Livestock Information Research Articles

The acceptance of social media as a channel of communication and livestock information for sheep farmers

Abstract The development of technology and information in the Industry 4.0 era, especially the internet, is experiencing very rapid progress. Searching for information through new media will increase human resource capacity and work efficiency. Using technology acceptance model (TAM) theory, this study aims to identify social media usage as a communication and information medium and analyze the influence between constructs in social media acceptance. A cross-sectional survey was used in this study design. A structured questionnaire from previous related studies was used as the instrument. One hundred and eleven sheep farmers from several villages in Sukabumi, West Java groups, participated in this survey. Stratified sampling was adopted to select and interview the respondents. The findings show that social media usage as a channel for communication and livestock information is quite adequate. Many farmers already use WhatsApp and YouTube. However, only a few farmers use Facebook and Instagram. The results of the TAM analysis (limited to only the WhatsApp application) indicate that perceived ease of use positively influences perceived usefulness (PU). A positive relationship is also shown between PU and behavioral intention to use. The theoretical implication is that this study proves how social media adopts in disseminating messages and seeking information. Regarding managerial implications, the findings suggest that stakeholders in the agricultural industry across the value chain could enhance their services by fostering a broader ecosystem of social media applications.

Increased food crop diversification and gathering of wild plants associated with women's dietary diversity in Chad.

Women of reproductive age are particularly vulnerable to low-quality diets due to their higher micronutrients needs. The minimum dietary diversity for women (MDDW) is a proxy for micronutrient adequacy in this group of women. Its relationship with other aspects that lead to malnutrition is not fully elucidated and depends on the context. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of MDDW among women of a rural area in Chad and its association with socioeconomical, agricultural, dietary and food security data. A cross-sectional study was conducted. Following a multistage cluster sampling, 984 women of reproductive age were randomly selected and interviewed in March 2019. We obtained food consumption data through unquantified 24 h recalls and computed MDDW as consuming at least five out of 10 predefined food groups. We constructed a Food Production Diversity Score (FPDS) with crop and livestock information. We obtained multivariable logistic regression models including different covariates. MDDW was achieved by only 33% of women in the sample. In our final model, we identified a significant association of MDDW with the FPDS and gathering ofwild plants. Women in households with the highest FPDS had 70% more chances of achieving MDDW than those with the lowest FPDS. Gathering wild plants doubled these chances. Areas of cultivated land,Water, Sanitation and Hygiene resources, and a high level of food security, measured with the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale,were also significantly related to the achievement of MDDW. This illustrates the importance of nutrition-sensitive policies, also considering biodiversity and food production diversification.

Evaluation of Training &Visit and Participatory Agricultural Extension Approaches as Strategies to Improve on Women Livestock Farmers in the North West Region of Cameroon

The focus of this study was to evaluate the Training and Visit approaches and Participatory approaches to agricultural extension as strategies to improve women livestock farmers in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. Primary data was collected through the use of structured questionnaires, observations, focus groups and interview guides. Secondary data were obtained from books, journals, research projects and scientific articles. Multistage sampling techniques were used to select the female livestock farmers for the study. Results from the study reveals that, the extension approaches mostly used were the Farmer Field School (37%) and participatory approach (47%) and Training and Visit approaches. Women practicing livestock farming had poor knowledge of extension services rendered that can help them improve on their activity. In addition, it was noted that the limit extension knowledge exist due to limited extension staff in the field. We realized that both T&V and Participatory approaches can be very effective in providing livestock information if necessary inputs are available to facilitate the work of extension agents in the field. We therefore encourage policy makers, educators to ensure that extension work should reach the rural areas including inputs and infrastructures that can permit workers work with ease.

A NOVEL SYSTEM FOR PREDICTING THE DAMAGE OF RICE DISEASES IN AN GIANG PROVINCE, VIETNAM

Many researchers have recently considered information technology applications to support smart agriculture. Numerous solutions and information technology systems have been implemented to benefit farmers, such as an e-commerce website for exchanging agricultural products, an agricultural information system, a livestock information management system, and an agricultural environment monitoring system. This paper presents a novel system that combines artificial back-propagation neural networks with genetic algorithms for predicting the damage of rice diseases in An Giang province. The system predicts rice disease damage in the coming weeks in 11 districts in An Giang based on input parameters such as climate conditions and previous rice disease damage. The approach was evaluated on a dataset collected by the An Giang Plant Protection Department over 22 years. The rice diseases forecasting system produced promising results and received positive feedback from forecast department specialists, with an RMSE of 19.31 on the test dataset (ha).

