FAO ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND HEALTH PAPER   41

COVER
Integrating crops and livestock in West Africa
TABLE OF CONTENTS


Reprinted 1985

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M-61
ISBN 92-5-101443-4


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PREFACE

This publication is based on material prepared for FAO by Mr. R. Von Kaufmann, leader of the International Livestock Centre for Africa's Subhumid zone team in Nigeria, Dr. B.N. Okigbo, Deputy Director of the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, Nigeria, and Dr. E.N.N. Oppong, formerly Head of the Department of Animal Science, University of Ghana. It attempts to bring together existing information relating to prospects for developing closer integration of crop and livestock production in West Africa and to present this in a format useful to senior professionals and technical administrators concerned with improving efficiency of land use in those parts of the subregion where increasing population density makes this necessary. Its focus is mainly on the Subhumid and Humid zones since these offer greatest scope for intensification and integration of crop and animal production.

The fact that the content is derived heavily from Nigerian experience is attributable to the location of two highly relevant internationally sponsored research programmes in that country. Nigeria encompasses all of the West African ecological zones from mangrove swamp to Sahel, and its national development plan supports small farmer development, pastoralist sedentarization and development of parastatal and private farming enterprises. Nigeria, having higher population density, has arrived earlier than other West African countries at the point where traditional land use practices must be replaced by more intensive systems which will yield higher outputs per unit of land whilst preserving the natural resource base. It is expected therefore that the Nigerian experience will have increasing relevance and value for other West African countries over the next few decades.

W. Ferguson
Animal Production Officer
(Rural Development)
Animal Production and Health
Division
Food and Agricultural
Organization of the United
Nations
Rome, Italy

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Rome. © FAO 1983


Hyperlinks to non-FAO Internet sites do not imply any official endorsement of or responsibility for the opinions, ideas, data or products presented at these locations, or guarantee the validity of the information provided. The sole purpose of links to non-FAO sites is to indicate further information available on related topics.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES

LIST OF FIGURES

LIST OF PLATES

CHAPTER I   THE ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING

Location
Relief and Drainage
Climate
Radiation
Vegetation
Climatic and Ecological Classes
Soils
Socio-Economic Background
The Climatic Zones of West Africa
Areas Suitable for Integrated Crop/Livestock Systems

CHAPTER II   THE PROGRESSION FROM PASTORALISM TO INTEGRATED CROP AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION

Integration of Pastoral and Arable Farming
Pastoral Settlement and the Adoption of Agropastoralism
Agropastoral Livestock Production
Agropastoral Crop Production
Reduction in Trypanosomiasis Risk
Cattle Distribution within the Subhumid Zone
Relevant National Policies
Impediments to Integration
Related Research

CHAPTER III   THE PROGRESSION FROM ARABLE CROPPING TO INTEGRATED CROP AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION

Current Agricultural Production Systems in West Africa
Spatial Arrangements and Structure
Farms and Production Methods
Changes in Traditional Farming Systems
Progression towards Integrated Crop and Livestock Production Systems
Interactions between Cultivators and Herders
Relevant National Policies
Impediments to Integration
Related Research

CHAPTER IV   INTEGRATING LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION INTO TREE CROPS

Tree Crop Plantations and Production
Impediments to Integration
Related Research Findings

CHAPTER V   STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS

The Pastoralist Sector
The Arable Crop Sector
The Plantation Crop Sector

REFERENCES

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 1   BASIC STATISTICAL DATA ON WEST AFRICAN COUNTRIES

TABLE 2   SETTLED PASTORAL CATTLE PRODUCTIVITY PARAMETERS IN KADUNA STATE, NORTHERN NIGERIA

TABLE 3   AGROPASTORAL CROPS AND CROP MIXTURES

TABLE 4   THE APPROXIMATE EXTENT OF VARIOUS INTENSITIES OF AGRICULTURAL LAND USE, PRESENT AND PROJECTED CATTLE POPULATIONS AND ZONAL EXTRAPOLATIONS OF CATTLE NUMBERS AT STOCKING RATES TYPICAL FOR DIFFERENT LEVELS OF CULTIVATION INTENSITY IN THE SUBHUMID ZONE OF NIGERIA

