Samir Messad

Multivariate analysis of management and biosecurity practices in smallholder pig farms in Madagascar

A cross-sectional study was carried out in 2005 and 2006 in three geographical areas of Madagascar to investigate and differentiate swine farm management and biosecurity practices in smallholder farming communities. Questionnaire data from a total of 709 pig farms were analysed using multiple factor analysis (MFA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). Variables describing management and biosecurity practices were organised into five groups: structure of the farm, animal-contacts, person- and vehicle-contacts, feeding, and sanitary aspects. In general, few biosecurity measures were implemented in the pig farms included in the study. Regional differences in management and biosecurity practices emerged from the MFA and were mainly due to, in order of decreasing importance: structure of the farm, sanitary aspects, feeding and animal-contacts and, to a lesser extent, person- and vehicle-contacts. HCA resulted in the differentiation of four distinct types of farms in each of two study areas, Arivonimamo and Marovoay, while no grouping could be identified amongst farms in Ambatondrazaka area. The characterisation of the different types of smallholder pig farms will allow adapting recommendations on husbandry practices and control measures in pig farms of these regions of Madagascar. The development of tailored recommendations is essential for Malagasy smallholders who have limited resources and need to make evidence-based management changes to reduce the risk of contagious diseases in their herds.

A comparison of dairy cattle systems in an irrigated perimeter and in a suburban region: case study from Morocco.

Multivariate analyses were used to compare dairy production practices and their consequences on milk yield and profitability in cattle farms from two representative regions of Morocco. A regular follow-up of 118 farms (48 in the Rabat-Salé suburban belt and 70 in the Gharb irrigated perimeter) was undertaken to obtain accurate data. Results show significant differences between the two regions. Intensive milk production was more frequent in the suburban zone (more concentrates and better annual milk yield per cow). When conducting a “within-region” principal components analysis, farms’ discrimination appeared to take into account all management variables (feeding, cattle sales, profitability), with no reference to farms’ structural parameters (arable land and number of cattle). A typology of farms was then established using cluster analysis, with 4 distinct groups, namely: a) concentrates wasters, b) farms with a relatively important milk yield per cow, c) deficit dairy farms and d) beef oriented farms. The last group included almost exclusively farms from the irrigated perimeter (5 out of 7). These results indicate that dairy production promotion in Morocco requires more than just the intensification of forage production, but should focus also on improving management practices. The extension of complete and balanced dairy rations is urgently needed to enhance milk yield and profitability.

Mortality and Offtake Rates

Mortality and offtake rates, as other rates that will be described in Chap. 4, can represent two distinct parameters: a probability (say p) or a hazard rate (say h). Although definitions for p and h are often presented as preliminaries in statistical books [42–44], this is less common in tropical livestock literature, except in few specialized documents [45, 46]. For instance, both ILCA and CIRAD manuals, published in the 1990s, on research methods for tropical farming systems [10, 11] do not provide a clear distinction between p and h, while they represent different parameters. As an example, mortality rates for the four animals presented in Fig. 3.1 can be calculated by:

Other Demographic Rates

p=\frac{2}{4}=0.50

Livelihood strategies and the role of livestock in the processes of adaptation to drought in the Coastal Zone of Western Desert (Egypt)

h=\frac{2}{\left(50+365+365+280\right)/365}=0.69/\mathrm{year}