergoing animal health and husbandry training. Treatment of livestock diseases was practised by 96 % of the farmers, and 49.7 % of these farmers used ethno-veterinary medicines. Across the study sites, dermatophilosis was controlled using the following plants: Cissus quadrangularis (59.7 %), Catunaregam spinosa (10.5 %), Pterocarpus angolensis (10.5 %), Kalanchoe lanceolata (5.3 %), Aloe chabaudii (3.5 %), Cassia abbreviata (1.8 %), Dichrostachys cinerea (1.8 %), Urginea sanguinea (1.8 %), Ximenia caffra (1.8 %) and a plant locally called umfanawembila (1.8 %). Carica papaya and two plants, locally called mugimbura and umdungudungu, were used for tick control, and these were reported once from Njelele communal. Other control methods, besides plants or conventional drugs, were used by 28 % of the farmers for the treatment of dermatophilosis and ticks. Some farmers (14.4 %) claimed that ethno-veterinary medicines performed better than conventional drugs. The study revealed that farmers used ethno-veterinary medical practices for the treatment of dermatophilosis but rarely for tick control.  相似文献   

17.
Improved large ruminant productivity is increasingly acknowledged as a pathway for the alleviation of rural poverty and food insecurity in smallholder communities in Southeast Asia; yet, in much of Laos, bovine reproductive management is practically absent. Large ruminant reproduction skills were studied, using face-to-face surveys (n=60) of the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of farmers, plus an extension of an examination of parameters of reproductive efficiency (n?=?1786 cattle and 434 buffalo) in the northern provinces of Luang Prabang and Xieng Khouang. The surveys particularly involved female farmers to provide gender-disaggregated data, with females making up 38.3 % of participants. Results confirmed that KAPs of smallholder farmers on bovine reproductive management were low (34–46 %) with trends toward higher KAP scores in male survey respondents. Poor reproductive parameters were identified in both provinces, with low calving percentages of 54–75 and 45–54 % in cattle and buffalo groups, respectively, and prolonged inter-calving intervals of 14.1–19.8 and 26.0 months for the cattle and buffalo groups, respectively. Improving the reproductive efficiency of large ruminants in the northern upland regions would enable smallholder farmers to be more effectively engaged in the dramatic economic growth of the Southeast Asia region, although these findings indicate that intensive training and supportive interventions are required to improve large ruminant reproductive outcomes in communities that have low-level large ruminant husbandry skills.  相似文献   

18.
19.
To characterise the urban livestock keeping practices and constraints in Kisumu municipality, Kenya, a questionnaire survey was carried out. Thirty-four contact farmers were interviewed on general farm characteristics and production constraints. The farming activities were categorised as either livestock only (41%), or mixed crops and livestock (59%). The surveyed farmers kept mainly cattle (100%), chickens (82%) and goats (74%). Most (94%) of the farmers had kept livestock for prolonged periods mainly for income generation (97%) and domestic consumption (59%). These data show that livestock keeping was popular and could be harnessed to increase food security, although the farmers kept mainly low-producing indigenous cattle (98%) which were grazed on unutilised land. The main production constraints mentioned by farmers included diseases (100%), poor fertility (68%) and lack of feed (56%). The diseases varied with species of ruminants and included lumpy skin disease (71%), diarrhoea (65%) and helminthosis (62%). The source of advice on management and treatment of the livestock was almost equally from private and government veterinary personnel. To improve livestock productivity, it is recommended that key stakeholders address the constraints mentioned in this study and in particular that the occurrence of diseases should be investigated with a view to developing sustainable control strategies.  相似文献   

20.
Dichrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight & Arn. is a tropical leguminous shrub widely regarded as an invasive species in Cuba, after having invaded a significant proportion of its arable land during the past decades. Concurrently, smallholder pig producers are highly constrained by the scarcity of protein feeds. This study aimed to assess the feeding value of D. cinerea pod meal (DCPM) as an alternative protein supplement for pigs in Cuban smallholder production systems. An on-farm feeding trial was carried out with three groups (N = 10) of growing-fattening pigs over 60 days, where DCPM replaced 0, 15, and 30% in DM of a dietary commercial concentrate. Then, in an in vivo digestibility trial with eight growing pigs, apparent digestibilities of DCPM were determined for dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) and crude protein (CP). Finally, in vitro digestibilities for OM (fecal and ileal) and CP (ileal) were determined. In the feeding trial, pig body weight gains were not affected by increased dietary substitution levels of concentrate for DCPM. Blood parameters, with a few exceptions, did not show significant differences among groups. Values for in vivo OM and CP digestibilities were 40.81 and 50.26%, and substantially higher than in vitro values. In conclusion, our results showed that at least 30% of DM in commercial concentrate could be substituted by DCPM without affecting pig growth performances under Cuban smallholder conditions. The low digestibility of DCPM is, however, not acceptable for intensive pig production systems. In vitro enzyme digestibility methods developed for commercial pig feeds are not suitable for DCPM without further calibration.  相似文献   

设为首页 | 免责声明 | 关于勤云 | 加入收藏

Copyright©北京勤云科技发展有限公司  京ICP备09084417号