Assessing the Economic Value of Livestock Vaccination: Empirical Evidence from Southern Ethiopia

Assessing the Economic Value of Livestock Vaccination: Empirical Evidence from Southern Ethiopia
This research aimed to investigate livestock owners’ willingness to pay (WTP) for a hypothetical livestock vaccination program in southern Ethiopia. We used both primary and secondary data. The former data were collected from 377 livestock farmers. We used descriptive statistics and a seemingly unrelated bivariate probit model to analyze the data. The double-bounded contingent valuation format was used within a seemingly unrelated bivariate probit model to identify factors influencing WTP for livestock vaccination. It was found that the average WTP for sheep and goat vaccination was 0.38 USD (United States of America dollar) yearly, while for cattle and oxen vaccination, it was 0.64. Factors such as the household head’s education, sex, and age; annual income; total livestock holdings; and farm size affected farmers’ WTP for sheep and goat vaccination in both initial and follow-up scenarios. Market access, farm experience, and access to credit also influenced WTP for cattle and oxen vaccination across both bid values. We suggest that improving socioeconomic factors, such as household well-being and access to credit services, is vital because these elements directly influence a household’s capacity to invest in livestock health and productivity. Establishing clear vaccination rates, with vaccine costs aligned to the average household income, is recommended.

This work is licensed under CC-BY 4.0
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16060688
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    Publication year

    2026

    ISSN

    2077-0472

    Authors

    Chumburo, A.; Cucchi, C.; Tafesse, A.; Mekonnen, A.B.; Recha, J.W.M.; Osano, P.

    Language

    English

    Keywords

    animal diseases, contingent valuation, farmers, household income, livestock, small ruminants, socioeconomic aspects, statistical methods, vaccination, willingness to pay

    Source

    Agriculture. 16(6): 688

    Geographic

    Ethiopia