Pastoral livestock farming in Sahel and West Africa 5 preconceptions put to the test
Pastoral livestock farming in Sahel and West Africa
5 preconceptions put to the test
Lexicon1
Agropastoralist Farmer who raises livestock by traditional methods and whose practices with regards to animals are similar to those of herders, as in transhumance.
Agro-breeder Farmer who also is a livestock breeder.
Extensive / Intensive livestock breeding
Extensive livestock breeding is essentially based on the use of natural resources (water, pasture, etc.) generally with no notable biotope improvement. Intensive livestock breeding on the other hand uses an overall enhanced environment. There is therefore a high concentration per hectare (more animals on the same surface). Intensive livestock breeding requires more inputs per produced unit than extensive livestock breeding.
Mobility Refers to something likely to move. Regarding livestock breeding, it refers to herds moving seasonally or occasionally over small or long distances.
Nomadism Continuous movement of men and their herds. It is a very mobile and non-predictable production system often without crop or a systematic return to a fixed location each year.
Pastoralism Agricultural practice founded on extensive livestock breeding including systems where animal and/or human movement is significant: nomadism, transhumance, semi-transhumance.
Ranching Ambiguous and incorrectly used term mostly referring to a modern extensive livestock breeding activity generally including livestock farming (strict meaning of the term) and longer fattening. This breeding method relies on extensive natural pasture exploitation while using minimum work force.
Pastoral resources Natural resources allowing pastoral feeding of animals: water, pasture and salt marshes.
Semi-transhumance Production system in which part of the family and/or livestock is seasonally mobile and the other part is sedentary and cultivates in one of the seasonal bases.
Transhumance Breeding method including seasonal livestock migration. This system is very mobile and there is a return to seasonal bases each year. Farmers have a permanent residence. The calendar and itineraries are regular and the movements are mostly predictable. They are based on seasons and towards known pastures.
Pastoral livestock farming in Sahel and West Africa: 5 preconceptions put to the test | 3
Pastoralism is only associated with Sahel
<< <<
pastoralism can be seen throughout West Africa
Animal mobility, which covers long distances as well as small ones, exists in practically all farming systems in West Africa, even in sedentary systems. The existence of large semi-arid zones makes it very difficult to consider livestock farming without
mobility. Moreover enclosing animals in peri-ur-ban farms or in ranches remains marginal. In the southern zones of Sahelian countries and coastal states where livestock is increasing, transhumance is also a feature of livestock farming.
NIGERIA
BURKINAFASO
CHAD
NIGER
CÔTED'IVOIRE GHANA
MAURITANIA
MALI
SENEGAL
BEN
IN
TOGO
GUINEA
MALI1961
Cattle | buffaloes Sheep | goats
Côte d’Ivoire Bovins et bu�es 2Ovins et caprins 3
Mauritanie :Bovins et bu�es 2Ovins et caprins 2
Mali Bovins et bu�es 10Ovins et caprins 33 Niger Bovins et bu�es 11Ovins et caprins 26 Nigeria Bovins et bu�es 20Ovins et caprins 114
SénégalBovins et bu�es 3Ovins et caprins 11 TogoBovins et bu�es 0Ovins et caprins 5 Burkina FasoBovins et bu�es 9Ovins et caprins 23 Tchad Bovins et bu�es 8Ovins et caprins 10 Bénin Bovins et bu�es 2Ovins et caprins 3 Ghana Bovins et bu�es 2Ovins et caprins 10 Guinée Bovins et bu�es 6Ovins et caprins 5
Ovins et caprins Bovins et bu�es GuinéeOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�es 2GhanaOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�es BéninOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�es TchadOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�es Burkina FasoOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�es TogoOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�es SénégalOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�esNigeriaOvins et caprinsBovins et bu�esNigerOvins et caprinsBovins et bu�esMaliOvins et caprinsBovins et bu�esMauritanie :Ovins et caprins Bovins et bu�es
