UNITED NATIONS
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL
E/ECA/CIi.14/9 7 April 1988 ENGLISH
Original: FRENCH Distr.: GENERAL
f
I
•
ECONOUIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA Ninth meeting of the Technical Preparatory Committee of the Whole
ECONOMIC COtll1ISSION FOR AFRICA
. Twenty-thiro session of the Commission/
fourteenth meeting of the Conference of Hinisters
Niamey, Niger 5-12 April 1988
Item 6 of the provisional agenoa*
Niamey, Niger 14-18 April 1988
Item 5 of the provisional agenoa**
!MPROVEMENTIN THE STATeS OF SEDENTARY, RURAL POPULATIONS AND OF NOMADIC SOCIETJ;ES THROUGH THE REDUCTION OF
FOOD ·IlJASTE AND LOSSES AT THE PRODUCTION LEVEL
* E/ECA/TPCW.9/l/Rev.l.
** E/ECA/04.l4/l.
.
.E/ECn!Cl1.14/9
T. IllTRQDUCTION
1. AI-though There are nomad I.c people in many of the courrtr Las of "!est, noz-th , eRst and southern .1\frica, tpe o,reater Dflrt who are al so the .most homogenous, are thos~living in the countries of the Se~el. This study focuses especial1y:on t~€ people of the 3~hel ~rl:,b' are lea'::'Unq a:nomac'Hc life or who have only recen~ly abandoned it.
2. 'Pastoralism will be Gonsidered the same as l\ccording to a f'lau.ritcmian sociologist, nastoralism conri nuatLon f~epenc!s on the vagar~es of the ,.!eather socio-economic -envirdnm~nt of, nomqdic society.
11
nom?~isrn in this 3tUOy.
is a ,""r,1y of lifet·T't10S~
and also on the overall
.-
' - 3. This way of life was la"qely di at.u rbcd in the Sahel by the dr'ouqht of the" 1970s. l\ccor0:ing to the 1976ar-d
1977 cenSUS"1Sv t.he percentaqe0:
nomai'i~people in llali, the Niger <3n,4 r;aurit'lni" <las 6.7, 14.5 and 33.2 per cent respC!ctively. t1ith th~' wave of drought in recent vee rs especiallyv the percentage has been further re~uced substantially.
4. Cuz rerrtLy
in
the Sahel, nomadism is to be regions of Hauritania, the i:-Jigerv I1ali and Ch,J~1~peoole are becoming incr.easingly rare.
foundmeinly in the desert Uhat i.s mo!'c, J;Jurely nomaclic
c
5. Thg setni ....nomadi-c or transhunan c ooopLe , howovcr , ar e to be found in a great number of Sahel ian countries. In SenEgal for instance, these oeoole are located mainly in the s·:u~dy areas and almost exclusively,-. pract-isi]
tradj.tional livestock rai.sing of the extensive type. I\s for the s8ttl~d
pasto:;;'illists in that' cour.r ry , they :"r- to be found in. or around the qroun"-l-
nu~ basin and in the ~etter Darts of the country (C~samance anct castern Senegal). They are agro-pastoralists Nho qrow c;rround-nutsor cereals alot'lg t'1i. th the raisi.r'lg' of sheep, qoats and be!!f cattle 01'\ thci r rflnches.
6. In the Niger, agro-pastoralists ,":!'re settled in the t r an sd rLon zor'3~and
the agro-pastoral zone located bet<leen the pastoral zone ?no the eJesert area to the north of the country and the. ,~"ricultural south (bet<leen rhe 5(1(1 and 35(1 mm isohyets). An agro-pastoral zone is also found in the "est of the coun<l.:ry on both sides of the niger river valley.
7. This s~udy t'1ill be focusino on' nomadi c people in genern1 ard the recently settled ones ar-cno th,em Ln T)nrticul~r ~nd will be looking -at' the orospecr s of imoroving their food situation trrou,?,h the reductio!'l of 'food lossas at the pzoducrf on level. This is, being done to help fight against the effects of the last 15 year:s'of drouqht; in torms of food secur~ty ann environmental restoration.
11
A.W. QuId Cheikh, Etudes et travaux de L'USED,"Les ozobl emes actuels du nomed I sme
i~o. ·1, 1986; Sahel Institn{ 0.
Sahelien" •
E/ECA/CN.14/9 Paqe 2'
..
