Recommendations for research emerged from the group discussions held after each of the 8 sections of the workshop. These groups were divided into anglophone and francophone sections who in most cases presented their results separately. In addition, a guest speaker, Dr Yves Bigot* of CIRAD, provided an overview on the last day.
(* CIRAD, BP 5035 34032, Montpellier Cedex, France)
1. Technology Transfer
The group confined its discussions to situations where a well-proven technology which already exists can be applied on a much wider scale. They recommended research in the following areas:
· A focus on socio-economic, technical, ecological and agronomic factors which facilitate or hinder the transfer of technology· On-station and on-farm research into these factors
· Ways in which extension services can be improved
· Channelling new techniques in a given area through innovative farmers
· The encouragement and effects of rural credit schemes and other incentive packages on technology transfer.
2. Diversified Uses of Animal Traction
Leaving aside activities which 'already receive due research attention', the anglophone section gave top priority to research on methods for
· Crop establishment including sowing and fertiliser application· Transport
· Water-lifting
· Post-harvest operations including threshing, winnowing, shelling, extraction of oil etc. Lower priority was given to harvesting and land preparation.
The deliberations of the francophone group were more detailed. They concentrated on the perceived constraints to the diversification of animal traction rather than on making specific recommendations to improve matters. Their analysis was based on the different agro-ecological zones in the region, viz, the Soudanian, the Sahelian, the Saharan and the Soudano-Guinean. The constraints listed were:
· Soudanian zone: Lack of animal feed, lack of training for farmers, the high cost of implements and poor animal health care· Sahelian zone: Total lack of modern equipment e.g. for the processing of crops and drawing water, lack of animal feed and health care, lack of involvement of women in animal traction and lack of information on improved and proven techniques used elsewhere in the region
· Saharan zone: Difficulty in finding implements suited to local breeds of draught animal and the high cost of clearing lend before cultivation can begin
· Soudano-Guinean zone: Lack of animal feed end health care, lack of research and extension efforts to provide and test implements.
The group concluded that there were thus many opportunities to improve matters in all zones both by reinforcing existing research and by investigating new areas for diversification.
3. Animal Health
The anglo- and francophone groups submitted a joint report which recommended research on
· The effects of stress on working animals, including heat, poor nutrition and workload
· The optimal use of locally available feeds
· The effects of work on reproduction and productivity in cows
· The efficacy of traditional health care practices.
4. and 5. Nutrition and Management
The recommendations from the Nutrition and Management sections are presented belong together as, to a large extent, they overlapped and complemented each other. Research needs were classified under various headings:
a) The animal itself
· Basic research into efficiency of use of male and female animals as draught animals,· Research into water requirements particularly in the Sahelian region and for animals used for hard work.
b) Feeds and characteristics
· Standardisation of analytical methodology especially for fibre (replace Crude Fibre as a parameter with the Van Soest method), nitrogen content of feeds and individual minerals including Na, P, Ca, Fe and Mn.· The availability of feed and its use for improving production .
· Alternative feed resources
· Improving feed quality by processing
· The use of biotechnological techniques, particularly those involving fungi.
c) Animal × feed interactions
· Feed utilisation and energy requirements for work and other production processes· The relationships between under-feeding weight loss, poor performance and predisposition to disease
· The nature and composition of weight losses caused by work, and weight gains during subsequent re-alimentation.
d) Economics of draught animal use
· The economic trade-off between work, growth rate in young animals, and milk production and reproductive efficiency in cows· The economics of keeping draught animals for transport.
The group stressed that research needs were not identical across the region and that priorities were not the same. Once priorities had been identified, the methodology of investigation should be standardised, in particular the methods of feed analysis and research into alternative feed resources.
6. Harnessing and Implements
This group concluded that fundamental research on designs and materials for implements was best done by research centres from developed countries, principally because of the cost of carrying out such research.
More appropriate, adaptive research should be focused on the following areas:
· The development of lighter, more easily handled implements with fewer specialised fastenings· More efficient animal-drawn weeders including weeders suitable for intercropping
· Better axle bearings and wheels for carts
· The designs of pack saddles for use in areas inaccessible by carts
· The design and propagation of information on harnesses for single animals. It was concluded that present designs of harnesses for paired animals did not require further research.
7. Socioeconomic Aspects of Animal Traction
This group decided that research was necessary
· To establish the long term gains which accrue from the use of animal traction
· To evolve implements and introduce animals more suited to the cropping patterns in specific regions.
The group also stressed that research and development priorities differ from one agro-ecological zone to another.
Many other aspects of animal traction were discussed by this group, including land tenure, tsetse fly control and trypanotolerance, cultural practices, infrastructural problems, institutional support and gender issues, but few of these were considered researchable issues.
8. Research Methodology
In the field of animal traction research, the following recommendations were made. There should be
· Standardisation of methods for measuring feed intake, draught force, distance travelled and other physical parameters· Standardisation of methods for collection of survey data such as farm income and labour usage
· Specification of the precision required of instruments to measure physical parameters such as force, work, body temperature with due consideration as to cost
· Specification of procedures for the collection of data to include appropriate experimental designs and standardisation of questionnaires.
In addition,
· Research stations should adapt instruments and methodologies for the gathering of data on farms especially for studies on nutrition, performance and work stress· WAATN should promote complementarily and compatibility of research carried out by its members by providing a standardised approach to information collection and transmission.
