Farmers’ attitude to dipping against East Coast Fever in Malawi

Abstract

Dipping against East Coast Fever (ECF) in Malawi helps reduce losses caused by the disease, which vary with dipping frequency. The only cost to the farmer is the time spent on cattle handling. However, the economic impact of ECF appears limited as regards traditional farming. Farmers see ECF as secondary to other health, animal production or other farming system issues. The characteristics of these systems explain the different attitudes towards dipping among the different types of farmers. Considering the high cost of dipping, various changes in the programme have been taken into consideration.