Ethnoveterinary medicine adoption and household food security among small ruminant farmers in Northern Ghana

Small ruminants’ production is critical to household food security in developing countries including Northern Ghana. Beyond serving as a source of food and income, small ruminants also act as a buffer or form of insurance against household shocks. As such, their health is pivotal to ensuring that these benefits are realised. Ethnoveterinary medicine (EVM), defined as the traditional or indigenous animal health practice which involves the use of plant extracts, serves as a potential pathway for increased household food security outcomes. These practices were promoted by the Association of Church-Based Development Projects (ACDEP) from 2019 to 2022 through their Ethnovet project. The study assesses the impact of ethnoveterinary medicine on food security outcomes using cross-sectional data from 400 small ruminant farmers in Northern Ghana. Employing the endogenous ordered probit with treatment effect model, the results show that household adoption decisions for EVM were influenced by sociodemographic and institutional factors including education, household size, off-farm income, distance to market, access to extension and access to credit. Awareness of EVM and perceived benefits also informed farmers’ choices for EVM. The treatment effect estimates show that adoption of EVM significantly influences household dietary quality, reduces the probability of falling into crises and exerts a moderate effect on household food access. Specifically, adoption increases the probability of household to fall in acceptable food consumption by 27 percentage points, reduces the probability of falling in severe coping strategies situation by 43 percentage points and increases the probability of falling into moderate food security situation by 14 percentage points. The study thus recommends the need for sustainable animal health practices such as the integration of EVM into the delivery of animal extension services. There should also be conscious scientific testing of these EVM practices and standardisation to ensure effective utilisation.