Doruska, Molly2023-03-312023-03-312022-12Doruska_cornell_0058_11608http://dissertations.umi.com/cornell:11608https://hdl.handle.net/1813/11301070 pagesInfectious disease exposure often covaries with labor productivity and incomes in ways that can trap people in a cycle of ill health and poverty. We explicitly model the interaction between agricultural households and their natural environment using a bioeconomic model of schistosomiasis infection in northern Senegal. We explore this relationship in the context of aquatic vegetation removal, an ecological intervention designed to decrease schistosomiasis infection by disrupting the life cycle of the parasite. We find evidence of a poverty-disease trap as incomes are lower when households do not remove vegetation, as is true presently. Vegetation removal decreases infection relative to the no removal case. Eliminating the feedback loop between fertilizer and vegetation growth allows households to fully clear the water source and results in higher labor productivity and incomes. The results underscore the importance of fully addressing the cycle of infection when working to reduce disease burdens and poverty.endissertation or thesishttps://doi.org/10.7298/pc31-0596