TABLE 5   ESTIMATED RANGELAND PRODUCTIVITY PER SEASON (DRY MATTER)

TABLE 6   PRODUCTION RESPONSES DUE TO SUPPLEMENTARY FEEDING OF WHITE FULANI CATTLE UNDER TRADITIONAL MANAGEMENT

TABLE 7   STYLOSANTHES PRODUCTIVITY AND CHANGE OF QUALITY IN FODDER BANKS (1981/82 DRY SEASON)

TABLE 8   TOTAL NIGROGEN AND ORGANIC CARBON IN SOIL FROM NATURAL BUSH AND STYLOSANTHES PLOTS IN THE SUBHUMID ZONE OF NIGERIA

TABLE 9   COMPARATIVE YIELDS FOR TRADITIONAL AND IMPROVED METHODS OF CROP PRODUCTION

TABLE 10   YIELDS OF SORGHUM AND STYLO UNDERSOWN AT DIFFERENT INTERVALS AFTER A CEREAL

TABLE 11   CLASSIFICATION OF FARMING SYSTEMS IN AFRICA

TABLE 12   CHANGES IN CROPPING SYSTEMS IN RELATION TO THE INTENSIFICATION OF CULTIVATION AND INTEGRATION OF ANIMAL AND CROP PRODUCTION

TABLE 13   MEAN GRAIN AND ROOT YIELDS FOR INTERCROPPED MAIZE AND CASSAVA IN RELATION TO LEGUMINOUS COVER AND TILLAGE PRACTICE

TABLE 14   AREA UNDER COCOA, COCONUT, OIL PALM AND RUBBER PLANTATIONS IN WEST AFRICA

TABLE 15   INPUT REQUIREMENTS AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE COCONUT/CATTLE MIXED FARMING PROJECT AT CPCRI

TABLE 16   OPTIMUM RATES OF INCLUSION OF SOME FEEDSTUFFS FROM TREE CROPS IN DIETS FOR LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY

TABLE 17   LAND TYPES AS IDENTIFIED BY AERIAL SURVEY OF 4 ILCA CASE STUDY AREAS IN NIGERIA

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1   Regions of Tropical Africa

Figure 2   West Africa Distribution of Population

Figure 3   West Africa Climatic Zones and Growing Season

Figure 4   Humid and arid months, vegetation belts and farming systems in the tropics

Figure 5   Dry season cattle density gradients in the Nigerian Subhumid zone

Figure 6   Wet season cattle density gradients in the Nigerian Subhumid zone

Figure 7   Geographical gradients of land under cultivation in the Nigerian Subhumid zone

Figure 8   The seasonal relationship between cattle distribution and cultivated land in the Nigerian Subhumid zone

Figure 9   Annual Crude Protein (CP) profiles for native pasture and Stylosanthes grown in fodder banks

Figure 10   West Africa Main Agricultural or Farming Systems

Figure 11   Simplified model of spatial organization of fields and Farming Systems in Tropical Africa

Figure 12   Schematic diagram of compound farms in relation to associated fields systems in traditional Farming Systems of the humid tropics of West Africa

Figure 13   Comparison of various lengths of fallow in relation to cultivation periods in African farming systems (adapted from Grove & Klein, 1979) in comparison with recent attempts to eliminate long term fallows and achieve intensification through alley cropping

Figure 14   Apparent shading of ground by coconuts of different ages

LIST OF PLATES

PLATE 1   Settled pastoralists in the Subhumid Zone, Nigeria

PLATE 2   Compound or homestead-garden in the Humid Zone, Nigeria

PLATE 3   Compound or homestead-garden and adjacent plot in the Subhumid Zone, Nigeria

PLATE 4   Distant open cultivated field in the Humid Zone, Nigeria

PLATE 5   Distant cultivated lowland Fadama in the Subhumid Zone, Nigeria

PLATE 6   Sheep grazing under oil palms in the Humid Zone, Ghana