Management and phenotypic features of indigenous cattle in Rwanda

Prevalence of Bovine Trematodiases and Associated Risk Factors in Nyagatare District, Rwanda

Introduction

Trematodiases cause significant financial losses to livestock worldwide and some of which are zoonotic, raising public health concerns. In Rwanda, information on the prevalence of bovine trematodiases is scanty, and this hampers efforts to control and prevent them in the country.

Methods

This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of bovine trematodiases in Nyagatare district and associated risk factors. One hundred cattle were randomly selected for this study and faecal samples were collected directly from the rectum to identify trematode eggs using a simple sedimentation technique. To analyze the data, frequencies, chi-square test, and binary logistic regression were computed.

Results

Overall, the prevalence of bovine trematodiases was 69%, and Paramphistomum spp. predominated (69%), followed by Dicrocoelium spp. (23%), Fasciola spp. (20%), and Echinostoma spp. (1.0%). The study also recorded mixed paramphistomiasis, fascioliasis and dicrocoeliasis (11.6%), paramphistomiasis and fascioliasis (15.9%) as well as paramphistomiasis and dicrocoeliasis (20.3%). The odds of having trematodiasis (mono or mixed fascioliasis and dicrocoeliasis) for the cow located in Barija cell (AOR = 0.143; 95% C.I. 0.026-0.793) were 14% lower compared to those of developing such parasitosis for the cow located in Bushoga cell.

Conclusion

Taken together, the study shows that trematodes are a significant contributor to lowering livestock production and productivity and pose a threat to human health. Different approaches should be applied to prevent and control the trematodiases in cows and other livestock (sheep and goats) and reduce the risk of contracting fascioliasis and echinostomiasis in humans in Nyagatare district, Rwanda.

Evaluation of breeding objectives, breeding practices and reproductive performance of indigenous dairy cows in selected districts of Kaffa Zone, South West Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

Breeding objectives are designed to achieve targeted dairy cow production goals, which can be affected by production type, farmer preferences, environmental factors and genetic factors individually or in combination. Breeding practices, such as both controlled and uncontrolled, and artificial insemination (AI) are the tools used to obtain the desired breeding objectives. The lower reproductive performance of indigenous dairy cows affects the total milk production and calf crops that are produced during their lifetime. Designing appropriate breeding objectives and breeding practices can improve the reproductive performance of dairy cows and their overall production performance.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The current study was conducted with the objective of evaluating the breeding, practices and performance of indigenous dairy cattle in the south western part of Ethiopia. The districts of Gesha and Chena were purposefully chosen. The study design for the 384 household surveys was a cross-sectional survey with a simple random sample approach. Data analysis was carried out by MS-Excel (2010) and the general linear model procedure of SAS of 2008.

RESULTS

The current study revealed that methods of breeding were predominantly natural-controlled mating, followed by natural-uncontrolled mating and AI in descending order. Breeding objectives were input function, output function, sociocultural and economic functions and assets and security functions in decreasing order of rank. Reproduction performance indexes of indigenous dairy cows age at first service (3.72 ± 0.05 years), age at first calving (AFC) (4.71 ± 0.07 years), calving interval (CI) (1.58 ± 0.03 years), days open (DO) (4.26 ± 0.11 months), services per conception in natural mating (1.4 ± 0.08) and AI (2.73 ± 0.14), age of bull at maturity (4.17 ± 0.74 years), interoestrus interval (23.18 ± 0.61 days), calves crop (7.53 ± 0.22) and the life span of indigenous dairy cow (11.94 ± 0.26 years) were significant (p < 0.01) between two districts, whereas the values of age of bull at maturity and number of services per conception in natural mating were significant (p < 0.05) between districts.

CONCLUSIONS

Using AI and major reproduction performances, such as AFC, CI and DO of indigenous dairy cows in the study area, were very low. Therefore, concerned bodies should intervene to improve reproduction performance through the utilization of AI techniques, with the integration of forage development activities and improvements in livestock health care.

