Small Livestock Research Articles

Educational intervention and livestock ownership successfully improved the intake of animal source foods in 6-23 months old children in rural communities of Northern Ethiopia: Quasi-experimental study.

Animal source foods (ASFs) are rich in high-quality proteins, including essential amino acids and highly bioavailable micronutrients vital for child growth and cognitive development. But, the daily consumption of ASFs among 6-23 months old children is very low in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of nutrition education intervention to improve the consumption of ASFs among 6-23 months old children from rural communities with strict religious fasting traditions of avoiding intake of ASFs in Northern Ethiopia. A quasi-experimental study was conducted in two food insecure districts namely Samre Seharti (intervention) and Tanqua Abergele (comparison). The mother-child pairs in the intervention group (n = 140) received nutrition education based on the barriers and available resources for optimal consumption of ASFs among children and followed up for nine months. The mother-child pairs in the comparison group (n = 153) received routine nutrition education. The data were collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. The baseline and endline data assessment included interviews on socio-demographic and socio-economic status, dietary intake, and child feeding practices. The effectiveness of the intervention was measured using the difference-in-difference (DID) analysis model. At endline, the consumption of ASFs among children was 19.5 percentage points higher in the intervention group compared with the comparison group (p = 0.008). In addition, there was a significant increase in egg consumption among children in the intervention group (DID of 16.9, p = 0.012) from the comparison group. No child was consuming meat at baseline in both the intervention and comparison arms and it was very low at endline (5.2% vs. 7.9%). Overall, the proportion of children that consumed eggs in the intervention group was higher than in the comparison group in households that owned sheep and goats (4.8% vs. 21.4%, p = 0.050) and chicken (6.3% vs. 43.8%, p = 0.002) after education interventions. However, no statistically significant difference was observed between cow ownership and milk consumption among children (p>0.05). Age-appropriate educational interventions for mothers and owning small livestock in the household can improve the consumption of ASFs and eventually the minimum diet diversity of children in communities with strict religious traditions of avoiding ASFs during the fasting seasons.

Count me in: Leopard population density in an area of mixed land‐use, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Count me in: Leopard population density in an area of mixed land‐use, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Spatiotemporal Change in Livestock Population and Its Correlation with Meteorological Disasters during 2000–2020 across Inner Mongolia

Inner Mongolia (IM) is one of the five major pastoral areas in China, and animal husbandry is its traditional industry. The population of livestock is an important factor affecting the sustainable development of livestock and grassland. Due to the special geographical location of IM, various meteorological disasters occur frequently, which have a significant impact on the local livestock population. In this study, principal component analysis (PCA) and geographically weighted principal component analysis (GWPCA) were used to explore the spatial and temporal patterns of small livestock and large livestock populations in county-level administrative units from 2000 to 2020, and the effects of meteorological disasters on livestock populations were also considered. We found that the cumulative proportion of total variance (CPTV) of the first two principal components of global PCA for small livestock and the first principal component for large livestock reached 94.54% and 91.98%, respectively, while the CPTV of GWPCA was in the range of 93.23–96.45% and 88.47–92.49%, respectively, which showed stronger spatial explanation; the small livestock population was significantly correlated with spring drought, summer drought, spring–summer drought and snow disaster. However, the correlation between large livestock and summer drought and spring–summer drought is greater. We conclude that GWPCA can better explain the spatial change of livestock populations; meteorological disasters have both advantages and disadvantages on the livestock population, and the drought types that have a greater impact on livestock are summer drought and spring–summer drought. There are geographical differences in the impact of meteorological disasters, with drought affecting most of IM and snow disaster mainly affecting the eastern region; large livestock were mainly affected by drought, while small livestock were affected by both drought and snow disaster.