8. Alreacy, the Government.s of the Sahel ian countries have adopted or are in the process of adop:.-:ing measures to protect the oastoral people "rho have been hard-hit by the dr'ouerht; a"c1 oc he r l1isasters: (~) the reseLlernent pol i.cy comes ,-'dth tnvas tmonr in l'JD.ter schemes through-the conac r-uctLon of wells, boreholes anr3 artificial re'iervoi r s in t.he sv.Lvc--pe stoxeL. ar€D: (b) a policy for heloing the peopl? to form co-operatives that ,.oulc1 facilH.ato and guarantee livestock production and {':'larketinq oper/',tions 35ve11 as the creation of ranch~s to nromor.e the marketing of heef ca.t.~le raised traqit ionally and to re,gul;)te the, ,mel:\t rr.arket of the urban a r cn s r (c) . poLi.cy of stakinq out zones on the hasis of "he type of ani!A.~l hu,\";ban~ry best sui ted to _ the forage Dotenti.i11 of e~,~h z one , Re~roduction woul.d he confined to the sylvo-pasto.:cal zone!?:, herd reconsticut Lon to the- agro-PQstoral zones and fattening to areas that have Cl"J'co-industrial su'v-p.roduc-tsr (1) r.ln.rket.i,ncr policy through the establ ishm(,')nt ot ,:l~imal resource exp Lof tation and marketing companke s (ani.mals on. the hoof, I"lea~~, hides and skins) like SERAS in Seneoal and Of1BEV:;r i.n Bali; (e) establishm:mt of' Iivestock ann mea- oroduction z-nd narketing ,schemes through projects or livestock develoo~cnt companies and price liberal.; zation policy4 at,her men-sures already taken and rel.-::ti.,nq r
o
projects th~t have either been completed or still qoing on, have to do t".'ith 'the ,improvement of animal feeo, an i.me.L health and grazing lands, <€unc:'rtion;:l1 literaoy and the establishment of oeono",ie groupings.
9. This studv has been prepared by the United i.Jations Econorr'i~ Commission for Africil to be submittod to its po li cy organs in lin" with the 198P-l'l89
\'lor.k 'Programme approved by, the fo:r.ty~eecorld regular session of the United :lations .General Assembly.
10. l~fter this or ief int.roc-uction intende~1 to outline the frame\-Iork and to give some basic inforf"\ation concez nf no the study, the follof:dng chapters will be arranged as foll~4s~
(a) An estimate settled rece~~ly;
of nome
".
m c PE~ople -J.nd of their numher who have been(b ) Evaluation of procuc- Lon loss~s and de t.errrina t.Lon of the fooc" that should be taken into consideration ~1hethar from plant or dni~al sources;
(c) Reviel>J of traditional prrctices for food preservation, jJroces:.i:tq and pr'7P~rati.onlllit.h per ticu.Le r amphas Ls on lossf;s;an.d fin·.,lly
(c) ileasurt;;s for imorovinr.r thE! f,':)oc1 situation, uith project ideas for finding adcquatemeans of proviL'ing f00d secur.ity for nom,:tds and for recently- settled nomads through The reduction of food lossos at theorodu~tionlevel.
11. ",',;s study could not have bem' written without the to the mi s.sion by high officials ~n the mdnistr I ea of husbandry, aqriculture, rurcl aevelo~~ent, local government, affairs in tne countries visited.
SUD1;>Ort.: ext.endea olanninq, an~rnah
health and social
12. FAO ' S support , at a cr Lrice I moment in the fin:~mr.L~i-crisLs of +-,he United l1i\tions Secretar;.at, has been crucial to ca r ry.i nc out this sr udy , The diliqent as s Lst ance provided by the PAO an'; UPDP representaticn~ in the countries visited also pl-ayed a major r o l e in \::~e smooth runr-Lne of ':hc field missions.
E/Len/ei-l.14/9 Page 3
E8Tm!,TE OF lJOlh'\DIC PEOPLE AND OF THE !.JlH!I3ER OF PEOPLE RECRNTLY SETTLED
tc, Estimate of nomacicpeople
13. The drought which has been raqing in tne Sahelian region as a "hole for more thR.~ 15 years m"!y not be the only cause for the 'l.10rsenin'J of the:
foorl and nurrtt i one I situation of nomadic pastoral oeople but":!£ it cannot;
be the sole cause of the migratory movemc.re s Hhich~ betTinninq from the 1970~~
assumed exp.loaLve proportions, it is no less~ together ~""ith economic, ~o,ci.al_
ana -political developments, 3 uecisi.ve factor' for the genuine br-eak that occurred in ~he evolution of nOM~dic hercing in the Sahel.
