Assessment of Financial Impact of Foot and Mouth Disease on Smallholder Cattle Farmers in Southern Cambodia

Abstract

The financial impact of an outbreak of FMD in 2010 on 62 smallholder cattle farmers in four villages in southern Cambodia was investigated by a financial impact survey questionnaire. Financial losses associated with FMD infection were severe with variation depending on whether the animal survived or died or was used for draft. The average post-FMD loss varied from USD 216.32, a 54% reduction from the pre-FMD value because of weight loss and treatment costs, to USD 370.54, a 92% reduction from pre-FMD values if the animal was treated, died and a rental draft replacement was required. Partial budget analysis identified a strongly positive incentive for cattle to be vaccinated biannually for FMD, providing USD 31.48 per animal for each animal owned. However low vaccination rates suggest that farmers are mostly unaware of the need or averse to the practice of vaccinating their cattle for FMD. This may be due to poor understanding of preventative disease strategies such as vaccination, unavailable disposable income for purchase of vaccines, and failure to recognize the full costs that are incurred when the disease occurs. Enhancing smallholder cattle productivity through the introduction of forage growing systems has been suggested as a pathway for alleviating rural poverty in the Mekong region. As our financial analysis identified a net benefit of vaccination for smallholder farmer enterprises in an endemic FMD area in Cambodia, it is considered important that farmer education strategies aimed at improving cattle productivity, also include both access to vaccine and training in preventative disease risk management and biosecurity practices in Cambodia.

Foot and mouth disease outbreak investigation and estimation of its economic impact in selected districts in northwest Ethiopia

“…The mortality rates of 0.4% in the MCL production system in cattle in the current study were lower than the finding of Jemberu et al () (2.4%) in North Wollo, whereas it is higher than the 0.12% mortality rate reported in Ethiopia (Negussie et al, ). The mortality observed in this study is much lower than reports from other counties, for example, the 7.3% mortality reported in Cambodia (Young et al, ). There was no mortality in the commercial dairy farms in the current study, while a mortality of 4.01% was reported in central Ethiopia in commercial dairy farms (Beyi, ).…”

Süt sığırcılığı işletmelerinde süt üretim maliyetini etkileyen faktörler

“…Therefore, livestock diseases are also expected to increase milk production costs of farms. These findings associated with the effect of livestock diseases on milk production cost had consistency with the studies of Bulman and Terrazas (1976), Losinger (2005), Bayissa et al (2011) and Young et al (2012).…”

A Q Method Approach to Evaluating Farmers’ Perceptions of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccination in Vietnam

“…Moreover, a recent study on the financial impacts of swine diseases reported that the total cost of FMD was estimated to be 21.3, 23.8, and 27.8 USD per pig for a large farm, a fattening farm, and a smallholder, respectively (7). The financial impact of FMD on smallholder cattle farmers in southern Cambodia was estimated to range from 216 to 371 USD per animal, with an outbreak reducing annual household income by more than 11% (8). FMD also represents a major obstacle to international trade and a permanent risk to countries with an FMD-free status.…”

“…Furthermore, the farmers’ awareness of sanitary risk and the way in which they make animal health decisions are often associated with other multiple constraints of an economic, sociological, or cultural nature that do not always favor vaccination as a priority strategy (16). Some authors also mention that studies concerning the farmer’s perception of the socioeconomic impacts of animal diseases are highly relevant in the implementation of disease control strategies (5, 8, 17). …”