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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.

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.

La production laitière peut constituer une part importante des revenus dans les exploitations de montagne en Kabylie. Nos travaux ont porté sur la caractérisation des élevages bovins dans cette zone, leur mode de conduite et les stratégies adoptées. Suite à un travail antérieur sur 97 élevages, nous avons procédé à un suivi de 17 exploitations de mars 2012 à février 2013. L’étude a permis d’identifier trois types d’exploitations : a) les petites exploitations ( 46 UGB) avec une production mixte de lait et de viande (type « mixte »). L’alimentation des vaches a été basée sur du concentré toute l’année, en moyenne 8 kg/vache/ jour pour les deux premiers types d’exploitations et jusqu’à 11 kg/vache/jour pour le troisième. La vente annuelle de lait par vache a été de 3 000 kg environ pour le type viande, et de 4 000 kg pour les types lait et mixte. Les revenus des exploitations spécialisées (viande ou lait) ont été similaires (moins de 400 000 dinars algériens [DZD] par an, soit 3 896 €), alors que le type mixte a généré des revenus supérieur à 3 millions de DZD/an (soit 33 139 €). L’étude a montré que les stratégies adoptées dépendaient beaucoup de la capacité des éleveurs à obtenir des dotations. Elle permet de mieux appréhender les dynamiques actuelles des systèmes d’élevage en zone montagneuse, selon leurs atouts et leurs faiblesses.

International audience

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.

Dans les exploitations agricoles familiales de l'Ouest du Burkina Faso, l'élevage joue un socio-économique et culturel important. Cependant sa productivité est limitée principalement par des contraintes alimentaires et sanitaires. Cet article analyse ses contraintes et la diversité des pratiques d'alimentation et de soins développées par les producteurs pour y faire face. Les données ont été collectées par la méthode active de recherche participative et par enquête auprès d'un échantillon raisonné de 120 exploitations de la commune de Koumbia. L'analyse de variance (ANOVA) a été utilisée pour comparer les caractéristiques structurelles des agriculteurs, agro-éleveurs et éleveurs et le test de Khi2 pour comparer leurs pratiques d'élevage. Les résultats montrent que les stratégies d'alimentation des animaux sont plus variées que celles pour les soins. En saison des pluies, la taille élevée du cheptel des éleveurs ne leur permet pas l'accès aux bas-fonds (p < 0,01). Leurs animaux sont essentiellement sur les collines (p < 0,05) et illégalement dans les forêts classées (p < 0,5). En saison sèche, la pâture illégale des forêts classées par leurs animaux s'accentue (p < 0,01) et bon nombre partent en transhumance (p < 0,001). La distribution des résidus de cultures est marquée pour les veaux/velles (p < 0,001) et les vaches allaitantes (p < 0,001) chez les éleveurs, pour les boeufs de trait (p< 0,001) chez les agriculteurs et pour les animaux destinés à la vente chez les agro-éleveurs (p < 0,05). Les éleveurs distribuent plus de tourteau de coton aux vaches allaitantes (p < 0,001). Les agriculteurs vaccinent prioritairement les bovins tandis que les agro-éleveurs et éleveurs ciblent les bovins et les ovins (p < 0,01). Le déparasitage externe touche en premier lieu les bovins chez les agriculteurs et tous les ruminants chez les autres types de producteurs (p < 0,001). Des contraintes alimentaires et sanitaires handicapent l'élevage, dont l'amélioration de la productivité nécessite une synergie d'action des acteurs.

Despite the reported benefits of conservation agriculture (CA), its wider up-scaling in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has remained fairly limited. This paper shows how a newly developed qualitative expert assessment approach for CA adoption (QAToCA) was applied to determine its adoption potential in SSA. CA adoption potential is not a predictor of observed adoption rates. Instead, our aim was to systematically check relevant factors that may be influencing its adoption. QAToCA delivers an assessment of how suitable conditions "and thus the likelihood for CA adoption" are. Results show that the high CA adoption potentials exhibited by the Malawi and Zambia case relate mostly to positive institutional factors. On the other hand, the low adoption potential of the Zimbabwe case, in spite of observed higher estimates, is attributed mainly to unstable and less secured market conditions for CA. In the case of Southern Burkina Faso, the potential for CA adoption is determined to be high, and this assessment deviates from lower observed figures. This is attributed mainly to strong competition of CA and livestock for residues in this region. Lastly, the high adoption potential found in Northern Burkina Faso is explained mainly by the fact that farmers here have no alternative other than to adopt the locally adapted CA system-Zaï farming. Results of this assessment should help promoters of CA in the given regions to reflect on their activities and to eventually adjust or redesign them based on a more explicit understanding of where problems and opportunities are found.

