Attitudes, knowledge and practices of traditional snakebite healers in Nepal: implications for prevention and control of snakebite

BACKGROUND

Traditional healers are a valuable source of information about community-level treatment of snakebite. Snakebite victims in Nepal depend on traditional healers for treatment, but their practices have not been well-documented.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study of 50 traditional snakebite healers (TSHs) who were selected using a snowball sampling method representing eight districts and four provinces of Nepal. Data were collected using face-to-face-interviews and semi-structured questionnaires.

RESULTS

About half of the respondents liked to gain knowledge on modern care for snakebite management and nearly all respondents (94%) wished to cooperate closely with the local healthcare system to support snakebite management. People's ingrained faith in traditional healing of snakebite (84%), unaffordable modern care of snakebite (60%) and wishes for early treatment of snakebites (44-48%) were the main causes of their dependency on TSHs. Rauvolfia serpentina, Piper nigrum, Momordica charantia and Tinospora cordifolia were commonly used plants in traditional treatment of snakebite.

CONCLUSIONS

Easily accessible and affordable healthcare facilities provided by TSHs, public beliefs in traditional healing and inadequate knowledge of antivenom therapy caused dependency on TSHs. The introduction of snakebite treatment centres in snakebite-prone regions and educational interventions are essential to minimize this kind of dependency and associated deaths and disabilities.

Climate change adaptation (CCA) research in Nepal: implications for the advancement of adaptation planning

Climate change has become one of the most compelling fields of empirical research over the last couple of decades, partly due to its socio-economic impacts. Using a meta-analysis of 235 peer-reviewed articles published between January 2010 and July 2020, this paper appraises climate change adaptation (CCA) research in Nepal and draws lessons for future adaptation planning. The number of research is observed to have increased significantly in recent years (2015-2020) although there is no consistent pattern over the review period and at the thematic level. Findings submit that the agriculture and food security has the highest number of publications (37%) followed by gender equality and social inclusion (18%) and forest, biodiversity and watershed management (16%). There are no studies found in rural and urban settlement theme. Geographic distribution of CCA studies revealed that over 40% studies were carried out from central Nepal, while no study was conducted in ten districts of eastern and western Nepal. The study focus was also discrete, and the perception and attitude and impact assessment of climate change were common agendas; however, the drivers of change and options for adaptation were understudied. CCA with multipronged initiatives provide a broader understanding of dynamics and governance of climate change that not only affects rural livelihoods, but also influences regional and global environments and biodiversity.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11027-021-09991-0.

Awareness and Practices Relating to Zoonotic Diseases Among Smallholder Farmers in Nepal

Increasing livestock production to meet growing demands has resulted in greater interactions at the livestock-wildlife-human interface and more opportunities for zoonotic disease spread. Zoonoses impose enormous burdens on low-income countries like Nepal, where populations are largely dependent on livestock production and access to shared grazing lands, often near protected areas, due to population pressures. Several livestock-associated zoonoses have been reported in Nepal; however, little is known regarding Nepali farmers' knowledge of zoonoses and opportunities for disease management. We conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate Nepali farmers' awareness of zoonoses, assess current health challenges, and evaluate disease prevention and control practices. We found that awareness of zoonotic pathogens was limited, especially in informally educated and illiterate farmers; the majority of which were women. Further, farmers' preventive herd health, food safety, and sanitation practices were not associated with their awareness. Several farmers reported high-risk practices despite being aware of zoonotic diseases, suggesting a disconnect between the farmers' awareness and practice. Our study highlights the need for improving Nepali farmers' knowledge of zoonoses and disease prevention measures. Closing these awareness-practice gaps will require an improved understanding of risk and effective drivers of behavior change, alongside engagement of farmers in development of zoonotic disease prevention programs that encourage participation of both male and female farmers across all levels of education.

