Livestock production is an integral part of the agricultural system in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has the largest livestock population in Africa, possessing more than 70 million cattle, 95.4 million small ruminants (42.9 million sheep and 52.5 million goats), 8.1 million camels and 13.33 million equines and 57 million chickens (CSA, 2020/21).
This livestock sector has contributed considerable portion to the economy of the country, and still promising to rally round the economic development of the country. Livestock production remains crucial and represents a major asset among resource-poor small holder farmers by providing milk, meat, skin, and manure and traction force (CSA, 2020/21). In Ethiopia, livestock production contributes 40% of the agricultural gross domestic product (GDP) and 20% of the total GDP without considering other contributions like provision of traction power, organic fertilizers and as means of transport (Aklilu et al., 2003). The contribution of livestock to the national economy particularly with regard to foreign currency earnings is through exportation of live animal, meat and skin and hides (MoARD, 2008).
Pastoralism is extensively practiced in Ethiopia in almost two-thirds of the national land area. (Admassu, 2003; Lai, 2007). Management of livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep and camels is the primary livelihood of pastoral communities in the country. Livestock are critical to the well-being of pastoral households in terms of income, savings, food security and employment. They rely heavily on dairy and livestock products as a livelihood system that provides for basic needs. The importance of livestock in these areas surpasses the mere fact of meeting basic needs, since they are traditionally seen as the basis of life, wealth and social respect. (Admassu, 2003; Thornton et al., 2002; Aweke et al., 2013).
Beyond their economic value, livestock play a central role in the social and cultural lives of pastoralists. Livestock ownership is a source of pride, status and power, and is often associated with hospitality, generosity and social relationships. Social events such as weddings, funerals and religious festivals often involve the exchange or slaughter of livestock, and the number and quality of animals owned can affect one's social standing. Livestock also serve as a form of savings and insurance, and can be sold or exchanged for cash or other goods in times of need (Catley, 2018)
Though the livelihood of pastoral community of Ethiopia is mainly dependent on livestock production, there has been a great coverage of pastoral areas with inadequate veterinary and health infrastructures and facilities (less supply of medical inputs/ inadequate supply of treatment drugs), low number of health professionals, harsh environmental conditions, socioeconomic and cultural practices, traditional husbandry and poor management practices, mixing of wild animals with farm animals and unrestricted movement (Admassu, 2003; Aweke et al., 2013). All these constraints compounded with other factors have exposed the pastoralist’s cattle to different diseases.
Among these cattle diseases, endemic diseases of livestock are a major constraints to animal health, livestock production and economies of pastoral community of Ethiopia by hundreds of millions of value. Endemic diseases are impairing the Ethiopian pastoral community to get optimal benefit from their livestock. Cattle holders often fail to control endemic diseases in an economically optimal manner. The presence of such diseases is often unrecognized or considered 'normal', and is thus fatalistically accepted by livestock holders (Tadesse and Alemu, 2018).
The livestock sector in pastoral community is important to the national economy, contributing 16% of total GDP, one-third of agricultural GDP, and 8% of export earnings. Improvements in the sector, therefore, have the potential to contribute significantly to national income and to the welfare of many poor pastoral families (Admassu, 2003). However, the rich potential from cattle is not efficiently exploited and constraints such as endemic disease are affecting the productivity of these animals.
Control and surveillance has been progressively scaled back in many developing countries in favour of emerging, transboundary and zoonotic diseases (Majekodunmi et al., 2018). Even though, any challenge facing pastoral livestock will directly affect the community, endemic disease management is left to livestock owners and private sector service providers (Lemma and Alemu, 2020)..
There is a growing understanding that rural people are knowledgeable about the many subjects that touch their lives and that they possess a creative and analytical capacity that can greatly assist in improving agricultural practices (Chambers, 1991). Most livestock keepers know a lot about the animal diseases and their different clinical presentations as they occur in the local area. Participatory epidemiology (PE) aims to explore this existing knowledge with communities and key informants to better understand the local disease situation and to enable disease prioritization. (ILRI, FAO and GOVS, 2011).
It was thus such conditions that indicated the existence of the problem and gave us a background to make attempts to fill the gap not filled by other researchers and professionals. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate Dasanech and Nyangatom pastoralits’ existing veterinary knowledge on endemic diseases and to determine their perception on rank, morbidity, and mortality of the disease and PE-mortality rates of the major endemic cattle diseases in study areas