program for enhancing the health and productivity of livestock
Ashley Railey
Ashley studies household decision-making towards Foot and Mouth Disease control
About me
Ashley holds a Bachelor of Arts from Gonzaga University in International Relations and a Masters of Administration from the Josef Korbel School of International Relations at the University of Denver. After graduating, she was a Community Economic Development volunteer for the United States Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic working with a cacao cooperative. Her work in the Peace Corps inspired her to continue working with economic development, specifically in the agricultural sector, leading her to the Program for Enhancing the Health and Productivity of Livestock. She is currently pursuing a PhD at Washington State University in interdisciplinary studies (economics, sociology, animal health) with an interest in smallholder household productivity and infectious disease policy. In her free time, she trains for triathlons, enjoys crocheting, and is involved with the Graduate Professional Student Association at WSU.
Identification of household risk management approaches to food and mouth disease control in northern Tanzania
Thesis Research Project
Research
I am evaluating household decision-making towards foot and mouth disease (FMD) in cattle to identify the plausibility of emerging control technologies. FMD affects primary livestock holdings in Tanzania, including cows, sheep, and goats, resulting in animal productivity losses. For smallholder households’ dependent on livestock for subsistence and income, productivity losses influence overall household welfare. My research uses data from a household survey performed in 2016 in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro districts of Tanzania to achieve the following objectives,
1) Identify the determinants of household willingness to pay for FMD vaccination strategies.
2) Define how household and community factors explain preferences for improved vaccine information through diagnostic testing.
3) Examine the relationship between FMD control decisions and household expenditures.
The ultimate goal of my research is to provide initial, necessary insight into the feasibility and practicality of FMD risk management approaches for Tanzanian smallholder farmers.
Latest News
Presentations, Publications, and Awards
Presentation, 3rd International Conference on Global Food Security, Cape Town, South Africa
December 2017
Presentation title: “Tanzanian household expenditures and endemic livestock diseases.”
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science Diplomacy and Leadership Workshop, Washington DC, USA
September 2017
Presentation, Agriculture and Applied Economics Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, USA
July - August 2017
Presentation title: “Diagnostic testing and vaccine matching: the cost of uncertainty.”
Poster Presentation: International Society for Economics and Social Sciences of Animal Health Conference, Aviemore, Scotland
March 2017
Poster Title: “Household response to FMD vaccines in Tanzania.”
Russ and Anne Fuller Fellowship for Interdisciplinary Research, Washington State University
2017-2019