State Veterinary Services, Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform, Lady Frere 5410, South Africa; Department of Production Animal Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa; College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia.
Department of Production Animal Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa.
Prev Vet Med. 2022 Oct;207:105713. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2022.105713. Epub 2022 Jul 8.
Despite the benefits of rural chickens in the Eastern Cape Province (ECP) of South Africa, this sector is still underdeveloped and poorly surveyed for poultry diseases. The lack of a sustainable poultry disease surveillance system coupled with communities and practices where the interactions between birds are high, emphasize the need for targeted surveillance of chicken diseases in the province. However, to set up such a system requires knowledge of the value chain and trade networks. Consequently, a survey, which involved a rural chicken value chain analysis that also included an assessment of trading practices to identify biosecurity hotspots and an identification of barriers to market entry for rural farmers was conducted. Secondly, a social network analysis of chicken movements in the province was carried out to identify trade hubs that could be targeted for disease surveillance based on their centrality within the network and their size and influence within their ego networks. Traders and their transport vehicles were identified as biosecurity hotspots that could be targeted for disease surveillance within the chain. Social network analysis identified three municipalities viz. Umzimvubu, King Sabata Dalindyebo (KSD) and Enoch Mgijima as trade hubs where interaction between rural chickens occurs and resources can be focused. The movement of spent hens from commercial operations that are transported over long distances and distributed in the rural areas and townships were a major risk for spread of poultry diseases. This is the first study to formally describe chicken trade networks within the province and the surrounding region. Its findings provide a model for cost effective targeted surveillance in the ECP and similar resource poor regions of the world. The study also provides insight into the profitability of rural chickens and a possible contribution to job creation and poverty alleviation once the barriers to market entry are lifted.
尽管南非东开普省（ECP）的土鸡肉鸡有很多好处，但该行业仍欠发达，对禽类疾病的调查也很差。缺乏可持续的家禽疾病监测系统，加上社区和鸟类之间互动频繁的做法，强调了需要对该省的鸡病进行有针对性的监测。然而，要建立这样的系统，需要了解价值链和贸易网络。因此，进行了一项调查，其中包括对土鸡价值链进行分析，还评估了贸易做法，以确定生物安全热点，并确定农村农民进入市场的障碍。其次，对该省鸡只流动情况进行了社会网络分析，根据其在网络中的中心性及其在自我网络中的规模和影响力，确定了可作为疾病监测目标的贸易中心。贸易商及其运输车辆被确定为生物安全热点，可以作为该链内疾病监测的目标。社会网络分析确定了三个市政当局，即乌姆齐姆武布、国王萨巴塔·达林迪耶博（KSD）和伊诺克·姆吉伊马，作为农村鸡只发生互动且可以集中资源的贸易中心。从商业运营中运输并在农村地区和城镇分销的淘汰母鸡的移动是传播家禽疾病的主要风险。这是首次正式描述该省及其周边地区鸡只贸易网络的研究。其研究结果为在 ECP 和世界上类似资源匮乏的地区进行具有成本效益的有针对性监测提供了模型。该研究还深入了解了农村鸡的盈利能力，一旦消除进入市场的障碍，就有可能为创造就业机会和减贫做出贡献。
