The Sunday News
Mhlupheki Dube
IN my line of duty, I interact a lot with communal livestock farmers and I can safely say that I understand and identify with this critical sector of livestock production more than I do the commercial sector.
This is the sector where you clearly see the impact of inadequate or inaccessible extension services. A sector where farmers cannot access import services such as postmortem for their dead animal because the veterinary office is not only too far but it is also extremely incapacitated due to lack of resources.
This week’s article seeks to whisper into the ears of the powers that be to consider decentralising extension services, especially the veterinary services to as close to the communal farmers as possible.
I mention specifically the veterinary services because it is the department which deals with matters that can make a difference between a farmer losing his animal or saving it.
Just to illustrate my point, during the course of the past week I received a call from a farmer in Village 23 of Dombolefu Ward in Bulilima District about a dystocia case which had gone on for close to 24 hours and the calf was now dead and still inside the cow.
I was in Hwange District in Jambezi Ward and I could not be that useful. The farmer was now frantically trying to save his cow from an imminent death and the next veterinary officer who could help was 40 kilometres away.
While an Agritex or Livestock Production Department officer may be available, half the time they are clueless when it comes to procedures such as assisting a dystocia case or dealing with a uterine prolapse case.
My point is that if we are to properly serve our communal farmers we need to increase accessibility of the veterinary department so that they can be available to farmers as and when they need their services.
Management issues such as castration, dehorning and dosing are important but do not present themselves in urgent format.
It’s not the same as a farmer coming to report that “I have a cow that is just shivering and it’s no longer feeding. My cow is just lying down and it won’t rise, my cow continuously goes on heat” and so on. These are very pertinent and common issues that are raised by communal farmers and they speak to the animal health management which is a core function of the veterinary department.
I therefore implore this very important department to provide animal health education to farmers on a regular basis so that farmers can respond to some of the ailments in their herds. Rather than waiting for FMD outbreaks and tormenting farmers with punitive movement restrictions, the broader animal health curriculum can be provided to farmers as a service, not punishment.
I train communal farmers every time and almost all the questions they ask are related to the health of their herd which is a clear indication that there is a gap to be filled.
It will be nice to see the veterinary department holding communal farmer trainings on animal health because they know it’s their mandate not because they are being seduced by donor allowances!
Also there is usually an uncomfortable generalisation where smallholder communal farmers are regarded as care free when it comes to the health of their animals.
This is not entirely true as interaction with farmers will show you that they want to do correct things but at times the knowledge is missing and the services are far away. At times farmers end up using unorthodox means to treat their animals because the drugs and medicines required are simply too far.
An example is the simple eye infection which can be treated by an ointment which costs just a dollar but because it is only found in Bulawayo farmers end up burning the whole circumference of the eye with a hot iron ring. This works and there is a scientific explanation to it but the cruelty that is inflicted to the animal is unimaginable. I have seen animals with a deformed vulva because farmers did a rudimentary caesarian on the cow during a dystocia case which simply needed a veterinary professional to assist the cow. Uyabonga umntakaMaKhumalo.
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