Search

Two main cattle farming systems coexist in Donga Basin in Northern Benin: semi-sedentary and mobile livestock farming. This basin, located in the subhumid agroecological zone of West Africa, has undergone two major changes in recent decades: i) an increase in the need for animal products, and ii) the expansion of cropland resulting in reduced access to fodder resources and water, increased herd mobility, and more frequent conflicts between farmers and mobile herders. Faced with these constraints, the public authorities favor the sedentarization of pastoralists. As mobile livestock farming provides young animals to semi-sedentary livestock farming, sedentarization dynamics create uncertainty as to the supply to the region of cattle and beef by semi-sedentary livestock farming, which would become the dominant herding system. To address the growing need for animal products, livestock production was simulated to assess the effects of government incentives to sedentarize mobile herders. Numerical and beef productivities were simulated under different hypotheses to improve the zootechnical performances of semi-sedentary livestock farms. All the scenarios were built on the assumption that the increase in semi-sedentary livestock was directly linked to the sedentarization of some mobile farmers. A simulation obtained using the DYNMOD population projection model suggests that sedentarization of mobile livestock farmers would break local complementarity between livestock systems and lead to a loss of beef production. In addition, none of the improvement scenarios explored would be sufficient to offset the loss of beef production resulting from the sedentarization policy. To maintain beef production by semi-sedentary breeders, regional trade links with livestock farms in Sahelian countries would have to be developed.

International audience; Feed conversion ratio (FCR), the ratio between feed intake and body weight gain, is of major interest for im-proving aquaculture sustainability through reduced feed costs and environmental impacts. Demonstrating whether FCR measured in juvenile fish is an accurate predictor of their performance during the whole rearing period is critical to developing genetic improvement programs for this trait. This is especially true for estimates obtained in individually reared fish, for which this has high implications regarding the size of the necessary rearing structures. We obtained individual FCR from 30 male Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus from the GIFT strain individually reared in a recirculating system, from 36 to 260 g mean weight. They were fed twice a day and uneaten pellets were counted every day to determine the feed intake of each fish. Individual growth was monitored every week. Feed conversion ratio was estimated over two-week periods and over the whole rearing period (210 days). Phenotypic correlations between the two-week FCRs and global FCR estimations were mostly significant (ranged from 0.38 to 0.64). A significant phenotypic correlation between growth and FCR was also found: faster -growing fish had a better (lower) FCR. Individual breeding values for global FCR were estimated using FCR phenotypes from the present study and previously published heritabilities for FCR in Nile tilapia. Potential estimated genetic gain for global FCR was 2.2% per generation with 50% selection intensity. When selecting fish on their FCR from only a two-week period, approximately 50% of the reference genetic gain could be obtained with the same selection intensity. FCR measured during a two-week period at juvenile stage could be a moderately accurate approximation of the whole rearing period FCR, and could be used as a lower cost criterion to select for FCR in future genetic improvement programs using individual rearing of fish.

The aim of this work was to study the effects of four different rearing managements applied during the heifers&rsquo, whole life period (WLP) on muscles from ribs in the chuck sale section. The characteristics of meat studied were the sensory, rheological, and color of the longissimus muscle (LM) and the rheological traits of four other muscles: complexus, infraspinatus, rhomboideus, and serratus ventralis. The main results showed that WLP rearing managements did not significantly impact the tenderness (sensory or rheological analyses) of the rib muscles. The LM had high (p &le, 0.05) typical flavor and was appreciated when heifers received a WLP rearing management characterized by a short pasture duration during the heifers&rsquo, whole life (WLP-E). The heifers&rsquo, management characterized by a long pasture duration during their life (WLP-A) or by a diet composed mainly of hay during the growth and fattening periods (WLP-F), had lower typical flavor and were less appreciated than those with WLP-E management. Moreover, the LM color was redder for heifers of WLP-E than those of the WLP-A and WLP-F groups. This study confirmed that it is possible to obtain similar meat qualities with different rearing managements.

