Non Conventional Livestock for Better Livelihood: Prospects of Domestic Cavy in Mixed Production Systems of Tanzania

Similar to majority of Sub-Saharan African countries, Tanzania depends largely on small and large ruminants, poultry and seafood to meet its animal protein needs. While most of the nonconventional protein sources are hunted, domestication of some of the species is equally promoted because hunting harvests cannot provide sustainable and affordable meats. Meanwhile, there have been growing demands for white meats, especially among the middle and high income population classes, exacerbated by changes in eating and living habits. Recent reports have identified domestic cavy (Cavia porcellus L.) as a right delicacy. This small pseudo ruminant that is also referred to as guinea pig or as Pimbi or Simbilisi in Kiswahili, is adopted in rural and urban households in Tanzania. This paper highlights on prospects of production of cavies focusing on the mixed production systems of Central Tanzania, where identified farmers keep a few cavy families either in own pens in a compound or within living houses of owners. Results indicated that farmers have such major reasons as keeping cavies for food (37%) or cash income (33%). Inadequate knowledge on improved husbandry practices was the most limiting constraint (38%) in the study sites where cavy keeping hinges on local knowledge and locally available feed resources. Therefore, innovative approaches and more attention from research and extension services are called for to improve production, consumption and marketing of cavies and other non-conventional meat sources as stipulated in the national livestock policy

Calf health and management in smallholder dairy farms in Tanzania

Smallholder farmers’ knowledge and practice of dairy calf management on 129 farms with calves less than 10 months of age in Southeastern and Southern Highland areas of Tanzania was assessed. The method of study included both a farm visit and completion of a questionnaire. Most of the farmers were female, with a primary level of education, and majority kept 1–3 milking cows that yielded 6–10 l milk/cow/day. Most of the calves were fed milk using a residual calf suckling system. Weaning age was 3–8 months. Overall, the body condition of the calves was poor, ranged from 1 to 2.5 with a mode of 2. The majority of the farmers believed that helminthosis was the most common disease condition affecting the calves; diarrhea was ranked as the second. Calf death was reported by 20% of the farmers to have occurred in their herd lasting the 2 years prior to the study. Calf body condition score was related to body weight for calves younger than 9 weeks, and older than 23 weeks of age, whereas no such relationship existed in the age group 9 to 23 weeks. The sex distribution was skewed with less male calves being older than 23 weeks. We hypothesize that male calves experience inferior management compared with female calves. This study demonstrates a low level of knowledge on, and poor practices of calf management among the surveyed farmers that suggest the need for educational intervention

The use of indigenous knowledge in weather and climate prediction in Mahenge and Ismani wards, Tanzania

This paper discusses the role of indigenous knowledge (IK) in weather and climate prediction in Mahenge and Ismani wards focusing on Safari Road and Mahenge Mjini villages in Mahenge; and Uhominyi and Ismani Tarafani villages in Ismani. The perception of local communities about climate change is assessed. Local environmental and astronomical indicators used by local communities in weather and climate prediction are identified and documented. A team of five IK experts in both Mahenge and Ismani was identified and assigned the task of making continuous observations of the IK indicators and producing seasonal rainfall forecast for the purpose of testing the accuracy and reliability of IK. Key informant interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) approaches were used in data collection regarding existing IK in weather forecast. A total of 120 respondents were interviewed in study Mahenge and Ismani wards respectively. A Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used for data analysis. More than 83% of the respondents were found to be aware of climate change. Plant phenology, particularly that of mango trees was found to be the most used indicator in both wards. An assessment of the forecasted and observed 2011/2012 seasonal rainfall indicates comparable results.This article is also published in a Proceedings of the first Climate Change Impacts, Mitigation and Adaptation Programme Scientific Conference, 2012Royal Norwegian Governmen

A Phylogeographic Analysis of Porcine Parvovirus 1 in Africa

Porcine parvovirus 1 (PPV1) is recognized as a major cause of reproductive failure in pigs, leading to several clinical outcomes globally known as SMEDI. Despite being known since the late 1960s its circulation is still of relevance to swine producers. Additionally, the emergence of variants such as the virulent 27a strain, for which lower protection induced by vaccines has been demonstrated, is of increasing concern. Even though constant monitoring of PPV1 using molecular epidemiological approaches is of pivotal importance, viral sequence data are scarce especially in low-income countries. To fill this gap, a collection of 71 partial VP2 sequences originating from eight African countries (Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tanzania) during the period 2011–2021 were analyzed within the context of global PPV1 variability. The observed pattern largely reflected what has been observed in high-income regions, i.e., 27a-like strains were more frequently detected than less virulent NADL-8-like strains. A phylogeographic analysis supported this observation, highlighting that the African scenario has been largely shaped by multiple PPV1 importation events from other continents, especially Europe and Asia. The existence of such an international movement coupled with the circulation of potential vaccine-escape variants requires the careful evaluation of the control strategies to prevent new strain introduction and persistence