Improvement in Smallholder Farmer Knowledge of Cattle Production, Health and Biosecurity in Southern Cambodia between 2008 and 2010

Abstract

Farmer knowledge surveys were conducted in 2008 and 2010 in Cambodia to evaluate the impact of a research project studying interventions that can improve cattle production and health, including biosecurity and practices relating to risks of transmission of transboundary diseases. The project hypothesis is that by increasing the value of smallholder-owned large ruminants through nutritional interventions and improved marketing, knowledge-based interventions including risk management for infectious diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) can be implemented into a more sustainable pathway for rural development. Between 2008 and 2010, significant improvements in farmer knowledge and attitudes were recorded in three villages in three provinces of southern Cambodia. This was achieved through participatory 'applied field research', 'on the job' training plus 'formal' training programmes. No cases of FMD were recorded during the study period in the 'high-intervention' (HI) villages despite the common occurrence of the disease in a nearby 'low-intervention' and many other villages in the three provinces. Whilst it is likely that protection of these villages from FMD infection was from increasing the herd immunity by vaccination, it could also have been partly because of a decrease in risk behaviours by farmers as a result of their increasing knowledge of biosecurity. The research indicates that smallholder farmers are motivated by nutritional interventions that improve the value of their cattle 'bank' and offer better marketing opportunities. This provides a more receptive environment for introduction of disease risk management for infectious and other production limiting diseases, best implemented for smallholder farmers in Cambodia by intensive training programmes. In lieu of a widespread public awareness programme to deliver mass education of smallholder farmers in disease prevention and biosecurity, livestock development projects in South-East Asia should be encouraged to include training in disease risk management as an important intervention if the current momentum for trade in large ruminant livestock and large ruminant meat is to continue to progress and contribute to addressing global food security concerns.

Knowledge at the boundary between science and society: a review of the use of farmers’ knowledge in agricultural development

“…Lewis et al, 2010), or forms of knowledge diffusion to be developed (Belgrave et al, 1990). it must be improved by diffusing knowledge, technologies or "good practices" designed by science studying practitioners' knowledge makes it possible to improve supports and education to improve this knowledge "classifying them into rational and irrational practices based on the evaluation of a group of scientists and agricultural extension officials working in the area" (Bonny and Vijayaragavan, 2001) "determine baseline knowledge and identify knowledge gaps of farmers" (Nampanya, 2010) "local people's knowledge and economic realities are the main factors, as well as natural conditions, that drive this land degradation" (Binh et al, 2008) "farmers need to be educated [...] to ensure sustainable [...] control " (Nyeko et al, 2002) "Experience has shown that to ensure IPM adoption, the complexities of local agro-production systems and contextspecific folk knowledge need to be appreciated " (Wyckhuys and O'Neil, 2007) "Farmers' knowledge [...] as prerequisites to IPM adoption" (Hashemi et al, 2008) "providing training based on farmers' real needs" (Kiptot et al, 2006) 2. To document practitioners' knowledge to capitalize on it or to legitimize it in the development process -practitioners' knowledge is derived from a long coevolution with their environment practitioners' knowledge is part of a cultural and social heritage to be protected; it must be documented it supports sustainable technical systems and plays a central role with respect to sustainability issues it is therefore legitimate and becomes a militant factor for endogenous means of development "their knowledge of rangeland plants and principles of sustainable rangeland management is indigenous and based on centuries of experience and observation" (Ghorbani et al, 2013) "limited intergenerational transfer of IK currently threatens its existence in the longer term" (Speranza et al, 2010) "local and traditional knowledge is valuable, adaptable and necessary in coping with risk and uncertainty in a changing world" (Beckford and Barker, 2007) "integration and inclusion of farmer perspectives in [...] national agricultural development planning and policy formulation processes" …”

Risk factors associated withCampylobacterdetected by PCR in humans and animals in rural Cambodia

“…In Cambodia, 80% of the population live in rural areas and smallholder farmers represent the majority of livestock producers [18, 19]. Livestock are predominantly reared in free-range systems, with close interaction between livestock and humans and thus enabling exposure to zoonotic pathogens [18].…”

A description of smallholder pig production systems in eastern Indonesia

“…By improving smallholder knowledge of biosecurity, a reduction in risk behaviours that influence disease spread was observed with smallholder cattle farmers in Cambodia following formal and 'on the job' training programmes (Nampanya et al, 2012). Biosecurity measures such as not trading sick animals, avoiding swill feeding, cleaning and disinfecting pens, and proper carcass and waste disposal are key components that should be implemented in educational programmes (FAO, 2010).…”