Eighteen (18) lactating she-camels and two mature male for mating were used to determine the effect of Management System on camel calving interval, The camels were maintained under semi-intensive (N = 9) and Traditional management system (N = 9) in North Kordofan State, western Sudan. The experimental females in each group kept together with the bull during 18 months. Blood samples were collected from jugular vein since 4-months post-partum and continue 14 successive months at monthly interval. The serum samples were separated and stored at -20°C and were analysed for progesterone concentration using progesterone specific radio immuno assay (RIA) kits. The results indicated that under semi-intensive system 77.8% of females had been pregnant in 5th - 8th month post-partum and the calving interval varying between 17 to 20 months. Under traditional system and during the experimental period 44.5% of females were pregnant in the 11th – 16th month and the calving interval varying between 23 to 28 months. The ratios of pregnant vs non-pregnant during experimental period in semi-intensive and traditional were 88.9% vs 11.1% and 44.5% vs 55.5%, respectively. Beside the behavioural signs progesterone level consider a good indicator for pregnancy in camels. In pregnant females Progesterone concentration increased significantly during early months. The range of Progesterone concentration varied between 1.10 – 5.76 ng/ml and 0.67 – 2.53 ng/ml in semi-intensive and traditional system, respectively. Our results allow quantifying this impact. With a supplemented diet including 2 Kg of concentrates and 5 kg of roughages per day, the fertility rate will be improved of 67%. It would be possible to expect more than two fold young camels in a year by supplemented 5 kg of concentrates. We conclude that under semi-intensive management dietary supplement during post-partum and early lactation period improves reproductive parameters for instance shortened calving interval.

International audience

While swine production is rapidly growing in South-East Asia, the structure of the swine industry and the dynamic of pig movements have not been well-studied. However, this knowledge is a prerequisite for understanding the dynamic of disease transmission in swine populations and designing cost-effective surveillance strategies for infectious diseases. In this study, we assessed the farming and trading practices in the Vietnamese swine familial farming sector, which accounts for most pigs in Vietnam, and for which disease surveillance is a major challenge. Farmers from two communes of a Red River Delta Province (northern Vietnam) were interviewed, along with traders involved in pig transactions. Major differences in the trade structure were observed between the two communes. One commune had mainly transversal trades, that is between farms of equivalent sizes, whereas the other had pyramidal trades, that is from larger to smaller farms. Companies and large familial farrow-to-finish farms were likely to act as major sources of disease spread through pig sales, demonstrating their importance for disease control. Familial fattening farms with high pig purchases were at greater risk of disease introduction and should be targeted for disease detection as part of a risk-based surveillance. In contrast, many other familial farms were isolated or weakly connected to the swine trade network limiting their relevance for surveillance activities. However, some of these farms used boar hiring for breeding, increasing the risk of disease spread. Most familial farms were slaughtering pigs at the farm or in small local slaughterhouses, making the surveillance at the slaughterhouse inefficient. In terms of spatial distribution of the trades, the results suggested that northern provinces were highly connected and showed some connection with central and southern provinces. These results are useful to develop risk-based surveillance protocols for disease detection in the swine familial sector and to make recommendations for disease control.

The effect of Management system on growth rate and daily gain in one humped Sudanese camels calves were investigated, twenty four (24) camel calves (12 males and 12 females) at the first day of birth were selected, from the Sudanese Arabi Kababish bred. Camels' calves with their dams were maintained under semi-intensive and Traditional management system for 18 successive months. Calves in semi-intensive system in addition of their suckling of their respective dams they take supplementation diets (one kg of concentrate/head/day), ad libtium watering, health care and spraying weekly against ticks and external parasite. The live body weight of camel calves were obtained through direct weighing in 6 months interval, through four periods including birthday, 6 month, 12 months and 18 months. The results indicated that there was non-significant difference(P>0.05) in Birth weight of calves raised under semi-intensive and traditional system. In both systems the male (39 ± 0.31kg) is significantly (P

The paper aims to present changes and current dynamics of mountainous pastoral systems in Southern Albania (Korca region) and to identify origin-based quality products as a strategy for sustainable rural development. According to the historical data (available or reconstructed through interviews), rapid and unregulated changes in mountainous productive systems within the post-communism transition threaten local natural resources and cultural landscapes. Changes are primarily due to massive out-migration of population and the consequent brutal disruption of social and productive fabric as also to the collapse of the ancient value chains without establishing a proper institutional context for the empowerment of livestock sector and a balanced management of mountain pastures. Nevertheless, the rapid growth of urban markets and the increase in sales of milk and meat coming from mountainous territories –perceived by consumers as of distinct quality– create new perspectives for the studied region., Le papier vise à présenter les changements et les dynamiques actuelles des systèmes pastoraux de montagne en Albanie du Sud (région de Korça) et d’identifier les produits de qualités liées à l’origine comme une stratégie de développement rural durable. Selon les données historiques disponibles (ou reconstituées à travers des entretiens), des changements rapides et non réglementés dans les systèmes de production de montagne durant la transition postcommuniste menacent les ressources naturelles locales et les paysages culturels. Les changements sont principalement dus à une émigration massive de la population et l’interruption brutale conséquente du tissu social et productif mais aussi à l’effondrement des anciennes chaînes de valeur sans l’établissement d’un cadre institutionnel approprié pour l’autonomisation du secteur de l’élevage et une gestion équilibrée des alpages. Néanmoins, la croissance rapide des marchés urbains et l’augmentation des ventes de lait et de viande provenant de territoires montagneux, perçus par les consommateurs comme de qualité distincte, crée de nouvelles perspectives pour la région étudiée.

