Completed project
Université Laval, Institut d’Économie Rurale (IER), Institut Polytechnique Rural de Katibougou (IPR/IFRA), ICRAF, International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF)
The general objective of the project is to develop and disseminate livestock fattening techniques and agroforestry practices that enhance food security for family farms in the semi-arid regions of West Africa, particularly in Mali, by optimizing the contribution of woody plants and integrating species whose products and services strengthen production systems and ensure the conservation of natural resources.
Various agroforestry innovations can help increase and diversify agricultural production, contributing to food and nutritional security for the most disadvantaged, and restoring, improving, and sustaining land-use systems. Among the solutions that allow agroforestry to contribute to the well-being of rural populations, livestock farming is undoubtedly one of the most promising.
However, this area remains under-researched within communities, even though an activity like sheep fattening, which is particularly well-suited for women, could be scaled up. By integrating it into systems where trees provide various products and services, the negative impacts of traditional livestock farming systems could be minimized while optimizing their contribution to crop yields, soil fertility restoration, and resource conservation. Such an optimization of the role of livestock farming could thus contribute to increasing food security and combating poverty in the Sahel.