Productivity of natural pastures and pastoral mobility practices in a context of climate change in West Africa

Abstract

Livestock production is not only one of the main socio-economic activities of West African populations, but also a substantial source of income and nutrition for poor rural communities. This activity is strongly threatened in recent years by the deterioration of climatic conditions that negatively affects the productive capacity of natural pastures and pastoral mobility practices. This study analyzes the available literature on the impacts of climate change on rangelands, pastoral mobility practices, the contribution of livestock to global warming, the perception of pastoralists, and adaptive and mitigating measures to the adverse effects of climate change in West Africa. Climate change impacts the productivity of rangelands and pastoral mobility practices through the qualitative and quantitative decline of fodder resources, the degradation of the most appetizing species, the proliferation of invasive species, the drying up of water points and bodies, the modification of mobility practices, the degradation of relations between farmers and herders, and the decline in animal productivity. Indeed, since rainfall has a strong relationship with the availability of herbaceous resources, any decrease in the amount of precipitation leads to a decrease in the productivity of natural pastures. Thus, the decline in rainfall calls into question the sustainability of pastoral resources with negative consequences on the feeding, watering and productivity of livestock. At the same time, the livestock sector contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, thus contributing to global warming. For a sustainable livestock production, it is necessary to develop an ambitious policy to strengthen the adaptive capacities and mitigation of livestock to climate change.

Keywords: climate change, productivity, rangelands, pastoral mobility, West Africa