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In response to the ever increasing urban milk demand and to the subsector’s development policies, the suburban milk basin of Bamako has changed a lot since the Independence. The industrial policies of the 1970-80’s had major social impacts. They led in particular to the development of dry milk imports and to herdsmen becoming salaried employees. The ensuing liberal policies promoted the development of small processing units and pastoral farming intensification. But, without control, these policies also contributed to much genetic mixing and to the emergence of zoonoses and infection risks, representing a danger for public health. An integrated approach, linking adapted production techniques to the access to markets and services, could help – with policy support and in concert with actors – to mitigate risks from innovations and improve the livelihoods of all stakeholders.