Characterisation of smallholders\u2019 goat production systems in the Fatick area, Senegal

Fafa Sow,Jean-François Cabaraux,Jean-Luc Hornick,Younouss Camara,Nassim Moula,Nicolas Antoine-Moussiaux,El Hadji Traore,Ayao Missohou

doi:10.1186/s13570-021-00195-4

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.

Highlights

In developing countries, livestock farming is facing the challenge of an increasing demand for animal products, which is expected to double by 2050 (FAO 2011)
In order to increase the level of productivity, a Goat Sector Improvement Programme (PAFC) was set up in 2010, as part of the decentralised cooperation between the regions of Fatick in Senegal and Poitou Charente in France
Statistical analysis To establish a typology of the herds, we selected 12 variables from the questionnaire that address important herd characteristics and conducted a multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) followed by a hierarchical classification analysis (HCA) package

Summary

Introduction

Livestock farming is facing the challenge of an increasing demand for animal products, which is expected to double by 2050 (FAO 2011). All the goat farmers, who preferred instead to introduce an improving buck into their farms, abandoned the practice of artificial insemination, which was the project’s main innovation in reproduction. This programme intervened in an area that is dominated by a traditional goat-rearing system. This system depends on available natural resources, where several factors limit its development, including continuous exploitation of land under cultivation and a considerable reduction in available fodder (Coly et al 2011). In order to contribute to the organisation of the goat sector, the traditional production system must be understood

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Discussion

Conclusion