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Asian Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances

Year: 2014 | Volume: 9 | Issue: 1 | Page No.: 13-26
DOI: 10.3923/ajava.2014.13.26
Impacts of Climate Change on Livestock Husbandry and Adaptation Options in the Arid Sahel Belt of West Africa: Evidence from a Baseline Survey
Abayomi Samuel Oyekale

Abstract: Drought is a recurrent climatic risk in the Sahel belt of West Africa. This study analyzed its impact on livestock husbandry and determined the factors influencing adaptation choices. The data used were climate change baseline survey data collected from 421 households in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. The Probit regression method was used for data analysis. Results show that drought mostly affected sheep with 17.86 and 8.5% in Burkina Faso (BF) and Mali, respectively. New pests and diseases were reported for goats by 19.86 and 11.43% of the farmers from Mali and Burkina Faso, respectively while sheep had 17.73 and 9.29%. Also, 12.86% of the farmers from Burkina Faso introduced new oxen on their farms as a way of coping, while 18.57 and 17.86% of the farmers from Niger stopped keeping dairy cow and goats, respectively. Herd sizes were reduced in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso by 22.14, 10.64 and 10.00% of the farmers respectively. The Probit regression results show that access to media information, getting assistance during flooding, access to non-farm credit, aged dependency and access to credit were found to influence adaptive capacities of livestock farmers. It was concluded that drought is pressing economic challenge to livestock farmers and efforts to reduce its impact should focus on more provision of assistance and media information.

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How to cite this article
Abayomi Samuel Oyekale , 2014. Impacts of Climate Change on Livestock Husbandry and Adaptation Options in the Arid Sahel Belt of West Africa: Evidence from a Baseline Survey. Asian Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 9: 13-26.

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