Skip to main content

Effect of use of tsetse repellant collar technology on the farm performance and household welfare of small-scale livestock farmers in Kenya

Food Security (2023)Cite this article

A Correction to this article was published on 14 February 2023

This article has been updated

Abstract

Tsetse-transmitted Animal African Trypanosomosis (AAT) is a disease of economic importance to livestock development in Sub-Saharan Africa. The disease is widely managed using trypanocides that are expensive for smallholders and associated with health risks due to drug residues in animal products and drug resistance. Developed recently by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) and partners, the novel Tsetse repellent collar technology (TRCT) provides an effective alternative control measure that targets the tsetse fly vector of AAT. This study assessed the impact of TRCT on household welfare and food security by using ex-post non-experimental data obtained from 632 cattle-keeping households in the Shimba Hills region of Kwale County, Kenya. Using an endogenous switching regression model, we found that the use of TRCT increased the market value of cattle by about 36%, and decreased household poverty levels (headcount ratio) by 8.5% points. In addition, the technology reduced the household food insecurity coping strategy index and hunger scale among adopting farmers by 36% and 24% respectively. These results contribute to reshaping our understanding of the impact of TRCT on household welfare to inform the implementation and upscaling of this agriculture-nutrition intervention.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1

Change history

References

  • Abro, Z., Kassie, M., Muriithi, B., Okal, M., Masiga, D., Wanda, G., Gisèle, O., Samuel, A., Nguertoum, E., & Nina, R. A. (2021). The potential economic benefits of controlling trypanosomiasis using waterbuck repellent blend in sub-Saharan Africa. PLoS ONE, 16(7), e0254558.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Alene, A. D., & Manyong, V. M. (2007). The effects of education on agricultural productivity under traditional and improved technology in northern Nigeria: An endogenous switching regression analysis. Empirical Economics, 32(1), 141–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anene, B., Onah, D., & Nawa, Y. (2001). Drug resistance in pathogenic African trypanosomes: What hopes for the future? Veterinary Parasitology, 96(2), 83–100.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Angella, N., Dick, S., & Fred, B. (2014). Willingness to pay for irrigation water and its determinants among rice farmers at Doho Rice Irrigation Scheme (DRIS) in Uganda. Journal of Development and Agricultural Economics, 6(8), 345–355.

  • Angelucci, M., & Di Maro, V. (2010). Project Evaluation and Spillover Effects. Impact Evaluation Guidelines, Strategy Development Division, Technical Notes No. IDB-TN-136. Inter-American Development Bank, Washington, DC.

  • Asfaw, S., Shiferaw, B., Simtowe, F., & Lipper, L. (2012). Impact of modern agricultural technologies on smallholder welfare: Evidence from Tanzania and Ethiopia. Food Policy, 37(3), 283–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, J. L. (2000). Evaluating the impact of development projects on poverty: A handbook for practitioners. The World Bank.

  • Ballard, T., Coates, J., Swindale, A., & Deitchler, M. (2011). Household hunger scale: Indicator definition and measurement guide. Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance II Project, FHI, 360, Washington, DC.

  • Barrett, C. B. (2005). Market institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa: Theory and evidence. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 87(4), 1089–1090.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blake, G., Sandler, H., Coli, W., Pober, D., & Coggins, C. (2007). An assessment of grower perceptions and factors influencing adoption of IPM in commercial cranberry production. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, 22(02), 134–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Catley, A., & Leyland, T. (2001). Community participation and the delivery of veterinary services in Africa. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 49(1–2), 95–113.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • County Government of Kwale. (2013). First County Integrated Development Plan 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2020, from http://www.devolution.go.ke/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Kwale-CIDP-2013-2017.pdf

  • County Government of Kwale. (2018). Kwale County Integrated Development Plan (2018b-2022). Kwale County, Kenya. Retrieved October 20, 2020, from https://cog.go.ke

