Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Smallholder Farmers Regarding Foot and Mouth Disease in Cattle in Punaga Village, Takalar Regency: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

HistoryFoot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a serious problem capable of causing significant economic losses to farmers.Therefore, this study aimed to provide an overview of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) of smallholder farmers regarding FMD in Punaga Village, Takalar Regency, as well as assess the awareness about the etiology, treatment, and control measures.Data were collected from 48 farmers through a questionnaire covering KAPs related to FMD and analyzed descriptively.The results showed the overall score for Knowledge was 5.7±0.16,Attitude and Practice was 2.02±0.29 and there was a significant association between knowledge level and education level of the respondents (P<0.05).Furthermore, respondents with low education were approximately 70% less likely to have high knowledge compared to those with medium education.Although most respondents had experience on FMD and were aware of the potential of FMD to cause livestock death and agreed with the necessary control measures such as selfquarantine and the necessity of routine veterinary visit, all farmers still had a high interest in obtaining further information about this disease, particularly regarding the treatment and prevention.The results are expected to provide valuable insights for designing more effective FMD intervention programs in the region, considering the importance of improving knowledge as well as changing the attitudes and practices of farmers.

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