Major Constraints of Intensification of Camel Husbandry in Mogadishu, Somalia

Hassan Mohamed Hassan; Abdirahman Ali Abshir; Shafii Abdullahi Mohamed; Hamdi Nuh Ali

doi:doi:10.11648/j.avs.20231103.14

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Major Constraints of Intensification of Camel Husbandry in Mogadishu, Somalia

Hassan Mohamed Hassan, Abdirahman Ali Abshir, Shafii Abdullahi Mohamed, Hamdi Nuh Ali

Published in Animal and Veterinary Sciences (Volume 11, Issue 3)

Received: 7 May 2023 Accepted: 25 May 2023 Published: 9 June 2023

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Abstract

Livestock is the backbone of Somalia's economy. It has yet to be fully exploited, particularly camels which are highly adapted to harsh ecosystems, and it is a multipurpose animal mainly used for meat and milk production. Although the intensification of camel production is essential to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), it is still infancy in Somalia. A cross-sectional study assessed the major constraints of the intensification of camel husbandry in Mogadishu, Somalia. The samples were purposively selected from intensive and semi-intensive camel dairy farms through a semi-structured questionnaire. Thus 67 intensive and semi-intensive camel dairy farms were surveyed in the outskirts of seven districts in Mogadishu. This study revealed that the ecotype of the camel was 47% Hoor, whereas 28% were Eydimo, 14% were Siifdacar, and 11% were Geelab. Male and female camels' average maturity age was 81.49 and 54.9 months, respectively. Age at first calving was 78.72 months. The calving interval of the dromedary camel and lactation length was 21.76 and 19.28 months, respectively. The study also showed that the average milk production was 4 liters per camel daily. Most farms use the loose house system: 85% use open houses, and 15% use fenced and tree shelter houses. On the herd composition of camel farms visited, 48% were lactating camels, 4% were dry camels, 25% were heifers, and 23% were bulls, respectively. The major constraint faced by farmers were 27% a lack of knowledge, 40% high feed costs, 24% diseases, and 9% a poor market. To our knowledge, this is the first study on the intensification of camel farming in Somalia. We recommend further studies to facilitate the intensification of camel husbandry in Somalia in different regions and seasons.

Published in	Animal and Veterinary Sciences (Volume 11, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.avs.20231103.14
Page(s)	80-86
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Intensification, Camel, Constraint, Husbandry, Mogadishu

References

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Hassan Mohamed Hassan, Abdirahman Ali Abshir, Shafii Abdullahi Mohamed, Hamdi Nuh Ali. (2023). Major Constraints of Intensification of Camel Husbandry in Mogadishu, Somalia. Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 11(3), 80-86. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20231103.14

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ACS Style

Hassan Mohamed Hassan; Abdirahman Ali Abshir; Shafii Abdullahi Mohamed; Hamdi Nuh Ali. Major Constraints of Intensification of Camel Husbandry in Mogadishu, Somalia. Anim. Vet. Sci. 2023, 11(3), 80-86. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20231103.14

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AMA Style

Hassan Mohamed Hassan, Abdirahman Ali Abshir, Shafii Abdullahi Mohamed, Hamdi Nuh Ali. Major Constraints of Intensification of Camel Husbandry in Mogadishu, Somalia. Anim Vet Sci. 2023;11(3):80-86. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20231103.14

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@article{10.11648/j.avs.20231103.14,
  author = {Hassan Mohamed Hassan and Abdirahman Ali Abshir and Shafii Abdullahi Mohamed and Hamdi Nuh Ali},
  title = {Major Constraints of Intensification of Camel Husbandry in Mogadishu, Somalia},
  journal = {Animal and Veterinary Sciences},
  volume = {11},
  number = {3},
  pages = {80-86},
  doi = {10.11648/j.avs.20231103.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20231103.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.avs.20231103.14},
  abstract = {Livestock is the backbone of Somalia's economy. It has yet to be fully exploited, particularly camels which are highly adapted to harsh ecosystems, and it is a multipurpose animal mainly used for meat and milk production. Although the intensification of camel production is essential to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), it is still infancy in Somalia. A cross-sectional study assessed the major constraints of the intensification of camel husbandry in Mogadishu, Somalia. The samples were purposively selected from intensive and semi-intensive camel dairy farms through a semi-structured questionnaire. Thus 67 intensive and semi-intensive camel dairy farms were surveyed in the outskirts of seven districts in Mogadishu. This study revealed that the ecotype of the camel was 47% Hoor, whereas 28% were Eydimo, 14% were Siifdacar, and 11% were Geelab. Male and female camels' average maturity age was 81.49 and 54.9 months, respectively. Age at first calving was 78.72 months. The calving interval of the dromedary camel and lactation length was 21.76 and 19.28 months, respectively. The study also showed that the average milk production was 4 liters per camel daily. Most farms use the loose house system: 85% use open houses, and 15% use fenced and tree shelter houses. On the herd composition of camel farms visited, 48% were lactating camels, 4% were dry camels, 25% were heifers, and 23% were bulls, respectively. The major constraint faced by farmers were 27% a lack of knowledge, 40% high feed costs, 24% diseases, and 9% a poor market. To our knowledge, this is the first study on the intensification of camel farming in Somalia. We recommend further studies to facilitate the intensification of camel husbandry in Somalia in different regions and seasons.},
 year = {2023}
}