,,-. 14. In the aforementioned document on the current problems of nomad i.sm ,
~ the author describes recounts the oerio1ic return (r~~orted in Qr.al ard written chronicles) of more or less (.;?ic1.csprc?(~ and (levas1:atiI"'1 drouqht. He '1dds, however, that these disruptionsv unlike the current crisis, have never constitut-~d the beginning of a s~ructurul chance affect inq all the nroduction and reproduction merhfncry ofrlaur~on.!>toral society.
'£/
15. T~e structural chan-re that rraurIt.ani.'\Is p,~storal society is underqojnq has also nffcct0" other pastoral nomads like the Fulanis o nd Tuaregs. 1'I.Pl'!:"t fron the merely econoro.ir- oonse-tuences of the drought. the social fall-out of the disastrous economic situation hes b~en reflected in n substantial
in~t:'ease in the rescttler:'tent trend an0 a drift to urban centres t·1itn th~
immeciate consequence that the n~~adic population cccreased siqnific~ntly
and most of their displaced. persons became oartly of fully rehabil!ita,·te".
16. T~lJle 1 has been takon f rOT" several Sources ."!nd 9i ves some estimate of "':he nomadic people in three countries of the Sahel.
Tablel. Estimc.'ce of nomadic people in three Sahclicm count~~'ies
c
Census r;;Jm"'tlic Total Percentage, '
year pop1l1nt501'l population of 'nomadic
Country ( in thousands) (in tl~l')usanns ) population
iIali 1976 "26.4 c 394.<) 6.7
1987 3,SO.O* 7 620.2 4.6
l-lauritania 1977 444.0 1 330.3 33.2
y
op.cit.F./RC1V"[;L.1'1/0 Paqe <1
Table 1. EstiMate of nomadic peoDle in three Sahclian countries (oont inued )
Census lJomadic Total PercfOntaqe
year population population oi:nomadi.c
Countr;y (in thousands) (in thousands) population
niger 1972 784.0"* 4 239.0 18.5
1977 737.4 5 098.4 14.5
Sources: rla1i, General Ponu1ation and Housing Census (1-14 April 1937).
Provisional est:imates, July 1987, nird stry of Plannina.
V
Estimate relatinq to total nomadic pooulation (50,000 to 60,000 of ~lhom are pure nonads ) CUl\.UR/EC,7\ mi.ssion).llauri tania~ 19·77 'JenerC'.l population cen su s , fi.qures - 1'lini-stry of Finance and "::conomic Planning.
Volume I - priority
**l.Jiqer: r1ultina-tional survev on population movements in Sahelian countries affectedLy the drought I ECr,jp,lICEF mission (26 January - 1<1 T.oril 1974), five-year development plan of the lJiger.
17. Even though nomadism is nor "conside r ed as migration in tr~ strict sense of the word (because the indi vic1uals· concerned helve no permanent residence), i t is particularly interes'cing 'to note that in n~l:L i t affects ,"ost of the administrative r eoions of t.he country.
Ie. In the 197r:- cerrsue , as many as 426,422 nomads accounting for 6.7 per ('ent of the total resident populat:ion of Hali. "Jere courrted , Thes'2. nomads were prac·cically t.:on.c.e:nt:.r.;:\·tfld· Ln thc·_tWo ...admi-nis~:rC\tive ··reqions of Gao Find Timbuctoo ltlhich together account for nearly 80.0 per cent of the total nomadI c population _(.~~.1 pe.;" , cenr ,of.t.be. T\QI!Flds _we.r.e,_.._:r-Q~_i-ste·red·- in Gno ·\'lhile· 36.7'
per r·'E:r3t were locate.d in Ti::lbuctoo)~ Four O1':r:,er region3~ tIonti, Kayes,
Koulik()TO and Segou Inve' 10.4, 5.", 2.5 and 1.1 oer cent r o sncctively of the tot~~ nomadic po~ulation~
19. From'th€!vieWpoi'nt· ol"~Se' ··com-!:lo$I'ti~n of the population i.., (;C'!·::h reryion, Gao and Tirnbuctoo are once aceI n the -tl-.ro rccions vhir-'> have the highest.
population, accountinq for 49.5 per cent <'in.:! 31.9 per cent of the total population resoectivelv. In ['tapti s.r'-'J I(:tyes, the rates a rc 3.9 and 2.9 per cent respectively. In the two ot.he'r regions (Koulikoro and Segou) no-iad Lsm can be considered to be practically insiqnificant (the rf'.tes being 1.2 and 0.5 per cent respectively). The D€ople are entirely sedcnta.'r">·.