Understanding the complexity of live pig trade organization is a key factor to predict and control major infectious diseases, such as classical swine fever (CSF) or African swine fever (ASF). Whereas the organization of pig trade has been described in several European countries with indoor commercial production systems, little information is available on this organization in other systems, such as outdoor or small-scale systems. The objective of this study was to describe and compare the spatial and functional organization of live pig trade in different European countries and different production systems. Data on premise characteristics and pig movements between premises were collected during 2011 from Bulgaria, France, Italy, and Spain, which swine industry is representative of most of the production systems in Europe (i.e., commercial vs. small-scale and outdoor vs. indoor). Trade communities were identified in each country using the Walktrap algorithm. Several descriptive and network metrics were generated at country and community levels. Pig trade organization showed heterogeneous spatial and functional organization. Trade communities mostly composed of indoor commercial premises were identified in western France, northern Italy, northern Spain, and north-western Bulgaria. They covered large distances, overlapped in space, demonstrated both scale-free and small-world properties, with a role of trade operators and multipliers as key premises. Trade communities involving outdoor commercial premises were identified in western Spain, south-western and central France. They were more spatially clustered, demonstrated scale-free properties, with multipliers as key premises. Small-scale communities involved the majority of premises in Bulgaria and in central and Southern Italy. They were spatially clustered and had scale-free properties, with key premises usually being commercial production premises. These results indicate that a disease might spread very differently according to the production system and that key premises could be targeted to more cost-effectively control diseases. This study provides useful epidemiological information and parameters that could be used to design risk-based surveillance strategies or to more accurately model the risk of introduction or spread of devastating swine diseases, such as ASF, CSF, or foot-and-mouth disease.

Document réalisé dans le cadre du programme BiodivBalkans et en partenariat avec le programme Life+ Mil'Ouv et le Parc National des Cévennes; This short report is produced within the frame of the BiodivBalkans project (2012-2016). This project is dedicated to foster rural development in mountainous regions through the construction of Signs of Quality and Origin (SIQO). One of its main outputs was to shed the light on the pastoral and localized livestock systems in Albania and in Balkan's surrounding countries, as a central issue for biodiversity conservation through the maintenance of High Nature Value farming systems. They are an important component of European agriculture not only for the conservation of biodiversity, but also for cultural heritage, quality products, and rural employment. The core experience of this project was (and still is) the creation of a Protected Geographical Indication on the "Hasi goat kid meat" based on stakeholders collective action and knowledge brokering. During that learning process and to effectively enforce the relation between rural development and biodiversity conservation, we used an original Ecological and Pastoral diagnosis method, imported from an EU Life+ program (Mil'Ouv, 2013-2017). This method was pioneered in France, then adapted and tested in Albania, in the Hasi Region first (2015), and this year on the Karaburun peninsula (2016). In both cases, an in-depth analysis of the local livestock's systems is preceding the diagnosis implementation. Pastoralism is a pretty complex issue in that sense that it deals with a high diversity of situations which need local diagnosis at different scales with a decisive implication of local actors, especially the livestock farmers. They are key players in building adequate knowledge of these local situations: problems, opportunities, trends and threats… The originality of this Ecological and Pastoral diagnosis method is precisely to work at different scales (from the pastoral massif to the ecological topo-facies) and to elaborate a practical diagnosis with a trio composed by: a naturalist, a livestock specialist and the breeder himself/ or herself. Our main objective with these field-work notes is to convince local and national institutions in charge of the Albanian natural Protected Areas (PA) that this participatory & multi-scale method is a strong way to enhance & conceive inclusive “management plans”. Indeed, most of the protected areas in Albanian and in the Mediterranean regions of the Balkans include a large share of mountainous and hilly territories where pastoral activity is a major (if not essential) element of the rural and agricultural life and economics, and as such of the environment management.

In order to analyze the relationship between farming practices and animal performances of mixed (dairy and beef) breed cows in Beni area, North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, a study was conducted from July 2003 to Novem­ber 2006. The sample consisted of 8676 cattle head from 65 farms, among which 4945 cows were of local breed, others were crossed with exogenous breeds considered ameliorative. Surveys, demographic observations, milk production measure­ments, and reproduction monitoring were carried out in the farms of the study. Data were analyzed with the chi-squared test and generalized linear models according to the geno­type, forage quality and supplement characteristics. Results showed some level of technical proficiency in farmers, but a low turnover rate of the herds. Breeding practices impacted on milk production, age at first calving and calving interval. In crossed-type cows, milk production was more than twice that observed in the local breed. Supplementation with forage and concentrates significantly, but also little increased milk production compared to no supplementation. The age at first calving and calving interval were influenced by the genotype, and the calving interval was influenced by the supplementa­tion and forage type. These results highlight the effects of live­stock management on milk and reproductive performances of cows in the region of the study.