Socioeconomics of Urban Agriculture in Curuçambá Neighborhood, Metropolitan Region of Belém, Brazilian Amazon

This study aims to characterize the agricultural production systems under urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in the Curuçambá neighborhood; identify the main techniques and technologies adopted, cultivations and creations conducted, and the activity relationship within the Metropolitan Region of Belém (RMB); and estimate the production contribution to family consumption complementarily and exploratorily. Data were obtained through interviews conducted among 63 residents in the neighborhood (representing 52.50% of the universe) by monitoring the food consumption of six producers’ families for two weeks and georeferencing images from Google Satellite. Farmers were mainly from the northeast of Pará (57.14%) and other Brazilian states such as Maranhão (9.52%), Ceará (9.52%), and Paraíba (1.59%). Clearly, urban agriculture in the region was established during the migration of rural areas to Amazonian cities. Generally, most farmers had reached elementary school II (69.84%) and had an average monthly income of one to two minimum wages (50.79%). Agricultural production was promoted by approximately 111 residences in the neighborhood and was based on horticulture and small livestock keeping. Additionally, the items analyzed were allegedly produced in six production systems: common beds (71.43%), suspended beds (12.70%), fruticulture (6.35%), agroforestry yards (3.17%), hydroponics (4.76%), and aquaponics (1.59%), and were directed to supply the RMB markets. On average, 30.89% of farmers’ income covered family consumption; we estimated the opportunity cost of consumption for the five main products cultivated in the neighborhood (jambu, lettuce, coriander, chicory, and cariru) as R$ 79.88 monthly, accounting for 8.37% of the current minimum wage at that time.

Anthelmintic Activity, Cytotoxicity, and Phytochemical Screening of Plants Used to Treat Digestive Parasitosis of Small Ruminants in Benin (West Africa).

Simple SummaryIn the present study, we explored the anthelmintic activity, cytotoxicity, and chemical composition of the main plants used by small ruminant breeders in Benin to treat digestive parasitosis. The results obtained are relevant in the sense that they will allow a rational use of the plants studied in the control of digestive parasites but also to initiate the process of identification of new anthelmintic molecules in the context of the development of resistance against the most currently used anthelmintic molecules.Medicinal plants continue to be used alone or in combination with veterinary drugs to treat animal ailments, especially in developing countries where livestock farmers often lack access to modern veterinary services and drugs. In addition, digestive parasitosis remain a major constraint for small ruminant livestock. The objective of this study was to screen the anthelmintic activity of the main plants used in the treatment of the digestive parasitosis of small ruminants in Benin. A total of 40 extracts were prepared using the successive maceration of 10 plants in four solvents of increasing polarity. The phytochemical screening of the plants was performed, and the anthelmintic activity of the extracts was evaluated on L3 larvae of Haemonchus contortus. The cytotoxicity of the 40 extracts was determined on WI38 noncancerous fibroblast cells using the MTT assay, and the total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and condensed tannin content (CTC) were quantified in the most effective extracts using colorimetric methods. The results show that the plants contained tannins, flavonoids, and triterpenoids which may, in part, justify their anthelmintic activities. All plants gave active extracts at the highest concentration tested (1200 µg/mL). Methanol (MeOH) extracts were, in general, more effective than the hexane (HEX), dichloromethane (DCM), and aqueous (H2O) ones in inhibiting larval migration, with the MeOH extracts of Terminalia leiocarpa, Adansonia digitata, and Momordica charantia being the most effective. Nevertheless, the MeOH extract of M. charantia was highly cytotoxic at the concentration of 100 µg/mL. The anthelmintic activity of M. charantia, Vitex doniana, and Caesalpinia bonduc was studied on H. contortus for the first time. These results provide scientific information that can be used for better valorization of the anthelmintic potential of the studied plants and to initiate the process of the identification of new anthelmintic molecules.

Generalist nematodes dominate the nemabiome of roe deer in sympatry with sheep at a regional level

The growth of livestock farming and the recent expansion of wild ungulate populations in Europe favor opportunities for direct and/or indirect cross-transmission of pathogens. Comparatively few studies have investigated the epidemiology of gastro-intestinal nematode parasites, an ubiquitous and important community of parasites of ungulates, at the wildlife/livestock interface. In this study, we aimed to assess the influence of livestock proximity on the gastrointestinal nematode community of roe deer in a rural landscape located in southern France. Using ITS-2 rDNA nemabiome metabarcoding on fecal larvae, we analysed the gastrointestinal nematode communities of roe deer and sheep. In addition, we investigated Haemonchus contortus nad4 mtDNA diversity to specifically test parasite circulation among domestic and wild host populations. The dominant gastrointestinal nematode species found in both the roe deer and sheep were generalist species commonly found in small ruminant livestock (e.g. H. contortus), whereas the more specialised wild cervid nematode species (e.g. Ostertagia leptospicularis) were only present at low frequencies. This is in marked contrast with previous studies that found the nemabiomes of wild cervid populations to be dominated by cervid specialist nematode species. In addition, the lack of genetic structure of the nad4 mtDNA of H. contortus populations between host species suggests circulation of gastrointestinal nematodes between roe deer and sheep. The risk of contact with livestock only has a small influence on the nemabiome of roe deer, suggesting the parasite population of roe deer has been displaced by generalist livestock parasites due to many decades of sheep farming, not only for deer grazing close to pastures, but also at a larger regional scale. We also observed some seasonal variation in the nemabiome composition of roe deer. Overall, our results demonstrate significant exchange of gastrointestinal nematodes between domestic and wild ungulates, with generalist species spilling over from domestic ungulates dominating wild cervid parasite communities.

