Abstract
In West Africa, dairy production plays a vital role in the economy and the wellbeing of the population. Currently, dairy production has become vulnerable due to climate variability. The main objective of this study is to investigate dairy farmers’ perceptions and adaptation strategies towards climate variability and change in West Africa. Individual interviews and focus group discussions were conducted among 900 dairy farmers. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used to assess dairy farmers’ perception of climate change. Multiple correspondence analysis and hierarchical clustering on principal component analysis were used to access the adaptation strategies of dairy farmers. The results revealed that dairy farmers perceived a decrease in the length of the rainy season and the annual rainfall but an increase in the length of the dry season and the annual temperature that affect their activities. Dairy farmers that fed the cattle mainly with natural pastures, crop residues, and agroindustrial by-products in Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger, used as climate change adaptation strategies, transhumance in the wetland. They also used animal manure to improve fodder quality and plants to improve milk production and milk conservation. They sold milk or produced local cheese with the remaining unsold milk. Dairy farmers that mainly invested in fodder production and conservation in the climate zones of Mali, sold milk produced to dairies and cheese production units; used plants to improve milk production, pasteurization for milk conservation, and veterinary service for animal care. This study provided relevant information for West African policymakers in designing appropriate policies and programs to assist dairy farmers to improve milk production under climate variability and change.
Highlights
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the dairy sector is a major contributor to gross domestic product and plays a crucial role through provision of healthy food and balanced diets (Moffat et al, 2016; Hahlani and Garwi, 2014)
The farmers significantly perceived a change in the length of the rainy and dry season with a decrease of the rainy season and the annual rainfall but increase of the dry season and the annual temperature (Table 2)
With regards to the impact of climate change on dairy farmers’ activities, the farmers perceived in general a decrease on herd size with exception of increase in the two climate zones of Burkina-Faso (Sudanian and Sudano-Sahelian zones) and the Guinean zone of Benin (Table 3)
Summary
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the dairy sector is a major contributor to gross domestic product and plays a crucial role through provision of healthy food and balanced diets (Moffat et al, 2016; Hahlani and Garwi, 2014). Dairy farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa experience more dryness and warmer temperatures; increase in warming will lead to more heat stress and engender a higher prevalence for pests and diseases (Thornton et al, 2009). The effect of climatic change on dairy production are both direct through effects on the animals themselves, and indirectly through effects on crops production and increased exposure to pests and pathogens (Gauly et al, 2013; Egeru, 2016). The exposure of lactating dairy cows to high ambient temperatures, high relative humidity and solar radiation for extended periods decreases their ability to disperse heat. Under heat stress conditions, lactating dairy cows exhibit several physiological responses including a voluntary reduction of feed intake, an increase in maintenance requirements, decrease in milk yield, and milk composition (Cowley et al, 2015). Dairy farming levels continues to decline due to climate variability effects (Moreki and Tsopito, 2013)
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