Tsetse-transmitted trypanosomiasis is the major constraint to livestock development in the humid and sub-humid zones of sub-Saharan Africa. Sustainable control of trypanosomiasis requires strategies that integrate vector and parasite management. Furthermore, sustainable control strategies need to be based on a thorough assessment of critical aspects of control as they influence livestock production, the environment and the welfare of African farmers.

Phase I of the programme was initiated by ILRI and financed by IFAD between January 1995 and December 1997. The programme evaluated the adoption, use and impact of trypanosomiasis control technologies on IFAD’s target groups in eastern, western and southern Africa. It assembled and deployed expertise on various trypanosomiasis control strategies, livestock production, and participatory techniques for monitoring socio-economic and environmental impact. Interdisciplinary case studies undertaken in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya and Zimbabwe demonstrated, among other things, the capacity of rural communities to organize themselves to operate prototype tsetse traps and their willingness to pay for effective control and supplementary treatment options.

The case studies have also demonstrated that vector control can generate benefits to farmers that exceed total costs by as much as a factor of ten times. Preliminary assessment of impact on natural resources shows low short-term costs, but there was a need for longer-term assessments to discern the sustainability of the control strategies in question.

Grant Purpose for the second phase (1999 to 2002)

The purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness, impact and sustainability of alternative trypanosomiasis control strategies and to develop decision-support tools to improve control.
The immediate objectives were to:

• evaluate factors affecting the adoption, effectiveness, finance and management of disease management strategies;
• identify factors affecting the structure and performance of delivery systems for inputs for vector and disease management;
• extrapolate site-specific results to the national, regional and continental levels; and
• develop decision-support tools to improve the design of trypanosomiasis control strategies.

Components

Participatory testing and validation of sustainable tsetse control technologies

This involved a package of actions that included:

(i) undertaking a thorough investigation of community-based adoption of a comprehensive control technology package grounded mainly on the Nguruman trap technology and associated control strategies (i.e. “push and pull”);

(ii) validating complementary control measures;

(iii) assessing the risk of re-infestation and the benefits of crop diversification and the purchase of trypanotolerant breeds; and

(iv) consolidating information and providing a conclusive analysis of integrated tsetse control strategies.

Improving access of farmers to control technologies and sustainability of use

This was effected through:

(i) evaluating constraints on the delivery of inputs for control options, including pour-ons, trypanocidal drugs and traps, and providing concrete solutions; and

(ii) assessing the impact of trypanosomiasis control on livestock productivity, including estimates of the economic benefits and costs associated with tsetse control.

Development of decision support

Decision-support tools were developed by collating data at national and project-specific levels relevant to decision-making for trypanosomiasis control.

Impact

The effective organization and management of local community participation was essential to the successful use of traps, while finance and delivery might limit the successful use of pour-ons.

Tsetse fly control has the greatest impact on crop land expansion when:

(i) few factors besides trypanosomiasis limit agricultural production; (ii) farmers traditionally use livestock to plough their land; (iii) land preparation requires a lot of labour due to local soil conditions; and (iv) large amounts of uncultivated land remain available.

The impact of trypanosomiasis on drug use and production (Ghibe Valley case study) is significant: a 75% decrease in trypanosomiasis incidence led to a 9% increase in milk production, a 30% increase in live animal production, and a 50% increase in traction efficiency of draught oxen.
The impact of trypanosomiasis risk on farmers’ behaviour regarding livestock and crop production was evident to two ways:

• The reduction in trypanosomiasis risk resulted in an expansion in the numbers of all types of livestock. Sheep, goats and donkeys are now being kept where virtually none were kept before tsetse control. Other positive results were better land preparation, growing of a wider variety of crops, and improvement in human health and nutrition as livestock production increased.
• Tsetse control appeared to cause an expansion of cultivated area. Farmers prefer to use specific habitats for farming, so that the impacts of land clearing are unevenly spread across the landscape. These preferred locations are often also key resources for indigenous animals and plants in the system. More investigation is needed on this topic.