A Platform for GHG Emissions Management in Mixed Farms

This research introduces an innovative platform designed to manage greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in mixed farms. Emphasizing the urgent need to address GHG emissions, particularly methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), the platform targets mixed farming systems where the interplay of livestock and crop production significantly contributes to environmental impacts. Our methodology is grounded in comprehensive data collection, encompassing soil data, energy consumption, and detailed livestock information. Utilizing the Agricultural Internet of Things (AIoT), it facilitates real-time data acquisition and analysis, providing insights into various farm activities’ GHG emissions. This approach allows for precise monitoring and management of emissions from different sources, including enteric fermentation in livestock and fertilizer use in crop production. Results from the application show its effectiveness in offering a clear and interactive visualization of GHG emissions, aiding farmers in making informed decisions for sustainable farm management. The platform’s user management system, coupled with advanced data processing and visualization capabilities, underscores its potential as a vital tool for sustainable farming. Conclusively, Solution4Farming represents a significant advancement in digital agriculture, combining IoT technology with sustainable practices. Though initially designed for Romanian cattle farming, Solution4Farming’s anticipated expansion to various farming environments suggests a broader impact and relevance in sustainable agriculture.

Implementation of an Integrated Mobile Livestock Service Program at The Livestock and Animal Health Department of Aceh Province

Implementation is the process of carrying out new ideas, programs, or a set of activities with the expectation that others can accept and make changes, conveying several messages, ideas, or concepts through the process carried out by an individual in the sense of human relationships or what is called human relations. Mobile services are one of the implementations that can be applied to livestock information and health management programs. The objective of this research is to determine the implementation of the Integrated Mobile Livestock Service Program at the Livestock and Animal Health Department of Aceh Province. The research approach used in this study is qualitative, which examines the object and reveals existing cases contextually through collected data. Each district surveyed includes 50 people for this mobile cow service program. The observed aspects of this program include: Public complaints about livestock diseases through the application, Interest in using health service information on the application, Public satisfaction with the application. The research results indicate that the complaints found in the community are about scabies and FMD (Foot-and-Mouth Disease). However, these complaints are obtained directly from the community, and only a few come through the application. The average application visitors in Pidie district are 29.87, Bireuen district 29.03, Aceh Utara district 27.47, Aceh Timur district 30.77, and Langsa city 29.33. User satisfaction with the application is assessed through questionnaires given directly to the community. The survey results show that, on average, people still have a limited understanding of the application's usage and are not very satisfied.

Farm Crime and Security: Evaluating Smart Tag Technology for Preventing, Tracking and Recovering Stolen Livestock

This research study evaluates the efficacy of Ceres Tag, a livestock information platform that utilises a unique smart tag, in improving farm security by preventing, interrupting, and reducing livestock theft – a prevalent issue among farmers and landholders in countries like Australia. The Ceres Tag is equipped with an accelerometer and global navigation satellite system (GNSS) technology to collect data on animal health, welfare, movement, and traceability. It was hypothesised that the Ceres Tag could combat livestock theft by enabling interventions at three key stages: rapid prevention, tracking of stolen livestock, and recovery of stolen livestock. To assess this, a mock theft of livestock was staged, accompanied by a coordinated law enforcement response. Key findings include: (1) the Ceres Tag issued a ‘high activity alert’ to farmers, indicating significant livestock agitation, within 12 minutes of the mock theft initiation; (2) utilising the data, the New South Wales (NSW) Police were able to track and interrupt the livestock theft within 25 minutes; (3) the data enabled the NSW Police to repeatedly track and interrupt the theft on three separate occasions over a 110 kilometre distance and 90-minute period; and (4) following the thieves' arrival at their destination, the NSW Police, aided by the data, recovered the stolen livestock within 20 minutes. The Ceres Tag system increases the risk of criminal behaviour in often riskless rural settings, effectively ‘hardening’ livestock as targets through technological innovation. Furthermore, the platform provides farmers with tangible evidence of a crime, substantially expediting the crime reporting process. This timely reporting, coupled with the data provided by Ceres Tag, positions police for rapid and effective intervention, thereby enhancing their capacity to investigate and resolve incidents of livestock theft. Overall, the results suggest that the Ceres Tag offers a promising technological tool for farmers and law enforcement officers alike, aimed at fortifying farm security and minimizing livestock theft.