20. The structure by sex of the no-nadic popu La tLon shows the men accounting for as much as 51.3 per cent while the women "ccount for 48.7 per .cent , Hotrever, as noted in the report of the nation~l seminar on population "policies in I1ali, this peculiar situation should be considered with some cauticn ,
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E/ECA/C/l.14/9
Pa.q~ 5
IndC'c:i1., since the nomads lfere countec1 by being groupp.:d around r.ertain water points selected for the c~rcumstance, there may well have been SOMe of them who, when they moved to the. enuJ:neration araas, left some of their tlomen and part of their herds behind them. 3/
21. In th0 Iliger, the nuube r of nonadt c herdsmen "as estimated in 1981 at 782,000 or 16 per cent of the rur aI nonuLation , llost. of these herdsmen live in the p~storal zone, ~ sr.rip of land stretching from 200 to 300 km , wide behleen the Sahara desert to the north and the ugricul tural zone to the south.
Thr, region .receives little rai n (from 100 to 300 mm , per year) which is unequally distributed and mas': of >1hi"h falls in the r-onr hs of July and August.
'.rhis rain feeds sparse veC1fl'tation cover es.sentially constituted of thorny
bush.~s, small trees~nd annual grasses that grow green in the rainy season.
From the end of 8(:~ptemberI '::hesc .grasses (whdch are the main source of food for the livestock) begin to dry ana los~ their nutritional vnluea
22. reveral qroups of no,"ads live in the pastoral zone: t.he Kel Tamashec.
(Tuareg) accounts for about two thirds of the total popu Lat.Lon , tbe T'Todaabe' and the Foulbes for ,one quarter; .the rest is ,':'lade up of Arabic-speakinq tribes in the north-west anc1 Toubous in the north-easta
23. The K"l Tamllsheq society is highly stratified. The' '"daabe, on the other hand, are a less stratified and more e03litarian societya
24. The FuLmi are qencrally foun,1 further to the south of the pastoral zone than ~he TUAre~a
Types of nomadism
25a l\ccorclin0 to t-he irnDc~tu~ce of .ani.maL husban:'ryin their eCOnOl"1Y, nomads can be classified into pastoral an~ ~gro-pusto~al ~ategoriesa The forner obtain more than 50 per cent of their income- and more than 20 ner cent of their food cncrrry intake frOM livestock p roduct.s uhile ':he lc.tt()r ~l'::'e less dependent on an5,mal husbandrya The relativG size of ~ach category is difficult to" determin(' given .the d i.ve r si.~:y that exists among var Lous gronos of nomads 2nd the ~,e'rious prob Lem ofcounti.n<; pe op l e ~lho arc aluays on the.movea
26a Furthermo~e, the nomB1ic people of the l1iaer; like those
of
o~her r.ahelian countri-cs", arc unqergoing a cz-enstticn 50:: of; by the upheaval whLcb t-ook pl.9.ce Ln f:heiir society follo1;~dnq the drought, of the 1970s and 1980s. That transiti.on had A.lrcndy been set in train bv the a~.c\?ssi"on'of the' countrie~-'::0 ind,epencence and the effects tha~ nodern Statt..' intervcn"tion have had on traditional ~oc~ztiesa
27a One misconception Nhich must be dispelled is t.he notion "that hezdamen , farrr-ers and ci.ty dwellers ~re mutually exclusive communi tics having no convect;
Y
Report. of the nationa:l somi.nar on population'Bam~kou 22-26 rIe.r.eh .19'J31. Direction ~if'l.tionale de 13 l ' Informatique, l~inistrv of ?conornic Planning.
ool Lcies in liali 'Statistigue et de
E/ECA/Cll.14/9 Page 6
other than those necessi tilted by trade in goods and s"rv!ces. In the like elsewhere, salaried civil SQrvants invent in livastock and husbandry using--traditional he rd smen a s pa Ld help.
Niger,
ani.!!1al
28. One other tendency thatemerge'~ after the drought .is that certain former slave.s of herdsmen or their descendants who "lere traditionally respc;msiL'le for growing seasonal crops beqan to acouire livestock.· These new he rd smen do not he-ve the same ex~erience and expertise of the livcst~~k txade.
29. nhile nomeda sm m~y be nearly pe rmanerrt and conti nua L as thut of the
~Jodaabe anrl Tuare9", i t also includes season.al transhumance of cattle herds migrating sout!"~".·est: to .staythere unti1 the return of the rei11;6. i\,t the
time of the major drouqhts of rhe 70s anc1. 80s, .: great mr-bcr of her~,s moved
0
souchwaxds , going as f.ar ."}5 to cros s the borde r into Cote ;J'Lvo.ir e ani! to ' rcmnin there for n longer time.
