International Journal of Animal Science, Husbandry and Livestock Production ISSN: 2141-5191, Vol. 7(6), pp. 402-414, September, 2021.  © Advanced Scholars Journals

Full length Research paper

Livestock production: purposes, practices, and challenges in Sierra Leone.

Abdulai Mahmood Conteh¹*, Sanpha Kallon², Jesse PJ. Nyandebo³ and Mahmud E. Sesay⁴

Department of Animal Science, School of Agriculture, Njala University, Sierra Leone

*Corresponding author s’ Email: [email protected] 

Accepted 26^th March, 2021.

Abstract 

The study's goals were to investigate the functions of livestock production at the household level, management practices, and constraints impeding livestock development in rural Sierra Leone. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 23.0 after 345 consenting livestock farmers completed a semi-structured questionnaire. The results of the study showed that 56.5%, 59.0%, 60.0%, 71.9%, 55.7%, and 91.3% of the respondents were male, Muslims, youths, married, illiterate, and household heads respectively. Income, education, tradition, food, and religion were the primary purposes for rearing livestock at household levels. 84.1% of the farmers were mainly dependent on free-grazing with little or no supplementation. The results also revealed that majority of the poultry owners and keepers were women while small ruminants and pigs were predominantly owned by men. All respondents kept local breeds and more than 50% of the parent stock were obtained by purchasing. The research further indicated that 43.5% of the farmers kept goats and poultry with young animals accounting for more than half of the flock size. Good husbandry practices like adequate feeding, water provision, disease prevention and control, and marketing were poorlyadhere to. Diseases, lack treatment services, high mortality, neighbor conflict, theft, feed shortages, insufficient water supply, and predation were the hindrances identified in livestock productivity in the study area.

Keywords: Disease, Feed Scarcity, Flock, Livelihood, Management, Marketing, Mortality, Supplementation, Theft