What Kigali’s open-air markets reveal about achieving food and nutrition security: the role of African indigenous crops

Background

Household dietary diversity in Rwanda remains low and significantly contributes to the double burden of malnutrition. Rwanda has one of the highest under five stunting rates globally, and malnutrition remains one of the most pressing public health issues; therefore, factors that shape food and nutrition security are of utmost concern. Globally, the variety of foods available in open-air markets has been shown to affect dietary diversity. Furthermore, the consumption of indigenous foods can contribute to a diverse diet and improve nutrition status. At present, there are limited data on foods available for purchase in open-air markets in Africa. Therefore, this study was designed to provide data on food availability in the largest open-air markets of Rwanda’s most populated city, Kigali, and to highlight which foods indigenous to Africa can be purchased.

Methods

All consumables were inventoried between October and December of 2020 in three open-air markets of Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda. Consumables were organized by the site of domestication and the nutritional contents of some African indigenous crops were compared to similar non-indigenous items.

Results

A variety of raw and processed consumables was available in the open-air markets inventoried; however, only 25.8% of available species are indigenous to Africa. All Rwanda’s staples, including sweet potatoes, plantains, beans, maize, banana, and cassava, are endemic to other continents. Indigenous plant species, which are often drought-resistant and more nutritious, for example, Africa’s pineapple fruits (Myrianthus holstii), could not be purchased in Kigali’s open-air markets. Pineapple fruits are richer in iron, vitamin C, protein, and vitamin A than banana, which is the most consumed fruit in Rwanda.

Conclusions

Given rapid population growth, limited arable land, and erratic climate patterns, policies to conserve and promote indigenous species, especially those already adapted to harsh environmental conditions, should be enacted in Rwanda. The cultivation of native vegetables and fruits in home gardens, and the conservation of edible wild species, can improve dietary diversity and enhance food and nutrition security across the entire country.

Production Characteristics and Management Practices of Indigenous Tswana Sheep in Southern Districts of Botswana

The aim of this study was to describe the indigenous Tswana sheep production systems, their management and farmers’ preferred selection traits when selecting breeding rams in four southern districts of Botswana. A total of 105 households; Kgatleng (n = 30), Kweneng (n = 27), southern (n = 24) and south–east (n = 24) districts were interviewed using structured questionnaire. An index-based approach was used to rank farmers’ most preferred traits for their production systems. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The Chi-square test was used to assess the statistical significance among categorical variables. The results indicated that indigenous Tswana sheep are mainly kept by males, single people, aged between 51 and 60 years possessing primary and secondary education. Management practices across the districts include castration, health care and supplementation mostly during the dry season. Superior fitness traits of indigenous Tswana rams over exotic rams were considered more important when selecting breeding rams in Kgatleng, Kweneng and south–east while in the southern district, rams were mainly selected based on body size. Most farmers kept breeding rams while those who did not keep rams depended on communal rams for service. This information is important in designing successful breeding programs and strategies for the conservation and sustainable utilization of indigenous Tswana sheep genetic resources.

Risk factors associated with endometritis in zero-grazed dairy cows on smallholder farms in Rwanda