Climate Change Mitigation Tool Implemented through an Integrated and Resilient System to Measure and Monitor Operating Variables, Applied to Natural Wastewater Treatment Systems (NTSW) in Livestock Farms

In this study, the main elements that can make up a Natural Treatment System for Wastewater (NTSW), its most important parameters and properties of operation and design, have been analyzed, as well as the environmental problems derived from the generation of large amounts of slurry. The objective of this paper is to propose a methodology to improve the operation of these systems, associated with small and medium-sized livestock farms, in insular and isolated systems such as the Canary Islands. An Integrated and Resilient System (IRS) for monitoring and measuring operational variables quasi-continuous and in situ is proposed. Low-cost technology and open source hardware are employed, as well as application of the IoT (Internet of Things) strategies to share and analyze the information collected in the cloud. In view of the high degree of resilience and the simplicity of this type of technology, as well as its low cost, it is concluded that it is feasible to create a measurement system with these characteristics that can be used for NTSW parameterization, and other purposes. Satisfactory results were obtained for several parameters (ambient temperature, relative humidity, UV radiation, atmospheric pressure). It is presented as a novel proposal based mainly on low-cost technology and free software with which to improve the NTSW operation process.

How Livestock and Industrial Energy Affect Indonesia’s Surface Temperature

As part of the agricultural sector, livestock is a source of food for Indonesia and consumers abroad. Therefore, the demand for livestock commodities tends to increase, aligning with the positive growth of the population. Additionally, as part of their efforts to promote higher consumption, one of the attempts made by producers and the government as policymakers is to encourage an increase in the livestock population from time to time. On the other hand, the industrial sector that engages in processing likewise continues to expand to improve products downstream. However, the increase in the number of livestock and industries can contribute to the rise in emissions that impact environmental conditions. In this study, the environmental situation referred to is temperature variations. Moreover, this research aims to determine the impact of livestock population and energy consumption in the industrial sector on temperature changes. The method used in this research is explanatory. The data sources used for multiple linear regression analysis came from the World Bank, Indonesia’s Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. The analysis reveals that large and small livestock, as well as energy use in the industrial sector are factors that have an impact on Indonesia’s temperature. Large and small livestock cause an increase in temperature due to the large number of emissions produced by enteric fermentation and excretion. Meanwhile, the rise in energy consumption is inversely proportional to changes in temperature. This condition occurred because of the higher proportion of renewable energy in total energy consumption.

Dependence of the amount of feed distribution in the small-sized feed distribution device on the number of rotations of blade rotor

Livestock is mainly raised on small family livestock farms with 5-10 heads of cattle or 50-60 heads of sheep in Uzbekistan. Although there are small devices that are used to grind feed for these farms, due to the lack of a feed distribution device, feed distribution work is carried out manually, spending a lot of work. With this in mind, a device was developed that is used in the distribution of feed for small farms, and a change in the feed distribution norm was studied depending on the number of rotations of blade rotor. According to the results of the experiments, the distribution quality of corn, trefoil and straw stalks of coarse feed is selected according to the amount of one-time feed in the daily ration of livestock (between 4-5 kg for corn and trefoil, 2-3 kg for straw stalks), which was achieved when the number of rotations of the feed distributor blade rotor was 50 r/min. Due to the fact that the density of corn, trefoil and straw stalks differs from each other, it was determined that there would be a change in the amount of feed distributed, although the number of rotations of blade rotor of the device is the same.

