Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Contribution of cattle of different breeds to household food security in southern Mali

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Food Security Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Cattle husbandry plays an important role in the livelihoods of many households in southern Mali where the endemic N’Dama and Fulani Zebu breeds and their crosses are raised by farmers. This study examines food security, its determinants and the coping strategies used among 258 households in southern Mali, with particular emphasis on the contributions of cattle keeping and different breed groups, i.e. N’Dama, Zebu, crossbreds and mixed herds, to food security. The main aim was to investigate whether the replacement of the endemic N’Dama breed threatens or improves household food security. A linear mixed model was used to analyze the effects of household characteristics on food security using the household dietary diversity score (HDDS), food consumption score (FCS), and a modified household food insecurity access scale (mHFIAS) as indicators. Results revealed that cattle ownership and breed group were important determinants of all household food security indicators. Households keeping Zebu and mixed herds had the highest FCS. HDDS and FCS were positively correlated with crop diversity and household wealth, while negatively correlated with cotton cultivation. During the period of food shortage, households raising Zebu were better off and had significantly lower mHFIAS than those keeping N’Dama, crossbreds or mixed herds. In times of food shortage, selling livestock was the main coping strategy for households with a cattle herd, while households without cattle relied mostly on borrowing cash. In conclusion, the ongoing displacement of native N’Dama cattle by Zebu cattle and their crosses is contributing to improved household food security in Mali.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agyemang, K. (2005). Trypanotolerant livestock in the context of trypanosomiasis intervention strategies. PAAT Technical and Scientific Series, 7, FAO, Rome, Italy.

  • Anderman, T. L., Remans, R., Wood, S. A., DeRosa, K., & DeFries, R. S. (2014). Synergies and tradeoffs between cash crop production and food security: a case study in rural Ghana. Food Security, 6(4), 541–554.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arimond, M., & Ruel, M. T. (2004). Dietary diversity is associated with child nutritional status: evidence from 11 demographic and health surveys. Journal of Nutrition, 134, 2579–2585.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Azzarri, C., Zezza, A., Haile, B. & Cross, E. (2015). Does livestock ownership affect animal source foods consumption and child nutritional status? Evidence from Rural Uganda. The Journal of Development Studies, 51(8), 1034–1059.

  • Becquey, E., Martin-Prevel, Y., Traissac, P., Dembele, B., Bambara, A., & Delpeuch, F. (2010). The household food insecurity access scale and an index-member dietary diversity score contribute valid and complementary information on household food insecurity in an urban West-African setting. Journal of Nutrition, 140, 2233–2240.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Coates, J., Swindale, A., & Bilinsky, P. (2007). Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) for measurement of household food access: Indicator guide (v3). Washington, DC: Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance, Academy for Educational Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Cock, N., D'Haese, M., Vink, N., Rooyen, C. v., Staelens, L., Schönfeldt, H. C., & D'Haese, L. (2013). Food security in rural areas of Limpopo province, South Africa. Food Security, 5(2), 269–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delarue, J., Mesple-Somps, S., Naudet, J.-D., & Robilliard, A.-S. (2009). The Sikasso paradoxe: cotton and poverty in Mali, Working Papers DT/2009/09, DIAL, Paris, France.

  • Desiere, S., D'Haese, M., & Niragira, S. (2015). Assessing the cross-sectional and inter-temporal validity of the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) in Burundi. Public Health Nutrition, 18, 2775–2785.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dury, S., & Bocoum, I. (2012). Le « paradoxe » de Sikasso (Mali) : pourquoi « produire plus » ne suffit-il pas pour bien nourrir les enfants des familles d'agriculteurs? Cahiers Agricultures, 21, 324–336.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eozenou, P., Madani, D., & Swinkels, R. (2013). Poverty, malnutrition and vulnerability in Mali. Policy Research Working Paper 6561. The World Bank, Washington DC, USA.

  • FAO. (2011b). Guidelines for measuring household and individual dietary diversity. Rome: FAO www.fao.org/docrep/014/i1983e/i1983e00.pdf.

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO. (2011a). World Livestock 2011 – Livestock in food security. Rome: FAO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glew, R. H., Crossey, M. J., Polanams, J., Okolie, H. I., & VanderJagt, D. J. (2010). Vitamin D Status of Seminomadic Fulani Men and Women. Journal of the National Medical Association, 102, 485–490.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grace, D. (2005). Epidemiology and control of cattle trypanosomosis in villages under risk of trypanociden resistance in West Africa. PhD Thesis, 195 pp. Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

  • Hatløy, A., Hallund, J., Diarra, M. M., & Oshaug, A. (2000). Food variety, socioeconomic status and nutritional status in urban and rural areas in Koutiala (Mali). Public Health Nutrition, 3, 57–65.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jabbar, M. A., & Diedhiou, M. L. (2003). Does breed matter to cattle farmers and buyers? Evidence from West Africa. Ecological Economics, 45, 461–472.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, A. D., Shrinivas, A., & Bezner-Kerr, R. (2014). Farm production diversity is associated with greater household dietary diversity in Malawi: findings from nationally representative data. Food Policy, 46, 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy, G., Berardo, A., Papavero, C., Horjus, P., Ballard, T., Dop, M., Delbaere, J., & Brouwer, I. D. (2010). Proxy measures of household food consumption for food security assessment and surveillance: comparison of the household dietary diversity and food consumption scores. Public Health Nutrition, 13, 2010–2018.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kidoido, M., & Korir, L. (2015). Do low-income households in Tanzania derive income and nutrition benefits from dairy innovation and dairy production? Food Security, 7(3), 681–692.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, J., Hanotte, O., Mwai, O. A., Dessie, T., Bashir, S., Diallo, B., & Kim, H. (2017). The genome landscape of indigenous african cattle. Genome Biology, 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13059-017-1153-y.

