NCCR North-South
Transversal Package Project (TPP-PPS)
Pastoral Production System: Sustainable livelihoods in semi-arid regions
Context
The semi-arid areas are characterized by a high variability of climatic conditions (rainfall) and productivity. Today, natural resources are getting scarcer, forcing users to adopt many coping strategies with various political, social, sanitary and economic implications.
Actors
Mobile pastoralism has been identified as the most viable form of production and land use in semi-arid regions. Pastoral communities depend on their herds of cattle, camels and small ruminants as the main source of income and nutrition (dairy products) directly or through exchange with settled people.
Processes
The livestock production system is increasingly under the pressure of legal, economic, social and political constraints. The main difficulties in regulating access and use of scarce resource niche available are related mobility security, regulation of transhumance, investment in production infrastructure, health and social service delivery and conflict mitigation. Pastoralists have become more vulnerable and it is not rare that households and communities loose within a short period their basis assets (their livestock) or their rights over land and key resources and are forced to out-migrate towards urban centers or abroad.
Objectives: The aim of the TPP-EPS is to contribute in securing the livelihoods of these categories or populations often “hard to reach” through basic social services.
Approaches
In its strategies to improve the wellbeing and equity by supporting adaptation and transformation processes as a response to the production system transformation, the TPP-PPS is conducting transdisciplinary research activities in Sahel and particularly in Chad, Mali, and Mauritania. These activities are centered on three main foci: 1) production and food security; 2) access to basic social services; and 3) policy and institutional framework. All these activity lines are interrelated and based on the hypothesis that living conditions of pastoralists in the Sahel are degrading but there is a potential for capturing the economic benefits of their production system through improved marketing of livestock, processing of pastoral products and social services provision. This is therefore possible only when various social categories (nomadic and sedentary populations, women, youth, and herders) have an equitable access to resources. This access could be facilitated by a rational and fair delivery of basic social services (health, education).
Pathways
In an African context of poor governance, and absence-presence of State in remote areas, there is a need to implement multilevel policies and institutional arrangements for a better organization of production and service delivery.
For more information contact:
Prof Bassirou Bonfoh, e-mail:Bassirou.bonfoh(at)csrs.ci

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Le coordonnateur régional du programme NCCR - TPP:

Prof. BONFOH Bassirou Tél: +225 23 47 27 90 Fax: +225 23 47 12 11 Email:bassirou.bonfoh(at)csrs.ci Profession: Docteur vétérinaire Position/Fonction: Directeur Général du CSRS Département: Environnement et Santé