Tephrosia - effective organic tick control

Protecting livestock from tick bites is an important element in animal health
© FAO/Ado Youssouf

Many diseases common to cows, sheep and goats are spread by ticks, and protecting livestock from tick bites is an important element in animal health. Dipping or spraying animals with an acaricide is the standard method of protection. For some farmers, however, accessing or affording the correct chemical can be difficult. An alternative being promoted by the Kenya Institute of Organic Farming (KIOF) is to spray animals with a liquid extracted from a locally available plant. Tephrosia vogelli grows wild across much of sub-Saharan Africa. Boiling the leaves in water produces a natural pesticide which can be diluted and used as an effective protection against ticks. KIOF centre manager, Samuel Koputa, explains more to Geoffrey Onditi.