Analysis of peste des petits ruminants virus spread and the risk of its introduction into the territory of the Russian Federation.

Aim:This study examines methods to effectively control peste des petits ruminants (PPR), an emerging, highly contagious, transboundary disease that has been designated as a highly dangerous disease by the World Organization for Animal Health. Mathematical modeling was used as a predictive and preventive tool to assess the risk of PPR virus spread in the model area and the probability of its introduction into the territory of the Russian Federation.Materials and Methods:PPR risk assessment was performed by modeling the pathogen’s ecological niche by performing linear regression analysis in the geographic information system ESRI ArcGIS Desktop and maximum entropy methods using MaxEnt software. The territories of Bangladesh, China, and Algeria were used as model countries because they have the highest number of confirmed PPR outbreaks, as reported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations from 2009 to 2020. The prepared global model of the PPR pathogen’s ecological niche was extrapolated onto the territory of the Far Eastern regions of the Russian Federation to assess the probability of virus introduction in that region.Results:Global model analysis showed that two factors exerted the highest influence on the spread of the PPR pathogen on a global scale: The minimum temperature of the coldest month of the year and the density of roads per unit area, which reflect the overall economic activity within a region. The highest risk of PPR spread was observed in areas with a minimum annual temperature of 16°C and road density of 5000 m/km2.Conclusion:According to the model, areas with a dominant subtropical climate, where small livestock breeding is performed and where the average daily air temperature is >0°C throughout the year, are at the highest risk of PPR outbreaks. The risk of PPR spreading outside these areas is significantly reduced. Local extrapolation of the PPR ecological niche model demonstrates that the probability of epizootic development does not exceed 3–4% within the territories of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation adjacent to Mongolia and China.

Moving Toward the Greener Side: Environmental Aspects Guiding Pastoral Mobility and Impacting Vegetation in the Dzungarian Gobi, Mongolia

Livestock grazing often intensifies around herder camps, which can lead to degradation, particularly in arid areas, where vegetation is scarce. In Mongolia, nomadic herders have covered long distances between camps and changed camps regularly for centuries. However, changing socioeconomics, rising livestock numbers, and climatic change have led to growing concerns over rangeland health. To understand travel mobility and livestock grazing patterns, we combined Global Positioning System tracking data of goats, remotely sensing pasture productivity, and ground-based vegetation characteristics in the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area, Mongolia. We assessed herder preferences for camp selection, followed 19 livestock herds over 20 months, determined use and nutrient contents of the most dominant plant communities, and estimated plant species richness, vegetation cover, and biomass within different grazing radii around camps. Biomass availability was key for herder decisions to move camps, but in winter, other factors like shelter from wind were more important. Camps were mainly located in Stipa spp. communities, agreeing with herder preferences for this highly nutritious species, and its dominance around camps. Herders changed their camp locations on average 9 times yearly, with a maximum distance of 70–123 km between summer and winter camps, and an average visitation period of 25–49 d per camp, depending on season. Small livestock spent > 13−17 h daily within a radius of 100 m from camp, and livestock use intensity decreased steeply with distance from camp but was remarkably similar around spring, autumn, and winter camps on the Gobi plains. However, we found little evidence for a corresponding gradient in plant species richness, biomass, and cover on the Gobi plains. The high mobility of local herders and the overriding impact of precipitation on pasture dynamics contribute to a sustainable vegetation offtake by livestock in the nonequilibrium rangelands of the Dzungarian Gobi.

Downstream Economic Implications of Predation in the South African Red Meat Industry

Globally, predation is an important and ongoing problem facing the livestock sector. This study estimated the downstream economic impact of predation in the South African red meat industry using a recent South African Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) and a partial equilibrium model. Due to predation the total output decreased by R 3,806 million and R 648 million for large (cattle) and small livestock (sheep and goat), respectively. The result implies that the loss of livestock due to predation reduces the number of livestock available for marketing and the presence of predators influences the level and intensity of best management practices employed by the red meat industry. The findings of this study, which looked at the macroeconomic implications of predation in the South African red meat industry, as well as the biodiversity and ecology aspects of predation, could help government and policymakers develop appropriate policies and mitigation strategies to reduce prediction and prioritize strategies that will help lessen the impact of predation.

Using Outcome Mapping to Mobilize Critical Stakeholders for a Gender Responsive Rift Valley Fever and Newcastle Disease Vaccine Value Chain in Rwanda.