30. For a Lone time, th'1re has been a tenoency in the niger to settle, nomadic people. This trend continues but no evaluation can be made of its extent since; the drought obliqed many of the, nomads to se t t l e i.ompczeri Ly, Such nomads Lnrend to return to their ,;Jld tr~y .of life as <;001\ as the situation
ir:l~roves and they have had a chance to recons~itute t.heir stock of cattle.
31. It is not; easy to find out thE' extent of nomadic people~s attachment;
to their pr;,>fer:,.·oc llt':.y of 1 ifc and the exten- to ~,]hich thnt is linked to their belief that animal husbandry is inco~patiblewith a s~dentary existence.
3201 The 1977 population census, in f1auritil.nf.a "-laS a survey on t:he attitude of nomads to. living a settled >lay of life. It revealed that 75 per cent of the nomadic ppople had no i~tention to settle in on2 place.
33. The official at tLt udo of the Gov\~rnment of niger t.oward s nomadic people has been neutral at times an~. at orr-er s been one of encouraqd no them to sl~ttle.
It'_ woulf be 1csi r-eb Lo ;:0 have a better Ldee of the pot~ntial ccnt r t.bu e Lon that such human .re sour-cc s cout e make t-o the deve Loornerrt of livestock \01hich renBin s major source of oealth for thp. count:ry_
34. During th~ '-lidespread a.rougt,t.!), ~ l~rqe nunbe r of nomadic people 'fe~l
back on the tr-ansi tion aone south of the pastoral aone sear-;hinq for uater ana food. It i.s in this are::lth;lt the :'Hger Government~ through a .series of operati.ons co-ordinated by the iJinistry of Interiorii has set up settlernel"'t sites whe r o l1,Jter supply, health service, aqricul tural anc1 livestock dove.Lopmorrt facili.t.ies have been provi<.';(~~ eLonrr with some head of cattle and crop seeds. The Bi.nistry of 'on:~mal Resourcf~sl the 11inistry of Agriculture and such fundL"g agencies as the European DevelopI!leni: Fund, the ~Jorld Foo(l, Proqra:-:une and I1edecins-sans-frontierc,co oarticipatea in the so operations.
hround the settlement site, off-seasol"\ ~3ssav.~, niebe, pot~tOp.sQ veget'1bles, maize, suq~r-cane an~ wheat are being ceveloped.
35. The significant rec1uction in the Sahe15.an nomalic population since the early 1950~"ffecteCJ',,11 the >;<ihel:lari'countdes hut i t "as the major drought of the 19705 and 19f;Os "hich 1lmolifi"d the trena.
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E/ECA/CO.g/9 Page 7
36. This tendency is reflected in table 2" on tile demographic growth poles 9LtheJJalJritani,an popul atri on in 1961/196?, 1975 !"nd 1977.
Table 2. !':volution of oopul,at-ion qro>lth poles in Hauri tania from }961 to 1977
Population Annual growth rate
1961- 1962- 1975-
1962 1975 1977 1975 1977
Nomads 748 905 550 000 444 000 - 2.3% -10.6%
Villagers 179 447 455 708 593 881 + 7.4% +14.2%
Urban people excluding
Nouakchott 64 341 195 238 169 115 + 8.9% - 6.8%
Nouakchott 5 807 104 05.4 134 704 +24.9% +13.f,.
Tot·al 998 500 1 305 000 1 339 700 + 2% + 1.3%
sour-ce ss 1977 General popuLzt.Lon census',
Adm~n~strativecensuses.
Estimates, A.\1. OuLd Chci.kh and S. 'Theunynk.
37. ·It can be seen from the table that the decline in the nomad.ic population and the"irseHlrimentin villages begal'! to· pick up speed f.rom 1975 to 1977 which ",",ere the yaa r s of the first rec£nt:
\vave of
~rought '"ir the Sah~l' (at the annual rote of -10.6 per cent and +10.2 per cent respectively).31). The same trend was not.ed amonq t.he nomadic people from 1976 to 1987.
In the' absence of: a IInomadic series" in the -orov.i s i.ona l fi9'ures of the general population and housinq census concuc t od from 1 to 14 Apl'il 1987 in rIali,
r~J~-".ence should be ",adi' to table 3 belOH wt.i cl' shows the population trend in I{idal c1istrict Located in the administratIve region of G"o. . . . .
39. It is to be noted that along with the declining nomadic pOpulati,on in radal ,district, most of them lrlere settling in this urban cen -re of the Adras des Iforas.
E/ECr./CII.14/9
TobIe 3. Pooul"tion trent] in thE! Zid"l district of Bali
:L976 1986-1987
Populatfon % Population %
Homads 21 731 85.4 15 409 44.2
Sedentary people 3
n3
14.6 19 404 55.8Total 25 454 100.0 34 813 100.0
Sources: Gene!'al popuXcttfon C'cnsusv December 1976.
