title: Are government veterinary paraprofessionals serving the poor? The perceptions of smallholder livestock farmers in Western Kenya.
abstract: The liberalization of clinical veterinary services in Kenya introduced new service providers into the animal health service sector. This study examines the perceptions of livestock farmers regarding these service providers and analyses the factors that influence their choice of alternative service providers in Kakamega County. The empirical analysis shows that private animal health assistants were perceived to provide better services than alternative providers because they are more accessible and offer services on credit. Results from a multinomial logit model reveal that more educated, wealthier, and older farmers are more likely to use government services. The study concludes that it is imperative to better target the poor and to integrate private service providers into government animal health programs.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Agricultural Economics and Social Sciences in the Tropics and Sub - Tropics, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany, koltobayas@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Tobias Onyango
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: K'Oloo
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ilukor
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mockshell
authors.forename: Evans Deyie
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Ilatsia
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Birner
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D002755:Choice Behavior; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D006076:Government; D006078:Government Programs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya; D058751:Livestock; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014730:Veterinary Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D000078329:Workforce