  • De Janvry, A., & Sadoulet, E. (2002). World poverty and the role of agricultural technology: Direct and indirect effects. Journal of Development Studies, 38(4), 1–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Di Falco, S., Veronesi, M., & Yesuf, M. (2011). Does adaptation to climate change provide food security? A micro-perspective from Ethiopia. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 93(3), 829–846.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Echessah, P. N., Swallow, B. M., Kamara, D. W., & Curry, J. J. (1997). Willingness to contribute labor and money to tsetse control: Application of contingent valuation in Busia District. Kenya. World Development, 25(2), 239–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fadeyi, O. A., Ariyawardana, A., & Aziz, A. A. (2022). Factors influencing technology adoption among smallholder farmers: A systematic review in Africa. Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics, 123(1), 13–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, E., & Qaim, M. (2012). Linking smallholders to markets: Determinants and impacts of farmer collective action in Kenya. World Development, 40(6), 1255–1268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). (2019). The disease. Programme Against African Trypanosomosis (PAAT). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Retrieved May 02, 2021, from https://www.fao.org/paat/the-programme/the-disease/en/

  • Feder, G., Just, R. E., & Zilberman, D. (1985). Adoption of Agricultural Innovations in Developing Countries: A Survey. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 33.

  • Feder, G., Lau, L. J., Lin, J. Y., & Luo, X. (1990). The relationship between credit and productivity in Chinese agriculture: A microeconomic model of disequilibrium. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 72(5), 1151–1157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foster, J., Greer, J., & Thorbecke, E. (1984). A class of decomposable poverty measures. Econometrica: Journal of the Econometric Society, 761–766.

  • Fuglie, K. O., & Bosch, D. J. (1995). Economic and environmental implications of soil nitrogen testing: A switching-regression analysis. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 77(4), 891–900.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Government of Kenya (GoK). (2015). Economic Review of Agriculture [ERA] 2015. Kenya. Ministry of Agriculture. Central Planning and Project Monitoring Unit. Retrieved February 24, 2021, from https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=wplfnQAACAAJ

  • Government of Kenya (GoK). (2018). Basic Report on Well-Being in Kenya: Based on the 2015/16 Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey (KIHBS). Retrieved February 25, 2021, from https://www.knbs.or.ke/download/basic-report-well-kenya-based-201516-kenya-integrated-household-budget-survey-kihbs/

  • Government of Kenya (GoK). (2019). Economic Survey 2019. Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Planning and National Development. Retrieved February 24, 2021, from http://dc.sourceafrica.net/documents/119074-Kenya-National-Bureau-of-Statistics-Economic.html

  • Hoddinott, J., & Yohannes, Y. (2002). Dietary diversity as a food security indicator. Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance Project (FANTA), Academy for Educational Development.

  • Kassie, M., Jaleta, M., Shiferaw, B., Mmbando, F., & Mekuria, M. (2013). Adoption of interrelated sustainable agricultural practices in smallholder systems: Evidence from rural Tanzania. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 80(3), 525–540.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kassie, M., Shiferaw, B., & Muricho, G. (2011). Agricultural technology, crop income, and poverty alleviation in Uganda. World Development, 39(10), 1784–1795.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kassie, M., Teklewold, H., Marenya, P., Jaleta, M., & Erenstein, O. (2015). Production risks and food security under alternative technology choices in Malawi: Application of a multinomial endogenous switching regression. Journal of Agricultural Economics, 66(3), 640–659.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khonje, M., Manda, J., Alene, A. D., & Kassie, M. (2015). Analysis of adoption and impacts of improved maize varieties in eastern Zambia. World Development, 66, 695–706.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leak, S., Peregrine, A., Mulatu, W., Rowlands, G., & D’leteren, G. (1996). Use of insecticide‐impregnated targets for the control of tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) and trypanosomiasis occurring in cattle in an area of south‐west Ethiopia with a high prevalence of drug‐resistant trypanosomes. Tropical Medicine & International Health, 1(5), 599–609.