This chapter documents the logics underpinning farmers’ management practices of an emerging disease. In the area of our survey, Vietnamese farmers, who are one of the front lines of the fight against H5N1, are called upon to collaborate to the international fight against the virus. Our study highlights that direct (poultry mortality) and indirect impacts (consequence of the measures imposed by the government to contain the virus, fluctuation of consumers’ demand, etc.) tend to be relatively limited when compared to the permanent state of instability which characterises the context of poultry production in the surveyed village. This instability is mainly related to numerous and regular poultry infectious diseases and market fluctuations. If international community considers H5N1 as a zoonotic risk and a pandemic threat which asks for emergency tools, H5N1 is framed by the farmers of our study as an epizootic problem manageable through routinised measures. These measures aim at minimising the economic impact of the disease rather than preventing poultry and Human from the disease. Consequently, local management of the disease cannot fit with the precautionary approach promoted by the international community.

Privatisation of grazing resources is emerging in the agro-pastoral systems of West Africa, resulting in increased pressure on the remaining communal rangelands and greater competition between farmers for access to crop residues. Differential management strategies arise as determined by household diversity. This study quantified the flows of biomass and related nutrient budgets in relation to farm diversity in Koumbia, a representative village of south-western Burkina Faso. Four farm types were identified: subsistence-oriented and market oriented crop farmers, agro-pastoralists and pastoralists. Crop farmers collected about 30 % of their maize harvest residues for feeding during the dry hot season, while agro-pastoralists and pastoralists stocked about 50 % of their maize residues. Whilst the remaining crop residues on (agro)pastoralist farms were almost entirely grazed by their own cattle, about 90 % of the crop residues of crop farmers were consumed by cattle of (agro)pastoralists. On the other hand, available manure from cattle in the village was mainly used to fertilize the fields of the livestock owners. As a result, the cropped land of farmers with few livestock is continuously mined for nutrients. Calculated partial balances of N and K at farm level were negative for all farm types, except for N in the case of pastoralist farms. N and K balances of cropped fields were generally negative on all farm types. Partial balances of P were generally positive, which was to a large extent due to P fertilizer use. Better integration of crop and livestock production activities on farms and between farms offers a pathway to more efficient nutrient cycling with reduced nutrients losses.

International audience; The future of pastoral systems and their interactions with territories are the subject of considerable debate in the scientific literature and are still insufficiently documented. Assessing the sustainability of pastoral systems and their interactions with the sustainability of territories is thus a complex task. We proposed in this study a method to assess the sustainability of pastoral systems within their territories. After reviewing the literature, we conducted interviews with pastoralism experts in France and in Africa on the subject of sustainability in general and pastoral systems in particular. We designed our grid according to the principles-criteria-indicators approach and included 10 principles grouped into three major fields: ‘Availability of resources in the territory’, ‘Properties of the system’, and ‘Extended sustainability’. Understanding the strategies used in pastoral systems enabled us to propose a set of specific criteria per principle. Finally, we compared our grid with other methods used to assess sustainability.; El futuro de los sistemas pastoriles y sus interacciones con territorios son el foco de un debate considerable en la literatura científica y se encuentran aún insuficientemente documentados. Asesorar la sustentabilidad de los sistemas pastoriles y sus interacciones con la sustentabilidad de los territorios es por lo tanto una tarea compleja. Proponemos en este estudio un método para asesorar la sustentabilidad de los sistemas pastoriles dentro de sus territorios. Después de revisar la literatura, condujimos entrevistas con expertos en pastoreo en Francia y África sobre el tema de la sustentabilidad en general y en sistemas pastoriles en particular. Diseñamos nuestra cuadrícula según un enfoque en los principios-criterios-indicadores e incluimos 10 principios agrupados en tres campos mayores: la disponibilidad de los recursos en el territorio, las propiedades del sistema y la sustentabilidad duradera. Comprender las estrategias utilizadas en los sistemas pastoriles nos permitió proponer un set de criterios específicos por principio. Finalmente comparamos nuestra cuadrícula con otros métodos utilizados para asesorar la sustentabilidad.; L’avenir des systèmes pastoraux et leurs interactions avec les territoires sont au coeur de débats majeurs dans la littérature scientifique et sont encore insuffisamment documentés. Evaluer la durabilité de ces systèmes pastoraux et leurs interactions avec la durabilité des territoires est donc une tâche complexe. Nous proposons dans cette étude une méthode pour évaluer la durabilité des systèmes pastoraux dans leurs territoires. Suite à un travail de synthèse bibliographique, nous avons conduit des entretiens auprès d’experts du pastoralisme en France et en Afrique sur le sujet de la durabilité de manière générale et de celle des systèmes pastoraux en particulier. Nous avons conçu une grille sur la base de l’approche principes-critères-indicateurs, en incluant 10 principes autour de trois thèmes majeurs que sont la disponibilité des ressources dans le territoire, les propriétés des systèmes, et la durabilité étendue. La compréhension des stratégies utilisées dans le cadre de l’activité pastorale nous a permis de proposer un jeu de critères spécifiques par principe. Enfin, nous discutons de cette nouvelle méthode au regard d’autres méthodes utilisées pour évaluer la durabilité.

