Demand of Fulani Pastoralists for veterinary services in North-western Nigeria

Abstract

The demand of Fulani pastoralists for veterinary services was determined using data collected from 300 respondents in Sokoto and Zamfara States in north-western Nigeria. The interviewed pastoralists were selected using cluster sampling technique and data collected on herders' annual total expenditure on veterinary service, cost of veterinary service per animal herders' total annual expenditure, herd size, herd's distance from veterinary post, number of sick animals and others were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. The latter was used to estimate herders' demand functions for veterinary services. The elasticity’s obtained from the estimated demand functions showed that herders' response to veterinary service cost was relatively inelastic, although the small-scale herders responded slightly more than the large-scale herders. The inelastic response to service cost is an indication of willingness to pay by the herders. This was further confirmed by the fact that majority (75%) of them considered that it is proper for them to pay for veterinary services. In fact, 73% of them indicated that they could even pay more than the market value of an animal to save its life.

Key words: Demand for veterinary services, Fulani pastoralists, structural reform, demand elasticity