The Egg Hub Model: A Sustainable and Replicable Approach to Address Food Security and Improve Livelihoods.

Background: Despite progress in improving living standards and reduced poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition remain a significant issue worldwide. Childhood is a critical time for the intake of protein to support physical and cognitive growth, including animal-source foods like eggs which can effectively mitigate stunting in low- and middle-income countries. In Malawi, high malnutrition rates among women and children represent a significant public health challenge, but high-quality sources such as eggs remain costly, scarce, and rarely consumed by children in Malawi. The Egg Hub model, identified and piloted by local agri-food entrepreneurs and the Sight and Life Foundation in Malawi, tackles the obstacles faced by smallholder farmers, working to increase egg production, enhance availability, and improve consumption within rural communities by supporting small-scale farmers transition from unsustainable and unproductive backyard rearing to small-scale farm through access to high-quality inputs, training, loans, and a guaranteed market for their eggs. Objectives: This paper provides a detailed account of the implementation of the pilot of the Egg Hub Model in Malawi including the demand creation process, the impact of the model on producers, consumers, and operators, and the social, economic, and environmental sustainability aspects of the model. Methods: Qualitative and quantitative surveys (n = 217 consumers) were used for demand creation and qualitative surveys were used with 15 retailers to determine egg sales. With 16 farmers and the egg hub operator, business metrics, including profits and loss records, were analyzed. Results: The pilot of the Egg Hub model in Malawi supported 85 farmers to triple their egg production, allowing their communities to purchase eggs at prices reduced by 40%, benefiting an estimated number of 180,000 rural poor. Egg consumption among the target population increased from an average of 2 to 9 eggs/month and led to reduced egg wastage and better biosecurity, reducing the risk of children's exposure to chicken feces and infections. The achievements of this Egg Hub in Malawi allowed the model to be replicated in Ethiopia, Peru, and Brazil, producing 40 million eggs annually and benefiting more than half a million consumers. Conclusion: The Egg Hub model is a comprehensive and scalable solution to increase egg supply, address malnutrition and food insecurity, and improve livelihoods. The advantages include centralizing key activities through a community-centered approach, empowering female farmers, increasing access to a highly nutritious food, and economic benefits for farmers and their communities.

Cost-benefit analysis of intervention reducing young stock mortality in Ethiopia.

Livestock provide meat, milk, draught labour, are used for breeding, and act as a store of value for smallholder farmers. High young stock mortality (YSM) has the potential to cause significant financial loss. The Young Stock Mortality Reduction Consortium collaborated on a project to deliver a package of basic health and husbandry interventions to reduce YSM for cattle and small ruminants in mixed and pastoral production systems in Ethiopia. Prior to the intervention, YSM rates ranged from 9.8% for calves in mixed systems, to 35.6% for small ruminants in pastoral systems. Proportional reductions YSM from the intervention ranged from 60% for calves and for small ruminants in mixed systems, to 72% for calves in pastoral systems. This brief research report assesses the costs and benefits of the intervention ex-poste to determine its efficiency. NPVs for the intervention (per household) were calculated for a range of benefit periods (from 1 to 20 years), based on the cost of training enumerators and farmers and the net annual household benefits realised within each benefit period. We found in both pastoral and mixed systems the net annual household benefit for the intervention was positive. For pastoral households the intervention achieves a positive NPV after 2 years. For mixed households the intervention achieves a positive NPV after 11 years. Overall, we found the benefits of the intervention exceed the costs, by a very large amount in pastoral systems, and that benefits were larger for households that kept larger numbers of breeding females.

Typology and characterization of the agricultural productive units in the NE Amazonian region of Ecuador.