2 18
311
6 5
10 33
11 26
23
2 3
2
9
10
23
5 20 114
- Pour la Mauritanie, il y a en fait 18 millions d'ovins et caprins et non 2- Pour le Tchad, il y a 25 millions de bovins et bu�es (au lieu de 8) et 57 millions d'ovins et caprins
8 10
FALSE FALSE
1
NIGERIA
BURKINAFASO
CHAD
NIGER
CÔTED'IVOIRE GHANA
MAURITANIA
MALI
SENEGAL
BEN
IN
TOGO
GUINEA
MALI1961
Cattle | buffaloes Sheep | goats
Côte d’Ivoire Bovins et bu�es 2Ovins et caprins 3
Mauritanie :Bovins et bu�es 2Ovins et caprins 2
Mali Bovins et bu�es 10Ovins et caprins 33 Niger Bovins et bu�es 11Ovins et caprins 26 Nigeria Bovins et bu�es 20Ovins et caprins 114
SénégalBovins et bu�es 3Ovins et caprins 11 TogoBovins et bu�es 0Ovins et caprins 5 Burkina FasoBovins et bu�es 9Ovins et caprins 23 Tchad Bovins et bu�es 8Ovins et caprins 10 Bénin Bovins et bu�es 2Ovins et caprins 3 Ghana Bovins et bu�es 2Ovins et caprins 10 Guinée Bovins et bu�es 6Ovins et caprins 5
Ovins et caprins Bovins et bu�es GuinéeOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�es 2GhanaOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�es BéninOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�es TchadOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�es Burkina FasoOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�es TogoOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�es SénégalOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�esNigeriaOvins et caprinsBovins et bu�esNigerOvins et caprinsBovins et bu�esMaliOvins et caprinsBovins et bu�esMauritanie :Ovins et caprins Bovins et bu�es
2 18
311
6 5
10 33
11 26
23
2 3
2
9
10
23
5 20 114
- Pour la Mauritanie, il y a en fait 18 millions d'ovins et caprins et non 2- Pour le Tchad, il y a 25 millions de bovins et bu�es (au lieu de 8) et 57 millions d'ovins et caprins
8 10
NIGERIA
BURKINAFASO
CHAD
NIGER
CÔTED'IVOIRE GHANA
MAURITANIA
MALI
SENEGAL
BEN
IN
TOGO
GUINEA
MALI1961
Cattle | buffaloes Sheep | goats
Côte d’Ivoire Bovins et bu�es 2Ovins et caprins 3
Mauritanie :Bovins et bu�es 2Ovins et caprins 2
Mali Bovins et bu�es 10Ovins et caprins 33 Niger Bovins et bu�es 11Ovins et caprins 26 Nigeria Bovins et bu�es 20Ovins et caprins 114
SénégalBovins et bu�es 3Ovins et caprins 11 TogoBovins et bu�es 0Ovins et caprins 5 Burkina FasoBovins et bu�es 9Ovins et caprins 23 Tchad Bovins et bu�es 8Ovins et caprins 10 Bénin Bovins et bu�es 2Ovins et caprins 3 Ghana Bovins et bu�es 2Ovins et caprins 10 Guinée Bovins et bu�es 6Ovins et caprins 5
Ovins et caprins Bovins et bu�es GuinéeOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�es 2GhanaOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�es BéninOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�es TchadOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�es Burkina FasoOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�es TogoOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�es SénégalOvins et caprins Bovins et bu�esNigeriaOvins et caprinsBovins et bu�esNigerOvins et caprinsBovins et bu�esMaliOvins et caprinsBovins et bu�esMauritanie :Ovins et caprins Bovins et bu�es
2 18
311
6 5
10 33
11 26
23
2 3
2
9
10
23
5 20 114
- Pour la Mauritanie, il y a en fait 18 millions d'ovins et caprins et non 2- Pour le Tchad, il y a 25 millions de bovins et bu�es (au lieu de 8) et 57 millions d'ovins et caprins
8 10
in millions
SOURCE FAO2
4
than sedentary livestock In Niger
of livestock is owned by agro-breeders and agropastoralists living in the south of the country. SOURCE Republic of Niger3
60%pastoralists are more than just livestock producers
So called “pastoral” livestock farming is now a complex system which involves different activities and additional income sources: agriculture, livestock trading, fattening, para-veterinary professions, agricultural services (work days, animal loan in
exchange for labour), craftsmanship, transportation of goods or people… Pastoralism often represents only one part of the families’ resources. “Pure” pastoralism doesn’t exist anymore.
