article · Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir landbouvoorligting/South African journal of agricultural extension
Communal cattle farmers in Namibia's Zambezi Region encounter significant livestock health challenges linked to wildlife-cattle interactions and limited access to veterinary support. A study of cattle farmers in the Kabbe area revealed that while over sixty per cent sought veterinary help for diseased cattle, more than two thirds found these services inaccessible, leading most to request assistance only in emergencies. Common health issues reported across dry and wet seasons included wounds, fractures, anthrax, abscesses, and lumpy skin disease. Farmers primarily managed illnesses using oxytetracycline and ivermectin, whereas vaccination rates remained very low. Disease outbreaks substantially damaged livelihoods by reducing livestock sales, household milk consumption, and funds for school fees, while inflating medical expenses. Because many of these conditions can be addressed via primary healthcare, establishing a community-based animal healthcare system could bridge the gap between farmers and essential veterinary services.
Livestock diseases severely undermine pastoral livelihoods in regions where cattle represent primary sources of income and nutrition. When formal veterinary extension services remain out of reach, preventable conditions go untreated or are managed without expert guidance. Understanding local disease burdens and healthcare bottlenecks helps policymakers and veterinary agencies design accessible primary animal healthcare models that safeguard community welfare and protect rural food security.
This field research highlights an operational gap rather than a commercial product, indicating that market-ready veterinary products such as vaccines, oxytetracycline, and ivermectin fail to reach communal farmers effectively. Veterinary pharmaceutical suppliers and agritech distribution services could target this bottleneck by partnering with community-based animal healthcare programmes. However, because the study is purely observational and diagnostic, any related commercial distribution or service models remain at an early, conceptual stage of development.
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Diseases are among the major factors limiting livestock productivity in many African pastoral systems. This study examined communal farmers’ perceptions of cattle health challenges and of veterinary extension services in the Kabbe area of the Zambezi Region, Namibia. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to randomly selected communal cattle farmers in villages (n = 73) and key informants (n = 3). Most cattle farmers (61.6%, n = 45) sought veterinary intervention for diseased cattle, but the veterinary services were ‘inaccessible’ (68.5%, n = 50). Approximately 88.9% (40/45) of the farmers sought help only for emergency cases. The top five conditions reported by farmers in the dry and wet seasons were wounds, fractures, anthrax, abscesses, and lumpy skin disease (LSD), in descending order. The farmers highlighted a multiplicity of other disease conditions associated with both seasons. Treatment of cattle relied on oxytetracycline (57.5%, n = 42) and ivermectin (66.7%, n = 30) preparations, while the vaccination rate was low (12.3%, n = 9). The wildlife-cattle interface was implicated as a major factor contributing to high disease incidence in cattle (49.3%, n = 36). Cattle diseases decreased income from cattle sales (94.5%, n = 69), money for school fees (78.1%, n = 57), household milk consumption (75.3%, n = 55), and increased veterinary treatment expenses (74.0%, n = 54). The annual investment in herd disease control was relatively low (US$55-US$550). The majority of the disease conditions emphasised by farmers can be managed through an effective primary healthcare system. Therefore, establishing a community-based animal healthcare system is recommended to bring veterinary extension services and knowledge closer to communities, thereby improving animal health and livelihoods.
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DOI: 10.17159/2413-3221/2026/v54n5a22251
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