African Medical Sociology | 17 June 2006
Impact Evaluation of Agricultural Extension Programmes on Livestock Health Practices Among Smallholder Farmers in Zimbabwean Provinces,
S, a, m, s, o, n, S, i, m, b, a, ,, M, p, h, o, M, u, l, e, n, g, a, ,, C, h, a, k, u, f, w, a, C, h, i, y, o, n, g, o
Abstract
Agricultural extension programmes are crucial for improving livestock health practices among smallholder farmers in rural areas of developing countries. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, including surveys and focus group discussions to assess changes in farmers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards livestock health. Data were collected from 200 smallholder farmers across three provinces of Zimbabwe. Farmers showed significant improvement (p < 0.05) in their use of vaccines for livestock diseases after participation in extension programmes, indicating a positive impact on disease prevention strategies. Agricultural extension programmes significantly enhance smallholder farmers' knowledge and practices regarding livestock health care. Further research should explore the long-term sustainability of these interventions and their scalability to other regions. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p<em>i)=\beta</em>0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.