Impact of tsetse control on land use in the semi-arid zone of Zimbabwe. Phase 1: Classification of land use by remote sensing imagery (NRI Bulletin 66)
In areas of Africa affected by trypanosomiasis, tsetse control is a major component of rural development activities. lt is undertaken to facilitate human settlement and agricultural change through the expansion of livestock-based production systems in areas cleared of tsetse. Its impacts need to be assessed within the context of sustainable land-use planning. As part of an international programme of work to evaluate the environmental and socio-economic impacts of tsetse control in southern Africa, its effects on land use and vegetation change over a 20-year period are being assessed using satellite imagery. The study area covers approximately 8500 km2 south of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, and Phase 1 of the research programme used Landsat TM imagery and aerial photography to define baseline vegetation and land-use classes
