Abstract

Rapid population growth rates and increased urbanization are causing a rapid increase in food demand in many West African countries. Efforts to meet this demand have not yielded the expected dividend of improved productivity but have instead led to the overexploitation of fertile lands and expansion into marginal land. The dairy sector is no exception to this rule. It is postulated, however, that the transformation of the current subsistence milk production systems into a market-oriented and integrated crop-livestock system has the potential to increase productivity and stimulate income and revenue generation for smallholder producers.

This project will test this hypothesis and evaluate such a system at inland valley sites in Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, and Nigeria. Specifically the project will build a critical scientific mass by co-ordinating research in smallholder dairying at national agricultural research and development institutions in participating countries; and exploit the feed production and dairy marketing potential of smallholder farmers utilizing inland valleys to improve smallholder incomes and consumer diets. Expected outputs include: improved milk production and productivity; improved land-animal nutrient recycling; and the development and adoption of an intensive market-oriented smallholder dairy system.

Post-Project Summary

A team of crop, animal and social scientists compiled a database on crop-livestock systems in the inland valleys of West Africa using examples from the countries involved (Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Nigeria). They developed and tested a model for combining early maturing rice with legumes, the residues of which were to be used for cattle feed. Some farmers took part in the on-farm trials, but they were not consulted during the design phase of the project. It transpired that farmers could not or would not adopt certain components of the model due to labour constraints or logistic problems. For example, legumes could not be planted by the time the early-maturing rice was harvested because of excessive residual moisture. Also, farmers could not fully benefit from the crop residues because of encroachment by transhumant cattle. Although the model had potential, it needed fine-tuning to conform to the situation on the ground. The findings highlighted the importance of farmer participation. The project teams gained some experience in rapid rural appraisal and gender analysis. One researcher completed a MSc based on the project. The project resulted in several scientific papers, but none were published in peer-reviewed journals.

Recipient Institution(s)