Ontological integration of digital sub-platforms of plant and animal husbandry

The purpose of the work is to develop digital mechanisms for the integration of information systems of plant and animal husbandry with the analysis of their implementation conditions. The relevance of research is determined by the need for such a procedure due to a significantly increased list of tasks to be solved and data volumes due to the improvement of information and communication technologies, which led to the emergence of technologies for precision animal husbandry and agriculture, Earth’s remote sensing, requiring a combination of a large number of overlapping structured data and technologies for their processing, as well as solving problems of intersectoral relationships reflecting their interaction through the feed base, raw materials for processing, as well as the demands of the population and state bodies that are gaining momentum about the possibility of checking information on the legality, quality, and safety of products online. Digital standards obtained by mathematical modeling of them are proposed as the main research method. As a result of the research, digital mechanisms were obtained for solving integration problems not only of crop and livestock information systems, but also their integration with digital logistics and processing platforms. Conclusions: the obtained digital mechanisms provide fundamentally new opportunities for the digital transformation of industries with a multiple reduction in its cost.

A Lightweight and High-Accuracy Deep Learning Method for Grassland Grazing Livestock Detection Using UAV Imagery

Unregulated livestock breeding and grazing can degrade grasslands and damage the ecological environment. The combination of remote sensing and artificial intelligence techniques is a more convenient and powerful means to acquire livestock information in a large area than traditional manual ground investigation. As a mainstream remote sensing platform, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can obtain high-resolution optical images to detect grazing livestock in grassland. However, grazing livestock objects in UAV images usually occupy very few pixels and tend to gather together, which makes them difficult to detect and count automatically. This paper proposes the GLDM (grazing livestock detection model), a lightweight and high-accuracy deep-learning model, for detecting grazing livestock in UAV images. The enhanced CSPDarknet (ECSP) and weighted aggregate feature re-extraction pyramid modules (WAFR) are constructed to improve the performance based on the YOLOX-nano network scheme. The dataset of different grazing livestock (12,901 instances) for deep learning was made from UAV images in the Hadatu Pasture of Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, China. The results show that the proposed method achieves a higher comprehensive detection precision than mainstream object detection models and has an advantage in model size. The mAP of the proposed method is 86.47%, with the model parameter 5.7 M. The average recall and average precision can be above 85% at the same time. The counting accuracy of grazing livestock in the testing dataset, when converted to a unified sheep unit, reached 99%. The scale applicability of the model is also discussed, and the GLDM could perform well with the image resolution varying from 2.5 to 10 cm. The proposed method, the GLDM, was better for detecting grassland grazing livestock in UAV images, combining remote sensing, AI, and grassland ecological applications with broad application prospects.

The Monetary Losses Associated with Hydatidosis in Slaughtered Ruminants in Turkey.

Hydatidosis is a parasitic zoonotic disease that negatively affects human and animal health and causes economic losses due to slaughter condemnation and risk to public health in developing countries. This study aims to determine the prevalence of Hydatidosis among slaughtered livestock in different regions of Turkey and calculate the financial losses associated with the zoonosis. For this purpose, livestock slaughter records from the livestock information system in 2020 were considered and direct and indirect economic losses were estimated. The study determined the prevalence of hydatidosis in small ruminants (0.03%) and cattle (0.0124%) and an average of 0.007% of the total number of livestock slaughtered during the period under study were infected with hydatid cysts. The direct and indirect economic losses were estimated at $98.558 and $466.891, respectively. The total monetary loss due to Hydatidosis in Turkey in the year 2020 was estimated at $565.448. In conclusion, significant monetary losses due to Hydatidosis in slaughtered livestock is still an important economic issue to livestock traders in Turkey.

