Livestock vaccination programme participation among smallholder farmers on the outskirts of National Parks and Tiger Reserves in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Assam

A study on livestock vaccination participation among smallholder farmers near UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Tiger Reserves in India revealed that while awareness and positive attitudes toward vaccination were high, actual participation remained low—except in villages immediately surrounding Kaziranga National Park, where 65% of respondents reported vaccinating their cattle. The research identified key barriers to vaccination, including poor communication from vaccinators, lack of awareness about program timing, and passive attitudes among farmers who relied on organized drives rather than seeking services independently. Recommendations include integrating vaccination programs with local agricultural and social calendars, improving publicization of dates/times, and engaging beneficiaries more actively, potentially through small monetary contributions to encourage responsibility.

Hopker, A., Pandey, N., Bartholomew, R., Blanton, A., Hopker, S., Dhamorikar, A., Goswami, J., Marsland, R., Metha, P., & Sargison, N. (2021). Livestock vaccination programme participation among smallholder farmers on the outskirts of National Parks and Tiger Reserves in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Assam. Plos One, 16(8), e0256684. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256684