Heifer International (also known as Heifer Project International) is a global nonprofit working to eradicate poverty and hunger through sustainable, values-based holistic community development. Heifer International distributes animals, along with agricultural and values-based training, to families in need around the world as a means of providing self-sufficiency. Recipients must agree to "pass on the gift" by donating animal offspring, as well as sharing the skills and knowledge of animal husbandry and agricultural training with other impoverished families in the community.Based in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, Heifer International started with a shipment of 17 heifers to Puerto Rico in 1944.
IntroductionClimate-smart livestock (CSL) practices have the potential to boost food production while improving the resilience and environmental sustainability of agricultural systems in sub-Saharan Africa. However, their adoption rates in the region remain low. Focusing on Uganda as a case study, multivariate Probit and Tobit regression models were applied to determine the factors influencing the adoption of CSL practices by dairy farmers.MethodsData were collected from 626 cattle-keeping households located in southwestern, central and eastern Uganda. The Adoption and Diffusion Outcome Prediction Tool (ADOPT) was used to predict the peak adoption levels and the number of years to reach these for CSL practices. The CSL practices identified and considered were forage cultivation, artificial insemination, routine vaccination and planting trees.Results and DiscussionThe results showed that 37%, 14%, 45% and 19% of cattle-keeping households grew forage, used artificial insemination, carried out routine vaccination and planted trees respectively. Forage cultivation, artificial insemination use and planting trees were positively and significantly influenced by access to credit and keeping farm records. Use of artificial insemination was associated with higher milk revenues. The household head’s education level significantly influenced both the area allocated to forage cultivation and the number of trees planted. Households that allocated a large portion of their land to grazing cattle were less likely to grow forage and use artificial insemination. The number of trees planted was positively and significantly influenced by the age of the household head, household size, keeping farm records, access to credit and total adult equivalent (total number of working hours among adults per household). Forage cultivation and use of artificial insemination were practiced interdependently, pointing to the existence of complementarities and synergies between these two practices. The complementarities and synergies between both practices should be explored for increased adoption.ConclusionCSL practices should be introduced as a package of practices rather than as stand-alone practices, as their complementarities can enhance adoption. Development programs and policies should focus on improving access to credit, while investing in capacity building for record keeping, to increase the likelihood for adoption and intensification of CSL in the region.
Organic matter plays an important role in the health and productivity of soils, but its depletion is a common problem in households in low-income countries. This is due to lack of and competing uses for organic resources, and limited information on recycling methods. Therefore, here we review low-cost and labour-efficient innovations to improve recycling of organic wastes, stabilising residues so that soil organic matter can be increased with less inputs and enhancing nutrient content to produce a more effective organic fertiliser. Composting, anaerobic digestion and pyrolysis are all processes that stabilise organic matter. Innovations in treatments are needed to improve stabilization and control the release of nutrients so that they are available to crops in the right amounts and at the right time. This can be achieved by maintaining appropriate treatment conditions: for composting, carbon to nitrogen ratio 25–35, carbon to phosphorus ratio ∼50, pH 5.5–8.5 and 50%–60% moisture content; for anaerobic digestion, carbon to nitrogen ratio 20–35, bulk density 0.6–0.8 g cm ^−3 , lignin content < 7.5%, pH 6.8–7.4 and moisture content 85%–95%; and for pyrolysis, carbon to nitrogen > 40 and moisture content < 20%. Different methods to achieve these ideal conditions are discussed, including appropriate choice of treatment method, co-composting/co-digestion for ideal nutrient content, enhancing nutrients using collected urine, nitrogen-fixing plants, bioslurry or by inoculating with bacterial communities, absorbing excess nutrients on biochar, adjusting pH using wood ash or biochar, pre-treatment to break down lignin and cellulose, and designs to achieve ideal moisture and temperature. Innovations should also ensure that treatment processes do not overuse or compete with other important household resources, such as finances, water or labour. We draw together findings to identify methods with most potential to improve soils in low-income countries, providing decision tables to guide selection of approaches for different contexts.
Although respiratory disease of small ruminants manifests and responds similarly to respiratory disease of cattle, there is much less research and resources aimed at diagnosis and treatment. Limited vaccinations, diagnostic tests and approved pharmaceuticals make it a more challenging landscape to navigate for the practitioner. Despite this, similar approaches in case workup, treatment selection and monitoring can be utilized as with other species. A few diseases unique to small ruminants should be kept in mind, and proper drug usage should be in the forefront of practitioners’ minds when managing these cases.
BACKGROUND:Children, especially disadvantaged children in poor countries, were expected to be among the "biggest victims" of the Covid pandemic. Economic burdens, decreased nutritious foods, reduced medical care, school closures, and ill-health or death of family members were predicted to increase child undernutrition and developmental delays, and diminish home child-rearing quality. METHODS:A planned nutrition intervention could not be implemented due to Covid restrictions. However, three surveys (pre-Covid [December 2019], July 2021, and September 2021) in 280 Nepali households (309 parent-dyads, 368 children, 6-66 months old) collected demographics, child anthropometry and development (Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3 [ASQ-3]), and home child-rearing quality (caregiver engagement, learning resources, adult supervision [UNICEF's Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey]). Mixed-effect regression models adjusted for household (wealth, maternal education) and child factors (age, gender) and survey round. RESULTS:Height, mid-upper-arm circumference, and head circumference measurements improved over time. The total ASQ-3 score did not change: Communication scores increased while fine motor and personal-social scores declined. Girls' growth and development worsened more than boys. Caregiver engagement (especially mothers') generally declined, but learning resource availability increased. More children were left unsupervised at Round 2 than Round 1 or 3. CONCLUSIONS:In this sample, some aspects of child growth, development, and home child-rearing quality improved while others declined. Better understanding of these changes in child well-being and the family environment during the pandemic could provide insight on how to protect children during future crises.
The co-administration of commercial live fowlpox (FP) and Newcastle disease (ND) vaccines when given by non-invasive (needle-free) routes was demonstrated to be safe and to elicit immunity in two field studies, one in Tanzania the other in Nepal. Both studies were of a cluster-randomised controlled design in which birds were randomly assigned to one of five treatment groups: (i) administration with FP vaccine alone (feather follicle), (ii) administration with ND vaccine alone (eye-drop), (iii) concurrent administration of FP (feather follicle) and ND (eye-drop) vaccines, (iv) concurrent administration of FP (wing-web) and ND (eye-drop) vaccines, and (v) unvaccinated, acting as environmental sentinels. Data from a total of 1167 birds from seven villages in Hanang District of Tanzania together with 1037 birds from eleven villages in Dhading District of Nepal were collected over a period of 21 and 28 days, respectively. Immune responses to FP vaccination were evaluated by local take reactions, while those to ND vaccination were evaluated serologically by haemagglutination inhibition test. The two studies demonstrated that the concurrent vaccination of free-range, indigenous breeds of chicken with live FP and ND vaccines, both administered by non-invasive routes, was safe and induced immunity against FP and ND that were non-inferior to the administration of FP and ND vaccines alone. These findings are important to appropriately trained small-scale backyard poultry farmers as well as to paraprofessionals and community health workers helping to increase vaccine uptake and the control of both FP and ND in low- to middle-income countries.
