Proximate determinants of the effective demand for animal health services in smallholder sector of Zimbabwe

摘要

Inordertodeterminethepossibilityofcommercializationandprivatizationofanimalhealthservicesinsmallholderfarmingareasasalternativestopublicservicedeliverygiventheprevailingfinancialchallenges,aquestionnairebasedsurveywasusedtoobtaindatafrom333livestockfarmersrandomlyselectedinGutudistrictofMasvingoProvince,Zimbabwe.Thequestionnaireobtainedinformationonfarmer#8217;sabilitytopayforanimalhealthservices(expenditureonanimalhealthperyear)andtheiranimalhealthrelatedsocio-economiccircumstances(need,enablingandpredisposingfactorstoanimalhealth).Regressionanalysiswasusedtodeterminetherelationshipbetweenexpenditureonanimalhealthandsocio-economicfactors.About62%ofthehouseholdswereeffectivelydemandinganimalhealthcarewhile48%werenotpayingforanimalhealthservices.Theeffectivedemandforanimalhealthserviceswerepositivelyinfluencedbylivestockunits,income,assetownershipandyearsineducationat10%,1%,5%and5%levelsofsignificancerespectively.Householdsizewasinverselyrelatedtoeffectivedemandat1%level.Outcomesfromthisanalysisprovidedevidencethatthereispotentialtocommercializeandprivatizeanimalhealthservicesinsmallholderareasgiventhatmostfarmersareeffectivelydemandingtheservices.Tofurtherstimulateeffectivedemandinsmallholdersectors,policytargetsshouldfocusonimprovinglivestockownership,educationandresourcebaseoffarmersintermsofphysicalandfinancialassets.nbsp;Householdsizewithadverseeffectsoneffectivedemandcanbecontrolledthroughfamilyplanningprogrammestoensurethatfamilysizescanbestreamlineespeciallyamongtheyoungagegroups.