The agropastoral farming system prevails across all West Africa
Farming systems are increasingly turning to agropastoralism
In cotton-growing areas farmers are increasingly integrating animals into their production system. These animals are on the move for months and cover long distances. At the same time pastoralists’ families tend to settle down without altering their livestock. This partial sedentarization enables these
families to have access to healthcare, education, supplies and to the country’s political life. By set-tling most families develop agricultural activities. Agropastoralism and agro-breeding highly prevail in this region.
of family farms analysed in the research by APESS (Association for the promotion of livestock farming in Sahel and Savannah) resort to extra-pastoral activities. SOURCE Apess480%
TRUE TRUE
Pastoral livestock farming in Sahel and West Africa: 5 preconceptions put to the test | 5
Transhumant livestock herding is productive
Contrary to a widespread belief transhumant live-stock farming is more productive than sedentary pastoral farming in West Africa. The more mobile
it is, the more productive! In mobile systems the productivity per hectare is even higher than ranch-ing productivity in the USA or Australia
Mobile livestock are less productive
than sedentary livestock
<<
<<
2
61% 65% 69%Annual rate of reproduction in sedentary, transhumant and nomadic herds in Niger
Productivity comparison between 2 zones with low rainfall Precipitations < 500 mm/year
Animals raised on Australian and American ranches
Between 0,6 and 3,2 kg of animal protein per hectare per year
Between 0,3 and 0,5 kg of animal protein per hectare per year
Sedentary Transhumant Nomadic
Fulah’s transhumant herds in Mali
61% 65% 69%Annual rate of reproduction in sedentary, transhumant and nomadic herds in Niger
Productivity comparison between 2 zones with low rainfall Precipitations < 500 mm/year
Animals raised on Australian and American ranches
Between 0,6 and 3,2 kg of animal protein per hectare per year
Between 0,3 and 0,5 kg of animal protein per hectare per year
Sedentary Transhumant Nomadic
Fulah’s transhumant herds in Mali
SOURCE De Verdière, C.P5
SOURCE Krummel, J.et Dritschilo, S.6
FALSE FALSE
6
It is mobility that allows livestock farmers to be so productive
Mobility represents an essential component to the herds’ productivity. It allows it to benefit from fod-der resources which vary in quantity and quality in different areas during the year. The Sahelian re-gion is usually characterised by an alternation of a long dry season (8 to 9 months) followed by a short rainy season (3 to 4 months) which directly im-pact the available vegetation and fodder resources. However the quantity of rainfall varies from one year to another with some years more or less wet. By moving, the animals select the food they need.
Livestock is made up of a diversity of species which are adapted to harsh environmental conditions and each has their own dietary needs. Mobility is also es-sential in the production and trade cycle : the on foot travelling process allows the animals to gradually “finish”, providing the food they need during the jour-ney before being sold at markets at reception zones.
Sahelian countries alternate between dry and wet years
Rainfall index
1
-1
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
20
00
Wet year persisten
cy
Dry year persistency
Sudd
en c
han
ge b
etw
een
dry
an
d w
et y
ears
SOURCE Agrhymet
Standardised rainfall index in all of the Sahelian stations of the Permanent Interstate
Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel
Pastoral livestock farming in Sahel and West Africa: 5 preconceptions put to the test | 7
SOURCE Acting For Life-Nordic Consulting Group, Brigitte Thébaud7
SOURCE FAO8
North of Senegal
2014 drought
End of drought
Only 4% of the livestock left in transhumance haven’t returned (animal sales, losses)Mobility has helped to save family and national livestock.
of the livestock leaves in transhumance
of the livestock returns from transhumance
91%
87%
1 Kg
2 460 FCFA
1 Kg
Production cost
Intensive systemTranshumant systemTranshumant system
720 FCFA
Making livestock farming sedentary in West Africa: a high cost
Mobile systems enable a higher production per hectare than sedentary ranching systems. Seden-tary systems are nevertheless more productive if we take into account the animal production per head of livestock. However this productivity per animal has high economic, social and environmen-
tal costs. Intensive sustainable sedentary systems can hardly be considered in West Africa. The re-gion offers limited space for possible settlement: in arid zones animal feed and water aren’t available all year round; in agropastoral zones competition over land is already high.
