Livestock keepers in West Africa rely largely on treating their cattle with drugs to protect them from trypanosomosis, but resistance to these drugs has emerged in many areas. This film outlines good practices for improving the use of drugs and slowing the emergence of resistance. These practices, which are based on Rational Drug Use, an approach from human health now adapted for animal care, are clearly explained so that veterinary workers and farmers can treat animals safely. Rational Drug Use can be combined with other methods that reduce the numbers of tsetse flies to further slow the spread of resistance to trypanocidal medicines. This is one of three films telling the story of the current state of the war against a disease that is so deadly and widespread that farmers call it "the malaria of cattle'.
Today's science and development issues are complex, often involving multiple international players, yet demanding local solutions. Increasingly, many acknowledge that such local solutions can best be summed up and communicated by showing local people talking in their own surroundings, especially in a world where few outside the research communities have the time or expertise to assess raw data. In this setting, science and development documentaries fill a vital role.The film department at ILRI (the International Livestock Research Institute) therefore aims to widen understanding of important topics that face pro-poor agricultural research in livestock issues, so removing one stumbling-block to the quick up-take of new technologies among those who could benefit most.