Face to the global changes and new climatic constraints, the camel farming is confronted to new challenges, first to contribute to the “livestock revolution” (for reaching the requirements of a growing human population), especially in remote places of arid and mountainous areas, and in the same time to satisfy the necessity of sustainable development for the future generation. The current trends of the camelid farming systems in the world (settlement, intensification, market integration, territorial expanding, emerging diseases) question the scientists and the developers on the right ways for a sustainable development. Several aspects are discussed in the present paper: (i) the assessment of the contribution of camelids in the greenhouse gas emission, in relationships with the camel demography, (ii) the assessment and preservation of the camelid biodiversity, (ii) the assessment of the changes in the animal metabolism and in the environment management face to the intensification process, (iv) the control of the transboundary diseases in a population marked by mobility, and (v) the future of the social role of camelid in the more and more urbanized world.

This Socio-economic study has been conducted by a team of PROCAMED Project. This project falls within the framework of the promotion of the innovating camel systems and of the local camel value chains for a sustainable management of the Saharan territories. The socio-economic survey was conducted in four regions of southeast Tunisia (Medenine, Tataouine, Gabes and Kebeli). A total of 147 households were interviewed on the management, significance and constraints associated to the camel production in the area using a field diagnostic survey. According to the camel breeders' responses, the family living status of the camel herders has based on camels and small ruminant's livestock activities. Most of the camel herders were keeping areas occupied by natural vegetation which can provide a feed source for animals. For the most part of the areas have an average annual rainfall below 300 mm and either a Saharan or an arid Mediterranean bioclimate. Although the land ownership status may change, the rangelands are mostly subject to the system known as collective ownership. Major source of income of the camel herders at all zones were sale of milk and meat, sale of animals and crop cultivation. Majority of the herders kept their camels in open air system and take their camels for grazing from morning till evening at all the zones. But, because of rangelands degradation the trend of supplementation becoming more and more adopted. Camels play an important role in the socio-economics of the people in this area. In order to improve the camel production in the study area, Livestock and dairy development department and local public services, should take into consideration the importance of camel and the prevalent problems in the area.

Chapters: Agroecology Theory, Controversy and Governance. Food and Energy Production from Biomass in an Integrated Farming System. Ecological Intensification for Crop Protection. Livestock Farming Systems and Agroecology in the Tropics. Cropping Systems to Improve Soil Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: The Outlook and Lines of Research. Agroecology and Grassland Intensification in the Caribbean. Ecosystem Services of Multispecific and Multistratified Cropping Systems. Agroecological Engineering to Biocontrol Soil Pests for Crop Health. Agroecological Resources for Sustainable Livestock Farming in the Humid Tropics. Agroecology for Farmers: The Linguistic Issue. Soil Quality and Plant Nutrition. Plant Nutrition: From Liquid Medium to Micro-farm

Background In 2005, the Government of Senegal embarked on a campaign to eliminate a Glossina palpalis gambiensis population from the Niayes area (∼1000 km2) under the umbrella of the Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomosis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC). The project was considered an ecologically sound approach to intensify cattle production. The elimination strategy includes a suppression phase using insecticide impregnated targets and cattle, and an elimination phase using the sterile insect technique, necessary to eliminate tsetse in this area. Methodology/Principal Findings Three main cattle farming systems were identified: a traditional system using trypanotolerant cattle and two “improved” systems using more productive cattle breeds focusing on milk and meat production. In improved farming systems herd size was 45% lower and annual cattle sales were €250 (s.d. 513) per head as compared to €74 (s.d. 38) per head in traditional farming systems (p, Author Summary In 2005, the Government of Senegal embarked on a campaign to eliminate a tsetse population from the Niayes area (∼1000 km2) around Dakar in order to intensify cattle production. Three main cattle farming systems are present in this area: a traditional system using trypanotolerant cattle and two “improved” systems using more productive trypano-sensitive cattle breeds. Whereas the size of the herds in improved cattle farming systems is more than twice lower than in a traditional system, the annual sales per head are threefold higher. Improved systems are more than fivefold less frequent in the tsetse infested sites than in the surrounding ones, showing that the risk posed by trypanosomosis is a major constraint to the intensification and innovation processes. Based on two scenarios of shift from traditional to improved systems after tsetse elimination, the benefit-cost analysis shows that, despite its relatively high cost, the project is highly cost-effective and will allow a reduction of grazing pressure on the ecosystems.