Mobility is key to pastoralists' resilience
Herd mobility is an effective response to many risks faced by pastoralists (drought, epizooties, civil in-security…). This mobility is all the more important when animals die, years are needed before the herd returns to its initial level. Losses therefore strongly
impact not only the farmers’ living standards but also the local market supply and national economy. The increasing use of mobile phones by farmers has improved access to information, in particular about the state of resources and markets.
8
Sedentary livestock farming "pollutes" more than mobile farming
Settling herds amplifies environmental risks due do the continuous pressure the animals put on lo-cal forage resources. Degraded pasture lands often go hand in hand with sedentary livestock farming sites. On the contrary mobility allows this pressure to be limited by avoiding overgrazing and under-grazing. It even encourages the regeneration of several species as a result of seed dispersal.
According to recent research a “Livestock Stand-ard Unit” (i.e. a 250 kg live weight animal) would emit in total over a year, nearly fifty percent less methane than the regional norms proposed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Regarding gashouse emissions, the net result of the silvopastoral ecosystem would generally balance out over the year; gashouse emissions would be compensated by carbon storage after a whole year.
Livestock mobility is the key to its productivity
SOURCE Mohamed Habibou Assouma9
According to a study carried out in Senegal,
a Tropical Livestock Unit emits
24 kg of methane per year
this being nearly fifty percent less emission than the factor proposed by IPCC
The net result of the silvopastoral ecosystem would generally balance out over the year; gashouse emissions would be compensated by carbon storage after a whole year.
TRUE TRUE
Pastoral livestock farming in Sahel and West Africa: 5 preconceptions put to the test | 9
Livestock farming is an important economic activity in West Africa
Livestock farming strongly contributes to the regional states’ GDP in particular in Sahelian coun-tries. It is also one of the main activities generating revenue in these countries’ trade balance. Livestock
are the most traded products between West African countries. Livestock farming is a driving force be-hind regional economic integration.
pastoralism creates a parallel economy to the production
gropastoral systems provide many things such as the supply of high protein foods (milk, meat), ma-nure (for soil fertilisation) and energy (transport, water extraction, animal traction). They also pro-
duce skin, wool and leather. They therefore supply an entire economy and provide a considerable amount of employment in the production chain.
Transhumant livestock herding contributes little
to national economies
<< <<
3
SOURCE BAD/OCDE ; Apess10
Pastoralism contributes up to15%of the GDP
In Burkina, Mali and Niger
Products originating from pastoral farming represent the
3rd largest export product
312
Manure used to fertilise agricultural lands
Skin, wool, leather used to produce and sell clothes,
bags, objects
Energy, animals can be used to transport agricultural products,
for working in fields
High protein food (milk, meat) sold to consumers or third parties
who transform these products (dairy, wholesale meat)
PASTORALSYSTEMS
FALSE FALSE
10
Transhumant pastoralists contribute to the economy of their transit territories
Mobile pastoralists pay many taxes while in tran-sit, whether is it to access resources or to sell their animals at the market. They sell and buy good during their journey. They therefore supply the economies they pass through. Big markets have
been developed in cross-border communication areas. They generate multiple economic activities and obtain important fiscal resources for local au-thorities.
Exporting frozen carcasses rather than live animals: not such a good idea
Most of the intra-regional meat trade is in the form of live animals. Yet some think that Sahe-lian countries should rather slaughter animals on their territory and sell frozen carcasses to coastal countries. According to them this would enable the Sahelian countries to increase the added val-ue of their products and reduce the movement of live animals in the region which is often source of violent conflicts. However it doesn’t take into account that the actual system of moving live ani-mals by foot allows coastal countries’ markets to be supplied with quality meat at low prices while sup-porting thousands of people along the value chain.