Gener-:ll popu.laticn nnel housing census, provisional figures for 1957.
Data collect(~rl from Direction OC llInt6rieur by ECA mission fielded in noccmber 1987.
B. Pastoral neapl..?
and the qroups set't!.ernent
of nomadic
"1nr.1. estii!l.ate of people recently
the number of people se'tled: methocs of
40. hs can be seen fr.om t~ble ~ below~ most Saheli~n
agriculture. However, livestock grazing is noted as the of nome d.i c an(l semi.-.no~adic people.
peoole main
live off occupation
Table 4.
hushandry
Est.imate of husbandry
the number of peoole dependent on ~qriculture ~nc aninal (in thousands>
Country urkina F?so Heli
llauritania niqer StOnega1
Tchad
Total
people dependent mainly on aq r tcuLtur-o
4 560 3 630 240 2 520 2 600 2 800
16 350
Pe:JlJ l e dep~ndent MaInly on animal husbandry
sedentary transhuITIf\nt nomadLc Total
23:; 2CS .570
550 220 550 l 320
180 60 540
no
630 210 420 1 250
400 400
400 200 200 800
2 445 975 1 710 5 130
sources E. Bercr - The rec,~nt economfc evel uat ion of the Sahel (Estimates base<l on scattered data), 1975.
$
E/ECA/CI1.14/9 Page 9
41. Apart fro," the fact th~t the nomadic population in general is declining in all countries of the Sahel, i t shoul~ also be mentioned that purely nomadic people are beginning to 1isappear in countries like Senegal where structures have been built to provide wha~ these people need most: water and pasture.
42. The number of people recen~ly settled in cannot easily counted because di?tta are rare, specific zon~s in the various countri~s.
the countries of the Sahel unreliable and concern only
c
43. This applies to the northern part of Senegal ,·,hich is traditionally called FerIa. This term is sometimes used to refer to areas of transhumance.
11
In earl'er times. this reqion ha1 no permanent water points except a few which were mainly located in the valley.44. After what have been term0d the first-generation boreholes were drilled in the post-war era (1940-1955), the Government of independe~t Senegal pursued the efforts initiated by the colonial power by carrying out the vast project of transforming the Ferlo area into n zone of permanent residence or settlement for pastoral people.
45. In doing this, the Societe de Developpement de l'Elevaqe dans la zone svlvo-pastorale (SODE~P) was established in 1975. This company was generally responsible for promotin9 the development of animal husbandry and the exportation of animal resources ~hrouqh a zoning strategy and a process whereby the management of artesian ".,ells was transferred to settled herdsmen· organized into economi~ groupinqs (GIE).
46. Since 1963, about 30.
ono
people in the sylVO-p1istoral zone have opted for permanent settlement around a number of boreholes. This settlement andwa~er investment drive are illustrated ~n the table below.
Table 5. Settlem"'lt in the svlvo-pastoral zone of Senegal
Date of establishment or census
1963 1969
1976
1980-1903 surveys
;1amc of the place of settlement Atcll bali
Belel Boguel, Ganinc Erogne, Naccrel,
Kodiolel~ iJiassante, Dirdo, Bouteyni Badagor, Dounde 16 boreholes in the sylva-pastoral zone
Number of persons concerned
30,000 Source: Data collected free] Direction SODE5P by ECA mission fielded in December 1ge7.
y
Oussouby Tour(,:deve loping policie s • Tbe the centurv t.o this dav ,
Pastoral society changirg under th~ ef~ect of Fulani i.n He 2erlo reqion from the beginning of I5RA/uSED. June 1987.
&,
E/ECA/CH.14/9 Page 10
. JXi. CL.- _J2
47. Furthermore, an evaluation based on surveys conducted from 1980 to 1983 in the sylvo-pastoral zone shews that the number of persons around each borehole is about 1,650.
48. It is also estimated thdt the average size of families settled around these ,.ells is 12.8 Qersons with a median of 10 and a maximum of 36 persons.
These are mostly hexdsmen living in small isolated units of one to three households (galles) that rarely exceed 30 persons. The average family exploits a cattle stock of about 65 heilds and 75 smaU ruminants ,.hile the ethnic composition is BO per cent Fulani, 60 per cent lloloff and 5 per cent Maure.
49. According to Senegalese offi.cials~ this form of settlement was spontaneous anC' "as i ni tieted by oublic aurho r I ties through drillinq ,.ells and improvinq the services of the livestock <'I.epartment.
