Local disease risk management practices and barriers to vaccination against peste des petits ruminants among smallholder sheep and goat farmers in northern Nigeria
Abstract
Background and objectives Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) remains a major constraint to small ruminant production in Nigeria, threatening rural livelihood and food security, despite the existence of a national control program. Empirical evidence on farmers' management practices and reasons for low vaccination uptake remains limited. This study aims to explore local management practices, perceptions, and barriers to vaccination among smallholder farmers in Bauchi, Kano and Plateau states. Method A socioeconomic study was conducted in 52 villages across the three states, with a total of 104 gender-disaggregated focus group discussions using participatory approaches to elicit participants' perception of SR farming and management practices of disease outbreak matching the clinical and epidemiological features of PPR. Qualitative data were thematically analysed to identify dominant disease management strategies and perceived vaccination barriers. Spatial comparison of management profiles across study locations was undertaken to assess clustering patterns and contextual variation. Results Small ruminants were mostly valued for their contribution to households' essential expenditures and religious celebrations and diseases were considered the highest threat to these contributions. Four distinct disease management profiles emerged, determined by the use of disease prevention practices and by responses to disease outbreaks with medical treatments or depopulation. Management profiles exhibited spatial clustering across the three states. Ten major obstacles to vaccination were identified, including limited awareness, poor vaccine access, preference for curative care, reliance on indigenous remedies. Contributions The findings underscore the need for community-driven vaccination campaigns that consider local knowledge and practices, improve vaccine accessibility, and integrate trusted local health service providers into government-led PPR control programs.
Related
- Are agroecological practices pro-poor? Evidence from smallholder farms in Zimbabwe
- From invention to innovation: Development of a digital tool for hormone-free reproduction management in small ruminants
- Beyond the trees: Exploring the determinants of intercrop management intensity in smallholder immature rubber systems in Thailand
- Which changes in adolescents' knowledge, attitudes, and practices following a school-based intervention in France increase HPV vaccination uptake and intentions? A mediation analysis
- Enablers and barriers to human papillomavirus vaccination implementation among key stakeholders in Ethiopia: A qualitative study
BibTeX
@article{chabiri2026local,
title = {{Local disease risk management practices and barriers to vaccination against peste des petits ruminants among smallholder sheep and goat farmers in northern Nigeria}},
author = {Ladi Amos Chabiri and Rebecca Paul Weka and Matthew Yakop Gukut and Usman Adamu Rayyanu and Mayowa Peter Olabode and Victoria Isioma Ifende and Thomas Duniya Bidoli and Muhammad-Bashir Bolajoko and Pwaveno H. Bamaiyi and Maryam Muhammad and Marion Bordier and Alexis Delabouglise},
journal = {Veterinary and Animal Science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.vas.2026.100868},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05782662v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Local disease risk management practices and barriers to vaccination against peste des petits ruminants among smallholder sheep and goat farmers in northern Nigeria
AU - Ladi Amos Chabiri
AU - Rebecca Paul Weka
AU - Matthew Yakop Gukut
AU - Usman Adamu Rayyanu
AU - Mayowa Peter Olabode
AU - Victoria Isioma Ifende
AU - Thomas Duniya Bidoli
AU - Muhammad-Bashir Bolajoko
AU - Pwaveno H. Bamaiyi
AU - Maryam Muhammad
AU - Marion Bordier
AU - Alexis Delabouglise
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - Veterinary and Animal Science
DO - 10.1016/j.vas.2026.100868
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05782662v1
AB - Background and objectives Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) remains a major constraint to small ruminant production in Nigeria, threatening rural livelihood and food security, despite the existence of a national control program. Empirical evidence on farmers' management practices and reasons for low vaccination uptake remains limited. This study aims to explore local management practices, perceptions, and barriers to vaccination among smallholder farmers in Bauchi, Kano and Plateau states. Method A socioeconomic study was conducted in 52 villages across the three states, with a total of 104 gender-disaggregated focus group discussions using participatory approaches to elicit participants' perception of SR farming and management practices of disease outbreak matching the clinical and epidemiological features of PPR. Qualitative data were thematically analysed to identify dominant disease management strategies and perceived vaccination barriers. Spatial comparison of management profiles across study locations was undertaken to assess clustering patterns and contextual variation. Results Small ruminants were mostly valued for their contribution to households' essential expenditures and religious celebrations and diseases were considered the highest threat to these contributions. Four distinct disease management profiles emerged, determined by the use of disease prevention practices and by responses to disease outbreaks with medical treatments or depopulation. Management profiles exhibited spatial clustering across the three states. Ten major obstacles to vaccination were identified, including limited awareness, poor vaccine access, preference for curative care, reliance on indigenous remedies. Contributions The findings underscore the need for community-driven vaccination campaigns that consider local knowledge and practices, improve vaccine accessibility, and integrate trusted local health service providers into government-led PPR control programs.
SN - 2451-943X
ER -