It also neglects the fact that many buyers rely on the physical appearance of the live animal to esti-mate the quality of the product. Finally it ignores the reality that the export of frozen carcasses would be mainly intended for a market (supermar-kets, butchers) in which competition with products from the rest of the world is severe. Building slaughterhouses in Sahelian countries is important in particular to supply these countries’ markets. The export of live animals to coastal countries remains a rational and efficient system. In fact in 2015 France exported more than a million live heads of cattle over 80 kg (Eurostat).
Transhumant livestock farming is fully integrated
into the regional economy
SOURCE Acting For Life-Nordic Consulting Group, Brigitte Thébaud 7
44% livestock feed
22% food
7% veterinary products
4% telephone
4% water costs
3% access to pasture lands
...
During a transhumance a farmer’s family spends on average 1 230 000 FCA split between 17 types of expenditure
TRUE TRUE
Transhumant livestock herding is Sahel's main rural activity
Livestock mobility is associated to conflicts, some-times extremely violent. Mainly due to a rising pressure on resources and increasing barriers to livestock mobility, these conflicts drive many deci-sion makers to prefer sedentary livestock farming systems. Yet only transhumant livestock mobility
enables the development of widespread territo-ries non-adapted to crops. In certain rural zones it is therefore an essential source of employment and revenue. Particularly in Sahel it represents the main rural economic activity where few lawful al-ternatives exist.
Herd mobility leads to strong ties between communities
Herd mobility is only possible thanks to social networks which are constantly renewed and main-tained particularly with resident livestock farmers. These relationships are partly based on important trades between communities: donations and trade of food (cereals, livestock), guarding of settled pasto-ralists’ livestock by herders on transhumance, loan
and donation of animals, storage of mobile herders’ food by sedentary farmers, guarding of herders’ plots by villagers during transhumance. With the development of systems integrating agriculture and livestock farming these links are of course reduced but remain important.
Pastoral farming divides opinion in the region
<< <<
4
SOURCE Apess11
BURKINAFASO
NIGER
$69%$
Niger’s pastoral zoneSahelian zone
43% of population revenue in the pastoral zone
comes from livestock farming
of rural revenue in the Sahelian zone comes from livestock
farming
Food donations and trade
Guarding of settled pastoralists’
livestock by herders on transhumance
Storage of mobile herders’ food by
sedentary farmers
Guarding of herders’ plots
by villagers during transhumance
Use of breeders’ animals to fertilise
farmers’ lands
HER
DER
S S
EDEN
TARY
FA
RM
S
Pastoral livestock farming in Sahel and West Africa: 5 preconceptions put to the test | 11
FALSE FALSE
12
Transhumance farming is an important factor for regional integration
Breeding probably represents the most region-ally integrated activity in West Africa and Sahel. Livestock products are the leading item in the food industry trade and the second most impor-tant in the overall commercial trade. Hundreds
of thousands of animals cross the Sahelian coun-tries’ borders to supply coastal countries’ markets. Animals convoyed by foot add value to resources during the entire journey. Physical insecurity un-fortunately increasingly hinders this mobility.
