Upscaling farmer-led targeted intervention for livestock health and poverty alleviation in Africa

Parasites are a major cause of disease and production loss in grazing ruminants worldwide, and their control is increasingly challenged by climate change and drug resistance. In resource-poor marginal farming systems, where reliance on livestock for food and income is high, tools for effective parasite control are rarely available to farmers. Chemical inputs are often in limited supply and not optimally applied, and parasites slow growth, reduce milk yield and cause mortality.

This project builds on previous research conducted on targeting treatment within goat herds in Botswana, which showed that simple indices of parasite impact can be used effectively by farmers to target treatments and improve livestock health. Farmers using the system achieved similar improvements as for whole-herd treatment, while using less than a quarter of the treatments. At the same time, research has advanced the capability of computer models to predict infection risk as a function of climate and weather. Application of risk models could enable monitoring and targeted treatment to focus on the most dangerous times, potentially saving labour and reducing unexpected losses. These prediction models have helped farmers in the UK, but have not yet been delivered to farmers in Botswana. Very high mobile phone use in the region provides a potential route to deliver such tools, and to support farmers who are in remote locations and out of the reach of over-stretched animal health extension personnel.

This project will combine targeted treatment and risk prediction to produce an integrated parasite control system that works in the hands of remote marginal farmers in Botswana. Risk predictions will be generated from climate data using existing models, and communicated to farmers by mobile phone. Alerts will prompt trained farmers to check their animals and intervene as needed, feeding back information on animal health status and treatments applied, again by mobile phone. This information will, in turn, help to update risk profiles for a given area. Resources to support application of targeted treatment protocols will be produced and disseminated on a new mobile phone friendly website and in hard copy, including aide memoires and infographics to ensure access regardless of literacy or level of education. Running the system in the field will show that it works, and provide a blueprint and materials to upscale it across a wider area, with the potential for automation in a later translation phase.

The integrated system will be delivered with key partners in Botswana, who have helped to identify the need for this work, and will provide support to the field trials and then to embed the integrated system into existing support structures and training. Project outcomes will be summarised in a policy report and discussed with partners and potential users, to promote wider uptake. Application of improved parasite control in goats and sheep on smallholder farms has the potential to drive step changes in household nutrition and livelihoods across large areas of Africa. Outcomes will be communicated beyond Botswana through existing networks to fully realise these benefits.