Changes in farmer animal health and biosecurity knowledge, attitudes and practices: Insights from Cambodia and Laos.

Livestock agriculture in Cambodia and Laos is severely affected by endemic and exotic transboundary animal diseases, impacting household livelihoods and food and nutritional security. Collaborative animal health and biosecurity projects were conducted in each country between 2015 and 2019 aimed at increasing smallholder livestock production through mainly knowledge-based interventions in large ruminant disease prevention, nutrition, reproduction and marketing access. This study's objectives were to identify baseline animal health and biosecurity knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of farmers, and temporal changes in key attitudes and practices associated with improved knowledge. Data for each country were analysed separately, and a formal between-country comparison was avoided due to major implementation and management differences. Binomial logistic regression without random terms compared the overall knowledge scores between 2015 and 2018 in each country, and binomial logistic regression with random terms was used to investigate possible associations between animal health and biosecurity knowledge scores and attitudes and practices. In Cambodia, the average animal health and biosecurity knowledge score increased from 4.8 (±2.2)/17 in 2015 to 13.0 (±2.8)/17 in 2018 (p<.0001). In Laos, the average scores improved from 7.2 (±2.5)/12 in 2015 to 7.9 (±2.9)/12 in 2018 (p=.0003). Clinical signs of foot-and-mouth disease were accurately reported by 100% of Cambodian and 88% of Lao project farmers, and overall, attitudes and practices improved in both countries over the study period. The belief that vaccination can improve livestock value was associated with increasing knowledge in both countries (Cambodia: OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.24-1.68, p<.0001; Laos: OR 1.43, 95% CI 1.16-1.75, p=.0006) as was the use of the services of village para-veterinarians if they had better training (Cambodia: OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.20-2.58, p=.004; Laos: OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.19-3.41, p=.009). However, the source of livestock information (District veterinary officials) was the only practice associated with knowledge in both Cambodia and Laos. The influence of resource scarcity on farmer decision making and knowledge measures was considered of particular relevance to the findings.

AGRIC: A quality farming

Around half of the Indian population depends on agriculture as a livelihood. Still, the share of agriculture in GDP is only 19.9% in 2020–21. This is mainly due to a lack of agricultural skills and a lack of an advisory system for farmers. Indian farmers have led to technological backwardness and a low rate of income to carry out modern agricultural activities. Agricultural information is essential for agricultural businesses.In this article, agriculture information is used in the following ways: One way is to provide livestock information and farming advice, this is one of the agricultural activities that generate economic benefits for agriculture. Another way is to provide direct interaction with the government by keeping them updated with the financial schemes available to them and the daily market prices of farm products. The final approach is to use a centralized waste collection point based on a wireless sensor network to send waste and residues from the farms to generate biogas, which may be another source of income for the farmers.

Influence of contract commitment system in reducing information asymmetry, and prevention and control of livestock epidemics: Evidence from pig farmers in China

The prevention and control of infectious diseases in livestock is of great significance for maintaining the food and health of people. The main bottleneck in preventing and controlling the epidemic is asymmetrical information between farmers and the livestock department regarding dead livestock. In this pursuit, China has levied the contract commitment system to ensure farmers to cooperate with livestock departments, cooperative organizations, and other farmers by proper contract in order to combat the livestock epidemic by reporting the status of dead livestock on time. Based on the data of 514 pig farmers in Hebei, Henan, and Hubei, this research employed the Heckprobit model to explore the contract commitment system's effect on pig farmers' behavior in reporting the status of dead livestock. The outcome showed that the contract commitment system encouraged the farmers to report dead pig information promptly. Moreover, modern information channels such as mobile phones or the Internet further enhanced the contract commitment system's effectiveness. Besides, the impacts of the contract commitment system on different scale farmers are found substantially heterogeneous. Based on the empirical findings, it is confirmed that the contract commitment system should not exclude government regulatory measures and economic incentive policies. It is a useful remedy to encourage farmers to report dead livestock information on time and supports in preventing and controlling livestock epidemics. Additionally, the government should enhance and strengthen the contract commitment system, establish the channels and platforms required to deliver necessary information about epidemics, and implement differentiated policy programs for different scale farmers. More importantly, these countermeasures can also provide important guidelines for other developing countries, facing livestock epidemics.