Estimated bovine and small ruminant trade flows
Transhumant livestock farming contributes to the integration
of regional territories
Small ruminant flows > 2 000 000 heads/year
Small ruminant flows > 300 000 - 2 000 000 heads/year
Primary small ruminant flows 100 000 - 300 000 heads/year
Secondary small ruminant flows 20 000 - 100 000 heads/year
Bovine flows > 300 000 heads/year
Bovine flows > 100 000 - 300 000 heads/year
Bovine flows > 20 000 - 100 000 heads/year
Bovine flows < 20 000 heads/year
NIGERIA
BURKINAFASO
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
CAMER N
CHAD
NIGER
GAMBIA
GUINEA-BIAO
SIER RALEONE
LIBERIA
CÔTED'IVOIRE G
HA
NA
MAURITANIAMALI
SENEGAL
BEN
IN
TOGO
GUINEA
MALI1961
Bovins | buffles
SOURCE IRAM, Issala, LARES12
TRUE TRUE
Herd transhumance
NIGERIA
ALGERIA
BURKINAFASO
LIBYA
SUDAN
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
CAMER�N
TCHAD
NIGER
GAMBIA
GUINEA-BI�AO
SIER RALEONE
LIBERIA
CÔTED'IVOIRE G
HA
NA
MAURITANIA
MALI
SENEGAL
BEN
IN
TOGO
GUINEA
WESTERN SAHARA
MAROCO
MALI1961
Intra-national transhumance
Cross-border transhumanceWet season
directionDry season direction
Bovins | buffles
SOURCE Touré et al13
Herd mobility is also local
The mobility isn’t only cross-border. Daily move-ments of a few kilometres allow the exploitation of surrounding pasture lands. In Senegal transhu-mance are mainly internal with animal movement towards the Groundnut Basin and oriental Senegal. This local mobility is fundamental for animal feed-ing. It is as important and complex to manage as
transnational crossings. Creating reception zones and corridors is not enough to preserve mobility. This doesn’t solve the issue of local mobility and doesn’t correspond to the actual situation of breed-ers whose rangelands change depending on risks and opportunities.
Intra-national and cross-border transhumance in 2013
is only cross-border
<<<< 5
Pastoral livestock farming in Sahel and West Africa: 5 preconceptions put to the test | 13
FALSE FALSE
14
Livestock mobility is dynamic and complex
Kredas‘ rangeland
Mbororo‘s rangeland
Arab‘s rangeland
19602014
1960
2017
NDJAMENA
FAYA (LARGEAU)
MOUNDOU
SAHR
AbÉchÉ
BOBO-DIOULA�O
BANOFA
SOLENZA
DÉDOUGOU
NOUNA
Mobility isn't frozen
Routes taken by pastoralists and their herds are dynamic. They evolve depending on opportunity (existence of water points, social bonds) and con-straints (civil insecurity, sanitary crises). Some movements are regular, others occasional. During
recent years transhumance have expanded to-wards more humid southern regions, often near very cultivated regions. The aspects of mobility also evolve with the use of technology such as tele-phones and lorries.
Expansion of transhumance itinerary in Chad
SOURCE Republic of Chad, Iram14
TRUE TRUE
Expansion of cultivated lands 2013 | 686 400 km² Expansion of cultivated lands 2013 | 686 400 km²
Cultivated lands 1975 | 562 700 km²Cultivated lands 1975 | 562 700 km²
resources under increasing pressure
The development of agropastoralism has led to a complementarity reduction between pastoralists and livestock breeders. Simultaneously livestock and population increase while cultivated areas ex-pand. New actors are emerging in some regions: land developers, extractive industries (oil, mines and water) and private ranches. Pressures on nat-ural resources are being reinforced which lead to activities disturbing herds’ mobility: cultivation of pastoral rangelands, transformation of pas-
tures into rice fields, monopolisation of pastoral water points by groups of famers or settled ones, non-compliance with agropastoral calendars. This situation creates conflicts, sometimes very violent. It is however possible to prevent and manage these conflicts by securing pastoral mobility by introduc-ing clear and consensual regulations of access to resources and establishing a conflict management framework.
SOURCE Cilss, 201615
What will be tomorrow’s challenges?
Pastoral livestock farming in Sahel and West Africa: 5 preconceptions put to the test | 15
Expansion of cultivated surfaces since 1975
16
An increase in climate risks
It is difficult to accurately predict the impacts of cli-mate change in West Africa, but experts agree that there is a greater risk of extreme weather events (droughts, heavy rains, floods). The vulnerability of agropastoral populations is all the greater as the mortality of livestock has an impact over several years. Herd-rebuilding takes time; from a certain
threshold of loss, this rebuilding becomes impossi-ble. But we can prevent and above all manage these risks, by developing information systems on mete-orological and fodder conditions that are accessible to agropastoral farmers as well as social nets adapt-ed to mobile breeders (livestock insurance, livestock feedstocks, herd rebuildingt...).