Approximately 752 million of the world's poor keep livestock to produce food, generate income, and build assets. Women represent two-thirds (~400 million people) of low-income livestock keepers. Infectious diseases are a major issue in preventing livestock keepers from optimizing production earnings and improving food security. In Rwanda, highly contagious yet preventable diseases that affect animals that women manage, such as Rift Valley fever in goats and Newcastle disease in chickens have a high-mortality rate and can devastate their herds. Women are disproportionately affected because they bear primary responsibility for goats and chickens. These diseases are preventable through vaccination, but smallholder women farmers rarely benefit from livestock vaccines. Social norms and entrenched cultural stereotypes limit women's confidence and decision-making and restrict their access to resources and information. Women smallholder farmers find that there is little support for the small livestock they manage, because of the official preference given to cattle. They are also challenged by limited availability of livestock vaccines due to lack of a cold chain, inadequate extension, and veterinary services, especially for goats and chickens, and unreliable structures for vaccine delivery. To identify opportunities for women's engagement in the livestock vaccine value chain (LVVC) and reduce their barriers to accessing and using livestock vaccines, we used Outcome Mapping, a stakeholder engagement tool, and the Gender Equality Continuum Tool to classify and engage critical partners in the LVVC. We analyzed each critical partner's capacities, incentives, and drivers for engagement with women, challenges and barriers that hinder their support for women farmers, opportunities at systemic and programmatic levels for women's participation and benefit in the LVVC, and the gender capacities and perceptions of different stakeholders. Enhanced positioning and visibility of women in the LVVC can occur through a systemic engagement of all stakeholders, and recognition of the roles that women play. Women smallholder farmer involvement when determining and shaping the potential entry-points is critical to ensure support for their existing responsibilities in family food security, and future opportunities for generating income. Strengthening gender capacities of LVVC stakeholders, addressing identified barriers, and building on existing opportunities can increase women's participation in the LVVC.

De-meatification imperative

Meatification describes a momentous dietary transformation: the average person on earth today consumes nearly twice as much animal flesh every year as did the average person just two generations ago, amidst a period of rapid human population growth and with marked disparities between rich and poor. Further, meatification is projected to continue in the coming three decades, at the same time as the world adds another 2 billion people, with growth concentrated in fast-industrializing countries. There is overwhelming evidence that meatification bears heavily on a range of problems including climate change, biodiversity loss, food consumption disparities, mounting risks of antibiotic resistance, increasing rates of non-communicable disease, and growing realms of animal suffering. The basic implication is inescapable: the de-meatification of diets is an urgent environmental and social priority, and must be part of any project of providing critical food guidance. There are many signs this recognition is growing in environmental and public health advocacy (including pressure to reform dietary guidelines, most notably in China), calls for a ‘meat tax’, and in rising levels of vegetarianism and veganism in some of the countries that have long been at the forefront of meatification. After briefly summarizing the course of meatification and the de-meatification imperative, this chapter focuses on its 3 primary possibilities: conscientious omnivory (which has various hues, as in calls for ‘green’ or ‘ethical’ meat); vegetarianism; and veganism.
 The first possibility, conscientious omnivory, recognizes the need to reduce 'meatification' from levels of consumption in industrialized countries, but resolutely upholds the need for some livestock products in human diets and for small livestock populations in mixed farming systems, due to their role recycling some wastes, returning condensed nutrients to land, and providing some labour. From this perspective, necessity makes some meat consumption (but less than in industrialized countries today) a 'benign indulgence' in Simon Fairlee’s terms, with the challenge to source meat, eggs, and milk from sustainable mixed farms where the animals have lived decent lives.
 The second possibility, vegetarianism, accepts the functional necessity of small livestock populations in mixed farming systems, which includes their ability to generate useable nutrition along with providing beneficial on-farm services (augmented, for some, by pure palate pleasure, as in the love of ice cream, cheesy pizza, or scrambled eggs), but seeks a non-violent resolution. But unlike conscientious omnivory, the need for animals on mixed farms does not justify killing them for food, much less make it ‘benign’, and it is seen to be desirable and possible for animals to have good lives with only reproductive outputs (i.e. milk and unfertilized eggs) and wool taken, rather than flesh.
 The third possibility, veganism, rejects all use of animals in production and consumption, arguing that the place of livestock in mixed farming systems for most of agrarian history does not justify its continuance in the present age. This position holds that livestock production is an inherently inefficient way of meeting human nutritional needs for two basic reasons: first, there is compelling evidence that it is not only possible to be healthy with plant-based diets but that they often lead to improved health and lower risks of non-communicable diseases; and second, it is clear that plant-based diets tend to command much less land and resources, on average, than do either omnivorous or vegetarian diets. Along with improving population health, meeting human nutritional needs more efficiently is seen to have the potential to enhance distributional equity. Finally, the case for veganism insists that vegetarianism cannot escape some level of systematic killing of animals, as most males are not productive in this conception and because females become unproductive short of their natural lifespan.
 In spite of key mutual objections to the current scale of animal consumption and industrial production, there are often heated debates between conscientious omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans. Observing this, some might assume that these groups should just aim to get along, submerge their differences, and focus collective energies on confronting the big, urgent need to build momentum for de-meatification and undermine industrial livestock production. In such a few, debates about the end point of de-meatification appear as unnecessary distractions, to the extent that these groups discredit one another, and are best left (or at least strategically moderated) for that future day when industrial livestock production is eradicated.
 This paper suggests that thinking critically about different end-points is necessary to recognize the challenges of alliance-building and constructively communicating the de-meatification imperative.

THE ROLE AND THE PLACE OF PEASANT INDUSTRY IN THE LIFE OF A COMPLEX PEASANT ECONOMY OF THE SECOND HALF OF THE XIX – EARLY XX CENTURY (on the example of Seltinskaya Volost of Malmyzhsky Uyezd of Vyatka Governorate)

The importance of peasant industry in the vital activity of a complex peasant economy, the basis of which was arable farming, is shown on the example of Seltinsky volost of Malmyzhsky Uyezd of Vyatka governorate. The integral branches were animal husbandry and extra-agrarian occupations, among which the main burden was borne by extractive and processing works. The role of natural-geographical, socio-economic conditions, legal norms, trade relations, the creative potential of the people in the process of forming and functioning of a sustainable, balanced, integrated peasant economy is considered. A favourable location of the volost along the Siberian tract with access to the Kama and Vyatka trade river routes contributed to the development of a periodic market sphere (bazaar, torzhok, fair), to peasant economy involvement in the system of a single national market. The zemstvo population censuses made it possible to show a relatively high level of peasants’ provision with land plots, as well as draft, horned cattle and small livestock. Different levels of ethnic groups’ economic situation are noted. There was economic differentiation in the village; the vast majority was occupied by the well-to-do and middle class of the peasantry. To serve the numerous village needs, 90 types of crafts were functioning, which were represented by a wide range of manufactured products. The semi-natural character of peasant economy determined the diversity of its economic forms: domestic industry, handicrafts, small-scale production, capitalist cooperation. Another important role of crafts in the social medium life should be noted – it is an opportunity to realize an ethnic group’s creative potential, improving production technology, honing artistic skills. Household items, traditional clothing indicate a high level and variety of folk art. People’s memory has preserved the names of the best volost masters, who contributed to further development of national folk art. The study of life activity of the peasant population in a single volost at an interdisciplinary level in a fairly new research direction “the history of everyday life”, involvement of a wide comprehensive database, including published zemstvo statistics, fundamental zemstvo studies, archival documents, materials of ethnographic expeditions enable to deeper investigate the structure of a peasant economy, interaction, interdependence of its individual branches, the important role of crafts in a village economy, as well as legality and necessity of production small forms functioning in any historical epoch.

Gender Based Disparity in Poultry Production in Ethiopia

A review was carried out with the aim of providing the comprehensive and organized information on Gender based disparity in Poultry production day to day activities. Poultry production has an important economic, social and cultural role in rural areas of developing Countries like Ethiopia where women’s involvement and contribution has not been much recognized even though they contribute a lot for agricultural sector. According to this review results, Village chicken production has a fundamental role in capital build up, poverty minimization, malnutrition and hunger reduction among the resource poor households in developing countries of the world because of their short generation intervals, low input requirements for production, good scavengers and adaptation to harsh production environments. This review results also indicated that women are generally less able than men to participate in economic opportunities because they face a work burden that men do not. In most societies, women are responsible for most of the household and child-rearing activities as well rearing of small livestock, although norms differ by culture and over time. The review went further to address and compile available findings concerning the challenges poultry farmers face and showed that the most serious constraints hindering poultry production was predator followed by flock mortality and prevalence of diseases, and low production.

