Vet World Vol.13 November-2020 Article-7
Research Article
Veterinary World, 13(11): 2346-2352
https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2020.2346-2352
Analysis of the benefits and production challenges of working donkeys in smallholder farming systems in Kenya
2. Department of Public Health, Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Nairobi, P.O. BOX 29053-00625, Kangemi, Kenya.
3. Department of Animal Production, University of Nairobi, P.O. BOX 29053-00625, Kangemi, Kenya.
Background and Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the benefits of keeping donkeys and associated production challenges under a smallholder farming system in Kenya.
Materials and Methods: A descriptive study was conducted with smallholder farmers keeping donkeys in 13 administrative locations in Kirinyaga County. Data were collected using a questionnaire guide in 13 focus group discussions (FGDs) using participatory epidemiological methods. The FGDs comprised 8-12 participants who were donkey owners. Data were collected through listing, pair-wise ranking, and probing on the benefits of keeping donkeys, challenges faced by working donkeys and the common diseases that affect donkeys in these farms. Data analysis was performed using Kruskal–Wallis non-parametric method to test whether median ranks were significantly different. Other farm level data were also collected using the structured questionnaire and these were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods.
Results: The identified benefits included income obtained from the use of donkeys in transportation (Z=5.80) and manure production (Z=3.47), which enabled the farmers to participate in trade activities and improve crop farming. The identified challenges included theft for slaughter (Z=5.99), disease incidence (Z=3.03), road accidents (Z=2.83), and malicious cutting (Z=2.32). Some of the diseases identified were tetanus (Z=5.35), hoof problems (Z=4.55), helminthiases (Z=3.10), and mange (Z=2.24). Participants ranked diseases based on their effects on work output for the donkeys, reducing productivity and often causing death. Addressing these production challenges would optimize donkey use among smallholder farmers.
Conclusion: The results presented can be important for policymakers and extension agents regarding the health and welfare of donkeys kept under similar settings. Keywords: benefits and challenges, income, livelihoods, working donkeys.
Keywords: benefits and challenges, income, livelihoods, working donkeys.
How to cite this article: Gichure M, Onono J, Wahome R, Gathura P (2020) Analysis of the benefits and production challenges of working donkeys in smallholder farming systems in Kenya, Veterinary World, 13(11): 2346-2352.
Received: 25-06-2020 Accepted: 05-10-2020 Published online: 06-11-2020
Corresponding author: Mary Gichure E-mail: marygichure@gmail.com
DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2020.2346-2352
Copyright: Gichure, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.