Reconstitution time estimation for a bovine herd according to the level of losses
20%
30%
60%
90%
% of losses within the herd
3
10
30
85 years
years
years
years
Number of years to restock the herd
1980-1989
1970-1979
2000-2009Value (in thousands of dollars)
Quantity (in tonnes)2010-2013
615 807
1990-1999
47646
82083
222 125
50%70% 80% 90%
78868
SOURCE Tacher G.16
A growing demand for farming products
Valuations estimate that within the next 20 years there’ll be at least double the number of livestock products. An increasing amount of consumers are demanding a better quality of products (hygiene, continuous cold chain, modernisation of butch-ering, packaging…). To answers these concerns, important changes are needed throughout the pro-duction chain. Livestock and animal production are increasing but are having trouble keeping up with
the quick changes in demand, in quantity and qual-ity. The sharp rise in imports particularly of milk powder and poultry meat allows populations’ food needs to be met. In the long run this strategy of re-sorting to high extra-regional imports has proven to be costly and risky. The sharp increase in prices of some food products in 2007-2008 has shown the danger of such a dependence on imports.
Evolution of extra-African meat imports to West Africa
SOURCE Faostat
Countries having adopted a pastoral legislation.
Countries where a pastoral legislation is in process.
In Nigeria pastoral laws exist in the north of the country.
These laws aim to restrict livestock farmers to reserved farming areas (11 states) therefore limiting the animal movement between states. In Chad a pastoral code was adopted in 2014 by the National Assembly but removed a few weeks later by the president as a result of strong opposition to this law.
Year of the pastoral legislation adoption
NIGERIA
chad
NIGER
MAURITANIAMALI
BuRKINA FASO
SENEGAL
BEN
IN
GUINEA
20002001
1995
2002
2010
Addressing these different challenges will require the implementation of policies adapted to the is-sues faced by livestock farmers in their territories and coherent on a regional level. Such policies will need to include a diversity of factors responding to farmers’ diverse needs: animal health servic-es, processing and marketing structures, wells and drilling networks, strengthening the skill of farmers’ organisations, conflict prevention and management frameworks, climate crisis preven-tion and management, etc.
However these measures won’t be enough if pastoralists’ and herds’ mobility is increasingly hindered. This mobility whether local, national or cross-border is essential for the productivity and durability of the region’s pastoral systems. It is a key aspect of these systems.
Several countries of West Africa have adopted since the 1990s pastoral laws. Their main goal is to guarantee access to pastoral resources and pre-serve farmers’ and herds’ mobility. At a regional level ECOWAS adopted in 1998 the “Decision A/DEC.5/10/98” to manage cross-border transhu-mance.
It will take some time for these policies to become fully operational. The transition from text to im-plementation in the field remains difficult. There is also a lack of harmonisation with other official texts (on water, forests, protected areas) and ambi-guities particularly on the key aspect of “pastoral promotion” (which theoretically gives a legal rec-ognition). Local mobility is too often “forgotten” by policies and programs whereas most “regional” programs don’t apply to Sahelian countries.
Mobility, is the key to sustainable and effective livestock farming
SOURCE Réseau Bilital Maroobé17
Pastoral livestock farming in Sahel and West Africa: 5 preconceptions put to the test | 17
Pastoral legislation situation in West Africa
18
Bibliography and acknowledgment
1 Meyer C., ed. sc., 2017, Dictionnaire des Sciences Animales. [On line]. Montpellier, France, Cirad. [15/02/2017]. http://dico-sciences-animales.cirad.fr
2 FAO statistics, 2017. Figures from the FAO are based on old census and growing livestock estimations. Studies have shown that they are often highly underestimated. However revisions take place regularly. Despite some limitations these figures form an interesting database.
