ESTIMATING LIVESTOCK LOSSES IN A FLOOD DISASTER: A CASE OF NIGERIA

Abstract

Livestock are extremely important to economic development and welfare in most low and middle income countries, since they are basically considered as stores of wealth, generators of income and sources of nutrition, hence, losing livestock as a result of any disaster can lead to a decrease in agricultural output, owners income and reduced nutritional intake. This paper therefore, aimed estimating the extent of livestock losses due flood disaster in Nigeria, as reported by UNDP, WFP and FAO joint assessment report on 2012 flood, using multiple regression analysis. Findings of the study, revealed that livestock losses incurred by farming household were significant at 5% level of probability for all the reported livestock. This study recommends to policy makers in facilitating cost-effective integrated flood management to avoid future livestock losses.