AWARENESS, PERCEPTION AND ADOPTION OF ETHNOBOTANICAL PRACTICES AMONG RUMINANT ANIMAL FARMER IN OGUN STATE

This study examine the awareness, perception and adoption of ethno botanical practices among ruminant animals farmers in Ogun state, Nigeria. Data collected were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics. The result revealed that majority (69.4%) of the respondents were still in their active age categories (36-55 years) that facilitates the energy demanding labour in ruminant animal production. It shows that majority (90.7%) of the respondents were married, while 5.6% were single. The data show that half (50.0%) of the respondents have family size of five to six members, while those with below 5 constitute 25.9%. Results further showed that respondents sources for information about enthno veterinary practices from fellow farmers (57.4%), extension service (23.1%), and television (19.4%) to treat their ruminant animal. Majority of farmers source for orthodox drugs vaccines from professional veterinary doctor (57.4%), extension agents (31.5%) while few of them source from unqualified veterinary (11.1%). Ruminant farmers indicated that they used ethno-veterinary methods (61.1%) or a combination of orthodox and traditional methods (38.9%) to control ruminate diseases. The findings further indicates that lack of office-wide internet connectivity was very severe with a highest mean of (2.37), followed by unstable power supply which show that majority of them complained that this really limit them from having easy access to information and other challenges faced by ruminant farmers were non-subscription to relevant online resources by institute/organization, lack of awareness of relevant resources and slow connection to the internet. Based on the findings of the study the following conclusions were drawn: The respondents were in their productive age with a mean of 48.9. Larger proportion of the respondents were male with a mean flock size of 59.19. Fellow farmers were the major sources of information about ethno veterinary practices and also they are the major source of parent stock, professional veterinary doctor were the major source of orthodox drugs vaccines. The preparation of the drug were processed through different means, majority of the ruminant farmers prepare the drug through the natural form, using traditional treatment for porcine cysticercosis indicate low level of awareness. Seasonality of medicinal plants is perceived by farmers as a barrier to ethnoveterinary practice because this could be as a result of the fact that plants used are rarely available all year round.