Management and socio-economics of tsetse control

Entry/transitional costs

Because any tsetse control strategy will take some time to achieve an initial drop of tsetse populations to planned or acceptable levels, livestock-owners during that time will be faced with both:

• the costs of tsetse control

• and the costs of living with trypanosomiasis

The additional cost to them during this period can be considered an entry or transitional cost. It can be estimated as half the existing estimates or quantifications of costs of trypanosomiasis, over a period in which it can reasonably be expected that tsetse populations will drop to the new level.

With some technical options (especially dipping) there will also be a need for initial capital investment (dips, traps, storerooms, vehicles).

These problems can be managed in two ways:

• If the medium-term profitability of the control strategy is high (if the costs of ongoing control are considerably smaller than the costs of living with trypanosomiasis) and if other socio-economic factors (especially potential for collective action and attitudes to technology) are favourable, the costs can be fully or partly passed on to beneficiaries.

• Otherwise, the costs should be borne by government, a donor or an NGO as a transitional subsidy.

Transitional subsidies are a tool used worldwide and viewed as “a powerful means to achieve change while maintaining community acceptance” (Young 1999). Even during a time when subsidies to agriculture are generally viewed negatively, governments and donors regard them as acceptable because they are time-limited, and can be viewed as compensation for specific costs involved in a change to a new technology. For example, in developed countries such as Sweden they have been used to encourage transition to less polluting agricultural practices.

Reference
Young, M.D (1999) “Maintaining Harmony: Equitable and Efficient Means to minimise Adverse Impacts of Livestock on the Environment”. Unpublished paper attached to FAO Livestock Environment Toolbox.