School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra P.O. Box LG 13, Ghana.
Ghana Health Service, Ministry of Health, Accra P.O. Box M 44, Ghana.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Aug 26;18(17):9008. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18179008.
Despite the increasing occurrence of adverse events including droughts and conflicts, livestock farmers in Ghana continue to raise animals to support their livelihoods and the national economy. We assessed the resilience of cattle farmers (CF) to adverse events they faced using a cross-sectional survey of 287 CF in two agroecological zones in Ghana. Resilience to adversities was assessed using the Resilience Scale (RS-14). Resilience scores and categories were computed and factors that explained variations in resilience categories assessed. The farmers kept, on average, 31 cattle per household, with a majority (91%) also growing crops. Key adverse events confronting them in both districts were animal disease outbreaks, pasture shortages, and theft, with 85% (240/287) losing, on average, seven cattle (15% of the herd size) over a one-year period. The mean resilience score was 71 (SD = 8) out of 98; 52% were highly resilient. Resilience was higher in the southern district (72 versus 70), albeit not statistically significant ( = 0.06). The resilience significantly improved with age, each unit increase in cattle in the herd, and having experience raising livestock ( < 0.001). The CF have relatively high resilience to adverse events affecting their productivity. The findings provide relevant information for implementing mitigation measures to improve production by reducing animal mortalities through high-quality veterinary services.
尽管干旱和冲突等不良事件的发生频率不断增加，但加纳的牲畜饲养者仍继续饲养动物，以维持生计和支持国家经济。我们通过对加纳两个农业生态区的 287 名奶牛饲养者进行横断面调查，评估了他们应对所面临的不良事件的恢复力。使用弹性量表（RS-14）评估对逆境的适应能力。计算了弹性评分和类别，并评估了解释弹性类别的变化的因素。农民平均每户饲养 31 头牛，其中大多数（91%）还种植农作物。两个地区的主要不良事件是动物疾病爆发、牧场短缺和盗窃，85%（240/287）的农民平均每年损失 7 头牛（占畜群规模的 15%）。平均弹性评分为 98 分中的 71 分（SD=8）；52%的人具有高度弹性。南部地区的弹性较高（72 对 70），尽管没有统计学意义（=0.06）。弹性随着年龄的增长、畜群中每头牛的增加以及饲养牲畜的经验而显著提高（<0.001）。奶牛饲养者对影响其生产力的不良事件具有相对较高的恢复力。这些发现为实施缓解措施提供了相关信息，通过提供高质量的兽医服务来减少动物死亡率，从而提高生产。