Objective: Many studies have observed different characteristics among productive systems in the rural territories of Latin America. Therefore, understanding and characterizing them while they function plays an essential role in determining their relationship between development and environment. A study has been conducted in the Orellana province of NE Ecuador to determine their typology and then classify them according to the variables that describe their main traits or attributes using cluster analysis (CA). Materials and Methods: A survey was structured to investigate physical, productive, environmental, as well as socioeconomic character variables, which were subsequently applied to a random sample of the 5,963 agricultural productive units (APUs) through face-to-face contact with producers during an in situ visit to their farms. Result: The CA allowed us to identify three typologies of APUs in the Orellana Province. The first has been Type 1, which is denominated as the most conventional (40%), while Type 2 uses more efficient natural resources but represents an amount of only 9.4%. In contrast, type 3 (50.6%) depends on a significant part of local or national development programs. Conclusion: All groups indicated some peculiarities in common, as there were marked differences in the use and distribution of land as well as production methods among them. Consequently, this pioneering study allowed us to identify different production methods. Therefore, we encourage local and national governments to establish policies for natural resource conservation in such high-diversity zones.

Legume seed system performance in sub-Saharan Africa: barriers, opportunities, and scaling options. A review.

As a fundamental pillar of food security in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), ensuring seed security is critical to empowering farmers in cultivating food and livestock feed, thereby fostering income generation from agricultural outputs. Among the crops cultivated by smallholders, legumes have the potential to deliver multifaceted benefits. Legumes are nutrient-dense and enhance soil health through their nitrogen-fixing qualities. However, in many instances, the development, release, and supply of improved legume varieties are insufficient to meet the needs of smallholder farmers in SSA. Here, we systematically reviewed the literature to (i) identify and categorize existing legume seed systems, (ii) map legume varieties available to smallholders, (iii) identify barriers hindering the adoption of various legume varieties, and (iv) identify potential strategies and opportunities for strengthening legume seed systems in SSA. Our results demonstrate the coexistence of formal and informal seed systems within legume seed supply chains in SSA, each employing unique seed distribution channels. Smallholders, however, are shown to predominantly depend on the informal seed system to source most legume seeds except for commercially available varieties. We also identified a diverse range of legume varieties available to smallholders in the region, with farmers having varying trait preferences based on crop type and gender. Notably, high yield and abiotic stress tolerance were the most preferred traits. The adoption of these varieties, however, is influenced by various factors, including lack of timely access to seeds in adequate quantities from the formal seed system, high seed costs, and limited information on new varieties. The reviewed literature highlighted that utilizing improved legume varieties had a positive effect on smallholders, leading to improved welfare, food security, dietary diversity, and income. We conclude that the effective scaling of legume systems in SSA is contingent upon the presence of supportive policy frameworks and well-established technical support structures. Graphical Abstract: Packets of legume seeds within a legume germplasm and breeding program at the University of Zambia (Photo by Caitlin Breen, 2022). Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13593-024-00956-6.

Analysis of recent land management initiatives in Nicaragua from the perspective of the "ecosystem approach".

In the world there are approximately 608 million farms, of which 84% are small farms and produce 35% of the food of the world population. Training programs have been promoted by different organizations to achieve a more sustainable and efficient agricultural practice. Within this context, this article has classified a set of smallholders located in central Nicaragua with regard to how they apply Land Use Management Initiatives (LUMI). The aim is to outline their weaknesses and strengths and thus identify key elements that can contribute to improving soil resource management. We focus on the LUMI carried out in Nicaragua in the municipalities of El Tuma-La Dalia, El Cuá and Waslala between 1992 and 2022. To conduct this study, eight LUMI were identified and analysed, and 25 indicators linked to the Malawi Principles were extracted and selected for the design of a survey in order to collect land use management information from 455 farms in the study area. Simple random sampling was used to select the farms. Subsequently, the collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Multivariate Analysis techniques. The results reveal that in the study area, the LUMI incorporate between one and five Malawi Principles. The multivariate analysis techniques employed identified three clusters of farms, with either Active, Moderate or Improvable ecosystem management. The study area as a whole displays strengths in social participation, local capacity building, soil and environmental conservation practices, with the farm as the main source of income. Weaknesses lie in the fact that indicators referring to household income and productivity are less frequent. In terms of farm management, the results revealed that combined male and female management was similar in percentage to male-only management. The results highlight the need to continue with the implementation of environmental goals linked to the design of initiatives that promote productivity, income and gender equity in farm management in an integrated manner. At the same time, existing local capacities for sustainable soil and ecosystem management should be brought together and strengthened.

