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Transhumance is a common practice in agropastoral sheep farming. It provides access to additional pastures. However, this practice, which contributes to the balance of food systems, is experiencing difficulties. To maintain itself, it is diversifying its mobility strategies. Our questioning concerns the circuits, orientations and seasonality of current movements (or neo-transhumances). To address this reality, we used spatiotemporal data from different institutions (Ministry of Agriculture, Steppe Commission, etc.) and data from 30 participatory surveys among transhumant livestock farmers in the Djelfa region. The results of our studies highlighted 5 types of transhumance: continuous (6% of the total mobile workforce), intra-community (43%), winter (20%), summer (16%), and traditional (14%). These movements make it possible to provide 25 to 55% of the forage cover for animals. Agropastoralists are constantly adapting their orientations/circuits. However, the reduction of pastoral areas and climatic uncertainties make transhumance vulnerable. Harmonisation of various interests and the regulation of access to resources could potentiate these mobilities., La transhumance constitue une pratique courante de l’élevage ovin agropastoral. Elle permet l’accès à des pâtures supplémentaires. Toutefois, cette pratique qui contribue à l’équilibre des systèmes alimentaires connait des difficultés. Pour se maintenir, elle diversifie ses stratégies de mobilité. Notre questionnement porte sur les circuits, orientions et saisonnalités des déplacements actuels (ou néo-transhumances). Pour se saisir de cette réalité nous avons eu recours aux données spatiotemporelles de différentes institutions (Ministère de l’Agriculture, Commissariat aux steppes etc.) et de données de 30 enquêtes participatives auprès des éleveurs transhumants de la région de Djelfa. Les résultats de nos études ont mis en évidence 5 types de transhuman - ce : continue (6% de l’effectif total mobile), intracommunautaire (43%), d’hiver (20%), d’été (16%), et traditionnelle (14%). Ces déplacements permettent d’assurer 25 à 55% de la couverture fourragère pour les animaux. Les agropasteurs adaptent sans cesse leurs orientations/circuits. Cependant, la réduction des espaces pastoraux et les incertitudes climatiques rendent la transhumance vulnérable. Une harmonisation d’intérêts divers et de régulation des accès aux ressources pourrait potentialiser ces mobilités.

The shepherd remains one of the essential professions in the small ruminant breeding sector. His work plays a major role in feeding grazing animals and is an additional guarantee for food security. However, the transformation of the Algerian steppes under the joint influence of economic, territorial, agricultural and environmental policies has made it difficult to recruit shepherd by the herders. This communication presents the difficulties and challenges faced by herders in hiring a competent shepherd. Hence our questioning on the situation of shepherds and the consequences of changes in livestock farming on the future of this profession. To this end, group interviews and surveys of 100 herders were carried out in the municipality of El-Guedid-Algeria. Our analyses made it possible to obtain information characterizing the shepherd's profession. Our results confirm the decisive role of the shepherd in herd management. Indeed, 73% of the herders surveyed used the shepherd service. Their salaries are based on the size of the herd and the farming system. They vary from 15,000 to 70,000 dinars/month (100 to 466 €). Mobile shepherds receive a higher salary than sedentary shepherds. However, they considered that these salaries did not reflect the work done throughout the year (herding, nighttime animal surveillance, animal care, feed distribution, etc.). It is noted that an essential prospective aspect to revalue this profession: 65% of the children of shepherds surveyed are not in favor of doing this job.

The Algerian steppe covers 20 million ha. It is a bulwark between the desert and the coast of Mediterranean. The livestock of the area is about 20 million head sheep. This ecosystem has undergone many disturbances: desertification, overexploitation of rangelands, fragile soils, degradation of the vegetation, the use of rangelands for growing crops, and weather extreme situations are more frequent. Considering these constraints, the breeders try renewal and increase their livestock and for produce also some crops. The breeders try strategies to adapt to change and uncertain disturbances, like climate, resources, and public policies with their operations. For example, some authorities are trying to provide solutions for a population living almost entirely from the livestock. Some restorative solutions in degraded rangelands have been tested with the breeders. These experiments of rangeland have been followed (studies ecology) for six years (floristic annual change and weight). The rest of the study focuses on the adaptations of livestock systems in a changing agrarian sector. We specify that this holistic study (underway) related to the dynamics of the livestock systems is divided into two parts: the first treats the dynamics of vegetation in relation with rehabilitation of rangelands, so that the monitoring was performed by choosing 14 experimental plots with permanent transect lines in order to determine annual floristic evolution and biomass productivity in selected plots ; The second part aims to give an overview of the obvious adaptations of livestock systems Considering all constraints of steppic livestock systems. The aim of this poster is to present some results related to environmental monitoring with an approach holistic and systemic for provide knowledges relating to the current complex phenomena of mutations of livestock systems in Algerian steppe.

In order to adapt better to cyclical and persistent drought, sheep herders in the Algerian steppe often adopt proactive strategies involving various resources. They have also learned to combine local expertise and exogenous knowledge (scientific and technical). Our inquiry focuses on the ability of farmers to adapt their practices. The study hypothesis concerns the capacity of farmers to combine their various assets: social, human, natural, physical, productive, financial, etc. To achieve a clear understanding of the practices implemented, we opted for a systematic approach and participatory tools. We observed the practices of three breeding systems (sedentary, semi-transhumant and migratory) and surveyed 86 agro-pastoralists in the El- Guedid Djelfa region. Our main results show that the agro-pastoralists' rationale is one of continuous adaptation. All the livestock systems studied have managed to maintain themselves and reproduce using anticipatory strategies to ensure easy access to various local fodder resources (self-produced, rented and purchased). They combine their capital (resources or assets) in various ways in their decisions, which determine how they will perceive and anticipate drought situations. Human and social assets are important elements in the way in which farmers respond to events that affect their business. Studies are under way to assess the resilience of these systems in the future, hence the question that is the subject of our ongoing work: is farmers' current capacity to adapt sufficient to cope with the scale of the climate change challenge? (Texte intégral)