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Health and agriculture research joins forces to beat malaria

Rediscovering traditional anti-malaria approaches

Malaria is making a comeback of epidemic proportions, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is re-emerging in areas where it was previously under control. According to the World Health Organization, 300-500 million people a year are stricken with the disease. The majority malaria related deaths are children under the age of five. The resurgence of this disease, researchers say, is associated in large part with an expansion of irrigated agriculture that provides breeding sites for the mosquitoes carrying the malaria parasite. "That's is why it is important to focus research on areas where malaria and agriculture connect. Our aim is to help development agencies plan in such a way that it won't increase the risk of disease. Right now these links are not well understood," says Clifford Mutero of the SIMA malaria and agricultural research initiative, a coalition of research institutes.

The return to common sense control practices - what scientists call environmental management -was largely abandoned with the advent of insecticides such as DDT and drugs that keep malaria in check. "After World War II, public health officials believed that malaria could be best controlled with drugs and insecticides, the silver bullets of malaria control," says Felix Amerasinghe, Principal Researcher with IWMI, a SIMA partner. "The development of DDT and chloroquine, a widely used malaria drug, led to complacency."

"Today hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent on developing a vaccine and on social marketing programs aimed at getting people to use bed nets," says Amerasinghe. "Not much is being done to control the problem at the source. Until an effective vaccine is available traditional approaches such as the use of repellent plants, animal decoys, and common sense irrigation management are likely to provide better results at a lower price," he adds.

Common sense environmental interventions to malaria - some examples

• In China rice farmers fight mosquitoes by periodically letting the water run dry in their rice paddies and then refilling them as the crop matures. The system denies mosquitoes the standing water they need to mature and breed.
• In South Asia, the development of small garden plots using low-cost manual pumps has improved poor people's access to food and boosted incomes, enhancing immunity against infections and enabling households to purchase bed-nets. The low-cost pumps also diminish the risk of creating ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes as the pumps only provide water when needed. Many African governments are now trying to follow the Asian model.

18-20 March International Institute of Tropical Agriculture is hosting the second SIMA Stakeholder Consultation to discuss malaria risk reduction through agricultural interventions in West and Central Africa.

For further information and interviews:
Please contact: Annette Max Hansen, a.max-hansen@cgiar.org

Background

SIMA, the System-wide Initiative on Malaria and Agriculture www.cgiar.org/iwmi/sima is a consortium formed by the Future Harvest centers last year. SIMA brings together scientists working in agriculture, health, and public policy to attack malaria at its source. The consortium is a partnership between international and national organizations working in malaria and agriculture. In addition to Future Harvest centers, the partners include a variety of UN agencies, as well as the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology, and the Danish Bilharziasis Laboratory. The initiative focuses initially on influencing policymakers to consider the potential impact of malaria when making decisions about agricultural development in high-risk areas of Sub-Saharan Africa.

The International Water Management Institute www.iwmi.org is a scientific research organization working to improve water and land resources management for food, livelihoods, and nature. IWMI works with partners in developing countries to develop tools and methods to help eradicate poverty through more effective management of water and land resources. IWMI's work brings together hydrologists, agronomists, economists, social scientists, environmental researchers and health experts on multidisciplinary research projects. It is the only organization of its kind that is fully dedicated to providing the scientific basis necessary to help developing countries reduce poverty through more effective management of their water and land resources.

Future Harvest www.futureharvest.org is a nonprofit organization that builds awareness and support for food and environmental research for a world with less poverty, a healthier human family, well-nourished children, and a better environment. Future Harvest supports research, promotes partnerships, and sponsors projects that bring the results of research to rural communities, farmers, and families in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Future Harvest is an initiative of the 16 food and environmental research centers that are primarily funded through the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research www.cgiar.org