From protection to pollution: Evaluating environmental and human health risks of acaricide use in dairy farming in Kenya

Sustainable intensification of livestock production relies critically on effective disease management, yet the environmental implications of current practices remain poorly understood. The study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of acaricide use in tick control in Kenya’s dairy sector affects en...

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Autores principales: Maina, Kevin W., Parlasca, M.C., Rao, E.J.O.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177264
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author Maina, Kevin W.
Parlasca, M.C.
Rao, E.J.O.
author_browse Maina, Kevin W.
Parlasca, M.C.
Rao, E.J.O.
author_facet Maina, Kevin W.
Parlasca, M.C.
Rao, E.J.O.
author_sort Maina, Kevin W.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Sustainable intensification of livestock production relies critically on effective disease management, yet the environmental implications of current practices remain poorly understood. The study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of acaricide use in tick control in Kenya’s dairy sector affects environmental and human health risks. Using original survey data from dairy farmers and a two-stage least square (2SLS) approach, the results found that farmers’ adaptation to perceived ineffective tick treatment leads to potentially harmful practices. Twenty percent of farmers improperly rotate acaricides, while 66% under-apply recommended doses. Despite 65% using protective gear, 29% report adverse health effects. Our estimates show that improper acaricide group rotation increases the environmental and human health risks by 35%. The study highlights important trade-offs between animal health management and environmental and human health objectives, suggesting a need to reform current disease prevention approaches to balance productivity gains with environmental sustainability in developing countries.
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spelling CGSpace1772642025-10-26T13:01:02Z From protection to pollution: Evaluating environmental and human health risks of acaricide use in dairy farming in Kenya Maina, Kevin W. Parlasca, M.C. Rao, E.J.O. human health One Health approach dairy farming acaricides Sustainable intensification of livestock production relies critically on effective disease management, yet the environmental implications of current practices remain poorly understood. The study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of acaricide use in tick control in Kenya’s dairy sector affects environmental and human health risks. Using original survey data from dairy farmers and a two-stage least square (2SLS) approach, the results found that farmers’ adaptation to perceived ineffective tick treatment leads to potentially harmful practices. Twenty percent of farmers improperly rotate acaricides, while 66% under-apply recommended doses. Despite 65% using protective gear, 29% report adverse health effects. Our estimates show that improper acaricide group rotation increases the environmental and human health risks by 35%. The study highlights important trade-offs between animal health management and environmental and human health objectives, suggesting a need to reform current disease prevention approaches to balance productivity gains with environmental sustainability in developing countries. 2025-10-17 2025-10-22T12:01:09Z 2025-10-22T12:01:09Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177264 en Open Access Maina, K.W., Parlasca, M.C. and Rao, E.J.O. 2025. From protection to pollution: Evaluating environmental and human health risks of acaricide use in dairy farming in Kenya. PLoS One 20(10): e0333694.
spellingShingle human health
One Health approach
dairy farming
acaricides
Maina, Kevin W.
Parlasca, M.C.
Rao, E.J.O.
From protection to pollution: Evaluating environmental and human health risks of acaricide use in dairy farming in Kenya
title From protection to pollution: Evaluating environmental and human health risks of acaricide use in dairy farming in Kenya
title_full From protection to pollution: Evaluating environmental and human health risks of acaricide use in dairy farming in Kenya
title_fullStr From protection to pollution: Evaluating environmental and human health risks of acaricide use in dairy farming in Kenya
title_full_unstemmed From protection to pollution: Evaluating environmental and human health risks of acaricide use in dairy farming in Kenya
title_short From protection to pollution: Evaluating environmental and human health risks of acaricide use in dairy farming in Kenya
title_sort from protection to pollution evaluating environmental and human health risks of acaricide use in dairy farming in kenya
topic human health
One Health approach
dairy farming
acaricides
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177264
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