Abstract

This work investigates the management and veterinary health interventions for dairy cattle in an integrated agricultural system practiced by 1,500 poor villagers living in 300 households in the Jamuna River Chars (Bogra, Jamalpur and Sirajganj Districts) of Bangladesh. The average production after one lactation for indigenous cattle was 2.53 L/cow/day (229 day lactation) and for cross-bred cattle was 7.72 L/cow/day (270 day lactation) respectively. The services per conception were 1.38 and 1.97 respectively. The dairy profit per lactation (Taka/cow) in Bogra, Jamalpur and Sirajganj respectively was 2320, 3582, and 2076; ratio of milk revenue to feed costs was 1.76, 2.83, and 1.60; returns on investment was 1.06, 0.92 and 1.07. The strong economic equity as well as the land holdings of the studied households may have been a factor that determined which households were able to select dairy cattle. The participants in this research requested for further management training, delivery of health services and market development. The research reflects five of the six pillars of ecohealth (transdisciplinarity, community participation, gender and economic equity, sustainability, and knowledge for action), but failed to assess complexity and systems thinking. Further research is needed to support the suggestion that dairy production provides more than enough economic support to the Chars community since it sustains resilience in a vulnerable ecosystem.

Key words: Bangladesh, ecohealth, food security, dairy, complexity