Recommendations for IFAD on pastoralism in West and Central Africa,
from the regional meeting on
"The construction of an environment conducive to livestock development and
pastoralism"
organized in Bamako from 7 to 9 January 2016
NON OFFICIAL TRANSLATION
Recommandations pour le FIDA concernant le pastoralisme en Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre, janvier 2016
Non official translation – in case of doubt, please refer to the original in French
The Importance of pastoralism and livestock development: Context1
Livestock farming plays a very important role in the economy of the county in Sahel. It
contributes significantly to food and nutrition security of the populations in the Sahel
countries as well as to the fight against poverty. Indeed, the livestock sector is extremely
important representing up to 25% of the GNP of countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali,
Mauritania, Niger and Chad. It employs about 80% of the population, provides meat and
other animal products for human consumption and ensures animal traction in agriculture.
The livestock value chains provides various dozens of billions of FCFA of Added value to the
coastal countries (Togo, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire)and up to 200 billion of FCFA in Mali.
The actual number of livestock is a very important data, the number of cattle has increased
from 31 million heads of cattle in 1980 to about 45 million heads of cattle in 2005,
representing an increase of 25% against a raise of 65.6% for sheep and goats population
whose number is increased from 63 million in 1980 to 119 million in 2006. (R. Blein and
al.2008).
The livestock farming systems are extensive and characterized by herds mobility (short or
long transhumance) allowing an adjustment to the availability of forage. The animal feeding
system is based on the sustainable use of natural resources (grasses and shrubs) in the arid
and semi -arid land. The cross border movement to reach water points, the so called “salt
cure” in Niger, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Mali are well known in this context. In this way
pastoralism and extensive livestock framing also contribute strongly to regional integration
policies, productive systems and markets, especially at the times when the Sahel countries
have excess production of animal products, and coastal countries are in deficit.
Despite the important role played by pastoralism, the pastoralist communities have
insufficiently benefitted from national and regional development policies and from public
funding and development funds although their needs in term of infrastructure, adapted
services (council support, veterinary services, etc), adapted basic services (health, education,
drinking water, ...) and security are very far from being met.
2) Priority areas for investments in pastoralism and recommendations for partnership with IFAD2
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Support the creation and sustainable and inclusive management of facilities and equipment /
pastoral infrastructure based on plans negotiated locally. This refers, among others, to
pastoral water works, herds movement spaces and corridors, rest areas, etc. Particular
attention should be paid to cross-border infrastructure between countries and regions
Strengthen access of populations of farmers and pastoralists to basic social services adapted
to pastoral mobility (human and animal health , education, drinking water and awareness -
1
This is the result of group work during the workshop in Bamako. Ideally these arguments will be
supplemented by figures and statistics that illustrate the importance of pastoralism in West and Central Africa.
The investment needs are part of a logic a of consolidating the complementarity between the Shael and the costal
countries
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Recomendations from Western and Central Africa, January 2016
Non official translation – in case of doubt, please refer to the original in French
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among other topics- on citizenship rights and duties of pastoralists ) and in particular related
to women and youth.
Support structural investments to develop animal products and live animals promising
sectors, and to take full advantage of business opportunities. This encompasses, among
others, support to the development of cooperation and regional integration through
monitoring the trans-boundary movements of livestock; but also the promotion of value
chains and diversification of income of farmers and herders.
Supporting actions of land security and pastoral mobility (including security of herders and
their livestock in a wider sense) through the promotion of inter- community social
agreements, as well as the development and implementation of schemes of sustainable
rangeland management at local, national and cross-border level. In this context it is
important to take into account the participation of women and youth through consultative
spaces dedicated to them.
3) Priority areas for policy dialogue, advocacy and other policy initiatives in support of pastoralist
organizations and livestock herders.
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Investing in the institutional strengthening of pastoral organizations and cooperation
frameworks to strengthen their representativeness and accountability ( including women
and youth) and linkages between farmers' organizations at the base and regional and
international states and institutions for better consideration of the needs of farmers /
pastoralists in the decision-making bodies ;
Supporting economic data generation initiatives (income and targeting of pastoral
households, viability thresholds of pastoral households , etc.) , and reliable statistics on
livestock for a better understanding of the pastoral family farms and help to elaborate
perspective thought supporting the decisions making process on the new social dynamics on
mobility;
To support the initiatives of capitalization of indigenous fundamental knowledge for the
conservation of productive heritage , values and pastoral skills.
4) Inclusion of pastoralist organizations and livestock herders at different stages of IFAD business
model (country strategy development project design, projects implementation and supervision)
and overall IFAD programme in the following ways;
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Allocate significant financial resources to the development of livestock and pastoralism ;
Involve farmers' organizations in formulating mechanisms , steering, implementation , and
monitoring and evaluation of projects financed by IFAD (e.g. through the establishment of
observing committees ) ;
Provide better information for livestock breeders and pastoralist organisations on COSOP for
their effective involvement process to national governing bodies of the country programs
and decision-making bodies of IFAD;
Ensure that pastoral infrastructure projects are involving pastoral organisatins, in order to
better serve the grassroots actors.
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Recomendations from Western and Central Africa, January 2016