Adaptation of livestock farming practices in western Burkina Faso to land and sanitary constraints

On family farms in western Burkina Faso, livestock plays an important socio-economic and cultural role. However, its productivity is limited mainly by dietary and health constraints. This article analyzes its constraints and the diversity of feeding and care practices developed by producers to cope with them. The data were collected by the active method of participatory research and by survey of a reasoned sample of 120 farms in the commune of Koumbia. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the structural characteristics of the farmers, agro-pastoralists and pastoralists and test chi 2The results show that animal feeding strategies are more varied than those for care. In the rainy season, the sheer size of the livestock keepers does not allow them access to the lowlands (p <0.01). Their animals are mainly on the hills (p <0.05) and illegally in the classified forests (p <0.5). In the dry season, the illegal grazing of forests classified by their animals is accentuated (p <0.01) and many leave in transhumance (p <0.001). The distribution of crop residues was marked for calves / velles (p <0.001) and suckler cows (p <0.001) among farmers, for draft oxen (p <0.001) among farmers and for sales among agro-pastoralists (p <0.05). Farmers distribute more cottonseed cake to suckler cows (p <0.001). Farmers primarily vaccinate cattle while agro-pastoralists and herders target cattle and sheep (p <0.01). External deworming primarily affects cattle in farmers and all ruminants in other types of producers (p <0.001). Dietary and health constraints hamper livestock production, whose improvement in productivity requires a synergy of action by stakeholders. External deworming primarily affects cattle in farmers and all ruminants in other types of producers (p <0.001). Dietary and health constraints hamper livestock production, whose improvement in productivity requires a synergy of action by stakeholders. External deworming primarily affects cattle in farmers and all ruminants in other types of producers (p <0.001). Dietary and health constraints hamper livestock production, whose improvement in productivity requires a synergy of action by stakeholders.