Synergies of animal welfare and agroforestry to benefit farming systems in Ethiopia
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Item Protecting people, animals and the environment through responsible pesticide use: Workshop report(Report, 2024-08-30) Gelan, Eyob; Alemayehu, Gezahegn; Berhe, Tsega; Doyle, RebeccaItem Herd health, animal welfare and managing rangeland for veterinarians and veterinary paraprofessionals in Miyo and Moyale districts, Borana, Ethiopia: Training report(Report, 2024-08-20) Gelan, Eyob; Berhe, Tsega; Molu, J.; Mokria, Mulugeta; Alemayehu, Gezahegn; Doyle, RebeccaItem Farmers' co-learning for effective agroforestry and improved animal welfare in Humbo District, Ethiopia(Report, 2024-06-06) Berhe, Tsega; Gelan, Eyob; Mokria, Mulugeta; Alemayehu, Gezahegn; Doyle, RebeccaThe International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) is implementing the the Scaling Agroforestry to Benefit the Welfare of Animals and their Owners in Ethiopia (SAWA) project to improve food security, income and well-being for families by integrating livestock in sustainable agroecological practices. Running from 2022–2024, the key component of the SAWA Ethiopia project is facilitating farmers’ co-learning platforms to enhance understanding and practice of agroforestry and animal welfare. The co-learning sessions are strategically organized to facilitate collaborative learning. This includes creating real ‘communities of practice’ where farmers share their experiences, learn from each other and expand their social networks, thereby collaboratively generating knowledge. This approach is aimed at reducing gaps in knowledge and experience, as well as observing changes in awareness among farmers. Building linkages among farming groups provides checks and balances that can be applied on the spot, rather than waiting to learn from other sources. Furthermore, co-learning uses locally available knowledge and resources to make workflow more efficient. ILRI, in collaboration with World Agroforestry (ICRAF) and local partners, conducted the farmers’ co-learning initiative on agroforestry and animal welfare in four ‘kebeles’ (wards) of Humbo District. SAWA project beneficiaries were organized into groups so that they could actively participate in research and decision-making on agroforestry. The project also served as a platform for farmers to improve community well-being through the implementation of actions that effect positive change. This report presents the methodology employed, key learnings and insights gathered from the co-learning process, and outlines the way forward. Ultimately, this report seeks continuous follow-up and support from government experts and project partners in helping communities develop sustainable and locally adapted solutions that improve livelihoods and enhance agroecosystem resilience.Item Development and validation of animal welfare knowledge, attitude, and practice assessment tool among smallholder farmers in Ethiopia(Poster, 2022-08) Ayalew, Gezahegn; Berhe, Tsega; Mekonnen, Mesfin; Gelan, Eyob; Wieland, Barbara; Knight-Jones, Theodore J.D.; Doyle, RebeccaObjective: To develop and validate an assessment tool to measure knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) towards animal welfare among smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. Materials and methods: This study was conducted among smallholder crop-livestock farmers and pastoralists in four districts of Ethiopia. The KAP questions covered a range of species and welfare topics including health and nutrition, resource availability, and behavioral and mental state dimensions of animal welfare. Item response theory models were fitted to the data from reliable items to estimate the probability of correctly answering an item as a function of the respondents’ KAP level. Graphs depicting the discriminating ability and precision of an item across different levels of the latent trait were plotted. Results: A total of 197 respondents provided information on the set of 34 animal welfare KAP items. Overall, the highest correct mean score was recorded for the attitude section (77%) and the lowest was recorded for practice (25%). From the evaluation, the majority of the items from the Animal welfare KAP fit well with the scale. The discriminating ability of the scales was varied across the latent ability of the respondents. The knowledge and practice scale did well at identifying smallholder farmers with average and above-average trait levels while the attitude scale did well at discriminating between smallholder farmers with average and below-average trait levels. Crop-livestock farmers had a better animal welfare knowledge level than pastoralists (P<0.001). Many of the items in the knowledge section responded differently between crop-livestock farmers and pastoralists which shows the lack of an equal understanding of animal