Nadhem Mtimet

Traditional livestock breeding practices of men and women Somali pastoralists: trait preferences and selection of breeding animals

Somalia, one of the worlds poorest countries, has livestock as the mainstay of the economy, with an estimated 65% of the population engaged in the livestock sector. This paper presents a gendered study on the traditional livestock breeding practices of Somali pastoralists for camels, cattle, sheep and goats, with a focus on documenting livestock traits of importance, the criteria used to select male breeding animals and the criteria used to cull female breeding animals. Data for the study were obtained by performing participatory rural appraisals (PRAs) with separate male and female pastoral groups from 20 settlements of the Tog-Dheer region of Somaliland (in north-western Somalia). In total, more than 500 pastoralists were involved. In terms of livestock ownership, goats were the most common species kept (97% of all households), followed by sheep (64%), camels (37%) and cattle (9%), with considerable herd size variation across households. Traits of key importance to the pastoralists varied by species and gender of the PRA group, but included adaptedness to harsh environmental conditions, high market value/high meat production and high milk production. The pastoralists practised sensible criteria for the selection of male breeding animals for all species, capturing aspects of productivity (milk yield, reproduction), adaptedness (good hardiness) and marketability (body size and conformation). Similarly, they practised sensible criteria for culling of female breeding animals, with females removed from the herd primarily for poor performance, but also to meet the livelihood needs of the family. Differences in the selection and culling criteria were noted by species, as well as gender of the pastoralists. On the whole, there was strong alignment between the livestock selection criteria used by the Somali pastoralists, their reasons for keeping livestock and the market requirements. This is not surprising given the intimate and long-standing relationship between Somali pastoralists and their livestock.

Knowledge of Livestock Grading and Market Participation among Small Ruminant Producers in Northern Somalia

ABSTRACT This study focused on market participation and producers’ knowledge of the indigenous livestock grading and pricing system applied to small ruminant marketing in Somaliland. Data were collected from a random sample of 144 men and women producers in three livelihood zones: Hawd pastoral, West Golis pastoral and Togdheer agro-pastoral zones. Results confirmed the importance of small ruminants as sources of income in producer households. Knowledge about the grading system was generally widespread, and this was important for market participation. Factors that significantly influenced market participation were number of animals kept, gender of sales/decision maker, age of household head and livelihood zone.

An assessment of the livestock by-products value chains in Somaliland: The case of bones and tallow

Livestock and livestock product exports are the main source of foreign currency earning in Somaliland. However, in the recent past, the growth in earnings from livestock sales has been declining against a background of increasing human population growth. Adding value to the livestock and livestock products provides an avenue for reversing the declining growth in incomes.This report presents the findings of a study that assessed the bone and tallow value chains in Somaliland. The assessment mapped and characterised these value chains and also identified the main constraints that hinder their development.The results showed that both value chains are short, use low-value inputs, produce relatively low-valued products and involve participants from minority groups, women and youths. This implies that they offer an opportunity for inclusive economic growth that encompasses the most vulnerable groups in the country. The final product in the tallow value chain is laundry soap, while bone trinkets are crafted from camel bones. Besides, the two value chains are complementary, such that some of the fats used to make soap are obtained from bone marrow fats, with the bones used in crafting of ornamental products. However, the two value chains have failed to exploit the various opportunities for growth due to a number of constraints that include low quality of the final products, lack of access to working and investment capital and inconsistent supply of raw materials.Strengthening of these promising value chains will require the following interventions among others : (i) improvement of the processing skills of the value chain actors through appropriate trainings to allow the development of quality products; (ii) enhancing access to working and investment capital, through the financial institutions or donors, that will allow acquisition of the necessary new equipment to upgrade the quality and quantity of the products; and (iii) review and/or develop new business plans for the existing businesses that should include, among others, a clear sustainable growth strategy and vision.

Analysing pig traders in Uganda: sampling issues, marketing activities, and constraint analysis

ABSTRACT An integral part of the pig and pork value chain in Uganda is trader activity. This article reports on a study that quantifies the nature of these traders in Mukono district, a major pig and pork marketing site adjacent to Kampala, Uganda. Little guidance is available from the literature about the sampling of traders for this kind of research, and the second task addressed by this study is to test sampling mechanisms and report on their influence on the statistical results generated. Different sources of sampling frame provided different samples, with some limited overlap. The two samples exhibited distinctly different profiles of traders.

Economic Impact of Climate Change on Tunisian Agriculture: The Case of Wheat

This paper measures the potential economic impact of climate change on durum wheat in Tunisia using the Ricardian approach. A model using panel data was estimated for the period 1990–2010 over the main cultivation regions. Gross margin of the durum wheat under rainfed conditions was used as the dependent variable while the explanatory variables were mainly related to climate such as precipitation and temperature, technological progress, and type of soil. Empirical findings show that precipitations during different stages of the growing season affect positively net-income. In addition, the interactions variables between temperature and precipitation in different growth stages are negative. The assessment impact of technology shows a positive coefficient of trend parameter but not statistically significant. Finally, the soil quality index parameter is positively correlated with the net revenue per hectare. This finding indicates that good quality of soil may improve the net income of farmers by increasing wheat yields. Climate change impact was simulated using scenarios from the HadCM3 global circulation. Empirical results indicate that economic impacts are not uniformly distributed across the different regions of Tunisia. These impacts are likely to be more accentuated in the arid regions. A rise in temperature and a reduction in rainfall would cause reductions in gross margin by 4 % in sub-humid areas and 24 % in arid zones. The results further suggest the necessity for wider diffusion of drought-tolerant varieties among farmers and the identification of new agricultural practices as advisable adaptation strategies in order to alleviate the effects of climate change on farmer’s income.