Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems (Oct 2024)

UNDERSTANDING DAIRY SMALLHOLDERS’ INTENTION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CONTROL AND ERADICATION OF BOVINE BRUCELLOSIS

  • Jose Alberto Albiter-Albiter,
  • Carlos Manuel Arriaga-Jordán,
  • Peter Dorward,
  • Adolfo Armando Rayas-Amor,
  • Carlos Galdino Martínez García

DOI
https://doi.org/10.56369/tsaes.5410
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 27, no. 3

Abstract

Read online

Background: Brucellosis (Brucella abortus) is a disease that affects cattle and has a significant economic impact on the livelihood of farmers in developing countries. Objective: The research aimed to understand the dairy smallholders’ intention to participate in the national campaign to control and eradicate bovine brucellosis in Aculco, State of Mexico. Methodology: The study was conducted with 196 farmers who were already engaged in the campaign. The reasoned action approach (RAA) was used as a theoretical framework, and Spearman rank-order correlations were used to analyze the data. Results: The results showed that farmers firmly intended to participate in the campaign in the next 12 months. The intention was associated with farmers’ years of experience as milk producers and perception of the importance and usefulness of the campaign in addition to farm characteristics. Farmers’ intention was also related to positive beliefs (drivers), such as participation in the campaign, preventing the disease in the herd, enabling access to government support and subsidies, and avoiding spreading the disease to people. Other social referents such as veterinarians, farmers, and farmers’ sons also played an important role in farmers’ intentions. A couple of significant constraints were identified: the lack of financial resources, communication between farmers and personnel in charge of the campaign. Implications: The study provided insights to improve extension activities towards small-scale dairy farmers to participate in the national campaign of control and eradication of bovine brucellosis. Conclusion: the three components of the RAA (attitude, perceived norms, and perceived behavioral control) were strong predictors of farmers’ intention to participate in the brucellosis eradication campaign. They enabled the factors influencing farmers’ intentions to be explored more deeply.

Keywords