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TY - JOUR
T1 - Major Constraints of Intensification of Camel Husbandry in Mogadishu, Somalia
AU - Hassan Mohamed Hassan
AU - Abdirahman Ali Abshir
AU - Shafii Abdullahi Mohamed
AU - Hamdi Nuh Ali
Y1 - 2023/06/09
PY - 2023
N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20231103.14
DO - 10.11648/j.avs.20231103.14
T2 - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
JF - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
JO - Animal and Veterinary Sciences
SP - 80
EP - 86
PB - Science Publishing Group
SN - 2328-5850
UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20231103.14
AB - Livestock is the backbone of Somalia's economy. It has yet to be fully exploited, particularly camels which are highly adapted to harsh ecosystems, and it is a multipurpose animal mainly used for meat and milk production. Although the intensification of camel production is essential to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), it is still infancy in Somalia. A cross-sectional study assessed the major constraints of the intensification of camel husbandry in Mogadishu, Somalia. The samples were purposively selected from intensive and semi-intensive camel dairy farms through a semi-structured questionnaire. Thus 67 intensive and semi-intensive camel dairy farms were surveyed in the outskirts of seven districts in Mogadishu. This study revealed that the ecotype of the camel was 47% Hoor, whereas 28% were Eydimo, 14% were Siifdacar, and 11% were Geelab. Male and female camels' average maturity age was 81.49 and 54.9 months, respectively. Age at first calving was 78.72 months. The calving interval of the dromedary camel and lactation length was 21.76 and 19.28 months, respectively. The study also showed that the average milk production was 4 liters per camel daily. Most farms use the loose house system: 85% use open houses, and 15% use fenced and tree shelter houses. On the herd composition of camel farms visited, 48% were lactating camels, 4% were dry camels, 25% were heifers, and 23% were bulls, respectively. The major constraint faced by farmers were 27% a lack of knowledge, 40% high feed costs, 24% diseases, and 9% a poor market. To our knowledge, this is the first study on the intensification of camel farming in Somalia. We recommend further studies to facilitate the intensification of camel husbandry in Somalia in different regions and seasons.
VL - 11
IS - 3
ER -

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Author Information

Hassan Mohamed Hassan

Department of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry, Somali National University, Mogadishu, Somalia
Abdirahman Ali Abshir

Department of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry, Somali National University, Mogadishu, Somalia
Shafii Abdullahi Mohamed

Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry, Somali National University, Mogadishu, Somalia
Hamdi Nuh Ali

Department of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry, Somali National University, Mogadishu, Somalia

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Hassan Mohamed Hassan, Abdirahman Ali Abshir, Shafii Abdullahi Mohamed, Hamdi Nuh Ali. (2023). Major Constraints of Intensification of Camel Husbandry in Mogadishu, Somalia. Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 11(3), 80-86. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20231103.14

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ACS Style

Hassan Mohamed Hassan; Abdirahman Ali Abshir; Shafii Abdullahi Mohamed; Hamdi Nuh Ali. Major Constraints of Intensification of Camel Husbandry in Mogadishu, Somalia. Anim. Vet. Sci. 2023, 11(3), 80-86. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20231103.14

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AMA Style

Hassan Mohamed Hassan, Abdirahman Ali Abshir, Shafii Abdullahi Mohamed, Hamdi Nuh Ali. Major Constraints of Intensification of Camel Husbandry in Mogadishu, Somalia. Anim Vet Sci. 2023;11(3):80-86. doi: 10.11648/j.avs.20231103.14

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@article{10.11648/j.avs.20231103.14,
  author = {Hassan Mohamed Hassan and Abdirahman Ali Abshir and Shafii Abdullahi Mohamed and Hamdi Nuh Ali},
  title = {Major Constraints of Intensification of Camel Husbandry in Mogadishu, Somalia},
  journal = {Animal and Veterinary Sciences},
  volume = {11},
  number = {3},
  pages = {80-86},
  doi = {10.11648/j.avs.20231103.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.avs.20231103.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.avs.20231103.14},
  abstract = {Livestock is the backbone of Somalia's economy. It has yet to be fully exploited, particularly camels which are highly adapted to harsh ecosystems, and it is a multipurpose animal mainly used for meat and milk production. Although the intensification of camel production is essential to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), it is still infancy in Somalia. A cross-sectional study assessed the major constraints of the intensification of camel husbandry in Mogadishu, Somalia. The samples were purposively selected from intensive and semi-intensive camel dairy farms through a semi-structured questionnaire. Thus 67 intensive and semi-intensive camel dairy farms were surveyed in the outskirts of seven districts in Mogadishu. This study revealed that the ecotype of the camel was 47% Hoor, whereas 28% were Eydimo, 14% were Siifdacar, and 11% were Geelab. Male and female camels' average maturity age was 81.49 and 54.9 months, respectively. Age at first calving was 78.72 months. The calving interval of the dromedary camel and lactation length was 21.76 and 19.28 months, respectively. The study also showed that the average milk production was 4 liters per camel daily. Most farms use the loose house system: 85% use open houses, and 15% use fenced and tree shelter houses. On the herd composition of camel farms visited, 48% were lactating camels, 4% were dry camels, 25% were heifers, and 23% were bulls, respectively. The major constraint faced by farmers were 27% a lack of knowledge, 40% high feed costs, 24% diseases, and 9% a poor market. To our knowledge, this is the first study on the intensification of camel farming in Somalia. We recommend further studies to facilitate the intensification of camel husbandry in Somalia in different regions and seasons.},
 year = {2023}
}

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