welfare among these groups. Conclusion: The developed questionnaire had a satisfactory psychometric property for measuring animal welfare KAP in Ethiopian smallholder farmers. This tool will be used to measure the impact of current and future intervention.Item Community animators training on agroforestry for improved livelihood and animal welfare in Dugda and Humbo districts, Ethiopia(Report, 2023-10-15) Berhe, Tsega; Gelan, Eyob; Alemayehu, Gezahegn; Mokria, Mulugeta; Negeyo, D.; Tilahun, M.; Haji, S.; Abiso, T.; Girma, M.; Doyle, RebeccaItem How and why animal welfare concerns evolve in developing countries(Journal Article, 2023-02-23) Parlasca, M.; Knößlsdorfer, I.; Alemayehu, Gezahegn; Doyle, RebeccaImplications In developing countries, animal welfare concerns do not receive the same recognition as they do in higher-income countries, from policy and law, through to consumer awareness and purchasing options. While traditional farmers often have close bonds with their animals, knowledge and action gaps often limit more animal-friendly production. In some developing countries, livestock production has already largely commercialized and intensified. In these countries, citizens are becoming increasingly aware and sensitive to animal welfare issues, but animal welfare does not yet affect purchasing decisions. Future scenarios with higher animal welfare are possible, but will require joint efforts by various stakeholders in the livestock sector. Overall, much more research on animal welfare perceptions in developing countries is needed.Item Animal health and welfare for sustainable livestock systems(Report, 2022-12-13) Magnusson, Ulf; Boqvist, S.; Doyle, Rebecca; Robinson, T.Over the last 30 years, the consumption of meat, milk and eggs in low- and middle-income (LMICs) countries has more than doubled (FAOSTAT, accessed 28/5/21). Population growth, urbanization, income gains and globalization continue to fuel the growth. Many people in LMICs do not have sufficient high quality protein in their diets (FAO et al., 2020); a problem that could be rectified through improved access to animal-source foods. Many in high- income countries (HICs), conversely, eat too much animal-sourced foods. Policies and information campaigns should promote healthy diets for all.Item Animal welfare knowledge, attitudes, and practices among livestock holders in Ethiopia(Journal Article, 2022-11-07) Alemayehu, Gezahegn; Berhe, Tsega; Gelan, Eyob; Mokria, M.; Jaldessa, J.; Molu, J.; Wieland, Barbara; Knight-Jones, Theodore J.D.; Doyle, RebeccaImproving animal welfare is a human responsibility and influenced by a person's values and experiences. Thus, it is critical to have an in-depth understanding of the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of animal welfare among animal owners. For livestock in Ethiopia, the greatest proportion of livestock are reared by pastoral and mixed crop-livestock communities. A cross-sectional survey covering a range of species and animal welfare aspects was carried out on a total of 197 household (117 pastoral and 80 crop-livestock owners) and recorded information on 34 animal welfare KAP items. Item response theory models (IRT) were fitted to the data from KAP items to estimate the probability of correctly answering an item. This was used as a function of the respondents' KAP level. Overall, the highest percentage of desirable scores was recorded for the knowledge scale (35.7%) and the lowest was for the practice scale (24.6%). A significant correlation (P < 0.01) was found between knowledge of the farmers and their attitude toward animal welfare and self-reported practices. Generally, households practicing mixed crop-livestock farming system had better animal welfare knowledge, attitude, and practice than pastoralist. Mixed crop-livestock farmers had better knowledge on items related to observing the nutrition condition of the animal, animal-human relationship, the importance of water, and health inspection compared to pastoralists. In contrast, pastoralists had better knowledge of items related to natural behavior expression, animal care, and animal suffering than mixed crop-livestock farmers. Pastoralists had 3.3-times higher odds than mixed crop-livestock farmers to have a positive attitude to train their animals without beating. KAP scores demonstrate the need for targeted training to improve animal well-being (i.e., housing, management, nutrition, disease prevention and treatment, responsible care, humane handling) across livestock holding communities in Ethiopia.Item Community conversations on synergies of animal welfare and agroforestry systems: A guide to facilitators(Manual, 2022-09-30) Berhe, Tsega; Alemayehu, Gezahegn; Gelan, Eyob; Lemma, Mamusha; Wieland, Barbara; Mokria, Mulugeta; Mekonnen, Mesfin; Doyle, RebeccaItem Using community conversations to explore animal welfare perceptions and practices of rural