A perspective on ethnomedicine research for livestock production: Focus on Botswana

Volume : (13), Issue : 205, January - 2019

Abstract : From time immemorial, communities used plants, herbs and shrubs to cure ailments in livestock and humans. Despite the advent of modern medicine, rural communities continued to rely on traditional medicine.  This paper aimed to describe the rationale, benefits, and challenges associated with the use of ethnoveterinary medicines by African livestock farmers particularly in Botswana; and to propose an approach for conducting relevant research.  This brief literature review has revealed that in Botswana and elsewhere, livestock farmers still make use of indigenous medicines to care about their animals. Several reasons explained this including ease of accessibility and availability as well as affordability.   Similarly,  several challenges are associated with the use ethnoveterinary medicines the issues of safety, quality, efficacy and dosing. These challenges call for more research to be conducted to validate practices to be encouraged and those that should be discouraged and outlawed. To do so, it is posited here that the starting point should be the involvement of traditional practitioners, farmers and healers; with the view of conducting studies that would establish the credibility about ethnoveterinary medicine; promote regional collaboration and the conservation of plants.  Such endeavour requires multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional teams as well as shared values for it to succeed.

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Article No : 10030

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