Adoption and intensity use of malt barley technology package by smallholder farmers in Ethiopia: A double hurdle model approach.

Ethiopia has an enormous production potential for malted barley due to its ideal agroecology, notably in the central and Bale highlands. However, local production cannot meet the demand for both new and old malt and brewing plants. Millions of dollars have been invested to import malt at the national level. The objective of this study was to investigate the factors that influence smallholder farmers' adoption and level of use of the malt barley technology package. A multistage sampling procedure was employed to choose representative kebeles and households. The study relied on actual data collected from 201 randomly selected barley-producing households. Descriptive statistics and Double Hurdle economic models were used to analyze the data. The descriptive findings show that malt barley varieties and the malt barley technology package were adopted at rates of 0.3 and 0.9, respectively. The Double Hurdle model results reveal that factors such as the household head's age, the total area under cultivation, the availability of information on malt barley production, distance from the main road, participation in the field day program, and membership in the agricultural cooperative all had an effect on smallholder farmers' decisions to adopt and use the malt barley technology package. The recommendation made by this research was to boost farmers' knowledge of malt barley production through training and field trip programs. Organizing smallholder farmers in nearby agricultural cooperatives, as well as ensuring access to roads and public transit for easy access to agricultural inputs and output markets.

Molecular Characterization and Antimicrobial Susceptibilities of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Isolated from Caseous Lymphadenitis of Smallholder Sheep and Goats.

Caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) is a bacterial infection caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (C. pseudotuberculosis) that affects sheep and goats, leading to abscess formation in their lymph nodes. The present study aimed to isolate and identify C. pseudotuberculosis from CLA in smallholder sheep and goats, and determine the resistance patterns, virulence, and resistance genes of the isolates. Additionally, genotypic and phylogenetic analysis of the isolates was conducted using ERIC-PCR and DNA sequencing techniques. A cross-sectional study examined 220 animals (130 sheep and 90 goats) from 39 smallholder flocks for clinical signs of CLA. Fifty-four (24.54%) animals showed CLA-compatible lesions, confirmed by C. pseudotuberculosis isolation and PCR identification. Sheep had a lower infection rate of CLA (18.46%) compared with goats (33.3%). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of 54 C. pseudotuberculosis isolates to 24 antimicrobial drugs revealed that they were 100% resistant to bacitracin and florfenicol, while none of the isolates were resistant to norfloxacin. A high resistance rate was observed for penicillin and erythromycin (92.6% each). Interestingly, 16.7% of C. pseudotuberculosis isolates recovered from sheep showed vancomycin resistance. Molecular characterization of C. pseudotuberculosis isolates revealed that PLD, PIP, and FagA virulence genes were present in all examined isolates. However, the FagB, FagC, and FagD genes were detected in 24 (100%), 20 (83%), and 18 (75%) of the sheep isolates, and 26 (87%), 26 (87%), and 18 (60%) of the goat isolates, respectively. The ß-lactam resistance gene was present in all isolates. Furthermore, 83% of the sheep isolates carried the aminoglycoside (aph(3″)-lb), chloramphenicol (cat1), and bacitracin (bcrA) resistance genes. Among the isolates recovered from goats, 73% were found to contain macrolides (ermX), sulfonamide (sul1), and bacitracin (bcrA) resistance genes. It is worrisome that the glycopeptide (vanA) resistance gene was detected in 8% of the sheep isolates as a first report. ERIC-PCR genotyping of 10 multi-drug-resistant C. pseudotuberculosis isolates showed a high similarity index of 83.6% between isolates from sheep and goats. Nucleotide sequence analysis of partial 16S rRNA sequences of C. pseudotuberculosis revealed 98.83% similarity with biovar Ovis of globally available reference sequences on the Genbank database. Overall, our findings might indicate that C. pseudotuberculosis infection in smallholders in Egypt might be underestimated despite the significant financial impact on animal husbandry and potential health hazards it poses. Moreover, this study highlights the importance of implementing a sustainable control strategy and increasing knowledge and awareness among smallholder breeders to mitigate the economic impact of CLA.

