Determinants of effective cattle disease management among smallholder farmers in light of rapid theileriosis outbreaks and economic losses: The case of Mutare rural district, Manicaland province, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Smallholder farmers face significant challenges in effectively managing their cattle due to the rapid outbreaks of theileriosis and other tick-borne diseases, resulting in severe economic losses. These outbreaks pose significant threats to food security and rural livelihoods, yet there is a lack of understanding of the factors affecting effective cattle disease management among smallholder farmers. In this paper, we determine the factors affecting effective cattle disease management in Mutare rural district, Zimbabwe. We quantify the economic losses associated with cattle diseases which we use as a proxy for effective cattle management. Multiple linear regression was used to analyse the data. Six wards were chosen at random among 36 wards in the district, and primary data was gathered from 90 randomly selected farmers. The results showed that cattle diseases cause significant losses in the rural Mutare district, with an average loss of US$ 1 288.87 per farmer during the two years under study. The level of education of the household head, access to an animal health officer, and training on cattle diseases are significant variables in reducing economic losses due to cattle diseases at 5% while formal credit access was found to be statistically significant at 1% significance level. To lessen the losses brought on by cattle diseases, we recommend the government raise the number of animal health officers, strengthen training programs on preventing and controlling cattle diseases, invest in the development of a comprehensive disease-reporting network, and the creation of policies that incentivize banks to lend money to farmers.