Tsetse Control and Related Area Development in the Upper Didessa Valley, Western Zone, Ethiopia. Project findings and recommendations

Following a dramatic expansion of tsetse distribution in the potentially agriculturally productive southwestern area of Ethiopia, assistance was sought to start a national tsetse control programme. The development and small-scale testing of suitably modified odour-baited and insecticide-treated attractive devices (tsetse targets) were successfully achieved through two TCP projects, TCP/ETH/4523 and TCP/ETH/6765. By the end of these operations in April 1988, tsetse had been reduced to below detectable levels and, concurrently, livestock and crop production significantly increased over a test area of approximately 50 km2 in the Upper Didessa River ValleyThe purpose of this project was to consolidate the gains achieved and to assist in extending tsetse eradication over an adjacent 500 km2 area where trypanosomiasis continued to constrain agricultural production severely. These activities have achieved considerable success. Some 400 kmý of previously infested area has been cleared of tsetse, and affected farmers have markedly increased production. The control technique has been proved to be effective for large-scale sustainable use under local conditions, and is suitable for implementation by farmers on a self-help basis. Subsidiary trials have also indicated that the strategic low-density placement of targets along the altitude limits of tsetse distribution can result in a market reduction in the seasonal incidence of trypanosomiasis in highland cattleFormal and in-service training provided by the project and supplemented by a one-month, in-country, practically-orientated course through the regional project RAF/85/015, Lusaka, has significantly strengthened the capability of national personnel in this specialized disciplineIn the light of the success achieved, it was recommended that vector control be expanded into a sustainable programme over the southwestern region in order to consolidate gains and increase further the area available for production. Such operations should be supported by further field trials to adapt the control techniques for use against other tsetse species. Consideration also should be given to the use of insecticide-treated livestock as an alternative to artificial baits. Both formal and in-service training should be continuedAny future operations should aim initially at continuing eradication along the Didessa River Valley and tributaries which, because of altitude separation, are largely protected from lateral re-invasion. A two-year bridging project to support this was presented to the World Bank for funding within the Fourth Livestock Development Programme. This recommendation was made to ensure the integration of tsetse control with the national development and settlement policy, which recognizes the production potential of this area as confirmed by land-use studie