No abstract

Cross-border seasonal livestock movements in West Africa bring into close contact several cattle breeds. In the coastal countries hosting migrating herders from the Sahel, it often affects the genetic variability and geographical distribution of traditional cattle breeds, through their indiscriminate but also intended crossbreeding with larger-framed Sahelian cattle breeds. The need to secure and effectively manage this genetic variability, in order to respond to changing production and market conditions, is widely recognized by the scientific community, livestock herders and policy-makers. This however requires a comprehensive knowledge of the breeds’ characteristics. The indigenous criteria used by pastoralists to characterize and distinguish cattle breeds remain unclear and further validation is required. This study was therefore designed to document and validate herders' knowledge on cattle breeds. From June 2015 to June 2016, 803 cattle herders participated in a phenotypic breed description in seven pastoral communities across the country. Each cattle herder was asked to name and describe morphologically the different cattle breeds in his herd. Subsequently, fifteen body measurements taken on a total of 1401 adult cattle (964 cows and 439 bulls) were submitted to multivariate analyses. Participants distinguished ten different cattle breeds kept in traditional herds according to six primary morphological traits and clearly separated zebuine from taurine breeds. These results were consistent with those of the multivariate analyses of the measured traits. However, herders’ classification approach proved to be more accurate in distinguishing breeds within the zebuine subspecies. Hence, while metric measurements and molecular genetic analyses are promising approaches to fill the knowledge gap on the diversity of local farm animal genetic resources, they should integrate livestock herders’ traditional knowledge for more precision.

While it is widely acknowledged that the small-sized West African Shorthorn taurine Lagune cattle is being increasingly crossbred with and replaced by large-sized zebus, little is known about the factors that influence farmers' crossbreeding decisions and selection practices. But this information is necessary for the development of strategies towards a rationale use and conservation of this unique African genetic resource. To fill this knowledge gap, we conducted, between September and November 2016, a questionnaire survey in the belt of this breed in South Benin. One hundred seventy-three cattle farms were surveyed. The binomial logistic regression approach was used to predict the likelihood of a Lagune cattle farmer to be willing to introduce zebus in his herd. The herds were composed of either Lagune only (82.1%), zebu only (4.0%), crossbred Lagune x zebu (1.2%), Lagune and zebu (9.2%) or Lagune and crossbred Lagune x zebu (3.5%). The low productivity of the Lagune cattle and the market demand for large-sized animals were the main farmers' motivations for crossbreeding. Farmers raising large herds of Lagune cattle under control mating system were more likely to adopt crossbreeding. The risk of dilution of the Lagune breed could be reduced by increasing awareness among farmers, improving their technical skills in herd management and empowering them to develop legal institutions, by-laws and collective actions for sustainable breed management. Farmers who have already adopted crossbreeding should be provided with appropriate services and technical assistance, whereas breed conservation initiatives should mainly focus on small purebred herds kept under control mating.

The indigenous smallholder Lagune breed and the production systems in which it is embedded in Southern Benin have received very little research or policy attention. Consequently, very little information exists on the diversity of these production systems or on their capacity to adapt to ongoing socio-economic and environmental changes. This study aimed to explore and characterize the diversity of Lagune cattle production systems along with farmers’ local knowledge and resilience strategies. A questionnaire was administered to 417 Lagune cattle farmers across two agro-ecological zones: Ouémé Valley (OVZ) and Pobe (PZ). It included, inter alia, questions related to households’ socio-economic conditions, their cattle herd characteristics, and management practices. Categorical principal component analysis and the two-step clustering method were used to classify the production systems which were then compared using the chi-square and ANOVA procedures. Four distinct farm types were identified. This study revealed the important role of agroecology in the diversity of farmers’ breeding practices. Controlled mating was more common in tethering systems whereas uncontrolled mating, widespread in free-roaming systems, has favored Lagune breed admixture with zebus. Opportunities for conserving the genetic diversity within the Lagune breed might be greater in PZ where breed admixture was almost inexistent.

Knowledge of both the genetic diversity and geographical distribution of animal genetic resources is a prerequisite for their sustainable utilization, improvement and conservation. The present study was undertaken to explore the current morphological variability within the sheep population in Benin as a prelude for their molecular characterization. From November 2018 to February 2020, 25 quantitative linear body measurements and 5 qualitative physical traits were recorded on 1240 adult ewes from the 10 phytogeographic zones that comprise the three vegetation zones of Benin. Fourteen morphological indices were calculated based on the linear body measurements. The collected data were first analyzed using multiple comparisons of least-square means (LSmeans), followed by generalized linear model (GLM) procedures, to explore the relationships among the measured morphometric traits and the 10 phytogeographic zones. Next, the presence of any genetic sub-populations was examined using multivariate analytical methods, including canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) and ascending hierarchical clustering (AHC). Univariate analyses indicated that all quantitative linear body measurements varied significantly (P<0.05) across the phytogeographic zones. The highest values (LSmean± standard error) of withers height (68.3±0.47 cm), sternum height (46.0±0.35 cm), and rump height (68.8±0.47 cm) were recorded in the Mekrou-Pendjari zone, the drier phytogeographic zone in the North, whereas the lowest values, 49.2±0.34, 25.9±0.26, and 52.0±0.35 cm, respectively, were recorded in the Pobe zone in the South. Multivariate analyses revealed the prevalence of four distinct sheep sub-populations in Benin. The sub-population from the South could be assimilated to the short-legged and that from the North to the West African long-legged sheep. The two other sub-populations were intermediate and closer to the crossbreeds or another short-legged sub-breed. The proportion of individuals correctly classified in their group of origin was approximately 74%. These results uncovered a spatial morphological variation in the Beninese sheep population along a South-North phytogeographic gradient.