Abstract
East Coast Fever is a critical cattle disease in East and Southern Africa which is currently mainly controlled through frequent chemical removal of ticks, the disease vector. However, a vaccine conveying life-long immunity has existed for some time, known as the infection and treatment method (ITM), although it has so far not been widely adopted because of its cost, demanding distribution system and regulatory reservations. Also, despite having proved effective on the animal level, the promoters of the vaccine have not been able to show much evidence of its benefits on the herd, farm and household levels. This study, based on a cross-sectional survey of 994 cattle keepers throughout Tanzania, aims to provide such evidence by comparing indicators of herd productivity, of farm management and success as well as of household livelihoods between households that have adopted the ITM vaccine for some years with those that have only recently adopted it. Econometric models identify the contribution of ITM adoption to indicator values together with various other determining factors amongst 277 long-term adopters of ITM and the control group of 118 recent adopters as well as 118 matched farmers without access to ITM. The results confirm that ITM adoption is positively associated with all three indicators of herd-productivity considered in this study. However, it does not support any of the three indicators of farm management and only one out of four indicators representing farm success. Nevertheless, the adoption of ITM shows a positive association with all four indicators of household livelihood. Investigating the chain of intermediate outcomes, indicators of herd productivity, such as milk yield, are significantly linked to higher feed expenses, contributing to increased livestock productivity and ultimately income and food availability. Overall, these results therefore support the promotion of ITM as a beneficial technology for the sustainable development of rural livestock keepers.
Highlights
East Coast Fever (ECF), caused by the haemoprotozoan parasite Theileria parva and transmitted by ticks, causes considerable economic losses in 11 countries in Eastern, Southern and Central Africa
While determining the effects of infection and treatment method (ITM) vaccination on livelihood indicators is critical for assessing the value of this technology in contributing toward ultimate development objectives, this study aims to better understand the pathways leading to these effects and which conditions are required to achieve them
Herd productivity indicators include share of calves within cattle herds [calves per herd size, both measured in tropical livestock units (TLU)], milk yield and milk sales
Summary
East Coast Fever (ECF), caused by the haemoprotozoan parasite Theileria parva and transmitted by ticks, causes considerable economic losses in 11 countries in Eastern, Southern and Central Africa. Even in areas where control measures are common, such as in smallholder dairy systems in the Dar-esSalaam region of Tanzania, ECF prevalence rates of 45% and case fatality rates of 64% have been recorded [7]. Besides these risks, an acaricide-based approach to ECF control implies considerable costs and negative environmental effects, calling into question the efficacy of this approach [8]. Due to the ECF risks and the associated cost of controlling the disease, many smallholders across East Africa are reluctant to adopt improved breeds of cattle, as the disease affects Bos taurus breeds more severely than Bos indicus breeds [9], an effect common to many commercializing smallholder farming systems [10]
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