Assessment of bio-security knowledge, attitude and hygienic practices among smallholder chicken farmers in Southern Mozambique
Loading...
Date
2025
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Academic Journal
Abstract
The production of broiler chickens in intensive systems struggles to maintain hygiene in production,
despite contributing to combating malnutrition, generating employment, and increasing family income,
especially in developing countries. Using a structured questionnaire survey, a cross-sectional study was
carried out among 395 smallholder farmers to evaluate their knowledge, attitudes, and practices related
to farm biosecurity in urban and peri-urban areas of Mozambique and determine the factors affecting KAP
(knowledge, attitude, and practice) levels. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social
Science (SPSS) (IBM version 27). The findings indicate that education level and training significantly
influence (p < 0.001) food safety in terms of biosecurity knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Smallholders
who attended food safety training exhibited positive attitudes (95.5%, mean score of 89.71 ± 10.1) in
contrast to those who did not participate in training (74.8%, mean score of 79.91 ± 9.68). Additionally,
washing hands with soap before and after using the toilet and wearing protective clothing during chicken
husbandry were significantly associated with education level (χ² = 15.345, P = 0.018); those with informal
education were 34% less likely to have a negative attitude toward food safety compared to those with
high education. A significant correlation (p < 0.01) was observed between residence area, training, and
biosecurity knowledge, attitude, and practice. Because smallholders lack training, hygiene expertise, and
biosecurity practices on their farms, this study concluded that they pose a risk to public health and food
safety. To maintain consumer health and guarantee food safety, farmers should properly dispose of
waste, including dead chickens, and receive continuous training in excellent biosecurity measures on
the farm.
Description
African Journal of Food Science pp. 113-133
Keywords
Broiler chickens, Smallholder farmers, Food safety, KAP, Biosecurity
Citation
http://www.academicjournals.org/AJFS