Draft Animal Power at the Office of Niger in Mali. From State Management to State Disengagement

Abstract

In the early 1930s, the Office of Niger started its farming operations with the use of cattle power. In 1949 began large scale mechanization, which ended in failure ten years later. Since then, draft animal power has become again the major energy source for soil labor and transportation. Until the early 1980s, the production systems were based on extensive techniques that led to average paddy yields that rarely reached beyond two tons per hectare. Starting in 1982, a new dynamic emerged from Office of Niger activities. Draft animal power was developed thanks to an easier access to credit, betteradapted made-on-site equipment, and adequate veterinary services. Average paddy yields reached four to six tons per hectare, depending on the service provided. After the 1994 Office of Niger restructuration, the animal husbandry division was cut out as a result of veterinary services privatization. Manufacturing of implements as well as maintenance are now performed by a blacksmiths’ network. Peasants are financially responsible for supplying farm equipment and draft animals. Following the heavy debt of farmers’ associations, credit facilities for implements and oxen were stopped, increasing thus the difficulty to get access to animal traction. Bad feed and health conditions of cattle at the beginning of the crop year result in delays in the application of the farmwork calendar. To remedy this situation, the URDOC project developed and tested a series of measures aimed at improving the welfare of draft animals. The results are available in the form of technical notes and teaching modules, which are circulated within the framework of “support/advice at the family farm level”. The success of these measures will depend on the engagement of the various actors to provide support/advice and veterinary services, as well as to revive manufacturing, maintenance and credit for animal traction implements.