M.I. Cissé
Arid and Semi-arid Zones Programme
International Livestock Centre for Africa
P.O. Box 60 Bamako Mali
Summary
In central Mali, browse is the principal food source for goats and contributes considerably to the diet of sheep. There are wide seasonal variations in availability of browse and much of it is not accessible to small ruminants except when herders lop it for them. This practice could have severe long-term consequences. Suggestions are made for better management of the browse resource and for a better integration of it in the agro-sylvo-pastoral system in order to improve the productivity of small ruminants.