  • König, E. Z., Mirkena, T., Strandberg, E., Audho, J., Ojango, J., Malmfors, B., et al. (2016). Participatory definition of breeding objectives for sheep breeds under pastoral systems - the case of Red Maasai and Dorper sheep in Kenya. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 48, 9–20.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kuit, H. G., Traoré, A., & Wilson, R. T. (1986). Livestock production in Central Mali: ownership, management and productivity of poultry in traditional sector. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 18, 222–231.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, K. (2014). Optimizing the use of breed types in developing country livestock production systems: a neglected research area. Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics, 131, 329–340.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Maxwell, D. G. (1996). Measuring food insecurity: the frequency and severity of "coping strategies". Food Policy, 21, 291–303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, S. P., & Allen, L. H. (2003). Nutritional importance of animal source foods. Journal of Nutrition, 133, 3932–3935.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murray, M., Stear, M. J., Trail, J. C. M., d'Ieteren, G., Agyemang, K., & Dwinger, R. (1991). Trypanosomiasis in cattle: prospects for control. In J. B. Owen & R. F. E. Axford (Eds.), Breeding for Disease Resistance in Farm Animals (pp. 203–223). Wallingford: CABI Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peacock, C. (2008). Dairy goat development in East Africa: a replicable model for smallholders? Small Ruminant Research, 77, 225–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poccard-Chapuis, R., Coulibaly, D., Ba, A., Sissoko, S., Bengaly, M., & Coulibaly, J. (2007). Analyse affinée des pratiques et des stratégies paysannes. Rapport technique final, Projet PASE, IER, Sikasso, Mali, p. 146.

  • Rawlins, R., Pimkina, S., Barrett, C. B., Pedersen, S., & Wydick, B. (2014). Got milk? The impact of Heifer International's livestock donation programs in Rwanda on nutritional outcomes. Food Policy, 44, 202–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Regassa, N., & Stoecker, B. J. (2012). Household food insecurity and hunger among households in Sidama district, Southern Ethiopia. Public Health Nutrition, 15, 1276–1283.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Romeo, A., Meerman, J., Demeke, M., Scognamillo, A., & Asfaw, S. (2016). Linking farm diversification to household diet diversification: evidence from a sample of Kenyan ultra-poor farmers. Food Security, 8(6), 1069–1085.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SAS Institute. (2012). Base SAS® 9.3 Procedures Guide: Statistical Procedures (2nd ed.). Cary: SAS Institute Inc..

    Google Scholar 

  • Sibhatu, K. T., & Qaim, M. (2018). Farm production diversity and dietary quality: linkages and measurement issues. Food Security, 10(1), 47–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J., Sones, K., Grace, D., MacMillan, S., Tarawali, S., & Herrero, S. (2013). Beyond meat, milk, and eggs: livestock’s role in food and nutrition security. Animal Frontiers, 3, 6–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sougou, N., & Boëtsch, G. (2016). Diet and growth of young Fulani children in Widou Thiengoli (Ferlo, Senegal). Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris, 28, 145–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tankari, M. R. (2017). Cash crops reduce the welfare of farm households in Senegal. Food Security, 9(5), 1105–1115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torheim, L. E., Ouattara, F., Diarra, M. M., Thiam, F. D., Barikmo, I., Hatl, A., & Oshaug, A. (2004). Nutrient adequacy and dietary diversity in rural Mali: association and determinants. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 58, 594–604.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Traoré, S. A., Markemann, A., Reiber, C., Piepho, H. P., & Valle Zárate, A. (2017). Production objectives, trait and breed preferences of farmers keeping N’Dama, Fulani Zebu and crossbred cattle and implications for breeding programs. Animal, 11, 687–695.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Traoré, S. A., Reiber, C., & Valle Zárate, A. (2018). Productive and economic performance of endemic N’Dama cattle in southern Mali compared to Fulani Zebu and their crossbreds. Livestock Science, 209, 77–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Food Programme. (2008). Food consumption analysis: Calculation and the use of the food consumption score in food security analysis. Rome: World Food Program, Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping Branch.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yigrem, S., Markemann, A., Abebe, G., Ogutu, J. O., Piepho, H. P., & Valle Zárate, A. (2015). Assessing the relative importance of dairy products to family nutrition in mixed crop-livestock production systems of Ethiopia. Food Security, 7(5), 1003–1015.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Fieldwork for this study was made possible by the collaboration of the Regional Project for Sustainable Management of Endemic Ruminant Livestock in West Africa and the International Livestock Research Institute. We extend our sincere gratitude to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Foundation Fiat Panis for providing funding. Special thanks to Philipp Muth for his helpful suggestions in the analytical stages of the paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute), Department of Animal Breeding and Husbandry in the Tropics and Subtropics, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstrasse 17, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany

    Sékou Amadou Traoré, Christoph Reiber & Anne Valle Zárate

  2. International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Hanoi, Vietnam

    Sékou Amadou Traoré

  3. School of Veterinary Medicine, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia

    Bekele Megersa

Authors
  1. Sékou Amadou Traoré
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Christoph Reiber
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Bekele Megersa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Anne Valle Zárate
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sékou Amadou Traoré.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Traoré, S.A., Reiber, C., Megersa, B. et al. Contribution of cattle of different breeds to household food security in southern Mali. Food Sec. 10, 549–560 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-018-0795-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-018-0795-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation