Are integrated crop-livestock clinics an option for Kenyan smallholder farmers to address One Health issues?

Abstract

The majority of smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa rely on both crops and animals for their livelihoods. However, the scarcity of farmer advisory services leaves them with insufficient knowledge about crop and animal health, as well as the wider health issues emanating from farming. There is a need for adapted, innovative services to meet the needs of smallholders. CABI's long-standing work with plant clinics sparked new ideas on how to better serve smallholder farmers by including animal advice in the clinics. This, in turn, revealed a potential to explore 'One Health benefits' of such an integrated service. Uganda began piloting crop-livestock clinics in 2021, and Kenya followed in 2022. Before launching the Kenyan pilot, a study was conducted to ascertain farmers': (i) awareness of 'One Health issues' related to crops and animals, (ii) information needs on crop and livestock farming, and (iii) perceptions on joint crop-livestock clinics as a new type of integrated farmer service. About 70% of the farmers, mainly from Trans-Nzoia and Machakos counties, were aware of some 'One Health issues', including mycotoxins such as aflatoxin as well as pesticide residues on food and fodder.