Control of cattle trypanosomiasis in coastal savannah of Ghana Part II: Field studies

Abstract

Field studies on the control of animal trypanosomiasis were undertaken in the Coastal Savanna of Ghana to det-ermine the importance of the disease in livestock production. The methodologies adopted were participatory ru-ral appraisal, geographical information systems, and entomological or parasitological evaluation. A multiple re-gression was used to analyse the field data. The studies were aimed at identifying the perception of cattle farm-ers on the disease and to set out remedial actions. An assessment of 850 cattle farmers (drovers, herdsmen, ow-ners) on preference ranking of production objectives was made. Structured interviews of 250 herdsmen on con-straints encountered in the use of Berenil® for trypanosomiasis control were also conducted. Milk was domina-nt production objective of the farmers, but was severely affected by the disease. The major constraints identifi-ed with the control programmes were inadequate dosages of Berenil®, inappropriate pour-on techniques, incorr-ect treatment criteria and methods, and lack of extension services. Policy guidelines and strategies were propos-ed for addressing constraints for the disease control