Pastoral livestock farming is booming due to the growing global demand for animal products. In addition to the production of meat, milk and hides, pastoralism provides numerous other social (employment), economic (savings) and environmental (manure, energy, etc.) services.
Pastoralism is an extensive production system in which livestock are fed mainly from natural pastures. It is thus distinguished from fixed or sedentary livestock farming by the mobility of the herds. All BIODEV2030 countries have identified agriculture as a priority economic sector contributing to biodiversity erosion and national development. 2 in particular have selected pastoral livestock farming:Ethiopia and Kenya.
STAKEHOLDERS & ECONOMIC CHALLENGES Pastoral livestock :
Pastoralism is an ancestral activity. In recent decades, the demand for animal products has risen sharply. Indeed, it is an essential source of economic activity in arid zones where other forms of agriculture are impossible.
Pastoral livestock products are therefore an important source of household income. They make a significant contribution to national GDP. For example, pastoralism accounts for 19% and 13% of GDP in Ethiopia and Kenya respectively1.
Pastoralists produce much of Africa's meat and milk. However, they face enormous difficulties in selling these products. All players in the pastoral livestock value chain (producers, traders, processors, financial institutions, government) therefore have a common interest in working together to improve production practices and increase outlets.
265 million
number of people in Africa directly dependent on pastoralism for their livelihoods
Source: Nugteren, Henk and Le Côme, Catherine. Edited by: Fred Zaal, Thea Hilhorst and Jacqueline Sluijs. 2016. Unleashing the potential of pastoralism to develop West Africa.
1.3 billion
number of people estimated to benefit from the livestock value chain
Source: International Livestock Research Institute
the impact of pastoral livestock farming on biodiversity :
Pastoral livestock farming nevertheless exerts numerous pressures on ecosystems. Herd mobility, increasing numbers of animals and poor management of plant resources contribute to the main mechanisms responsible for the erosion of biodiversity in Sahelian regions: habitat modification, overexploitation of resources, pollution and biological invasions.
Demographic growth and agricultural expansion have led to the densification of livestock activities on an increasingly reduced pastoral area. Overgrazing, exacerbated by the increase in livestock numbers, is contributing to desertification. Habitat modification (soil degradation, depletion of vegetation, introduction of plant species for grazing) impoverishes the living environment. It also encourages the invasion of invasive species, whose spread is facilitated by the movement of livestock and the use of bush fires. Excessive pressure on the environment maintains a vicious circle that can be exacerbated by climatic hazards.
40%
Percentage of African territory used by pastoralists
Source: Nugteren, Henk and Le Côme, Catherine. Edited by: Fred Zaal, Thea Hilhorst and Jacqueline Sluijs. 2016. Unleashing the potential of pastoralism to develop West Africa.
Pastoral livestock farming has a negative impact on biodiversity due to :
1. Overgrazing: impoverishment of the environment, leading to desertification. Livestock movement should not be guided solely by the availability of resources. Their renewal and the carrying capacity of the environment must also be taken into account.
2. Fewer pastures: leading to increased competition for available forage with wild species and livestock grazing in protected areas.
3. Pastoral practices: veterinary treatment, bush fires and the cultivation of fodder for livestock lead to pollution and biological invasions. These practices must be controlled and reduced.