50. In llali, the movemerrt of nomadic people in recent years from t h e i r . habitual place of residence has, been the last stage in their resistance to the drougr.t and to their seriously deteriorating cond.itions of life.
2/
51. To cope with this vast problem, the Direction ,Jationale des Affairs Soci!lles du Uali, using UNICEF support, conducted in 19135 a survey §/;which was the first official attempt to help the affected peOple on a systematic basis and to identify ,.hatthey exoected by ","y of rehabilitation. This survey, which covered all the signif;cant concentrations of displaced people, involved
11,828 heads of family.
52. Among other questions of the survey, the displaced families were int.erviewecl on the reasons for their displacement or more precisely on what made them choose to settle in one region rather than another. Their motives were classified into tuo categories:
(i) The degree of food securi "-y orovided by the government or other organizations in terms of emergency aid;
(ii) The extent to which the are~ is livabl: (ecoloqical criteria).
53. ;'s indicated in the tab l e below, the motives of foodsecuritv far outstrip o'.:her consi<Jerations in "U resettlenent areas of affected people (more than 93 per cent of t~1C! poopLo intervieHed).
2/
CI1AUR ,- Assessement of the food, nutritional, social and health situation in Ilali during 1987 and the prO!lDects for 198,J (December 1937).§/ Direct~on des Affairs Socillies - soc.; al survey on !'eople displaced by the ~rouqht (Bamako, September 1986).
E/ECA/Cli.1419 Page 11
Table 6. !lotives of people for moving
t10tives Degree of food Livability No information Total security
Area of
~ettlement !lumber % Number % Number % Number %
Sikasso 1 341 92.29 101 6.95 11 0.7 1 453 12.28
Segou 1 338 95.84 49 3.51 9 0.65 1 396 11.80
flopti 5 271 94.60 120 2.15 176 3.16 5 567 47.07
Timbuctoo 888 83.35 21 2.08 96 9.55 1 005 8.49
C
Gao 2 259 93.85 107 4.44 41 1. 70 2 407 20.35Total 11 097 93.81 398 3.36 333 2.01 11 820 100.00
Source: Direction !lationale des Affairs Sociales - Results of the social survey on people displaced by drought (Bamako, Seotember 1986).
54. The Les son which can be dra,m from the foregoing is that the movements of people constitute a response by people in the areas most severely affected by drought to the fact that they find i t impossible to produce the food they need ...to. live. Indeed, i t is clear that the search for fooc'! was the main motive for the movement of threatened nomads.
55. Three main approaches are currently envisaged in '-Iali within the context of the post-emergency efforts to rehabilitate drought victims and to restore their living environment,
c
(a) The first approach is based on the fact that the eco-system is deteriorating and all activities are focused on the rehabilitation of desertification-affected areas through the planting of trees and the use of renewable energy sources at the Slime time as a vast programme is being co-ordinated by the Departement des Ressources lIaturelles et de l'Elevaqe/
11
(b) A second approach is based on the effects of irregular rainfall on agricultural activities. It advocates that the production system should be made secure through the strengthening of rural extension work, the popularization of selected seeds which h~ve a short maturing cycle, and the strengthening of secondary economic activities such as market gardening and backyard livestoc), raising. This strategy is essentially agro-economic and aims at providing farmers with the means to offset the grain deficit which
1/
Reference, !lational brainstorming sessions on the livestock seeton general report, analysis of the situation and proposed strategies - Minist~redes Ressources Naturelles et de l'elev~ge, Bamako, 16-19 December 1986.• -
E/ECA/CII.14/9 Page 12
poor rainfall has brought about th.oughout the Sahel. The programme 9/ is
meant to achieve self-suffici~ncyand is managed by the Department of Agriculture:
(c) The third approach is linked more to the human and social asperots of the drought and, as such, appears as a response to the displacement of people: social assistance, health monitoring, rehabilitation in terms of meeting the food and nutritional needs of the people by resettling drought victims further to the south or in areas that can support agricultural and/or pastoral activities.
56. The last of these str3tegi.es draws on the experience acquired in resettling displace(l people. An ongoing survey on them is beiner carried out by the Direction des Affaires Sociales in co-operation with various tlGOs an'" will provide more comprehensi.ve information on the activities conducted ...
in aid of displaced people since the first such survey was organized in 1985. . . 57. The survey should be completed in the first quarter of 19Bfl. Already,
however, table 7 gives an overview ·of the resettlement sites and a preliminary estimate of the people settled in the central and southern parts of the country.