Consumer demand is revolutionizing the way products are being produced, distributed and marketed. In relation to the dairy sector in developing countries, aspects of milk quality are receiving more attention from both society and the government. However, milk quality management needs to be better addressed in dairy production systems to guarantee the access of stakeholders, mainly small-holders, into dairy markets. The present study is focused on an analysis of the interaction of the upstream part of the dairy supply chain (farmers and dairies) in the Mantaro Valley (Peruvian central Andes), in order to understand possible constraints both stakeholders face implementing milk quality controls and practices; and evaluate “ex-ante” how different strategies suggested to improve milk quality could affect farmers and processors’ profits. The analysis is based on three complementary field studies conducted between 2012 and 2013. Our work has shown that the presence of a dual supply chain combining both formal and informal markets has a direct impact on dairy production at the technical and organizational levels, affecting small formal dairy processors’ possibilities to implement contracts, including agreements on milk quality standards. The analysis of milk quality management from farms to dairy plants highlighted the poor hygiene in the study area, even when average values of milk composition were usually high. Some husbandry practices evaluated at farm level demonstrated cost effectiveness and a big impact on hygienic quality; however, regular application of these practices was limited, since small-scale farmers do not receive a bonus for producing hygienic milk. On the basis of these two results, we co-designed with formal small-scale dairy processors a simulation tool to show prospective scenarios, in which they could select their best product portfolio but also design milk payment systems to reward farmers’ with high milk quality performances. This type of approach allowed dairy processors to realize the importance of including milk quality management in their collection and manufacturing processes, especially in a context of high competition for milk supply. We concluded that the improvement of milk quality in a smallholder farming context requires a more coordinated effort among stakeholders. Successful implementation of strategies will depend on the willingness of small-scale dairy processors to reward farmers producing high milk quality; but also on the support from the State to provide incentives to the stakeholders in the formal sector. Les demandes des consommateurs sont en train de révolutionner la manière dont les produits sont produits, distribués et commercialisés. En ce qui concerne le secteur laitier dans les pays en développement, les composantes de la qualité du lait reçoivent plus d'attention à la fois de la société et du gouvernement. Toutefois, la gestion de cette qualité doit-être mieux prise en compte dans les systèmes de production laitière, pour garantir l'accès des acteurs, principalement les petits exploitants, aux marchés laitiers. La présente étude se concentre sur l'analyse de l'interaction de la partie amont de la filière laitière (agriculteurs et laiteries) dans la vallée du Mantaro (Andes centrales du Pérou), afin de comprendre les contraintes possibles auxquelles ces deux acteurs sont confrontés pour la mise en oeuvre des contrôles et des pratiques de qualité du lait , et d'évaluer "ex-ante" comment les différentes stratégies pour améliorer la qualité du lait pourraient affecter les revenus des agriculteurs et des transformateurs. L'analyse est basée sur trois études complémentaires menées ur le terrain entre 2012 et 2013. Notre travail a montré que la présence d’une double filière, combinant les marchés formels et informels, a un impact direct sur la production laitière aux niveaux technique et organisationnel, affectant les possibilités pour les petites laiteries formelles de mettre en place des contrats écrits impliquant des engagements sur la qualité du lait. L'analyse de la gestion de la qualité du lait, des fermes aux transformateurs laitiers, a montré sa mauvaise qualité hygiénique dans la zone d'étude, même quand les valeurs moyennes de la composition du lait sont élevées. Certaines pratiques d’élevage évaluées au niveau de l'exploitation ont démontré leur efficacité économique et leur impact sur la qualité hygiénique. Toutefois, l'application régulière de ces pratiques était limitée, puisque les petits agriculteurs ne reçoivent pas de prime pour un lait de meilleure qualité. Sur la base de ces deux résultats, nous avons co-construit avec des petits transformateurs laitiers formels un outil de simulation pour montrer des scénarios prospectifs, où ils pouvaient choisir leur meilleur produit, mais également concevoir des systèmes de paiement du lait pour récompenser les agriculteurs pour la qualité de leur lait. Ce type d'approche a permis aux transformateurs laitiers de comprendre l'importance d'inclure cette gestion de qualité dans leur processus de collecte et de fabrication, en particulier dans un contexte de forte concurrence pour l'approvisionnement en lait. Nous concluons que l'amélioration de la qualité de petits agriculteurs exige un travail plus coordonné entre les différentes parties prenantes. Une telle mise en place de stratégies dépendra de la volonté des petits transformateurs laitiers de récompenser les agriculteurs qui produisent un lait de haute qualité, mais aussi du soutien de l'Etat aux parties prenantes du secteur formel.