The Agricultural Cooperative as an Instrument for Economic Development: An Approach from Spanish Investors’ Preferences through a Choice Experiment

The cooperative is one of the most important forms of business in the agricultural sector, due to its special characteristics for small farmers and livestock producers in order to gain access to greater comparative advantages. In addition, cooperatives are a driving force in the social economy, which means that investment in agricultural cooperatives can be seen as a sustainable investment. The aim of this paper is to analyse the preferences of investors in agricultural company cooperatives, looking in depth at the role of the cooperative as a business form. In order to achieve this objective, the choice experiment methodology was applied by carrying out a questionnaire to a total of 282 investors. Latent class models were also used to identify possible groups of investors. Two classes of investors have been identified based on their preferences: owners (return seeking) and workers (risk averse).

Occurrence of Bovine Coxiellosis in Small Livestock Farms of Uttar Pradesh, India

Occurrence of Bovine Coxiellosis in Small Livestock Farms of Uttar Pradesh, India

Small-sized feed dispenser with optimal parameters for small farms

Relevance. The development of large-scale agricultural production is focused on powerful large-sized machinery using. Over the past decades, a lot of small profitable farms have been created in Russia – farms and personal subsidiary farms, where owner is a direct products’ manufacturer, using small and narrow-sized equipment, for example compact mixers and feed dispenser mixers – MK-3G(5G) mini. This new generation “smart” mini-equipment for small cattle fattening’s farms supports the animal breeding technologies adopted in production, and also has such useful properties as accuracy, maneuverability, compactness, successfully replaces various manual and semi-automatic labor items.Methods. The study was conducted on farms whose fattening livestock is a multiple of 50 heads of cattle: 100, 150, 200, 250. In accordance with the rations of intensive fattening of young animals of 12–14 months age for meat purposes, its daily ration contained 25–30 kg of feed, which included high-quality hay, silage, haylage, dry grain, root-tubers. Feed was fed to animals kept on pastures under sheds, 6–8 times a day, which is every 2–2,5 hours during the light day, with a break at night for rest and sleep.Results. A small feed dispenser Nifty Livestock Feed Dispenser E3592, made in various forms of a bunker: trailer, semi-trailer-body or optional trailer-station, allows by one person to ensure the distribution of feed for 250 or more heads of cattle due to the volume of the capacity of a round bunker for 1480 kg, which with a slight increase in the volume of the bunker is consistent with the volume of daily and single portions of various types of feed for a farmer’s herd on fattening in the Russian Federation, and with bunker volume increased by 15,5% – for feed mixtures in full.

Ecology of Ixodes pacificus Ticks and Associated Pathogens in the Western United States.

Lyme disease is the most important vector-borne disease in the United States and is increasing in incidence and geographic range. In the Pacific west, the western black-legged tick, Ixodes pacificus Cooley and Kohls, 1943 is an important vector of the causative agent of Lyme disease, the spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. Ixodes pacificus life cycle is expected to be more than a year long, and all three stages (larva, nymph, and adult) overlap in spring. The optimal habitat consists of forest cover, cooler temperatures, and annual precipitation in the range of 200–500 mm. Therefore, the coastal areas of California, Oregon, and Washington are well suited for these ticks. Immature stages commonly parasitize Western fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis) and gray squirrels (Sciurus griseus), while adults often feed on deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and black-tailed deer (Odocoileus h. columbianus). Ixodes pacificus carry several pathogens of human significance, such as Borrelia burgdorferi, Bartonella, and Rickettsiales. These pathogens are maintained in the environment by many hosts, including small mammals, birds, livestock, and domestic animals. Although a great deal of work has been carried out on Ixodes ticks and the pathogens they transmit, understanding I. pacificus ecology outside California still lags. Additionally, the dynamic vector–host–pathogen system means that new factors will continue to arise and shift the epidemiological patterns within specific areas. Here, we review the ecology of I. pacificus and the pathogens this tick is known to carry to identify gaps in our knowledge.