African swine fever was reported in domestic pigs in 26 African countries during the period 2009–2011. The virus exists in an ancient sylvatic cycle between warthogs ( Phacochoerus africanus ) and argasid ticks of the Ornithodoros moubata complex in many of the countries reporting outbreaks and in two further countries in the region. Eradication of the virus from the countries in eastern and southern Africa where the classic sylvatic cycle occurs is clearly not an option. However, the virus has become endemic in domestic pigs in 20 countries and the great majority of outbreaks in recent decades, even in some countries where the sylvatic cycle occurs, have been associated with movement of infected pigs and pig meat. Pig production and marketing and ASF control in Africa have been examined in order to identify risk factors for the maintenance and spread of ASF. These include large pig populations, traditional free-range husbandry systems, lack of biosecurity in semi-intensive and intensive husbandry systems, lack of organisation in both pig production and pig marketing that results in lack of incentives for investment in pig farming, and ineffective management of ASF. Most of these factors are linked to poverty, yet pigs are recognised as a livestock species that can be used to improve livelihoods and contribute significantly to food security. The changes needed and how they might be implemented in order to reduce the risk of ASF to pig producers in Africa and to the rest of the world are explored.

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.

La maladie de Newcastle est une maladie virale des oiseaux, très contagieuse et présente partout dans le monde. Sa présentation clinique est variable. Elle se manifeste généralement par des signes respiratoires mais le tableau clinique peut être dominé par un abattement, des symptômes nerveux ou des diarrhées. Historiquement, la maladie a été découverte en Indonésie en 1926 (Kraneveld, 1926). Mais elle a tiré son nom de la ville de Newcastle-on-Tyne en Angleterre, où elle est apparue en 1927 (Doyle, 1927). Cette maladie constatée dans le monde entier, est actuellement maitrisée au Canada, aux Etats-Unis d'Amérique et dans certains pays de l'Europe occidentale. Elle persiste dans différentes régions d'Afrique, d'Asie et d'Amérique du Sud. Toutefois, étant donné que les oiseaux sauvages peuvent parfois être porteurs du virus sans contracter la maladie, des foyers peuvent apparaître partout où existent des élevages de volailles (OIE, 2016). A Madagascar, elle constitue la cause la plus importante des mortalités aviaires, notamment chez les animaux non vaccinés. De nombreuses mesures de lutte s'imposent pour une meilleure production avicole.

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.

Cow is the dominant species for providing milk to humans, but other dairy species (eg, buffalo, goat, sheep, camel, yak, horse and donkey, reindeer, and occasionally lama) provide 15% of the world’s milk supply. Non-cow milk is mainly collected in low-input systems managed by local communities, contributing to the food security of unproductive areas such as desert, steppe, high mountains, swamps, or polar zones. The organoleptic properties and physico-chemical composition of non-cow milk and its potential health benefits could contribute to food security and environmental preservation. Non-cow milk production systems include all types of farming systems from extensive to traditional, with low input and high mobility, to highly intensive production processes with indoor milking units. Improvement of productivity for non-cow dairy species, better milking hygiene in local communities, and diversification of dairy products are among the most important challenges for this sector.

