In pursuit of its mandate to conduct research, training and documentation activities which will lead to improvements in livestock production in tropical Africa, the International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA) is focussing its research programme on existing production systems in the four major ecological zones of the region - the arid, subhumid and humid zones and the African highlands. The goal of this research is to design and test practicable innovations which will lead to increased livestock production and benefit the people of the area.
Such a research programme begins with the analysis of existing production systems, their potentials and constraints. This initial analysis is based on reviews of the relevant scientific literature, discussions among scientists working in the area and visits in the field. ILCA initiated a research programme on sheep and goat production in the humid zone of West Africa in 1978: the present report reflects the results of the initial analysis, which has been completed. Further work has involved a baseline survey of production systems in the area, followed by the design and testing of packages of innovations. ILCA's research in the humid zone also includes a special study on the use and potential of trypanotolerant cattle, sheep and goats, carried out in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) (ILCA, 1979).
The decision to carry out a study focussing on small ruminant production was based on a number of considerations. The diet of the local population, based on cassava and yam, tends to be deficient in protein, and there is a serious shortage of meat throughout the region. It should be possible to increase the supply of meat substantially in a relatively short period through the improved production of sheep and goats, given their high rates of growth and reproduction, if present problems and constraints can be alleviated.
Sheep and goats are already kept by a substantial proportion of the population - approximately 4 to 5 million rural households in the region - and sheep and goat meat is accepted by local consumers. One survey indicated that 50% of the meat consumed in the humid zone of Nigeria comes from these small ruminants. Sheep and goat production is also attractive to small farmers in the region because of the low initial investment required, relative to cattle production, and the corresponding small financial loss incurred with the death of individual animals. Furthermore, small ruminants can be fed roughage and crop byproducts which are not utilized effectively by other livestock species. By contrast, pigs and poultry frequently compete with people for food, and cattle production often involves the establishment and maintenance of improved pastures, which is a relatively expensive undertaking. The labour requirements for sheep and goat production are also low relative to many other agricultural activities, and in some areas their manure is used to enhance crop production.
At present, the main constraint on small ruminant production in the humid zone is the high incidence of disease. Veterinary knowledge and treatment have already been developed, however, which could substantially alleviate this problem, and for this reason the focus of present work is on the more effective application of existing knowledge to traditional production systems.
This report is the result of an extensive literature review and a survey mission to four West African countries - Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and Nigeria. The survey team consisted of Prof K C Sellers, a veterinarian and leader of the mission, Dr A K Mosi, an animal nutritionist, and Mr W Keddeman, an economist. In Nigeria, the team was joined by Dr R Borel, a forage agronomist. Their analysis focussed on management, reproduction, feeding, breeding, animal diseases and the socio-economic aspects of small ruminant production. At a later stage, the study was expanded to include information supplied by Dr C Devendra, an animal nutritionist, Dr G Montsma, an animal geneticist, and Dr J C Bille, a range ecologist. The study was coordinated by Mr C de Haan and the report was edited by Ms S B Westley and Mr S Chater and typed by Mrs G Maloba.