  • Lee, L. F. (1982). Some approaches to the correction of selectivity bias. The Review of Economic Studies, 49(3), 355–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lokshin, M., & Sajaia, Z. (2004). Maximum likelihood estimation of endogenous switching regression models. The Stata Journal, 4(3), 282–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Machila, N., Emongor, R., Shaw, A. P., Welburn, S. C., McDermott, J., Maudlin, I., & Eisler, M. C. (2007). A community education intervention to improve bovine trypanosomiasis knowledge and appropriate use of trypanocidal drugs on smallholder farms in Kenya. Agricultural Systems, 94(2), 261–272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maddala, G. S. (1983). Limited-Dependent and Qualitative Variables in Econometrics. Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Magona, J., Okuna, N., Katabazi, B., Omollo, P., Okoth, J., Mayende, J., & Drabile, D. (1998). Control of tsetse and animal trypanosomosis using a combination of tsetse trapping, pour-on, and chemotherapy along the Uganda-Kenya border. Revue D Elevage Et De Medicine Veterinaire Des Pays Tropicaux, 51, 311–316.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marenya, P. P., & Barrett, C. B. (2007). Household-level determinants of adoption of improved natural resources management practices among smallholder farmers in western Kenya. Food Policy, 32(4), 515–536.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mattioli, R., Feldmann, U., Hendrickx, G., Wint, W., Jannin, J., & Slingenbergh, J. (2004). Tsetse and trypanosomiasis intervention policies supporting sustainable animal-agricultural development. Journal of Food Agriculture and Environment, 2, 310–314.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maxwell, D., Caldwell, R., & Langworthy, M. (2008). Measuring food insecurity: Can an indicator based on localized coping behaviors be used to compare across contexts? Food Policy, 33(6), 533–540.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mbahin, N., Affognon, H., Andoke, J., Tiberius, M., Mbuvi, D., Otieno, J., Muasa, P., & Saini, R. (2013). Parasitological prevalence of bovine trypanosomosis in Kubo division of Kwale county of coastal: Baseline survey. American Journal of Animal Veterinary Science, 8(1), 28–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCord, P. F., Messina, J. P., Campbell, D. J., & Grady, S. C. (2012). Tsetse fly control in Kenya’s spatially and temporally dynamic control reservoirs: A cost analysis. Applied Geography, 34, 189–204.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McMichael, P. (2009). Banking on agriculture: A review of the World Development Report 2008. Journal of Agrarian Change, 9(2), 235–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Minot, N., & Roy, D. (2007). Impact of high-value agriculture and modern marketing channels on poverty: An analytical framework. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington D.C.

  • Meyer, A., Holt, H. R., Selby, R., & Guitian, J. (2016). Past and ongoing tsetse and animal trypanosomiasis control operations in five African countries: A systematic review. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 10(12), e0005247.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Moti, Y., Fikru, R., Van Den Abbeele, J., Büscher, P., Van den Bossche, P., Duchateau, L., & Delespaux, V. (2012). Ghibe river basin in Ethiopia: Present situation of trypanocidal drug resistance in Trypanosoma congolense using tests in mice and PCR-RFLP. Veterinary Parasitology, 189(2–4), 197–203.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muriithi, B. W., Gathogo, N. G., Diiro, G. M., Kidoido, M. M., Okal, M. N., & Masiga, D. K. (2021). Farmer perceptions and willingness to pay for novel livestock pest control technologies: A case of tsetse repellent collar in Kwale County in Kenya. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 15(8), e0009663.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Murage, A., Midega, C., Pittchar, J., Pickett, J., & Khan, Z. R. (2015). Determinants of adoption of climate-smart push-pull technology for enhanced food security through integrated pest management in eastern Africa. Food Security, 7(3), 709–724.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ohaga, S., Kokwaro, E., Ndiege, I., Hassanali, A., & Saini, R. (2007). Livestock farmers’ perception and epidemiology of bovine trypanosomosis in Kwale District. Kenya. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 80(1), 24–33.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pender, J., & Alemu, D. (2007). Determinants of smallholder commercialization of food crops: Theory and Evidence from Ethiopia (Discussion Paper No. 745; EPTD & MTID). IFPRI. Retrieved June 25, 2020, from http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/42354/2/IFPRIDP00745.pdf

