Socio-demographic and economic characteristics, crop-livestock production systems and issues for rearing improvement: A review

Abstract

This paper reviews some characteristics of crop-livestock production systems in Benin with a special focus on the issues for enhance pasture production and nutritive value which in turn will increase animal productivity. Benin is located in the Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean in West Africa and covers 114,763 km 2. The population estimated in 2017 is 10,900,000 inhabitants with an annual population growth rate of 3.5%. The country is primarily an agro-based economy, characterized by subsistence agricultural production that employs more than 70%. The climate ranges from the bimodal rainfall equatorial type in the south to the tropical unimodal monsoon type in the north. The climatic limiting factor for plant growth is rainfall which is generally tending to diminish with increasing variation between years. There are two main soil types in Benin (ferruginous and ferralitic). Based on a national livestock survey in 2016 the national herd is estimated to be 2 339 000 cattle (Bos taurus or B. indicus), 915 000 sheep (Ovis aries), 1 836 000 goat (Capra hircus), 466 000 swine (Sus scrofa), 2 000 equines (Equus caballus), 800 donkeys (E. asinus), 20 camels (Camelus dromedarius) and 20 000 000 poultry (mainly Numida meleagris). The growth of the ruminant livestock improvement has been impeded by several constraints such as low feed supply in quantity and quality, low crop-livestock integration, low level of management practices, lack of improved breeding stock, disease, inadequate stock water, poor marketing and lack of capital. Zootechnical performances of animals are very low. In this context, the introduction of legume forage would be a sustainable way as it can enhance pasture production and nutritive value which in turn will increase animal productivity.

Production et valeur nutritive de fourrages de pois Mascate (<I>Mucuna pruriens</I> (L.) DC. var. <I>utilis</I> (Wall. ex Wight) Baker ex Burck) cv. Ghana cultivé dans le Centre et Nord bassin arachidier sénégalais

“…Jusqu'à trois (3) mois d'âge, le fourrage frais et les foins ont eu des teneurs relativement élevées en PB. Nos résultats sont légèrement supérieurs à ceux obtenus par Nantoumé et al (2000), Kiema et al (2012), Bahini et al (2016) et Houndjo et al (2018), qui sont compris entre 8,47 et 12,21% MS. Ils sont pour la plupart proches de ceux obtenus par Adjorlolo et al (2001Adjorlolo et al ( et 2004, Muinga et al (2003), Nyambati et Sollenberger (2003), Babatounde et al (2010) et Mahaman et al (2017, qui se situent entre 14,02 et 20,00% MS. Nos teneurs en PB sont par contre relativement faibles comparées à celles indiquées dans la littérature, 23,16 à 26,00% MS par Aboh et al (2002), Houndjo et al (2018) et Nkana et al (2020).…”

Effect of Row Spacing, Mineral and Organic Fertilizers on Yield and Growth Parameters of Panicum Maximum on Ferralitic Soil in Benin (West Africa).

“…The area is characterized by sub-equatorial climate with two rainy seasons (March to end of July and mid-September to November) and two dry seasons (August to mid-September and December to March). The area is dominated by ferralitic soil presenting the following characteristics: pH (2/5water) 6.2; N = 0.05 %; organic carbon = 0.4 %; Ca = 60 mg/100 g; Mg = 10 mg/100 g; P (extractable) = 0.2 mg/100 g and K(exchangeable) = 20 mg/100 g (Houndjo et al 2018). The experimental site was previously cultivated without any organic fertilization, as reflected by the low organic carbon content of the soil.…”

Review on current status of Bonga, Afar, Menz, and Horro sheep breeds genetic improvement: Breeding program and progress

“…Crop-livestock integrated systems may offer chances to record the ecological relationships between various land use systems, thereby increasing the efficiency of agricultural ecosystems in terms of nutrient cycling, protecting the environment and natural resources, boosting biodiversity, and improving soil quality [ 37 ]. Since profits from large livestock production may be obtained at very low costs, large livestock production is an efficient and flexible way to utilize rangelands.…”