Using a new 'guided group interview' technique, 445 village animal health workers (VAHWs) from 19 provinces in Cambodia were interviewed to establish their current practices and knowledge. The aim of the study was to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the VAHW resource in village-level bovine disease management and control, with a focus on foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Widespread improvement of farmer-level knowledge of disease management is likely to require intensive education and training programs that involve significant time and resources. Therefore, delivery of extension and disease control by improving VAHW skills may offer a pathway for governments to improve FMD control. The study identified that VAHWs had good contact with farmers (61.5% of VAHWs visit more than one farm each day), and high rates of disease reporting (72.5% of VAHWs report diseases immediately and 73.6% report monthly). Outbreaks of FMD were reported as being regular and widespread, with 63.8% of surveyed VAHWs seeing FMD in their village during 2009. Vaccination was either unavailable or considered too expensive for smallholders according to 82.7% of VAHWs. The study concluded that the VAHW system provides field animal health services to smallholder farmers in Cambodia and has potential to fill the current gap that exists in FMD control between government services and farmers in delivering disease control programs. Although the VAHW system has potential to improve the nationwide government-managed FMD vaccination programs, further research is required, particularly to test whether VAHWs can improve vaccine delivery in the face of FMD outbreaks.
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