  • Quisumbing, A. R., & Pandolfelli, L. (2010). Promising approaches to address the needs of poor female farmers: Resources, constraints, and interventions. World Development, 38(4), 581–592.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saini, R. K., Orindi, B. O., Mbahin, N., Andoke, J. A., Muasa, P. N., Mbuvi, D. M., Muya, C. M., Pickett, J. A., & Borgemeister, C. W. (2017). Protecting cows in small holder farms in East Africa from tsetse flies by mimicking the odor profile of a non-host bovid. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 11(10), e0005977.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Savy, M., Martin-Prével, Y., Traissac, P., Eymard-Duvernay, S., & Delpeuch, F. (2006). Dietary diversity scores and nutritional status of women change during the seasonal food shortage in rural Burkina Faso. The Journal of Nutrition, 136(10), 2625–2632.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Seyoum, Z., Terefe, G., & Ashenafi, H. (2013). Farmers’ perception of impacts of bovine trypanosomosis and tsetse fly in selected districts in Baro-Akobo and Gojeb river basins. Southwestern Ethiopia. BMC Veterinary Research, 9(1), 214.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, A., Cecchi, G., Wint, G., Mattioli, R., & Robinson, T. P. (2014). Mapping the economic benefits to livestock keepers from intervening against bovine trypanosomosis in Eastern Africa. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 113(2), 197–210.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, A. P. (2018). Controlling tsetse–what does it cost? In Garros et al, 2018: Pests and vector-borne diseases in the livestock industry (pp. 509–536). Wageningen Academic Publishers.

  • Shiferaw, B., Kassie, M., Jaleta, M., & Yirga, C. (2014). Adoption of improved wheat varieties and impacts on household food security in Ethiopia. Food Policy, 44, 272–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shiferaw, B., Kebede, T., Kassie, M., & Fisher, M. (2015). Market imperfections, access to information and technology adoption in Uganda: Challenges of overcoming multiple constraints. Agricultural Economics, 46(4), 475–488.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suri, T., Tschirley, D., Irungu, C., Gitau, R., & Kariuki, D. (2009). Rural incomes, inequality and poverty dynamics in Kenya (Tegemeo Working Paper No. 30). Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development.

  • Tambo, J. A., & Wünscher, T. (2017). Farmer-led innovations and rural household welfare: Evidence from Ghana. Journal of Rural Studies, 55, 263–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teklewold, H., Kassie, M., & Shiferaw, B. (2013). Adoption of multiple sustainable agricultural practices in rural Ethiopia. Journal of Agricultural Economics, 64(3), 597–623.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Von Braun, J. (1988). Effects of technological change in agriculture on food consumption and nutrition: Rice in a West African setting. World Development, 16(9), 1083–1098.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support for this research by the European Union (Grant number DCI-FOOD/2014/346-739) through The Integrated Biological Applied Research Programme (IBCARP), Tsetse Collar component; and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) commissioned by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) through the Fund International Agricultural Research (FIA) (Grant number 18.7860.2-001). We also acknowledge the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) core funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and the Government of the Republic of Kenya. We are highly indebted to the Animal Health team of icipe for field support, the enumerators and survey supervisors for their effort in data collection, and the cattle keepers in Kwale County for their time and invaluable information for this study. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 31st International Conference of Agricultural Economists, 17–31 August 2021, online. We acknowledge the valuable comments from two anonymous reviewers and participants of this conference.

Funding

The donors mentioned above funded the study and had no further role in the analysis or completion of this article. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the donors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (Icipe), P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya

    Beatrice W. Muriithi, Kassie Menale, Gracious M. Diiro, Michael N. Okal & Daniel K. Masiga

  2. Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda

    Gracious M. Diiro

  3. Africa Technical Research Centre, Vector Health International Ltd, P.O. Box 15500, Matheves, Arusha, Tanzania

    Michael N. Okal

Authors
  1. Beatrice W. Muriithi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kassie Menale
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Gracious M. Diiro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Michael N. Okal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Daniel K. Masiga
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Beatrice W. Muriithi.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declared that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

The original online version of this article was revised: The Acknowledgements and Funding information sections were missing from this article.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 22 KB)

Supplementary file2 (DOC 40 KB)

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Muriithi, B.W., Menale, K., Diiro, G.M. et al. Effect of use of tsetse repellant collar technology on the farm performance and household welfare of small-scale livestock farmers in Kenya. Food Sec. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-022-01342-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-022-01342-4

Keywords

  • Economic impact
  • Livestock keeping
  • Tsetse
  • Trypanosomosis
  • Kenya
  • Africa

JEL Classification

  • O12
  • Q12
  • Q16