Antimicrobial Resistance of Escherichia coli Isolates from Livestock and the Environment in Extensive Smallholder Livestock Production Systems in Ethiopia.

The objective of this study was to characterize the distribution of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolated from livestock feces and soil in smallholder livestock systems. A cross-sectional study was carried out sampling 77 randomly selected households in four districts representing two agroecologies and production systems. E. coli was isolated and the susceptibility to 15 antimicrobials was assessed. Of 462 E. coli isolates tested, resistance to at least one antimicrobial was detected in 52% (43.7-60.8) of isolates from cattle fecal samples, 34% (95% CI, 26.2-41.8) from sheep samples, 58% (95% CI, 47.9-68.2) from goat samples and 53% (95% CI, 43.2-62.4) from soil samples. AMR patterns for E. coli from livestock and soil showed some similarities, with the highest prevalence of resistance detected against streptomycin (33%), followed by amoxycillin/clavulanate (23%) and tetracycline (8%). The odds of detecting E. coli resistance to ≥2 antimicrobials in livestock fecal samples were nearly three times (Odd Ratio-OR: 2.9; 95% CI, 1.72-5.17; p = 0.000) higher in lowland pastoral than in highland mixed crop-livestock production systems. These findings provide insights into the status of resistance in livestock and soil, and associated risk factors in low-resource settings in Ethiopia.

Effects of Genotype and Housing System on Rabbit Does' Aggressive Behaviors and Injuries in Smallholding Conditions.

The objective of the study was to investigate the effects of housing (deep litter + concrete floor vs. deep litter + ground soil with the possibility to dig burrows), and genotype (Mecklenburg or Hyplus) on aggressive behaviour, social contacts, does' and kits' injuries, and progeny mortality. Twelve groups of six rabbit does (n = 72) were assigned to four treatments (two housing systems and two genotypes). Aggressive behaviour of does, number of injuries on does and kits, and postnatal kit mortality were recorded. The effects of housing and genotype were tested using multivariate GLMM Models. We found that the housing treatment in interaction with the genotype had a significant effect on aggressive behaviours in group housed does (F3,12 = 14.34, p = 0.0003), where the lowest incidence of aggression was in Mecklenburg does housed on ground soil. Reduced aggression was reflected in a lower number of injuries in does (F3,68 = 10.51, p < 0.0001), number of injuries in kits, and kit mortality (F3,1 = 4.59, p < 0.0001, F3,54 = 43.94, p < 0.0001). The results indicate that the proper combination of genotype and housing should be carefully considered for breeding to reduce aggression and injury in group housed does.

Co-created community contracts support biosecurity changes in a region where African swine fever is endemic - Part II: Implementation of biosecurity measures.

Smallholder subsistence pig production is common in Uganda and African swine fever (ASF) is endemic in the country, with its spread driven by human activities along the smallholder value chain. Previous research in the study area has revealed that many stakeholders are aware of how ASF is spread, its prevention and control, and have a generally positive attitude towards biosecurity. Despite this, even basic biosecurity is largely lacking. Costs, as well as a lack of adaptation to the local context, culture and traditions have been identified as factors hindering biosecurity implementation. Community engagement and local ownership of disease problems are increasingly recognised as important for improving disease prevention and control. The objective of this study was to investigate the capacity of participatory action at community level with broad inclusion of stakeholders to improve biosecurity in the smallholder pig value chain. Specific attention was paid to participants' perceptions and experiences of implementing the biosecurity measures included in their co-created community contracts. The study was conducted in Northern Uganda in villages purposively selected on the basis of previous occurrences of ASF. In each village, farmers and traders were also purposively selected. At a first meeting, basic information about ASF was shared and participants presented with a list of biosecurity measures adapted for farmers and traders respectively. Participants discussed each measure in farmer and trader subgroups, decided on the measures to implement for one year, and signed a community contract to this effect. The following year, interviews were again undertaken and implementation support given. Interview data were coded and thematically analysed. Each subgroup chose a minimum of three and a maximum of nine measures, with wide variations between villages in their selection of measures. At the follow-ups, none of the subgroups had fully implemented what had been agreed in their contract, but all had changed some of their biosecurity routines. Some frequently recommended biosecurity measures, such as not borrowing breeding boars, were not considered feasible. Relatively simple and cheap biosecurity measures were rejected for reasons of cost, highlighting the participants' general level of poverty and the relevance of poverty as a specific factor governing disease control results. The participatory methodology allowing for discussions, co-creation and the option to refuse measures seemed to facilitate the implementation of measures that had initially been thought to be controversial. The broad community approach was deemed to be positive for strengthening community identity, cooperation and implementation.

