A STUDY OF RURAL LIVESTOCK FARMER’S PATRONAGE OF VETERINARY SERVICES FOR HEALTHCARE OF SMALL FARM ANIMALS IN OGUN STATE

Abstract

This study on rural livestock farmers was conducted with a view to assessing the extent of patronage of veterinary services by the farmers in Ogun State, Nigeria. A multistage random sampling was used to select on hundred and twenty (120) livestock farmers, with a bias for small farm animals. Goat, sheep, rabbit, pig and chicken constituted the common small farm animals raised by the selected farmers. It was however observed the small farm animals were infected by certain pests and diseases that call for treatment. About 63.3 percent of the respondents take to self-treatment of their animals, using local control measures. Out of the remaining 35.7 percent of the respondents that patronized the veterinary services, only about 6.7 percent of them do so regularly. A chic-square test of the relationship between the socio-economic characteristics of the livestock farmers and patronage of the veterinary services (at 5% significant level) shows that there was significant relationship between patronage and age, educational status and experience in livestock management by the farmers. Also a test of correlation relationship between the cost of veterinary services and patronage shows a significant relationship between the two variables (r = 0.087, and r = 0.574 at 5% significant level). It was thus concluded that rural livestock farmers’ patronage of the veterinarian services was low in Ogun State, with recommendations that the extension agency in the state should intensify effort in promotion of veterinary services among the livestock farmers for patronage.