A trio of instruments for tsetse control cont'd
2) A net advantage for zero-grazing

credit: FITCA

Small-scale farmers produce the majority of Kenya's milk but, many of the cows are kept in zero-grazing pens where they are a sitting target for biting flies, including tsetse. And, if animals become infected with trypanosomosis, milk yields, calving rates and farmers' incomes are seriously affected. To improve livestock production in Western Kenya, an EU Project known as FITCA (Farming in Tsetse Controlled Areas), has been testing an insecticide-impregnated net which is used as a one-metre high barrier around the pen to prevent biting flies from bothering the cows. The effects, according to Burkhard Bauer, Project Manager for FITCA in Kenya, have been quite remarkable.

Cows bothered by biting flies are constantly on the move, stamping their legs, swishing their tails and twitching their ears, which can make milking difficult and inhibit proper let-down of milk. Even without the presence of disease, milk yields can be extremely poor, as little as one litre per milking. However, with an insecticide-treated barrier to prevent the flies from entering the pen, cows quickly settle and farmers are reporting improved milk yields of up to day 2 to 3 litres a day. Other observations include fewer flies around the compound, including mosquitoes affecting the household. Much interest in the technology has already been evident from farmers not involved in the project. It is hoped that this interest will continue to spread, and a private company that has taken up the approach is currently working on a distribution network to make the polyester netting commercially available.