Evaluation of total mixed ration silage with brewers grains for dairy buffalo in Tarai, Nepal

To investigate the effects of total mixed ration (TMR) silage, which contained brewers grain and rice straw as a substitute for conventional concentrate on feed intake and milk production in middle-to-late lactation buffaloes, four multiparous Murrah buffaloes were assigned to a 3 × 3 Latin square design experiment. The TMR silage, which had higher neutral and acid detergent fiber contents and digestibility than concentrate (P < 0.05) and similar crude protein (CP) and total digestible nutrient (TDN) contents with concentrate were used for the lactation experiment. The treatments were control (CTL) fed concentrate at 0.6% of body weight (BW), and T1 and T2 fed the TMR silage at 0.6 and 1.2% of BW on a dry matter (DM) basis, respectively, with rice straw ad libitum. Daily intakes of DM, CP and TDN, and BW change were higher in T2 than in CTL and T1 (P < 0.05). Although milk composition did not differ among the treatments, milk yield (MY) was higher in T2 (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in MY/DM intake and MY/TDN intake among the treatments. The increase of BW and MY in middle-to-late lactation buffaloes might have been due to high TDN intake from supplementary TMR silage.

Effects of plane of nutrition on slaughtering traits and meat characteristics in Murrah graded male buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) calves in Nepal

An experiment was conducted using 17 male buffalo calves to assess the effects of plane of nutrition on slaughtering traits and meat characteristics. To attain 250 kg body weight (BW), the calves were allocated into three groups: high (H), low-high (L-H) and low (L) corresponding to concentrate levels receiving the concentrate at 1.50% of BW, 0.75% of BW until 190 kg BW and 1.50% thereafter, and 0.75% of BW, respectively. The animals had ad libitum access to urea-treated rice straw. No significant differences of hot carcass weight, dressing percentage and lean fat-bone yields were observed among the treatment groups. The L group had heavier brisket weight and lower percentage of round weight in the hot carcass than the H and L-H groups (P<0.05). The H group had heavier hearts than the L group, and the H and L-H groups had heavier livers and kidneys than the L group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference of rib eye area, pH and the contents of moisture, crude protein and fat in loin meat among the groups. The findings indicated that the effects of plane of nutrition affected the weight or percentages of some cut yields in the hot carcasses and internal organs.

Effect of Climate Change and CO2 Concentration on Growth and Yield of Rice and Wheat in Punjab: Simulations Using CSM-CERES-Rice and CSM-CERES-Wheat Models

Recent trends of a decline or stagnation in the yield of rice and wheat in rice-wheat (RW) systems of the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) have raised serious concerns about the regional food security. The effect of future climate change on crop production adds to this complex problem. The validated CSM-CERES-Rice and CSM-CERES-Wheat (Ver. 4.0) data were used to test the sensitivity of the models in Punjab, India. The models were sensitive to climatic parameters (temperature, CO2 concentration, solar radiation and rainfall) on yields of both crops. Simulated rice yields were sensitive to weather as there was 13% less yield of rice in 1999 than in 2001. Similarly, simulated wheat yields were also sensitive to weather, with the highest yield in 2001, and the lowest in 2003. Increments in both maximum and minimum temperatures by 4°C, decreased rice yield by 34% and wheat yield by 4% as compared to base scenario with current weather data. By increasing 4°C for both maximum and minimum temperature along with an increase in solar radiation by 1MJ/m2/day, rice yield decreased by 32% as compared to base scenario while wheat yields were not affected. With the increase in maximum and minimum temperatures by 4°C, and also an increase in CO2 concentration by 20 ppm from the standard CO2 concentration of 335 ppm, the reduction in rice yield was 33%, but in wheat yield was only 3%. Rainfed wheat yield increased by 7%, by increasing daily rainfall by 1.5 times, and by 13%, by doubling the rainfall, both after 96 days of sowing (DAS) to maturity. Lowering rainfall to zero, for each day after 96 DAS to until maturity reduced wheat yield by 18%. The increasing maximum and minimum temperatures irrespective of whether the CO2 concentration increased or not, seemed to have more adverse effects on rice than to wheat. Simulations demonstrated that CSM-CERES-Rice and CSM-CERES- Wheat are sensitive to CO2 and climatic parameters, and can be used to study the impact of future climate change on rice and wheat productivity in RW systems in Asia. Key words: CSM-CERES-Rice, CSM-CERES-Wheat, climate change, yield, phenology J. Inst. Agric. Anim. Sci. 27:103-110 (2006)