Audience engagement when disseminating livestock information through infographics on social media

AbstractInfographics utilize visuals to narrate complex information in a simple and concise manner and may represent an educational opportunity for Extension professionals. The objective of this project was to evaluate the effect of communication mode on audience engagement and reach through social media. We hypothesized infographic posts would elicit a greater number of reactions, comments, shares, and people reached compared to webpage link posts. Four informational webpages for five different livestock species (n = 20) were selected from the University of Minnesota (UMN) Extension website and were utilized to create corresponding infographics. Two infographic‐webpage pairs were systematically assigned to a month and posted to the associated UMN Extension livestock Facebook page (www.facebook.com). Posts occurred on the first and third Mondays of the month with a one‐week washout period between post types. Facebook metrics were recorded at 1, 4, 8, 12, 24, 48, and 168 h following posting. Results were compared using mixed‐effect negative binomial regression models and reported as estimated marginal means following back transformation. Overall, posts containing infographics tended to elicit more reactions, comments, shares, and reach compared to posts containing webpage links; however, significance varied among audiences. These findings support infographics as a valuable tool for Extension professionals to effectively disseminate science‐based, livestock information on social media.

Utilization of Social Media for Accessing Scientific Information by Livestock Farmers in Karnataka State

The agricultural and livestock research, education, and extension are important components for increasing production and meeting the demands of the growing population with sustainability. In this context, knowledge or information is very critical for improving the production under the present extension delivery system in India. Several studies have highlighted emerging ICTs which have the potential to reach the mass population at a limited time despite traditional media. One such emerging ICT is Social Media, which is utilized by most of the stakeholders, including farmers around the globe. Hence, for documenting its application for livestock information needs among the livestock farmers, an ex-post-facto exploratory study was conducted in Southern Karnataka using 108 purposively selected farmers, which comprised of 36 farmers each belonging to dairy, poultry and sheep and goat husbandry with pre-tested structured interview schedule. Majority of the farmers in each category were aware about social media and possessed social media accounts with highest number of WhatsApp accounts being possessed by the farmers. Social media was utilized for obtaining information about latest livestock production and management practices in all the categories. From these findings, it could be elucidated that the respondents predominantly perceived that social media had higher benefits in attaining livestock related information and adoption of digital knowledge into practice.

Smallholder farmers' use of mobile phone services in central Kenya

ABSTRACT Information and services delivered through mobile phones, ‘m-services', have transformative potential to provide rural African farmers with important agro-meteorological information. However, a greater understanding is needed regarding the types of m-services available to farmers, how farmers access that information, and possible factors affecting m-service use. With a study of smallholder farming communities in central Kenya, we examine factors affecting the likelihood of Kenyan farmers’ adoption of m-services specifically related to agriculture and livestock information, buying and selling products, and alerts about agricultural or livestock activities. According to a survey of 577 farming households, 98% of respondents own a mobile phone. Approximately 25% use it to access information about agriculture and livestock, 23% access information about buying and selling products, and 18% receive alerts. Personal smartphone ownership increases the likelihood of m-services use (p < .001), as does membership in farmer organizations (p < .001). We find that age and income are not significantly related to m-service use, and we discuss this result in terms of intersections between smartphone ownership, gender, and education. Consistent with prior qualitative research, our quantitative results further support the need for m-services providers to design for basic or feature phone users for improved dissemination of agro-meteorological information.

Herd management information systems to support cattle population research: the VAMPP® case

