Economics of African Animal Trypanosomosis (AAT) management strategies under risk and time preferences

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Hermann Waibel
• Subject Area: Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Policy, Agricultural Sociology
• Term: from 2011 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 209505678

African animal trypanosomosis (AAT) in cattle and the threat of widespread resistance to trypanocidal drugs, that has been the major input of disease control and prevention, are important production risks to resource-poor cattle farmers in smallholder crop livestock production systems in the cotton belt of West Africa. Recent studies in that region underline the urgency to improve the understanding of drug resistance development and to find ways of its sustainable containment and prevention. The overall goal of this research is to analyze options that can lead to the sustainability of livestock production in spite of AAT and drug resistance. In this context the decision making behaviour of farmers with regard to two factors, namely time preference and attitude towards risk plays an important role. These are two major variables affecting farmers’ input choice of disease control and prevention. Based on the simultaneous elicitation of these parameters by means of economic field experiments among a representative sample of farmers in Mali and Burkina Faso these information are applied to a bio-economic model suitable to compare disease control strategies.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants