Herding Strategies of Camel Husbandry in Agadez Suburban Area in Niger. Typological Survey

Abstract

Camel livestock relies on natural forage resources, which are subjected to irregular rainfalls, poorly distributed in time and space. Mobility is one of the strategies used by herders to utilize these resources. However, it has been a while since socioeconomic and climatic changes, and demographic growth and urbanization have changed the rules of herd management. Know-how of dairy farm management is essential for the development of a dairy processing unit in Agadez, whose main activity focuses on camel milk transformation. To help know the various herd management types in Agadez suburban area, 100 camel herders were surveyed. Analysis of the data obtained on herd management practices and on global management of camel herds helped distinguish three main herd types, differentiated on the bases of animal feed practices, herders’ mobility, and a marked preference of some herders for this particular area, for socio-historical and ecological reasons. The first group of herders were sedentary; they owned an average size herd, used feed supplementation and sold camel milk. The second group mostly used transhumance during the rainy season; some herders supplemented their animals, but almost none of the herders sold camel milk. Herders in the third group owned large herds and therefore practiced nomadism regularly. Milk sale became a more common practice through the special contacts established by some of the producers of this group with the dairy processing unit. Herd size and composition, and forage and water resources were the main factors that determined herd movements.