Ethnoveterinary Knowledge and Practice among the Pastoralists of Baringo District, Kenya.

Abstract

A study was carried out in Marigat and Nginyang Divisions of Baringo District to document the role of Ethnoveterinary practice amongst the pastoralists. A cross-sectional survey involved administration of a questionnaire to 60 smallholders households.

The results indicated that 83% of the respondents regularly practiced ethnoveterinary in treatment of their livestock.  There were 8 basic categories of disease conditions frequently treated.  Coughs/Pneumonias were the most frequently treated (58.3%) followed by diarrhoeas (55%) worms (40%) and skin diseases (28.3%). A total of 32 remedies were recorded, some of them used for a wide range of disease conditions.

There were both plant-based and non-plant remedies with the Neem tree appearing as the most frequently used plant remedy, while soda ash was the most frequently used non-plant remedy.

Keywords: Ethnoveterinary, pastoralists, plant-based, non-plant based remedies. Pneumonia / coughs, diarrhoeas and skin diseases