Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Medical pluralism and livestock health: ethnomedical and biomedical veterinary knowledge among East African agropastoralists.
- Journal:
- Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine
- Year:
- 2017
- Authors:
- Caudell, Mark A et al.
- Affiliation:
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health · United States
Plain-English summary
In areas where people rely on livestock for their livelihood, the health of animals is closely linked to human health, especially since some diseases can be passed from animals to people. In a study involving the Maasai people in northern Tanzania and the Koore in southwest Ethiopia, researchers looked at how these two groups use both traditional animal care methods (ethnoveterinary medicine) and modern veterinary practices (biomedicine) to treat their livestock. They found that while both groups had a good understanding of traditional methods, only the Koore showed a strong agreement on modern veterinary knowledge. The Maasai had more expertise in traditional methods, which seemed to be influenced mainly by age, while the Koore's understanding of traditional methods varied based on factors like gender and herd size. Overall, the differences in knowledge and expertise between these two groups highlight how cultural and social factors shape their approaches to livestock health.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Human and animal health are deeply intertwined in livestock dependent areas. Livestock health contributes to food security and can influence human health through the transmission of zoonotic diseases. In low-income countries diagnosis and treatment of livestock diseases is often carried out by household members who draw upon both ethnoveterinary medicine (EVM) and contemporary veterinary biomedicine (VB). Expertise in these knowledge bases, along with their coexistence, informs treatment and thus ultimately impacts animal and human health. The aim of the current study was to determine how socio-cultural and ecological differences within and between two livestock-keeping populations, the Maasai of northern Tanzania and Koore of southwest Ethiopia, impact expertise in EVM and VB and coexistence of the two knowledge bases. METHODS: An ethnoveterinary research project was conducted to examine dimensions of EVM and VB knowledge among the Maasai (N = 142 households) and the Koore (N = 100). Cultural consensus methods were used to quantify expertise and the level of agreement on EVM and VB knowledge. Ordinary least squares regression was used to model patterns of expertise and consensus across groups and to examine associations between knowledge and demographic/sociocultural attributes. RESULTS: Maasai and Koore informants displayed high consensus on EVM but only the Koore displayed consensus on VB knowledge. EVM expertise in the Koore varied across gender, herd size, and level of VB expertise. EVM expertise was highest in the Maasai but was only associated with age. The only factor associated with VB expertise was EVM expertise in the Koore. CONCLUSIONS: Variation in consensus and the correlates of expertise across the Maassi and the Koore are likely related to differences in the cultural transmission of EVM and VB knowledge. Transmission dynamics are established by the integration of livestock within the socioecological systems of the Maasai and Koore and culture historical experiences with livestock disease. Consideration of the nature and coexistence of EVM and VB provides insight into the capacity of groups to cope with disease outbreaks, pharmaceutical use patterns, and the development of community health interventions.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28109305/