Impact of Schistosomiasis on Rice Output and Farm Inputs in Mali

Using a quasi-experiment design, the economic impact of schistosomiasis was studied in 412 rice-grower households in Mali. Two groups of seven villages were formed, one a treated group and one an untreated group, after pair-matching by geographical zone and irrigation type. Effect of treatment was assessed according to economic output (paddy yield) and five resource variables (family and hired labour productivity, family and hired labour intensity and farm size). This study shows that changes in health have no direct effect on rice production, but affect the household's use of its labour resources and its ability to utilise other resources: increases of 69 man-days available per hectare (for family workers) and of 0.47 hectares in farm size were observed in the treated group relative to the untreated group. These results illustrate the key role of the coping process in masking the direct economic effects of disease. The benefit of reducing the burden of disease in rice production areas was confirmed through provision of additional utility to households by increasing the time available for leisure activities or for work.