Recruitment and satisfaction of commercial livestock farmers participating in a livestock guarding dog programme

Wilkes, R., Prozesky, H. E., Stannard, C. G., Cilliers, D., Stiller, J. and Whitehouse-Tedd, K. (2023) Recruitment and satisfaction of commercial livestock farmers participating in a livestock guarding dog programme. Journal of Vertebrate Biology, 72 (23029). pp. 1-13. ISSN 2694-7684

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Abstract

Livestock guarding dogs (LGDs) are used to prevent livestock depredation and used in a number of conservation programmes as a human-wildlife coexistence tool. Although the livestock protection outcomes of LGD use are well studied, relatively little is known about the motivations or perceptions of the farmers involved. This mixed-methods study investigated recruitment and satisfaction in 108 South African commercial livestock farmers participating in an LGD programme. A semi-structured interview schedule and existing dataset were used to collect both qualitative data (analysed according to the principles of thematic analysis) and quantitative data (summarised using descriptive statistics). Word-of-mouth was the predominant source of programme awareness (n = 69), with direct recruitment by programme managers reducing proportionally over time, indicating programme self-perpetuation. Satisfaction was ‘high’ for most farmers (n = 90) and trust between farmers and programme managers was important in recruitment, motivation and satisfaction, along with perceived reductions in livestock losses. Concern for wildlife only motivated 21 farmers. LGD behavioural problems were reported by 49 farmers, but 95 would still use an LGD again. These novel findings demonstrate the importance of inter-stakeholder dialogue for obtaining crucial knowledge for LGD program development. Where non-conservation-related motivators predominate for key stakeholders, greater emphasis on these other factors during programme recruitment, advocacy and/or evaluation may improve stakeholder engagement and retention.

Publication Type: Articles
Additional Information: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited.
Uncontrolled Keywords: farming, human-carnivore interaction, livestock protection, motivation, perception
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General)
Divisions: Academic Areas > Institute of Education, Social and Life Sciences > Psychology
Research Entities > POWER Centre
Depositing User: James Stiller
Date Deposited: 03 Oct 2023 14:57
Last Modified: 16 May 2024 14:41
URI: https://eprints.chi.ac.uk/id/eprint/7140

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