Introduction. Livestock information systems, besides being indispensable for the daily management of the herd, can serve as a basis for research at the population level. Objective.The objective of the study was to analyze the role of the VAMPP® system as a source of information for cattle population research over 32 years of evolution in Costa Rica. Materials and methods. A statistical analysis of the system database (VAMPP®) covering the period between 1987 and 2018 was carried out. Trends in the dissemination and adoption of the system were evaluated according to period, area, production system, and herd size. The use of information for the exploration of trends by breed and area was exemplified. The contribution of the system at the academy level and production of scientific literature was quantified. Results. 2285 herds (88.8 % specialized dairy and 11.2 % dual purpose) were counted with an average of 9.4±7.9 years of follow-up in the VAMPP® system. The areas with greater diffusion were the very humid premontane forest (29 %) and very humid tropical forest (25 %). The average size of the herd was 124±255 adult cows. The system contains records on 404 316 cows, mostly of Holstein (36.3 %), Jersey (24.6 %), and Holstein×Jersey (20.9 %) breeds. The database includes information on 1,249,557 calvings, 16,223,260 records of daily milk production, and 443,108 health events, predominantly related to mastitis (35.6 %) and laminitis (14.1 %). The system has been used for the elaboration of at least 74 investigations leading to academic degrees and the production of 71 scientific articles, mainly related to health and genetic issues. Conclusion. The information obtained from the VAMPP® system has allowed a detailed characterization of the productive performance of local dairy cattle.

The Socio-Economic Benefit of the Livestock Traceability System on Communal Beef Farmers in Swaziland

In this article, Swaziland is placed in the forefront as a small African country that implemented a livestock traceability system to benefit both communal and commercial farmers. The communal farmers are also able to export beef to European countries, markers that were previously unavailable to them, due to the successful implementation of the Swaziland Livestock Information and Traceability System (SLITS). Livestock traceability is briefly explained to align it with the importance of safe food production for human consumption and a few aspects are highlighted. The traceability systems is further explained in terms of its benefit to the rural economy, its role in growing the GDP and the realization of its aims as was initially expected by the Swazi Government. The data collection methods used were a document review, a case study and five interviews. It is concluded that livestock traceability systems should be adopted wider by other developing countries as it has a direct effect on the improvement of the socio-economic conditions of the rural poor. Its development and implementation remains very expensive, but Swaziland can be used as an example of a country that is able to reap the rewards from a commodity that is ample in their country, but scarce globally, leading to wider food sustainability.

Differences in climate change effects and adaptation strategies between male and female livestock entrepreneurs in Nsukka Agricultural Zone of Enugu State, Nigeria

The study examined differences in climate change effects and adaptation strategies between male and female livestock entrepreneurs in Nsukka Agricultural Zone of Enugu State, Nigeria. It was conducted using 80 randomly selected livestock entrepreneurs. Data were collected using interview schedule. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. Fifty percent of the respondents were female. Males sourced more climate-related livestock information than females; recording 29.6% difference in feed formulation information; which is the most differed. Females were more affected by climate change than males, with the difference more on disruption of animal heat period due to high temperature (male 𝑋̅= 2.80; female 𝑋̅=3.50; difference in mean{dm} = -0.70). Male entrepreneurs differed from females in the adaptation strategies used in combating climate change and also on their view on effectiveness of adaptation strategies. Females were more constrained than male in adapting to climate change; with the variance more on lack of information facilities (male 𝑋̅= 2.28; female 𝑋̅= 2.60; dm = - 0.32). Males and females differed in their effects and adaptation strategies to climate change. Hence, government and extension should step in to booster productivity by addressing climate-related bottle neck faced by entrepreneurs in livestock production, especially those faced by female.Keywords: Gender, livestock, climate change, livestock entrepreneurs

Innovación colaborativa: El caso del Sistema Nacional de Información Ganadera

El objetivo de este trabajo es contribuir a la discusión sobre nuevas formas de gobernanza para lograr un desarrollo sostenible que pueda hacer frente a problemas complejos, inciertos y con múltiples actores involucrados con valores e intereses en conflicto. En este escenario, el artículo pretende aportar evidencia de la experimentación en innovación en política pública tomando como base un estudio de caso: el Sistema Nacional de Información Ganadera. Específicamente, se enfoca en analizar cómo el proceso de innovación a través de redes colaborativas de conocimiento contribuyen a un mejor diálogo entre ciencia y política, basado en una cultura pragmática reflexiva que fomenta el cambio, la sostenibilidad y la creación de valor público. El principal hallazgo del estudio es que la interacción entre los formuladores de políticas, los productores, los científicos, las empresas de tecnología de la información y otras partes interesadas fue impulsada por una forma pragmática de coproducción de conocimiento que mejoró la comprensión del problema, los procesos de diseño y toma de decisiones.