Role of the veterinarian in Technological Transfer in three areas of Chile (1984-1994)

Abstract

An analysis of the practitioner veterinarians services provided to 57 small farmers of the Cachillahue, Cayurruca and Pindaco areas, of the Río Bueno County was made. To achieve this objetive, the information contained in two documents were used. One, which corresponds to "the veterinarian visit reports" gathered during the period of 1991 to 1994, and the second one to the repor written by the veterinarian on each visit, during the ten years analysed periods. The rutine activities were gestation diagnosis and post partum inspection. The practitioner palpates more cows than the farmer possesses and the porcentage of pregnancies and post delivery inspections are deficienty calculated. The professional remain in contact with the small farmer for a very short period of time, around two seasons.

The notes which the veterinarian does make, lack arrangement and does not follow any preestablished model. It is true that the identification of animals is very rarely done using earmarkers, but the professional does not insist on the difusion of this practice by the small farmer. The prescription of drugs is very widespread, with vaccines being the most populary used (30.5%) together with antiparasitic treatment both of internal (29.1%) and external (16.4%) use. The prescription is done incompletely, deficient in an important quantity of components, making its comprehension dificult for the small farmer.

The maximum advantage of the veterinarian visit is not reached, while he remain on the farm dedicate his time in solving punctual problems of the herd, leaving only a short period of time for planning management strategies with the small farmer.