IMPACT OF ANIMAL AFRICAN TRYPANOSOMIASIS ON SMALLHOLDER HOUSEHOLDS’ LIVESTOCK INCOME IN DARAMALO WOREDA, GAMO ZONE, SOUTH ETHIOPIA

Abstract

The livestock sector is the main driver of Ethiopia's economy. Despite its significance, animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT) is a significant barrier to the production of livestock, which negatively affects rural communities that rely on livestock for subsistence. The objective of the study was to investigate the impact of AAT on the smallholder households' livestock income in Daramalo Woreda, southern Ethiopia. In the study, sample households were selected using a mix of probability and non-probability sampling techniques, and cross-sectional survey data was collected from 388 smallholder farmers. The prevalence of AAT and its economic losses were determined using a mathematical model. A Tobit model was used to identify the determinants of the severity of AAT. In addition, the impact of AAT on smallholder farmers was assessed using a binary endogenous switching regression model. The mathematical model's result showed that the area's overall prevalence of AAT was 18.23%. The findings also revealed the total annual direct economic loss caused by AAT was estimated to be Ethiopian birr 14.7 million, which includes mortality, morbidity losses, and veterinary expenses. The two-limit Tobit model results revealed that distance to market, the cost of technology, and the density of a vector had positively and significantly affected the severity of AAT, while tropical livestock units, the frequency of veterinary visits, the effectiveness of technology, and the membership of an agribusiness group had negatively and significantly affected the severity of AAT in the study area. The binary endogenous switching regression model results showed that the farm households that were affected by AAT earned less income (-3911.98 birr) in livestock production compared with their unaffected counterparts. Therefore, the study recommended that government policies and programs emphasize an integrated disease control strategy that includes the use of trypanocidal drugs and various vector control measures in conjunction with the diversification of animal species to bring about an overall improvement in household income and reduce the risk of disease