Rice, cattle and the epizootics problem in Philippine agriculture during the American period: An analysis of the animal disease problem and its impact to the Filipino farmers, cattle importers and raisers, 1900-1930

• Main Author: Dela Cruz, Arleigh Ross D.
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: DS Asia; SF Animal culture
• Online Access: http://repo.uum.edu.my/14442/1/7.pdf; http://repo.uum.edu.my/14442/; http://www.iaha2014.uum.edu.my/
• Institution: Universiti Utara Malaysia

Domestic bovine animals are valuable resources to Filipinos because they are used as work animals and food source. Filipino farmers depend on water buffalos or carabaos for farm work.They consider the carabao as their beast of burden because it helps them till the lands. Cattle, like carabaos are also domesticated in the Philippines because they serve as important sources of meat and means of transport.Surely, Filipinos have a great need for domestic animals because they serve as sources of meat and milk and assist in agricultural-related activities. However, disaster struck the domestic bovine animals in the Philippines when carabaos and cattle were decimated by dangerous contagions during the American Period.The death of thousands and thousands of carabaos and cattle due to foot-and-mouth disease, cattle plague, bovine anthrax and haemorrhagic septicaemia affected the livelihood of many Filipino farmers and the business of cattle importers and local cattle raisers.This paper examines the impact of the animal disease problem to the Filipino farmers’ economic livelihood. It will also analyse and explain how this agricultural menace affected the country’s cattle industry as well as the business interests of many cattle importers and cattle raisers in the Philippines.