Department of Wildlife and Animal Resource Management, Faculty of veterinary Medicine, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda; National Livestock Research Institute, P.O. Box 96, Tororo, Uganda
Ocaido, M., Department of Wildlife and Animal Resource Management, Faculty of veterinary Medicine, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda; Otim, C.P., National Livestock Research Institute, P.O. Box 96, Tororo, Uganda; Kakaire, D., National Livestock Research Institute, P.O. Box 96, Tororo, Uganda
A study of the impact of major diseases and vectors among smallholder cattle farmers was done in three agro-ecological zones in Uganda. Studies were done in: Soroti district representing a semi-humid agro-pastoral system, Kayunga district representing a humid mixed crop-livestock system and Kiruhura district representing a semi-arid pastoral system. Soroti and Kayunga districts were found to be having mixed crop-livestock production systems practising communal and tethering grazing of indigenous cattle. Meanwhile in Kiruhura district a farming system was mainly livestock production system, practising communal and paddocking grazing systems of indigenous and improved dairy cattle. Economic costs of diseases, including potential losses of income from milk and use of the animals for traction and vectors per cattle head was higher in Soroti (Ug. Shs 42,700 valued at 1 US$ = Ug.Shs 1,800) than Kayunga (Ug Shs 15,900) and Kiruhura (Ug Shs 22,800). This represented the lost production potential of cattle. In Kiruhura, East Coast Fever (ECF), starvation and tick control caused big losses in the form of control costs and mortality. Tick control contributed 91.1% of total disease control costs. Hence cheaper methods to control ticks should be explored and promoted. Starvation was causing 65% of total mortality losses. Efforts should therefore be made to de-stock herds. In Kayunga, 75.4% of losses were caused by ticks and Tick Borne Diseases (TTBDs) and the remaining by trypanosomosis, helminthosis and Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD). Losses were in the form of disease control costs and mortality. Efforts must be made to control TTBDs. TBDs were causing 68.1% of total mortality losses. While in Soroti, trypanosomosis, anaplasmosis, helminthosis and LSD were causing major losses in form of mortality, milk and traction losses. Efforts to control diseases and vectors were less in Soroti, leading to high losses observed.