MAPPING THE BENEFITS: FIRST STEPS IN DEVELOPING A NEW DECISION TOOL FOR TSETSE AND TRYPANOSOMIASIS INTERVENTIONS

SUMMARY The purpose of his study was to investigate the feasibility of linking quantitative economic variables to a GIS spatial framework in order to provide new insights and reinforce the decision-making process for tsetse and trypanosomiasis (T & T) interventions. The first phase of the work tackled Benin, Ghana, and Togo; initial data has been collected for parts of Burkina Faso and Mali and will be analysed in the second phase. A range of standardised livestock production and price data were collected at national, province and district level from each country, together with the most recent livestock, cropping and disease data. These were amalgamated with the corresponding data layers from the PAAT Information System and a new distribution map of trypanotolerant and susceptible cattle breeds were produced for the study area. Existing information on the disease's impact on cattle production parameters were incorporated in herd models. These were used to estimate the potential benefits of T & T interventions for the different cattle breeds, thereby allowing the potential benefits to be mapped as well. The implications for expansions in livestock populations and changes in their distribution are also examined and mapped. A map of the potential benefits for the selected region is presented. The extent to which this approach complements and refines the current range of mapped variables and adds to existing decision-making tools is discussed. RESUME