• Contact Us
    • Send Feedback
    • Login
    View Item 
    •   Home
    • Journal and Journal Articles
    • Journal and Journal Articles
    • View Item
    •   Home
    • Journal and Journal Articles
    • Journal and Journal Articles
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

    Whole Repository
    CollectionsIssue DateRegionCountryHubAffiliationAuthorsTitlesSubject
    This Sub-collection
    Issue DateRegionCountryHubAffiliationAuthorsTitlesSubject

    My Account

    Login

    Welcome to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Research Repository

    What would you like to view today?

    Opportunities of and constraints in integrating small livestock species into the farming systems of the forestsavannah zone of Cameroon

    Thumbnail
    Date
    2006
    Author
    Ebangi, A.L.
    Vabi, B.M.
    Niba, E.S.
    Chikoye, D.
    Type
    Journal Article
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Abstract/Description
    The rearing of small livestock species, particularly sheep, goats and pigs by resource-limited African farm-families remains an option for short term financial buffer and easiest means of accessing protein of animal origin. Like elsewhere in West and Central Africa, particularly in the forest-savannah transition zone of Cameroon, prominent breeds of small livestock species are the Fulbe (Peulh) sheep, West African Dwarf goats, and Bakossi or local pigs. Flock sizes are usually small, ranging between 3 and 51 for sheep; 3 and 20 for goats, and 4 and 25 for pigs. In the forest-savannah zone of Cameroon where this study was undertaken, water is usually available as reported by about 83% of the farm-families, though the management system is generally extensive as reported by 72% of the farm-families. Appropriate housing for small livestock species is also problematic across the agro-ecological zone as reported by nearly 68% of the farm-families. Under these management systems, mortality rates of as high as 40%, 41% and 30% for sheep, goats and pigs, respectively, are not uncommon. Similarly, reproductive performance and genetic variation, fitness and adaptability are limited by inbreeding, poor veterinary care and the absence of strategic supplementation. Putting together these plethora of constraints, the unexploited opportunities within the zone and related experiences elsewhere within sudano-sahelian and humid forest zones of Cameroon, this paper highlights a number of options for improving and/or integrating small livestock species into low inputs and subsistence-oriented farming systems of the forest-savannah zone of Cameroon.
    Permanent link to this item
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12478/3242
    IITA Subjects
    Farming Systems; Farm Management; Nutrition
    Agrovoc Terms
    Small Livestock Species; Constraints; Opportunities; Races-Petit Elevage; Moutons; Chdvres; Porcs; Contraintes; Opportunites; Cameroun
    Regions
    Africa; Central Africa
    Countries
    Cameroon
    Collections
    • Journal and Journal Articles4842
    copyright © 2019  IITASpace. All rights reserved.
    IITA | Open Access Repository