En Algérie, la production animale demeure un secteur d'importance politique, sociale et économique considérable. En effet, ce secteur représente près de 51% du Produit Intérieur Brut de l'Agriculture. L'élevage des petits ruminants, notamment ovins, qui participe pour 50 % à la formation de ce PIB est concentré principalement dans les territoires steppiques où de nombreux changements ont été enregistrés et qui ont engendré un contexte d'incertitudes élevé (climat, démographie, programmes de développement, pression sur les ressources, urbanisation, etc.). Les objectifs assignés à cette thèse sont d'une part, d'appréhender les capacités des éleveurs à se maintenir sur ce territoire soumis à de forte contraintes et incertitudes et, d'autre part, d'apprécier les facultés de résilience des systèmes d'élevage identifiés. L'hypothèse de base de cette thèse est que face à ce contexte d'incertitudes et jeux de contraintes, les éleveurs ont appris à s'adapter selon les opportunités présentes qui sont basées sur la valorisation de leurs différents "atouts-capitaux" (capital naturel, physique, financier, social, humain et de savoirs) pour développer des stratégies diversifiées de mise en oeuvre de leurs projets de production. La recherche a été conduite en faisant appel à des enquêtes quantitatives et qualitatives le plus souvent participatives auprès de 86 éleveurs appartenant à différentes fractions de la communauté agropastorale des Ouled M'Hani, située dans la zone d'El-Guedid-Djelfa de la région de Djelfa. Afin de comprendre les stratégies qui permettent aux éleveurs de développer des flexibilités multiples, un cadre d'approche intégré a été mis au point. Il repose sur le croisement de plusieurs disciplines et sciences (zootechnie, écologie, agronomie, sociologie, économie, gestion et communication. En outre, pour analyser les logiques des éleveurs en matière de valorisation des différents capitaux (atouts) dans la mise en oeuvre de leurs stratégies d'adaptation pour faire face aux multiples contraintes, l'approche basée sur "Sustainable Livelihood Approache SLA" a été mobilisée. Les principaux résultats montrent que les agropasteurs sont dans une logique d'adaptation permanente. Tous les systèmes d'élevage ont réussi à se maintenir et à se reproduire en s'appuyant sur des stratégies diverses et variées pour assurer un accès facile aux différentes ressources fourragères locales (autoproduites, louées et achetées). Ils combinent de façon variés leurs capitaux (ressources ou atouts) dans leurs décisions qui conditionnent la façon dont ils vont appréhender et anticiper les situations de sécheresse. Les capitaux humain et social restent des éléments importants dans la manière dont les éleveurs répondent aux événements qui affectent leur activité. Cette dotation en capitaux permet en effet aux éleveurs de développer des stratégies basées sur la diversification des produits et des revenus, l'agrandissement du patrimoine foncier et animal et surtout la mobilité des troupeaux, etc. Cependant, pour apprécier l'efficacité des stratégies variées mises en oeuvre par les différents groupes d'agropasteurs, des activités participatives de suivi s de performances sont à envisager. Elles permettront de mieux juger l'efficience et la pertinence des leviers et actions déployés actuellement par les agropasteurs.

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.

Swine influenza is responsible for one of the most prevalent disease affecting the swine industry worldwide. Epidemiological surveys rarely focus on remote areas, because traditional farming systems characterized by locally consumed production and low pig densities are considered as having little influence on the emergence, re-emergence, persistence or spread of swine influenza viruses. In addition, routine disease investigations in remote areas are often neglected due to logistic and economical constraints. A bank of swine sera collected in 2005 in the ethnic minorities households of Ha Giang province (Northern Vietnam) located adjacent to the Chinese border was analyzed to estimate the seroprevalence of swine influenza (SI) and to identify potential risk factors for infection. The results suggest that this specific agro-ecological system is free from SI and is not favourable to SI spread either through pig-to-pig transmission, or through poultry-to-pig transmission.

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.

The integration of agriculture and biodiversity has become an acknowledged solution to concurrently address the development of sustainable food production systems and the preservation of natural resources. However, there are few alternative farming systems combining agricultural commodities with ecosystem services. We examined the farm and landscape dynamics of an area in South Africa which has been isolated from mainstream agriculture for several decades. We used a time series of aerial photographs as well as farm surveys and interviews to analyze how historical and present trends can explain land use features. Results show that today's landscape is the consequence of dramatic socioeconomic transformations that have turned original transhumant livestock keepers into sedentary farmers. Although poverty is widespread, we found a well-balanced landscape with a regularly increasing tree cover and a high biodiversity potential. Beyond farm and household size, the main landscape impact factors are herd size and management as well as soil fertility management practices, including fallowing. We show that these conditions represent a good potential toward a multifunctional landscape, provided the relationships between farmers' practices and biodiversity are better formalized and there are tangible benefits for farmers to opt for this approach.