Small ruminant production characteristics in urban households in Ghana

摘要

OnehundredandtwentyhouseholdsinKumasiandEffiduasiweresurveyedforinformationonproductionsystemcharacteristics,constraintsandopportunitiesinurbansmallruminantproductioninGhana.Financialconsiderationwasthemainreasonwhyproducerskeptsmallruminants.Majorityofproducerskeptmoregoatscomparedtosheep.Themainsourcesoffeedforanimalswereagro-industrialby-products,wastesfromhouseholdfoodpreparationandforagesalongroadsidesandundevelopedplotsinthecities.Themajority(55%)oflivestockownersroutinelydewormedandvaccinatedtheiranimalstocontrolinternalparasitesandcommonlivestockdiseases.Animallosseswereduemainlytodiseases(34%),theft(17%),accidents(12%),andcomplicationsarisingfromcastration,pregnancy,parturitionandpoisonings(34%).Producers(20%)identifiedlackofcreditasthesinglemostimportantconstrainttotheindustry,whiletheremainingcitedmultiplefactors,includingcreditplushealth(15%),healthplusinadequatefeed(18%),andcreditplusinadequatefeed(21%).Despitethechallenges,92%ofproducersindicatedtheywouldnevergiveupraisingsmallruminants,andarewillingtoincreasetheirflocksizes.