The document discusses a study on dairy farmer preferences for animal health services in Kenya. The study used a discrete choice experiment with 300 dairy farmers to determine how they value different characteristics of animal health services. The farmers indicated their top priorities as: 1) services offered alongside animal husbandry training, 2) follow-ups after treatment, 3) follow-ups after vaccinations and deworming, 4) services offered at dairy hubs, and 5) flexible payment systems. Understanding farmer preferences can help design more effective and efficient delivery of animal health services.

1. Using
choice
experiments:
Facilita4ng
priority
se6ng
in
provision
of
animal
health
services
Immaculate
Omondi1,
3,
Kers5n
Zander2
,
Siegfried
Bauer
3
and
Isabelle
Baltenweck1
1Justus
–Liebig
University,
Giessen,
Germany
2Charles
Darwin
University,
Australia
3Interna?onal
Livestock
Research
Ins?tute
(ILRI)
Introduc?on
September
2014
The
livestock
sector
is
one
of
the
drivers
of
improved
food
security
and
livelihoods
in
developing
countries.
Livestock
development
in
Africa
is,
however,
constrained
by
animal
diseases,
with
major
economic,
nutri?onal,
and
health
consequences.
Animal
health
services,
especially
for
the
poorest
farmers,
is
generally
inaccessible,
and
of
poor
quality;
characterized
by
poor
uptake
of
exis?ng
control
technologies
i.e.
farmer
access.
This
requires
a
bePer
understanding
of
farmer
decision-­‐making
when
faced
with
animal
health
choices.
Materials
and
methods
Method:
Discrete
choice
experiment,
a
mul?-­‐aPribute
preference
elici?ng
method
based
on
random
u?lity
theory
and
the
characteris?cs
theory
of
value.
Data:
Collected
from
300
dairy
farm
households
in
Nandi
District,
Kenya
(milk-­‐shed)
in
three
East
African
Dairy
Development
Project
(EADD)
sites.
Analysed
the
data
using:
1)
Basic
Random
Parameter
Logit
(RPL)
model
2)
RPL
with
interac?on
effects
-­‐
to
account
for
sources
of
preference
heterogeneity
EADD
project
aims
at
improving
dairy
produc?on
and
increasing
farmers
incomes
in
East
Africa
through
integrated
interven?ons
along
the
dairy
value
chain
that
are
centered
around
‘dairy
hubs’.
Dairy
farmers
prefer
to
have
animal
services
offered
rather
than
having
no
service.
Influenced
by:
Dairy
farmers
aPach
different
values
to
different
animal
health
service
characteris?cs.
By
quan?fying
the
welfare
impacts
of
the
preferred
animal
health
service
characteris?cs,
the
findings
of
the
study
can:
• Inform
the
design
and
delivery
of
high
quality
and
cost-­‐effec?ve
animal
health
services
• Guide
the
design
and
delivery
of
animal
health
services
on
the
characteris?cs
to
priori?ze,
in
cases
of
resource
constraints
Immaculate
Omondi
i.omondi@cgiar.org
●
P.O.
Box
30709-­‐00100
Nairobi,
Kenya
●
+254
20
422
3000
●
www.ilri.org
Acknowledgements:
Interna?onal
Livestock
Research
Ins?tute
(ILRI)
and
the
German
Academic
Exchange
Services
(DAAD)
Funding:
Interna?onal
Livestock
Research
Ins?tute
(ILRI)
and
the
German
Academic
Exchange
Services
(DAAD)
This
document
is
licensed
for
use
under
a
Crea?ve
Commons
APribu?on
–Non
commercial-­‐Share
Alike
3.0
Unported
License
September
2014
Results
Research
into
use
Figure
1:
Map
of
Kenya
showing
study
sites
In
order
of
priority,
the
farmers
prefer
animal
health
services
that:
1.
Are
offered
alongside
training
on
animal
husbandry
2.
Are
accompanied
by
follow-­‐ups
on
animal
health
afer
treatment
3.
Are
accompanied
by
follow-­‐ups
vaccina?on
and
deworming
of
animals
4.
Are
offered
by
dairy
hubs
5.
Have
a
flexible
payment
system
(cash
and
check-­‐off)
• Group
membership
in
a
producer
organiza?on
• Volume
of
marketed
output
(milk)
Photos:
ILRI
Photo:
EADD
PROJECT
Farmer-­‐owned
collec?ve
marke?ng
system
that
enhance
farmer
access
to
milk
markets
and
dairy-­‐related
services
(including
animal
health
services)
.