Developing integrated animal health management programmes, therefore, requires a better understanding of the place (and the perceived value) of livestock in the local economy against which the acceptability and feasibility of intervention would be measured ( 15). However, should these programmes be implemented in the field, their sustainability and efficiency would depend on their degree of integration within the local livestock production system, notably by ensuring a minimum socio-economic impact while guaranteeing benefits for both national and household economies. Together, these studies provide a collection of information which would enable the veterinary services to better design animal health management programmes in Cameroon. Various studies have been carried out in Cameroon to evaluate the burden of livestock and zoonotic diseases ( 6– 12), identify constraints for disease controls in pastoral and small-scale livestock husbandry and production system ( 13), and better understand how the cattle trade is structured ( 14). However, the strategies available to these households for reducing the severity of animal health and welfare issues on livestock value are generally weak and inadequate ( 5). Livestock, and its associated economic value, represents a key asset for reducing the vulnerability of rural households to a number of external factors, such as climate change, diseases, and social and political instability. Notably, the sale of livestock, mainly cattle, is a rapid cash generating mechanism ( 4) that allows purchasing food and family necessities ( 3, 5) as well as representing a source of self-insurance against income shocks caused by unforeseen events impacting rural households ( 5). As in most of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), livestock production is particularly important for rural populations, providing year-round employment opportunities and a key source of revenues ( 2, 3). In Cameroon, the livestock sector contributes 20% of the agricultural gross domestic product (GDP), with trade of live animals and livestock products representing a major component of the agricultural sector ( 1). Our findings represent an important milestone in designing efficient and sustainable animal health management programme in Cameroon and ensure livelihood sustainability for rural households. Ultimately, our model gives a large scale overview of drivers of cattle price formation in Cameroon and to our knowledge is the first study of this scale in Central Africa. Although our analysis did not account for factors informing on specific phenotypic traits nor breed characteristics of cattle traded, nearly 50% of the observed variation in live cattle prices was explained by the final model. Finally, the model highlighted a positive association between the number of incoming trading connections of a livestock market and the price of the traded live cattle ( p < 0.01). Also, strong, but complex, relationships were found between cattle prices and both local human and bovine population densities. The age and gender of the cattle traded were consistently found to be important drivers of the price ( p < 0.01). An information-theoretic approach using a generalized additive mixed-effect model was implemented to select the best explanatory model as well as evaluate the robustness of the identified drivers and the predictive ability of the model. In this study, we evaluated the influence of a range of individual- and market-level factors on the price of cattle that were sold in all transactions ( n = 118,017) recorded over a 12-month period from 31 livestock markets in the main cattle production area of the country. Identifying the factors contributing to cattle price formation is critical for designing effective policies for sustainable production and for increasing food availability. In Cameroon, animal trade consists mainly of live cattle commercialized through livestock markets. Livestock production and trade are critical for the food security and welfare of rural households in sub-Saharan Africa. 7School of Veterinary Science, Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, Neston, Wirral, United Kingdom.6Cameroon Academy of Sciences, Yaoundé, Cameroon.5School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Ngaoundere, Ngaoundere, Cameroon.4Institute of Agricultural Research for Development, Regional Centre of Wakwa, Ngaoundere, Cameroon.3Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, United Kingdom.2The European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (EuFMD), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy.1Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, United Kingdom.
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