Assessment of Adoption Level of Health Practices by Livestock Farmers in the Flood-Prone Areas of Cuddalore District of Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

A study was conducted to assess the occurrence of flood and its impact on livestock and poultry in 20 flood prone villages in ten blocks of Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu with aim to develop livestock information system and mitigation strategies during flood disaster.  Datafrom 600 farmers, geographical data, rainfall, incidences of flood and its impact during the period from 2018 to 2021 were collected.  The flood hazard map was prepared and falls on latitude ranges between 11˚ 30’N and 11˚ 75’N, longitude ranges between 79˚ 40’E and 79˚ 74’E and altitude ranges between 6 and 69.5 m MSL. Flood disasters pose significant challenges to livestock farming, particularly in low-lying and flood-prone regions. In the present study the adoption of disaster mitigation strategies by livestock and poultry farmers in the flood-prone Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu, India were assessed, using a three-stage random sampling design Such as Block level, Village level and farmer level. Data were collected from 600 livestock-rearing households across 20 villages scattered in 10 flood prone blocks of Cuddalore Dt. through structured interviews schedule. The study focused on short-term and long-term management practices across three key domains: water, breeding and health management. The results revealed, low adoption rates of safe water practices such as boiling (10.0%), use of water sanitizer (10.83%) and filtration (12.33%), while the majority (66.84%) relied on untreated surface water sources during floods. Breeding was postponed by 65.33% of respondents, and among those continuing, 89.42% preferred artificial insemination over natural service. Health management practices were inadequately followed, with only 13.16% availing immediate veterinary care and 28.0% adhering to regular vaccination schedules. The Chi-square analysis confirmed significant differences (P<0.01) in adoption levels across all practices. Barriers to adoption included lack of awareness, limited access to veterinary services, poor infrastructure and economic constraints. This study highlights the urgent need for improved veterinary outreach, farmer training, mobile breeding services and community-based water resource management. Strengthening institutional support systems can enhance disaster resilience in vulnerable livestock farming communities.