Poverty dynamics and the determining factors among East African smallholder farmers.

CONTEXT: Rapid economic development in East Africa is matched by extremely dynamic smallholder livelihoods. Objective: To quantify the changes in poverty of smallholder farmers, to evaluate the potential of farm and off-farm activities to alleviate poverty, and to evaluate the potential barriers to poverty alleviation. METHODS: The analyses were based on a panel survey of 600 households undertaken in 2012 and re-visited approximately four years later in four sites in East Africa. The sites represented contrasting smallholder farming systems, linked to urban centres undergoing rapid economic and social change (Nairobi, Kampala, Kisumu, and Dar-es-Salaam). The surveys assessed farm management, farm productivity, livelihoods, and various measures of household welfare. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Almost two thirds of households rose above or fell below meaningful poverty thresholds - more than previously measured in this context - but overall poverty rates remained constant. Enhanced farm value production and off-farm income proved to be important mechanisms to rise out of poverty for households that were already resource-endowed. However, households in the poorest stratum in both panels appeared to be stuck in a poverty trap. They owned significantly fewer productive assets in the first panel compared to other groups (land and livestock), and these baseline assets were found to be positively correlated with farm income in the second panel survey. Equally these households were also found to be among the least educated, while education was found to be an important enabling factor for the generation of high value off-farm income. SIGNIFICANCE: Rural development that aims to stimulate increases in farm produce value as a means to alleviate poverty are only viable for already resource-endowed households, as they have the capacity to enhance farm value production. Conversely, the alleviation of extreme poverty should focus on different means, perhaps cash transfers, or the development of more sophisticated social safety nets. Furthermore, while off-farm income presents another important mechanism for poverty alleviation in rural areas, these opportunities are restricted to those households that have had access to education. As more households turn to off-farm activities to supplement or replace their livelihoods, farming approaches will also change affecting the management of natural resources. These dynamics ought to be better understood to better manage land-use transitions.

A GIS-based interactive map enabling data-driven decision-making in Nigeria's food supply chain.

The accessibility of open-source data on fresh food supply chains provides key stakeholders from the public and private sectors with insights for better decision-making to drive food loss reduction. Nigeria has a fair amount of open-source agricultural and climate-related data. However, most of these datasets are not readily accessible. This paper presents a detailed method used to develop an interactive web Geographic Information System (GIS) tool that collates and visualizes available open-source datasets on Nigeria's Agricultural Sector with particular focus on the fresh produce supply chains. The following steps were used to create such an interactive map. •Open-source data were acquired in various forms, including tabular, vector, and rasters, processed and uploaded as layers on the interactive web map.•Most of the data needed some processing on open-source geographic information system applications and web-based computing platforms to transform them into sources of actionable insights•These final processed layers were then uploaded to a consolidated interactive web map built on the Google Earth Engine platform. The gathered open-source data includes crop production data, market prices, weather, road network, market locations, mobile coverage, water access, water scarcity, and food insecurity. The method described here also allows the reproduction of such maps for other countries.

Smallholders' resilience-building adaptation and its influencing factors in rainfed agricultural areas in China: based on random forest model.

