African animal trypanosomiasis affects the entire economy of livestock-agricultural production in vast zones of tsetse-infested areas. The presence of the disease influences where people decide to live and the management of their livestock. Trypanosomiasis has, therefore, cultural and socio-economic implications on the day-to-day life of the rural communities of affected areas. In the past, cultural and socio-economic factors were not duly considered and incorporated as integral parts of a tsetse and trypanosomiasis (T&T) intervention programme. Nowadays, planners, policy - and decision-makers have realized that the research and control of T&T need to embrace the understanding of the socio-economic and cultural impacts of the disease. This notion contributes to better decisions regarding the design and implementation of policy in view of the sustainability of T&T intervention schemes. This paper reviews a broad spectrum of socio-economic and cultural information on tsetse and trypanosomiasis intervention and analyses it from "macroplanning" (large-scale, government-managed schemes) and "microplanning" (small-scale, community-based programmes) perspectives. The analysis helps to evaluate when and how it might be appropriate to involve communities and individual livestock owners in T&T interventions.
