Wealth, household heterogeneity and livelihood diversification of Fulani pastoralists in the Kachia Grazing Reserve, northern Nigeria, during a period of social transition

A mixed methods study was undertaken in the Kachia Grazing Reserve of northern Nigeria. Surveys in March, June and October 2011 included focus group discussions, key informant and in-depth household interviews, concerning livelihood practices, animal health, ownership, and productivity. In May 2011, 249 Fulani families fleeing post-election violence entered the reserve with their livestock, increasing the number of households by one third.Despite being settled within a grazing reserve, over half of households sent all their cattle away on seasonal transhumance and another third sent some away. Cattle accounted for 96% of total tropical livestock units (TLU), of which 26% were cattle kept permanently outside the reserve. While all households cited livestock as their main source of income, 90% grew crops and 55% derived income from off-farm activities. A multiple correspondence analysis showed that for each extra member of a household its TLU value increased by 2.0 [95% CI, 1.4-2.7], while for each additional marriage its TLU increased by 15.7 [95% CI, 7.1-24.3]. A strong association was also observed between small herds, small households with only one wife, alongside marked geographical wealth differences within the reserve. New immigrant families had larger household sizes (33) and livestock holdings (122 TLU) than old settlers (22 people and 67 TLU). Prior to the mass immigration, the distribution of TLU per person was unimodal: 41% of households were classified as 'poor' and 27% as 'medium', whereas post-immigration it was bi-modal, with 26% classified as 'very poor' and 28% as 'medium'.While cattle remain the principal source of Fulani income and wealth, the inhabitants of Kachia Grazing Reserve have diversified their livelihood strategies to respond to changing circumstances and stress, especially the limited availability of grazing within the reserve and political insecurity outside, resulting in continued transhumance, the maintenance of smaller livestock holdings and pushing households into poverty

Prevalence of Trypanosome in sheep and goats in the Kachia grazing reserve of Kaduna state, North west of Nigeria

No AbstractBulletin of Animal Health and Production in Africa Vol. 54 (4) 2006: pp. 306-30

Molecular characterization of bovine trypanosomes from the Kachia Grazing Reserve, north-west Nigeria

Primers (Kin 1 and Kin 2) designed to amplify the internal transcribed spacer1 (ITS1) of ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA) and serve as a universal diagnostic test for all pathogenic trypanosomes were further evaluated for polymerise chain reaction (PCR) diagnosis and characterization of liveestock trypanosomes. Blood samples collected from 121 cattle and 3 sheep from the Kachia Grazing Reserve, north-west Nigeria in February 2005 were examined for the presence of trypanosomes using the Buffy coat technique and Giemsathin bloodfilms. 36 cattle were found positive for trypanosomes: 33 with Trypanosoma vivax, 2 with T. congolense and one mixed infection of T. congolense and T. vivax; in sheep 2 of T. vivax and one T. brucei infection. DNA extracted from all positive samples and 86 negative samples were subjected to PCR amplification using the ITS1 primers. The PCR assay allowed detection and characterization of three Trypanosoma livestock species namely T. vivax, 13 of 33 was positive; T. congolense forest, 1 of 2 and 1 T. b. brucei. The sizes of base pairs were 147 bp, 710 bp and 480 bp. respectively. The one mixed infection was detected the way it was as T. congolense and T. vivax plus another mixed infection of T. congolense and T. vivax, which was not revealed by the buffy coat. In the 86- trypanosome negative samples, 82 (95.3%) were still negative while 4 (4.7% were detected with T. vivax infection. Overall, the sensitivity of the ITS1 primers PCR detection was 42.9% and specificity 95.3%. The study concludes that the ITS1 primers are adequate for type characterization of livestock trypanosomes through a single PCR, thus saving cost. For diagnostic purposes, improvement in primer designs for enhancing T. vivax detection in field samples is suggested. Keywords: polymerase chain reaction, primers (Kin 1 and Kin 2), internal transcribed spacer 1(ITS1), ribosomal DNA, African animal trypanosomes. Nigerian Journal of Parasitology Vol. 29 (2) 2008: pp. 98-10