Journal of Animal Health and Behavioural Science

Major Trade Sensitive Diseases and Problems in the Afar's Dromedary Camels Market Chain and its Impact on Livelihood of the Pastoral Community in Afar Region, North East Ethiopia

Abstract

Samrawit Melkamu*, Angesom Hadush, Teshager Dubale and Mulat Asrat

A Participatory epidemiological study was carried out to identify the most economically important trade-sensitive diseases which constrain trade and to quantify and rank the major diseases along the camel market chain originating from Afar pastoral community. A retrospective case-control study design was used to collect data on trade-sensitive disease problems in the market chains using epidemiological techniques of a semi-structured interview, disease ranking, and matrix scoring. Information was collected from producers, key informants, and participants in the Camel market chains. Purposive sampling was used to select a total of 153 producers, 29 traders, and 7exporters were interviewed with separate semi-structured questionnaires to collect information on the quality constraints of a traded camel along the export market chain. Adiatu, Aysaita, Awash 7, Elewha, Chifra, Gedamayetu, Endufo, and Logia and Adama-Mojoquarantine stations were selected purposely. The collected data was coded, managed, and validated in an excel spreadsheet. The level of agreement between informant groups was assessed using Kendal’s coefficient of concordance (W) calculated using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, 2007). The income sources of the Afara pastoralists were livestock (79.3%) and mixed (livestock and integrated) (20.7%). In the present survey majority of respondents (74.6%) used camels as a milking production system; social status (13.4%); source of income (9.3) and only 2.7% used for another social purpose. The most important diseases in Afar originated camels were camelpox (36.8%), trypanosomiasis (21.5%), pasteurellosis (12.8%), mange mites(9.4%), Anthrax (6.7%), ticks (5.2%), skin wound (4.3%), Capparis Tomentesa poisoning (1.9%), and lice (1.4%), are the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighteenth ranked respectively. The Afars’ camels are not preferred for export trade and local users because of their poor body condition and disease problems.