3 Republic of Niger, 2004
4 Loïc Barbedette, 2013. Profils d’exploitations familiales d’éleveurs en Afrique de l’Ouest et en Afrique Centrale. Summary illustrated by 33 case studies and 130 studies completed in 2010 and 2013 by APESS.
5 De Verdière, C.P. (1995) Les conséquences de la sédentarisation de l’élevage au Sahel. Étude comparée de trois systèmes agropastoraux dans la région de Filangué, Niger. Thesis presented for the doctoral graduation at the Institut national agronomique Paris-Grignon, 220 p.)
6 Krummel, J. and Dritschilo, S. (1977) Resource cost of animal protein production. World Animal Review 21(6) and Breman, H. and De Wit, C.T. (1983) Rangeland productivity and exploitation in the Sahel. Science, New Series, 221 (4618): 1345. )
7 Acting For Life (AFL)-Nordic Consulting Group (NCG), Brigitte THEBAUD, 2017. Pastoral and agropastoral resilience in Sahel: transhumance portraits 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 (Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger). Study carried out for the “Projet de Renforcement de la Résilience de l’Economie Familiale grâce à la productivité de l’élevage dans le sud et l’est de la Mauritanie” (PRREF) financed by the European Union and for the “Projet de Renforcement de la Résilience par la Mobilité du Bétail” as part of the BRACED programme of the British cooperation UKAid. This study was conducted in collaboration with ISRA-BAM Dakar (Astou Diao Camara and Mouhamed Rassoul) for researches on the 2014-2015 transhumance and with Christian Corniaux, Jéremy Bourgoin, Tangara Pape Ousmane (CIRAD-Dakar) for the counting operations along the transhumance corridors.
8 FAO, April 2014, Capitalisation des appuis au développement du pastoralisme au Burkina Faso.
9 Mohamed Habibou Assouma, 2016. Approche écosystémique du bilan des gaz à effet de serre d’un territoire sylvo-pastoral sahélien : contribution de l’élevage. Thesis directed by Martial Bernoux and co-supervised by Jonathan Vayssières. Institute of Technology for Life, Food and Environmental Sciences (AgroParisTech).
10 BAD, OCDE. 2009. Perspectives économiques en Afrique ; APESS. 2014. Eléments de bilan du soutien public à l’élevage au Burkina-Faso, au Mali et au Niger depuis Maputo
11 APESS. 2014. Eléments de bilan du soutien public à l’élevage au Burkina-Faso, au Mali et au Niger depuis Maputo
12 Blein, R. et al. 2015. Analyse – diagnostic et propositions en faveur de la fluidification des échanges dans le Couloir Central (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire). Banque mondiale, CORAF, CEDEAO.
13 Touré, I., Ickowicz, A., Wane, A., Garba, I., Gerber, P. 2012. Atlas des évolutions des systèmes pastoraux au Sahel. Système d’information sur le pastoralisme au Sahel. Rome, FAO, CIRAD.
14 Projet du Système d’Information pour le Développement Rural et l’Aménagement du Territoire – SIDRAT, cited by Guibert, B., Bechir, A. B., Madjidé, D. 2014. Étude prospective : État des lieux et éléments stratégiques pour le développement pastoral au Tchad. Republic of Chad, Iram.
15 CILSS (2016). Les Paysages de l’Afrique de l’Ouest : Une Fenêtre sur un Monde en Pleine Évolution. U.S. Geological Survey EROS, 47914 252nd St, Garretson, SD 57030, UNITED STATES.
16 Tacher G., 1975, Notes sur la démographie bovine au Sahel. Revue d’élevage et de médecine vétérinaire des pays tropicaux. IEMVT, 28 (4)
17 RBM, 2014. L’implication de la société civile pastorale dans l’élaboration de la loi pastorale au Niger ; quels enseignements ?
This document was written with the support of Inter-réseaux. We would like to extend special thanks to: Serge Aubague, Christian Berger, Bernard Bonnet, Christian Corniaux, Arnaud François, Brigitte Thebaud and Hélène Vidon.
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Pastoral livestock farming in Sahel and West Africa: 5 preconceptions put to the test | 19