households in Ethiopia(Journal Article, 2022-09-26) Lemma, Mamusha; Doyle, Rebecca; Alemayehu, Gezahegn; Mekonnen, Mesfin; Kumbe, A.; Wieland, BarbaraThere is a scarcity of data on animal welfare and its impact on livelihoods to inform animal welfare initiatives in Ethiopia. Perceptions and practices of rural households toward animal welfare are influenced by socio-cultural, demographic, and agroecological factors. We conducted Community Conversations in two geographically and culturally diverse regions of Ethiopia to explore the attitudes and practices of rural households regarding animal welfare and its impact on livelihoods. Community Conversations are facilitated dialogues among rural households to explore their perceptions, practices, constraints, and needs and identify and co-create solutions to improve the welfare of their animals. We used single- and mixed-sex discussion groups to understand community members' gendered perceptions of animal welfare and influence their attitudes and practices toward gender-equitable roles in animal welfare management. In the Community Conversations, community members readily described the biological needs of their animals but there was also a good acknowledgment of the behavioral and affective state needs of animals. Identified constraints for animal welfare included feed and water shortage, limited veterinary support, and poor animal handling practices. Community members described the welfare of their animals as being intertwined with their own livelihoods and identified productive, public health, and non-economic benefits of good animal welfare. Raising awareness of animal welfare within rural communities through Community Conversations is a useful way to both identify livestock production needs as well as engage community members in making practical improvements in animal welfare. The understanding of perceptions, practices, and needs of rural households in animal welfare helps engage communities in starting behavioral change and provides insights into developing context-specific welfare improvement interventions. Community Conversations are also an effective way to feedback community voices into planning to build a bottom-up implementation of animal welfare programs.Item What is Animal Welfare?(Poster, 2022-06-30) International Livestock Research InstituteItem The role of animal welfare in improving the future of farming(Journal Article, 2022-05-26) Doyle, Rebecca; Campbell, A.J.D.; Dione, Michel M.; Woodruff, M.; Muñoz, Camila; Alemayehu, Gezahegn; Berhe, Tsega; Knight-Jones, Theodore J.D.Context: Animal production plays a critical role in many global challenges around sustainability, including climate change and resilience, One Health and food security. With this role comes pressures on livestock welfare. Aims: This paper demonstrates key contributions animal welfare makes to global sustainability challenges. Methods: This paper highlights ‘win–win’ improvements for both animal welfare and other aspects of sustainability by using the following four case studies: tail docking Australian sheep, agroforestry systems in Ethiopia, the Australian dairy-beef industry, and strategic feeding of goats in Pakistan. Key results: These case studies show how animal welfare can be improved alongside livelihoods. However, even in these win–win situations, the adoption of improved practices is not guaranteed. Conclusions: Long-term, sustained change in animal welfare can simultaneously make in roads to other challenges around sustainability. To do this, we must have a broader understanding of the system in which the animals are raised, so that barriers to change can be identified. Implications: Lessons from these case studies can be applied to other production contexts and challenges, highlighting the universal value of understanding and addressing animal welfare.Item Community conversation on synergies of animal welfare and agroforestry in Humbo District, Wolaita Zone(Report, 2022-03-30) Alemayehu, Gezahegn; Gelan, Eyob; Berhe, Tsega; Doyle, RebeccaItem Synergies of Animal Welfare and Agroforestry (SAWA). Workshop report(Report, 2022-03-15) Gelan, Eyob; Alemayehu, Gezahegn; Berhe, Tsega; Doyle, RebeccaItem Synergies of Animal Welfare and Agroforestry in Ethiopia (SAWA)(Presentation, 2021-09-15) Berhe, Tsega; Alemayehu, Gezahegn; Mokria, Mulugeta; Doyle, Rebecca; Schelling, E.; Ismail, Z.; Belay, K.; Mekonnen, Mesfin; Wieland, BarbaraItem Animal welfare and agroforestry in Ethiopia(Presentation, 2021-11-02) Doyle, RebeccaItem Silvopastoralism and welfare of farmed animals in Ethiopia(Presentation, 2021-09-01) Alemayehu, Gezahegn; Berhe, Tsega; Gelan, Eyob; Mokria, M.; Doyle, RebeccaItem Synergies of Animal Welfare and Agroforestry (SAWA): Field research manual(Manual, 2021-07-15) Berhe, Tsega; Mekonnen, Mesfin; Doyle, Rebecca; Wieland, Barbara; Mokria, Mulugeta; Njamba, Harrison; Alemayehu, Gezahegn