In recent years, extreme events and risks have increased under the background of global warming, which influenced agricultural production significantly. Adaptation has been considered as a key pathway to enhancing smallholders' climate resilience. We selected a total of 903 smallholders using the multi-stage random sampling technique in rainfed areas in China, and then collected the survey data through the structured questionnaire and focus group discussion. Three resilience-building adaptation indices (RBAS-A, RBAS-D and RBAS-I) were constructed by the entropy method, whose mean values were 0.378, 0.336, and 0.602, respectively. Furtherly, the random forest model was used to explore influencing factors of climate-resilient adaptation strategies. The results revealed that education level of household head, family size, farmland size, access to information by mass media and kith and kin, perception of temperature change in summer and winter, and perception of crop yield change were the significant factors influencing smallholders' alteration strategies. Meanwhile, age and education level of household heads, off-farm income, farmland size, mass media, and perception of winter temperature changes had significant effects on the diversification strategies. Moreover, demographic characteristics, socioeconomic characteristics, information access and climate change perceptions, and impacts had significant impacts on intensification strategies. Importantly, we found that there was a certain threshold for the impact of several factors on the constructed composite indices. And the impacts of the perceptions of temperature on alteration and intensification strategies showed a V-shape. Finally, we proposed targeted suggestions for improving smallholders' climate-resilient adaptation in the rainfed agricultural areas in China.

Co-created community contracts support biosecurity changes in a region where African swine fever is endemic - Part I: The methodology.

In Northern Uganda more people live in poverty than elsewhere in the country. Small-scale pig-keeping is common and African swine fever (ASF) is endemic, spreading along the smallholder value chain. Biosecurity measures remain the only way to prevent and control the spread of ASF in this context. Previous research in the study area has shown that many stakeholders are aware of ASF, how it is spread and methods for prevention and control, but biosecurity implementation remains limited. Participatory approaches have been suggested in order to increase community engagement in relation to animal disease control, ensuring that disease prevention or control actions are guided by local people's priorities and the promotion of local ownership of disease control. The objective of this study was to investigate the capacity of participatory action at community level with a broad inclusion of stakeholders to initiate change and greater stakeholder ownership to improve biosecurity in the smallholder pig value chain. Specific attention was paid to the feasibility of co-created community contracts for this purpose. The study was carried out in Northern Uganda in six purposively selected villages and included both farmers and traders. Centred on co-created community contracts on biosecurity, the study comprised repeated group discussions, semi-structured and structured group and individual interviews, as well as field observations. At the first meeting, participants were presented with suggested biosecurity measures adapted for farmers and traders respectively. Participants discussed each measure, agreed which ones to implement for one year, and co-created a community contract to this effect. During the study period, repeated interviews were undertaken and implementation support was provided. Interview data was coded and thematically analysed. Great diversity was observed between communities with regard to which and how many measures were selected, illustrating heterogeneity in the possibilities of biosecurity implementation and the complexity of livelihood challenges. The methodology appeared to be effective at instigating change, with all the communities changing some of their biosecurity behaviour during the study period. The intensified communication and cooperation around pigs in the communities reinforced the sense of group identity and the capacity-building offered at the first meeting supported implementation and appeared to be more important than the physical contract. Participants reported feeling empowered and described how they shared their knowledge, educated their peers and acted as catalysts for wider biosecurity change in their communities. These are promising results and indicate a positive attitude to both the agreed measures and the methodology.

Exploring why animal health practices are (not) adopted among smallholders in low and middle-income countries: a realist framework and scoping review protocol.