Clinical endometritis (CLE) and subclinical endometritis (SCLE) manifesting at the cow- and herd-levels has been associated with multiple risk factors (RFs), but hardly are RFs with direct influences separated from those with mediated indirect influences. This study identified and quantified the direct and indirect associations of cow- and herd-levels RFs with CLE and SCLE cases observed among 466 zero-grazed dairy cows that were in their 21-60 days postpartum (dpp). The cases were observed in a cross-sectional survey of smallholder farms (n = 370) in Rwanda. The direct and indirect associations were constructed with odds ratio (OR) derived from multiple logistic regression modelling. The cow-level RFs that had direct positive association with CLE and SCLE were the season of calving (OR: 5.0, 2.1), dystocia (OR: 1.9, 2.2), poor body condition score (OR: 4.1, 2.2), stillbirth (OR: 3.5, 3.3), and retained placenta (OR: 1.4, 1.8) while mastitis (OR: 2.5) and parity (OR: 1.5) had a direct positive association with SCLE. Breed and parity of cow, sex of calf, and twin births had indirect positive association with both CLE and SCLE cases. At the herd-level, unhygienic cowshed (OR: 25.1, 8.9) had direct positive association with both CLE and SCLE cases. In contrast, earthen floor cowshed (OR: 6.6) and large herd size (OR: 3.1) had direct positive association with CLE and not using bedding materials (OR: 1.5) had direct positive association with SCLE. Herd-level RFs that showed indirect positive association with both CLE and SCLE cases were farm size (OR: 2.9) and farmer's experience in dairying (OR: 1.7) while housing cows within the first 30 dpp (OR: 0.1) showed indirect negative association. These results show which RFs have strong direct and indirect influences on CLE and SCLE cases at the cow- and herd-levels. Effective management of those RFs should be a priority in extension education and services to enable smallholder farmers effectively manage them to prevent and control endometritis among their zero-grazed dairy cows.

Influence of endometritis on milk yield of zero-grazed dairy cows on smallholder farms in Rwanda

Endometritis being a post-partum uterine infection in dairy cows is likely with substantial production loss through reduction in milk yield (MY), discarded milk during treatment and withdrawal period, and increased cost of veterinary treatment. This study quantified the influence of endometritis on MY of zero-grazed dairy cows managed on smallholder farms in Rwanda. The study enrolled a total of 461 cows within their 21 to 60 days in milk to examine for clinical endometritis (CLE) and subclinical endometritis (SCLE). A cow was considered having endometritis if it was positive for at least one test (CLE or SCLE), otherwise was negative. The MY data were collected prospectively from endometritis positive and negative cows for 30-day post-endometritis diagnosis. Compared to cows negative for endometritis, the positive endometritis cows were 2.4 times more (29.7 vs. 70.3%) with daily MY 15.3% lower (7.5 ± 0.2 vs. 8.9 ± 0.3 litres; p<0.05), representing a reduction of 1.4 ± 0.2 litres of milk/cow/day. Of the CLE positive cows, 33.4% (104/311) were treated using different veterinary drugs, which resulted in 23.5% more discarded milk compared (p<0.05) to untreated positive cows. Discarded milk was higher (p<0.05) among cows treated with oxytetracycline (65.9 ± 4.4 litres) compared to cows treated with procaine penicillin G and dihydrostreptomycin (35.5 ± 2.7 litres). The percentage of total milk loss was much higher (45.6%) among CLE positive cows that received treatment compared to the untreated cows (16.3%). These results demonstrate a strong association between MY loss and endometritis. A timely diagnosis and treatment of the disease is recommended using conventional veterinary drugs that have zero withholding time for milk to reduce the MY loss and associated economic loss, estimated at 154 US$ in a lactation.

Diversity and Resilience to Socio-Ecological Changes of Smallholder Lagune Cattle Farming Systems of Benin

The indigenous smallholder Lagune breed and the production systems in which it is embedded in Southern Benin have received very little research or policy attention. Consequently, very little information exists on the diversity of these production systems or on their capacity to adapt to ongoing socio-economic and environmental changes. This study aimed to explore and characterize the diversity of Lagune cattle production systems along with farmers’ local knowledge and resilience strategies. A questionnaire was administered to 417 Lagune cattle farmers across two agro-ecological zones: Ouémé Valley (OVZ) and Pobe (PZ). It included, inter alia, questions related to households’ socio-economic conditions, their cattle herd characteristics, and management practices. Categorical principal component analysis and the two-step clustering method were used to classify the production systems which were then compared using the chi-square and ANOVA procedures. Four distinct farm types were identified. This study revealed the important role of agroecology in the diversity of farmers’ breeding practices. Controlled mating was more common in tethering systems whereas uncontrolled mating, widespread in free-roaming systems, has favored Lagune breed admixture with zebus. Opportunities for conserving the genetic diversity within the Lagune breed might be greater in PZ where breed admixture was almost inexistent.