International audience; This study focused on the trade-off between milk production and its environmental impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and nitrogen surplus in a high input tropical system. We first identified the objectives of the three main stakeholders in the dairy sector (farmers, a milk cooperative and environmentalists). The main aim of the farmers and cooperative's scenarios was to increase milk production without additional environmental deterioration but with the possibility of increasing the inputs for the cooperative. The environmentalist's objective was to reduce environmental deterioration. Second, we designed a sustainable intensification scenario combining maximization of milk production and minimization of environmental impacts. Third, the objectives for reducing the eco-inefficiency of dairy systems in Reunion Island were incorporated in a framework for activity analysis, which was used to model a technological approach with desirable and undesirable outputs. Of the four scenarios, the sustainable intensification scenario produced the best results, with a potential decrease of 238 g CO2-e per liter of milk (i.e. a reduction of 13.93% compared to the current level) and a potential 7.72 L increase in milk produced for each kg of nitrogen surplus (i.e. an increase of 16.45% compared to the current level). These results were based on the best practices observed in Reunion Island and optimized manure management, crop–livestock interactions, and production processes. Our results also showed that frontier efficiency analysis can shed new light on the challenge of developing sustainable intensification in high input tropical dairy systems.

Chantier qualité GA; This paper introduces a generic assessment method called pluri-energy analysis. It aims to assess the types of energy used in agricultural systems and their conversion efficiencies. Four types of energy are considered: fossil energy, gross energy contained in the biomass, energy from human and animal labor and solar energy. The method was applied to compare smallholder low-input dairy-production systems, which are common in developing countries, to the high-input systems encountered in OECD countries. The pluri-energy method is useful for analyzing the functioning of agricultural systems by highlighting their modes of energy management. Since most dairy systems in South Mali (SM) are low-input systems, they are primarily based on solar and labor energy types and do not require substantial fossil-energy inputs to produce milk. Farms in Poitou-Charentes (PC) and Bretagne (BR) show intermediate values of fossil-energy use for milk production, similar to that found in the literature for typical European systems. However, fossil-energy use for milk production is higher on PC than BR farms because of a higher proportion of maize silage in the forage area; grazing pastures are more common on BR farms. Farms on Reunion Island (RI) require a relatively large amount of fossil energy to produce milk, mainly because the island context limits the amount of arable land. Consequently, milk production is based on large imports of concentrated feed with a high fossil-energy cost. The method also enables assessment of fossil-energy-use efficiency in order to increase the performance of biological processes in agricultural systems. Comparing the low-input systems represented by SM to the high-input systems represented by RI, PC and BR, an increase in solar-energy conversion, and thus land productivity, was observed due to intensification via increased fossil-energy use. Conversely, though fossil-energy use at the herd level increased milk productivity, its effect on gross-energy conversion by the herd was less evident. Partitioning the total on-farm gross energy produced among animal co-products (milk, meat and manure) highlights the major functions of SM herds, which are managed to produce organic crop fertilizers.