Background: Improving livestock health is considered critical to address poverty, malnutrition and food insecurity in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Modifications of livestock management practices is also increasingly recognized as an important strategy to mitigate global threats such as climate change and novel disease emergence. Smallholders are, however, under various constraints which prohibit them from altering health practices for livestock and little is known about how the adoption of these practices may be promoted. The proposed scoping review aims to systematically map evidence around "what practices are (not) adopted by smallholders under what circumstances, how and why?." Method and analysis: We conducted initial scoping searches to broadly define types of animal health practices relevant for smallholders in LMICs and formulated search terms. A scoping review protocol was designed and registered. A systematic literature search will be conducted using electronic databases including CAB Abstract, Scopus, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science Core Collection. Gray literature will be searched from AGRIS and Standards for Supporting Agricultural Livelihoods in Emergencies. Articles in English, pertaining to the animal health practices considered highly relevant will be considered eligible for inclusion. Articles will be screened at two stages by two independent reviewers; screening of titles, abstracts, and keywords, followed by full-article screening. The first reviewer will review 100% of the articles at both stages. The second reviewer will review a random sample of 20% of the articles at both stages. Any disagreements will be resolved using inputs from the third reviewer. A thematic analysis will be conducted to catalog contexts and mechanisms for adoption and discussed under a realist framework. Discussion: Understanding of the mechanisms underlying the adoption of animal health practices by livestock smallholders in LMICs is crucial for successful implementation of interventions including those which are based on a One Health approach. This review will identify the extent of this knowledge across disciplines and inform future research priorities for the design of effective and feasible interventions which can contribute toward Sustainable Development Goal 2. Registration: This protocol is registered within the Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/FUQAX).

Antimicrobial Resistance of Staphylococci at Animal Human Interface in Smallholders and Dairy Farms in Central Oromia, Ethiopia.

Purpose: Staphylococcus species come from a variety of sources and can contaminate milk during milking, cause mastitis and other diseases in animals and humans. The enterotoxins they produce cause food poisoning. Our objectives were to isolate, biochemically characterize, and determine antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Staphylococcus species from dairy farms in central Oromia, Ethiopia. Methods: A total of 339 samples (n = 135 [raw milk], n = 135 [udders' swabs], n = 25 [milkers' hands swabs], n = 44 [pooled milking utensils' swabs]) were collected from smallholders and dairy farms. Bacteriological culture and biochemical tests were performed to isolate and identify Staphylococcus species, and the Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method was used for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Results: Across all sample types and dairy farms, 247 (72.9%) Staphylococcus isolates were obtained which comprised of 101 (74.8%) isolates from raw milk, 98 (72.6%) from udder swabs, 30 (68.2%) from pooled utensil swabs, and 18 (72%) from milkers' hand swabs. Fifty coagulase-positive Staphylococcus isolates (20 S. aureus, 20 S. hyicus and 10 S. intermedius) subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility tests have shown various degrees of resistance. All S. aureus isolates were 100% resistant to ampicillin and penicillin. Out of 20 S. hyicus isolates, 90% were resistant to ampicillin and 85% to penicillin. S. intermedius isolates (n=10) were 70% resistant to nalidixic acid and penicillin whilst remaining 100% resistant to ampicillin. Five S. aureus, three S. intermedius and two S. hyicus isolates from raw milk, milk utensil swabs and milkers' hand swabs were multidrug-resistant (resistance to at least three classes of antimicrobials). Conclusion: This study revealed a high prevalence of staphylococci in the dairy cattle, milkers and milking utensils with multidrug-resistant coagulase-positive Staphylococcus species suggesting the significance of pasteurization. Further research is encouraged on the factors leading to antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus species.

Misperceiving and misreporting input quality: Implications for input use and productivity.

Farmers in developing countries routinely misperceive or misreport input quality for various reasons, which introduces substantial measurement error in farm survey data. In this paper, we motivate and illustrate, both analytically and empirically, the inferential and behavioral implications of misperception and misreporting using a unique crop variety identification data from Nigeria. Using a non-parametric framework for testing the presence of measurement error, we show that crop variety misclassification in our data is mostly driven by misperception. We then demonstrate the inferential challenges of treating misperception as misreporting and vice versa. Finally, we show that misperception induces crowding-in(out) of complementary agricultural inputs but these misperception-driven input allocations may not necessarily be yield-enhancing. As such, rectifying misperception by addressing agricultural input market imperfections may improve farmers' investment choices and productivity outcomes.

The Prevalence of Intestinal Parasite Infections in Goats from Smallholder Farms in Northern Thailand.

