Characterisation of smallholders’ goat production systems in the Fatick area, Senegal

Abstract

Senegal, like the other Sahelian countries, remains an important livestock area, particularly for ruminants, with almost 36% of its livestock population was goat in 2016. The national herd increased from 2010 to 2016, from 3.32 to 3.54 million head of cattle, 5.6 to 6.68 million sheep and 4.8 to 5.7 million goats, i.e. annual growth rates of 1.1%, 3.2% and 3.13% respectively. Thus, due to diversification of local agricultural resources and the strengthening of goat breeding techniques in the Fatick area, a programme aiming to develop the local goat sector was set up in 2010. The programme focused on improving animal husbandry, providing new added values to goat products and structuring the goat sector. This study’s aim is to better understand goat rearing systems in the area, in order to propose, together with the herders, ways of improving these systems, taking into account family and socio-cultural considerations. To better evaluate the diversity in different production systems, a survey of animal rearing practices was carried out. The survey involved 45 farmers in four localities. It revealed that the farmers were all agro-pastoralists practising a mixed farming system. The majority (93%) supplemented their animals with agricultural by-products, agro-forestry and kitchen leftovers. A multiple correspondence analysis identified three groups: cluster 1 (milk producers and processors into traditional curdled milk, selling animals for household needs), cluster 2 (milk processors into yoghurt and cheese) and cluster 3 (goat vendors in pastoral and the agro-pastoral system).The study of the objectives and contexts of goat farming in the Fatick will enable policy-makers to design strategies for the sustainable development of family goat farming in the area.

Characterization of goat production systems in two agro-ecological zones of Burkina Faso, West Africa

“…Crop-livestock integration aim to capture the advantages of each activity (Ayantunde et al, 2014;Haile et al, 2020;Zampaligré et al, 2014). These findings corroborate that of Kosgey et al (2008), Guangul (2014) and Sow et al (2021) respectively in Kenya, Ethiopia and Senegal. This observation is consistent with results reported from studies in similar context in Algeria (Ouchene-Khelifi et al, 2021), Brazil (Guilherme et al, 2017) and Mexico (Hernández et al, 2011).…”

“…Indeed, factors such as early marriage of women (under 18 years of age) accentuate the low level of schooling in rural areas (Thioye, 2015). This low level of literacy in rural areas would imply a difficulty to access technological innovations (Agossou et al, 2017;Sow et al, 2021).…”

“…Goat farming is a key agricultural sector in developing countries (Sow et al, 2021). West Africa is an important area of goat production with 14.82% of the world goat population (Agossou et al, 2017).…”

Ex-ante impact of pest des petits ruminant control on micro and macro socioeconomic indicators in Senegal: A system dynamics modelling approach

“…Comparisons of the focal indicators for two cases– (i) feed cost at 10000 FCFA ($16.25) for a feeding ration of 1 kg/animal/week and (ii) feed cost at 10000 FCFA ($16.25) for a feeding ration of 0.5kg/animal/week show a statistically significant difference in the gross margin and per capita consumption of mutton and goat meat. Considering that natural grazing supplemented with fodder and kitchen leftovers/ residues is a common practice [ 16 ], there is a high tendency for farm households to reduce the feeding cost component of the total production cost and consequently, the gross margins.…”

Participation of Diverse Gender in Negros Occidental in the Production of Goats

“…Females do the feedlot system because after their household activities, they collected forages that will be used as a feed for their goats. According to Sow et al [22], description of smallholder goat production in rural Senegal, Africa, practically all goat owners used agropastoral methods. In a complex sedentary system, animals are brought back to the cultivated regions after harvesting in the dry season and allowed to graze on fallow land and natural vegetation zones.…”