The farm is the most influential stage of agricultural production because farming practices affect both pre-farm and on-farm environmental impacts. Since farm diversity is not usually taken into consideration, it is legitimate to question the interest of including it in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies. This work explores several approaches to modelling the farm stage when assessing the environmental impact of an agricultural supply chain in a context with variable farm performances. A LCA of a poultry supply chain was applied from cradle-to-slaughterhouse gate. The first approach is a classical one in which farm diversity is not taken into account and an average farm is constructed on the basis of weighted average farm characteristics. The second approach distinguishes four farm types identified by cluster analysis, and four LCA were performed according to these farm types. Farm types were distinguished based on their consumption of inputs and the type of ventilation of the farm buildings. Results indicate that the classical approach is sufficient to highlight problem hotspots and to identify promising mitigation measures. Reducing the transport distance of imported maize, improving feed conversion efficiency and anaerobic digestion of slaughterhouse animal wastes were identified as appropriate mitigation measures. As feed production and poultry rearing are the stages with the most impact, distinguishing farm types provides i) insight into farm functioning to better explain the variability of environmental impacts and understand how to reduce them, ii) reduce the uncertainty of results, and iii) provide appropriate recommendations for mitigation measures. Coupling a farm typology with the LCA is particularly useful when farming systems are very diverse like in Reunion Island where the climate varies considerably across the island. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ongoing intensification and specialisation of livestock production lead to increasing volumes of manure to be managed, which are a source of the greenhouse gases (GHGs) methane (CH 4) and nitrous oxide (N 2O). Net emissions of CH 4 and N 2O result from a multitude of microbial activities in the manure environment. Their relative importance depends not only on manure composition and local management practices with respect to treatment, storage and field application, but also on ambient climatic conditions. The diversity of livestock production systems, and their associated manure management, is discussed on the basis of four regional cases (Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, China and Europe) with increasing levels of intensification and priorities with respect to nutrient management and environmental regulation. GHG mitigation options for production systems based on solid and liquid manure management are then presented, and potentials for positive and negative interactions between pollutants, and between management practices, are discussed. The diversity of manure properties and environmental conditions necessitate a modelling approach for improving estimates of GHG emissions, and for predicting effects of management changes for GHG mitigation, and requirements for such a model are discussed. Finally, we briefly discuss drivers for, and barriers against, introduction of GHG mitigation measures for livestock production. There is no conflict between efforts to improve food and feed production, and efforts to reduce GHG emissions from manure management. Growth in livestock populations are projected to occur mainly in intensive production systems where, for this and other reasons, the largest potentials for GHG mitigation may be found.

La race bovine Somba du Bénin et du Togo compte environ 25000 têtes et cet effectif est en diminution. Le système traditionnel d'élevage, basé sur les petits troupeaux familiaux, est en train d'être remplacé par les grands troupeaux collectifs sous gardiennage professionnel. La productivité globale de ce cheptel a été recherchée au moyen d'une enquête rapide dans des villages. Elle est comparable à celle des autres races de taurins à courtes cornes de l'Afrique occidentale. Le taux d'exploitation est de 8,12 veaux/100 vaches/an. Le taux de survie des jeunes semble meilleur chez les troupeaux collectifs ; les veaux en surnombre sont conservés pour accroître la taille des troupeaux, plutôt que commercialisés. Les études génétiques indiquent que la race Somba n'est guère affectée par le métissage. La conservation de cette race est recommandée et le développement du système traditionnel d'élevage est à encourager.

Chantier qualité GA; Environmental impact assessment of agriculture has received increased attention over recent decades, leading to development of numerous methods. Among them, three deal with energy use: Energy Analysis (EA), Ecological Footprint (EF) and Emergy synthesis (Em). Based on a review of 197 references applying them to a variety of agricultural systems, this paper evaluates their ability to assess energy use. While EF assesses energy use as land use via a global accounting approach in which energy is only one component of the assessment, EA and Em are energy-focused and appear more appropriate to highlight ways to increase energy-use efficiency. EA presents a clear methodology via fossil energy use and its associated impacts but does not consider all energy sources. With inclusion of natural and renewable resources, Em focuses on other energy resources, such as solar radiation and energy from labour, but does not present impact indicators nor establish a clear link between activities and their environmental impacts. Improvements of the EA and Em methods could increase their ability to perform realistic and unbiased energy analysis or the diversity of livestock systems encountered in the world. First, to consider all energy sources, as Em does, EA could include solar radiation received by farm surfaces and energy expenditure by humans and animals to accomplish farm operations. Second, boundaries of the studied system in EA and Em must include draft animals, humans and communal grazing lands. Third, special attention should be given to update and locally adapt energy coefficients and transformities.

In Sub-Saharan countries, climate change has already been observed for several decades and is characterized by the decrease in mean rainfall with extensive periods of drought followed by short but severe rains. The dromedary camel, adapted to arid lands and low nutritive natural resources, follows the aridification of ecosystems as she/he did so when moving into Africa through the Sinai Peninsula at the beginning of the Christian era. Thus, the on-going desertification in Northern Africa increases the camel distribution area, both geographically and socially, e.g. with regard to its use by people who are not traditionally camel keepers. Elsewhere, camels are used differently, i.e. for their products (milk, agricultural work) rather than for their traditional uses (packing or riding). On the other hand, facing more contrasted crop ecosystems and an unbalanced climate, which seem to contribute to emerging diseases with complex and often unknown aetiologies, caused high unexplained deaths. These global trends would trigger more changes of camel farming systems in Sahelian countries if climate change intensifies continuously in the next decades.