The present study determined the prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI) parasites in small ruminants kept in smallholder farms in Phitsanulok, Northern Thailand. A total of 885 goats from 31 smallholder farms were selected randomly between May 2019 to January 2020. Fecal samples were collected to estimate fecal egg counts and oocysts counts using the modified McMaster technique. Furthermore, pooled fecal samples from each of the farms were cultured in order to differentiate third-stage larvae of nematode. Examination of fecal samples revealed that 885 were positive for one or more parasites, giving an overall prevalence of 87.2 %, of which 38.6 % were infected with one and 48.6 % with multiple parasite. Strongyles and Eimeria oocysts were the most prevalent. Haemonchus contortus and Strongyloides papillosus were the predominant species based on the percentage of larvae in fecal cultures. Tapeworm eggs were encountered in 14.2 % of all samples. No significant difference in gastrointestinal parasite prevalence was associated with sex of the host. Infection was significantly (P = 0.009) highest in poor body conditioned goats (72.0 %) as compared to moderate (48.9 %) and good body conditioned (50.0 %) goats. This report on prevalence of GI parasites of small ruminants in smallholder farms in Northern Thailand reveals a high endoparasitic infections that appeared well-adapted to environmental conditions. Further studies on endoparasite control are required to establish the impact of parasitism on productive performance, including monitoring control parasite programs are needed for better health and productivity.

Socioeconomic impacts of clinical foot-and-mouth disease and a risk-based partial vaccination campaign for smallholders in Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is endemic in Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR). A risk-based partial vaccination campaign was implemented in Champasak, Savannakhet and Xiengkhouang Provinces in Lao PDR in 2016-2020, which had limited effects on reducing the circulation of FMD virus. The objectives of this study were to measure the socioeconomic effects of (i) a clinical FMD occurrence and (ii) the vaccination campaign on livestock production performance of smallholders in Lao PDR in 2016-2020. Two questionnaire surveys were conducted at the beginning (2016) and the end (2020) of the campaign, involving 1609 smallholders in 160 villages comparing areas with and without FMD control. Mixed-effect multivariable regression models were fitted to measure the association between livestock production parameters at the household level (rates of birth, sale, purchase, and death, sale price, costs, gross gains and net gains) and (i) a clinical FMD occurrence and (ii) the vaccination campaign, while adjusting for village, herd size, province, vaccination status and FMD knowledge. We found no significant difference in annual household-level costs, gains and net gains by due absence of FMD. However, smallholders with FMD had a 52% higher cattle death rate, a 43% lower goat sale rate and a 78% lower pig sale price than those without FMD. Smallholders with FMD also had a lower purchase rate of livestock (cattle -15% and pigs -93%) compared with those without FMD. There was a general improvement in livestock production in target villages over the 5 years of the vaccination campaign, whereas there was an overall decline in non-target villages, resulting in USD 218 higher net gains in target villages in 2020 compared with non-target villages, possibly due to reduced severity of disease and improved awareness on FMD and general livestock health. The findings of this study will help improve strategies for sustainable and efficient FMD control in Lao PDR, while the challenges and importance of gaining participation by smallholders are highlighted.

Multiyear Maize Management Dataset collected in Chiapas, Mexico.

For several decades, maize (Zea mays L.) management decisions in smallholder farming in tropical regions have been a puzzle. To best balance alternative management practices' environmental and economic outcomes, an extensive dataset was gathered through CIMMYT's knowledge hub in Chiapas, a state in southern Mexico. In a knowledge hub, farmers, with the support of farm advisors, compare conventional and improved agronomic practices side-by-side and install demonstration fields where they implement improved practices. In all these fields data on on-farm operations and results is collected. The dataset was assembled using field variables (yield, cultivars, fertilization and tillage practice), as well as environment variables from soil mapping (slope, elevation, soil texture, pH and organic matter concentration) and gridded weather datasets (precipitation, temperature, radiation and evapotranspiration). The dataset contains observations from 4585 fields and comprises a period of 7 years between 2012 and 2018. This dataset will facilitate analytical approaches to represent spatial and temporal variability of alternative crop management decisions based on observational data and explain model-generated predictions for maize in Chiapas, Mexico. In addition, this data can serve as an example for similar efforts in Big Data in Agriculture.