Unleashing the potential of pastoralism to develop West Africa
This book (PDF) by KIT and SNV aims to identify the trends affecting pastoralism and pastoral productivity, which helps to understand the current changes in the performance of value chains which play a key role in pastoral adaptation. The book puts into perspective the conditions for sustainable growth of production that supports entrepreneurial performance and competitiveness of local actors in dynamic markets. The authors observe a clear move towards livestock production becoming more market-oriented, which influences the position of all actors in the various value chains. This move implies that instead of being considered a production system unsuited to meet modern market requirements, pastoral systems should be considered adequate in managing their resources and using them in a flexible manner and along good principles of entrepreneurship, to survive in an increasingly competitive environment. To do this, there are a number of prerequisites to be met to support this evolution towards a true realisation of the pastoral potential. The following are critical: securing mobility and sustainable management of natural resources, applying a conducive legislative and regulatory framework, and effective early warning systems and safety nets as protective measures, given the high level of vulnerability and risk.
The book is written in French. The conclusion, page 81-84, is also written in English.