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Globalization has led to a capital transformation that alters culture, values, and human attitudes, making people more individualistic. Social capital acts as a social glue by fostering trust, social norms, cooperation, and a sense of community. This paper will discuss how social capital can be a driving factor for the survival of communal cattle. We conducted this research in Kulwaru Village, Special Region of Yogyakarta. This study used a qualitative approach with data collection through observation, Focus Group Discussion (FGD), in-depth interviews with key informants, and study of program-related documents. The data obtained were then analyzed using an interactive model. The results of the study show that the existence of social capital in the communal cattle in Kulwaru Village has a vital role in shaping social values in society, such as trust, norms, social relations, and cooperation which provides strong bonds in communities both in bonding, bridging, and linking. This factor has made the communal cattle survive for the last twelve years. The findings of this research will contribute to understanding and harnessing the social capital of rural communities; it is possible to support the continuation of this traditional practice and contribute to the economic and cultural well-being of the communities involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bovine theileriosis (caused by Theileria parva) is the most important tick-borne transboundary animal disease endemic to Zimbabwe, yet its distribution dynamics data in the country remain scant and outdated. A retrospective study was conducted to determine high-risk areas of bovine theileriosis and associated risk factors in Zimbabwe. Records on bovine theileriosis spanning 23 years (January 1995 to December 2018) were obtained from the Epidemiological Unit of the Division of Field Veterinary Services of Zimbabwe (DVSZ). Data were analysed using Studio R® version 11.0 for regression analysis and SatScan® version 9.4.6 for spatio-temporal clustering. Communal farmers (72%), adult cattle (29%), the year 2018 (60%) and the hot wet season (42%) had the highest proportion (p < .050) of bovine theileriosis cases recorded. Seven out of the country's ten provinces and 36 of its 59 districts were affected. Bovine theileriosis was observed to lose seasonality when cases rose exponentially in 2018. Five and four high-risk clusters of bovine theileriosis were detected using one-year and one-month time aggregate, respectively, all within the last eight years of the study (2011-2018). Two potential risk factors (province and farming system) were significantly (p < .050) associated with bovine theileriosis occurrence. Bovine theileriosis was found to be rampant and if left unchecked will spread and adversely affect the whole country. Improved theileriosis surveillance and control is warranted. Recommendations for control and prevention strategies revolve around better farmer awareness about the disease, correct and consistent use of acaricides, cattle movement control and disease surveillance among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was conducted to determine the effects of phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) content in pasture with body weight and body condition scores in cattle depending entirely on natural grazing. The work was done in 2006 in Mogosane Village of North-West Province, South Africa, and it was conducted from March 2006 to March 2007, with the annual rainfall of 384.38 mm maximum. A total of 25 growing mixed breed cattle aged between 6 months and 2 years old were selected randomly from a herd feeding exclusively on communal grazing. Animals were depending on natural pasture, with no supplements given. Records of body mass (BM) and body condition score (BCS) were recorded from a diverse range of animals in order to include as many different body masses and body condition scores as possible. Mean BM and BCS values are reported but there were no significant (P > 0.05) differences between months. Possible reasons are given in the "Results and Discussion" section. The focus of the research reported here was on the changes in the P, Ca, and Mg concentrations of pasture. Pasture samples were collected once a month for analysis to determine the contents of P, Ca, and Mg. Mineral concentrations in the pasture increased significantly (P < 0.05) with rainfall in January 2007, February 2007, and March 2007, and in January 2007 and February 2007, the mean values of BCS (3.90) and BM (444.05 kg) increased. After the good rains in March 2006 and April 2006, there were significant (P < 0.05) decreases in grass P and Mg in the following dry months along with decreases in BCS and BM. There were subsequent significant (P < 0.05) increases in grass P and Mg following rains in August 2006 through January 2007. Grass Ca followed a much different pattern compared with that of P and Mg with significant (P < 0.05) increases after periods of little or no rainfall. Mineral concentrations (P, Ca, and Mg) of grass in this research were significantly (P < 0.05) influenced by the rainfall making it imperative that mineral supplementation be given to animals in the dry periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimation of animal weight is critical in cattle production to assist in herd management and to estimate the value chain prices of the animals. There is a lack of tools for small-scale farmers and stakeholders to readily estimate cattle weight in communal livestock farming systems in South Africa. Models found in the literature cannot be easily adapted, as they may not be validated for the relevant breeds or may be too complex. The aim of this study was to build simple models based on heart girth and height to estimate the weight of Brahman and Nguni type cattle, the most common cattle raised by small-scale farmers in the lowveld of South Africa. Two models based on the heart girth performed well: weight0.263 = 0.022 x heart girth + 1.101 for Brahman type cattle andweight0.465 = 0.115 x heart girth - 3.578 for Nguni type cattle. When using these equations for herd management, correction to intercept by age should be added to estimate the sales value of an animal. Models based on height were less accurate, and models with two predictors had only a marginal improvement in accuracy while increasing the time for measurement collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]