Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Climate Impacts, Changing Patterns of Land Use and Loss of Traditional Fulani Cattle Management Practices: Drivers of Antimi-Crobial Resistance in Kwara State, Nigeria

Jennifer Cole
* ORCID logo ,
Mutiat A. Adetona
,
Afisu Basiru
,
Wasiu A. Jimoh
ORCID logo ,
Somrat Adulsalami
,
Rodhiat O. Ade-Yusuf
,
Karimat A. Babalola
,
Victoria O. Adetunji
,
Akeem O. Ahmed
,
Ismail A. Adeyemo
,
Abiola M. Olajide
,
Abdulfatai Aremu
,
Ismail A. Odetokun
ORCID logo ,
Mahmoud Eltholth
Version 1 : Received: 23 September 2024 / Approved: 23 September 2024 / Online: 23 September 2024 (15:17:59 CEST)

How to cite: Cole, J.; Adetona, M. A.; Basiru, A.; Jimoh, W. A.; Adulsalami, S.; Ade-Yusuf, R. O.; Babalola, K. A.; Adetunji, V. O.; Ahmed, A. O.; Adeyemo, I. A.; Olajide, A. M.; Aremu, A.; Odetokun, I. A.; Eltholth, M. Climate Impacts, Changing Patterns of Land Use and Loss of Traditional Fulani Cattle Management Practices: Drivers of Antimi-Crobial Resistance in Kwara State, Nigeria. Preprints 2024, 2024091801. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.1801.v1 Cole, J.; Adetona, M. A.; Basiru, A.; Jimoh, W. A.; Adulsalami, S.; Ade-Yusuf, R. O.; Babalola, K. A.; Adetunji, V. O.; Ahmed, A. O.; Adeyemo, I. A.; Olajide, A. M.; Aremu, A.; Odetokun, I. A.; Eltholth, M. Climate Impacts, Changing Patterns of Land Use and Loss of Traditional Fulani Cattle Management Practices: Drivers of Antimi-Crobial Resistance in Kwara State, Nigeria. Preprints 2024, 2024091801. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.1801.v1

Abstract

This paper presents a case study of Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria, whose traditional ethnoveteri-nary practices risk being lost as the country transitions to more intensive and enclosed livestock practices. We use a planetary health framing to make visible the value of indigenous practices that are less damaging to the environment, animal welfare and human health. Through ethnographic observation, focus group discussions (FGD) and key stakeholder interviews, we show that the Fulani use a complex system of herbal medicines and traditional herding practices to maintain herd health, manage and treat animal disease when it arises. However, their traditions often sit uncomfortably with commercial farming practices. As traditional Fulani grazing lands are eroded, dispossessed Fulani take employment from businessmen farmers but both parties’ inex-perience with shed hygiene, artificial feed and less environmentally resilient crossbreeds leads to increased incidence of infectious disease. This in turn drives higher use of antibiotics. There is a ‘causal chain’ of underlying drivers that leads, through poorer environmental, animal and hu-man health, to increased use of antibiotics. The antibiotic resistance that emerges from this chain threatens human health now and into the future. Through a planetary health framing we advocate for more respect for Fulani herdsmen and their traditional ethnoveterinary practices as an alter-native to increasing antibiotic use.

Keywords

Ethnoveterinary practices; Antibiotics; Indigenous knowledge

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Animal Science, Veterinary Science and Zoology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Download PDF

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Get PDF Cite Share 0
Bookmark BibSonomy Mendeley Reddit Delicious
×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.