Irrigated crop production is associated with less malaria than traditional agricultural practices in Tanzania

There is concern that crop irrigation that results in increased numbers of vector mosquitoes will lead to a rise in malaria in local communities. We evaluated the level of malaria experienced in 3 communities in northern Tanzania with different agricultural practices: rice irrigation, sugar-cane irrigation and traditional maize cultivation. Five cross-sectional surveys were used to measure the prevalence of infection with falciparum malaria in 1-4 years old children in each community over a period of 12 months. Active case detection was also carried out to record clinical episodes of malaria during the study period. Information on antimalarial measures was also recorded. Results from the cross-sectional surveys showed that the overall prevalence of malaria parasites was less near the rice irrigation (12.5%) and sugar-cane (16.9%) schemes than the savannah village (29.4%). There were also significantly fewer clinical episodes of malaria in the rice village (15 cases/1000 child-weeks at risk [cwar]) than either the sugar-cane (36 cases/1000 cwar) or savannah (40 cases/1000 cwar) villages. Overall, rice irrigation was associated with less malaria than alternative agricultural practices, despite the considerable numbers of vectors produced in the paddies. This finding supports other studies that indicate that irrigation in much of sub-Saharan Africa will not lead to increased malaria. Nonetheless, African governments planning irrigation projects need effective policies to encourage local communities to use personal protection measures, such as insecticide-treated bednets, and to ensure that these communities have access to effective antimalarial drugs and efficient health services.