Table 7. Nomadic people recently settled in Mali Census date
1984
1986
1905
1905
19<:5
Name of location or project 1I0pti reqion
- Doue"tza
- Barbe
Segou·· reerion
- Niono (OASIS Project) - Sokolo
Sikasso region - Yanfolila
- Koutiala
llumber of people
60 S'roups (3,800 persons) 300 families (l,000 persons)
1,123 families (6,089 persons) 850 families
(4,610 persons)
50 fardlies 1300 persons) 25 families
(15(\ Dersons)
Source: National emergency "elief and rehabilitation committee lCtlAUR), lliaration unit, Direction "'e l ' interieur. llinistry of Local Government and Grassroots Development, Office of the Director of Social lIffairs, i:lGOs, IlFP, OnCUOCERCIASIS unit.
8/ Sec Revue du Secteur l<aricole du lIalL Hinistry of I'Igriculture,
, . 4.f.$
c
c
E/ECA/CbI.14, "
Page 13
58. The ways in which drought-affected nomadic people are settled take many forms and this is why the 01\SIS project at !liono in !Iali will be used as an example to illustrate the process.
59. The OASIS project was designed to benefit the affected nomadic people who decided to settle in lliono district (S6gou administrative region) following the great drought of 1982-1984 which caused them to lose cattle and sell off the remaining stock. These nomads are essentially Tamasheq belonging to tbe groups that originated from Goundam, Dire and lliafunke districts in the Timbuctoo administrative region.
60. The census conducted in October 1985 in each resettlement camp by the joint NGO/lliono district mission gave the following results: 30 camps, 1,123 families totalling 6,089 persons. These people have been taken care of since 1985 by the Office du niqer (Fassou camp) and by such 1IGOs as SECANA and ANITOU.
V
Ad hoc support is I'rovided by ClIRE, tlFP, FAC and CEDE/IO.61. The project aims at settling the affected nomads counted in the 1Iiono area. The following methods will be used:
(a) lin initial rehabilitation phase will be carried out: regroupinq some 30 camps onto five sites favourable for agro-pastoral activities;
initiation in the simple techniques of aqro-pastoral, market gardeninq and sedentary life; provision of basic farming implements and 1I small flock of livestock that will not be moved along with transhumance, nutrition and food-for-work:
(b) The second phase of the resettlement scheme will come in two main parts: irrigation schemes that allow interested nomads to settle down permanently with a view to achieving food self-sufficiency and a satisfactory family income: identification and selection of sites in co-operation with
th~ authorities and NGOs of the area of origin of the affected people; gradual transfer of the nomads onto the new sites; site-by-site development of the settlements into village communities using micro-scheme initiatives backed by the food-for-"ork scheme, application and improvement of the techniques for production and community development acquired in the first phase.
62. The project corresponds largely with the expectations of the nomadic people. This was found to be true when they were interviewed. It was formulated by 1IGOs in a consultancy mission following an agreement in principle with the development committee of lliono district and the Office du Niqer.
Furthermore, two consultants and lWP have been asked to check the project design and to see whether the beneficiaries are prepared to commit themselves to-the project.
V
SECAMA - Catholic Relief Services in Hali.ANITOU - !liono - Le Touquet Association.
E/ECA/CII.14/9 Page 14
63. The project objectives mentioned earlier reflect the Government's own intent,
(a) To improve the supply of food products to food-deficit areas, in oarticular vulnerable nomadic rrroups;
(b) To allocate land resources along the lines of the existing food strategy;
(c) To improve water managem.mt;
(d) To phase out food aid;
(e) To increase the people's income while promoting food self-sufficiency to reduction of food losses.
C. The main factors leading to resettlement 64. In Senegal, the main factors were found to be,
- chronic droughts in the - Tsetse fly infestation
south;
river valley;
(trypanosomiasis) in the wetter areas of the
- extension of cultivated land as opposed to animal husbandry;
- rice, sugar-cane and tomato growing in the valley and river delta;
- encroachment of land put under ground-nuts;
- settlement on pastoral land;
- the extreme firebreakers to be poorly
isolation of the which serve as a maintained for lack
area, criss-crossed as it meana of communication which of funds;
is by happens
- presence of the SODESP which provides permanent assistance by way of inputs and livestock.
65. In lIali, the two waves of 'drought from 1966 to 1973' and from 1982 to 1984 created a serious upheavnl in the economic system of traditional nomads whose wealth was based too !!luc:h on extensive herding on a nomadic and transhumant basis.
66. 11hen they lost their flocks or sold them off at give-away prices, a great number of nomads from the administrative regions of Timbuctoo and Gao moved southwards to settle "long the river Niger, in the central delta in particular. However, the decline in their purchasing power has combined with the lack of an economic b~se in the form of farmland, equipment and credit to keep most nomads from lltriking out on their own to make a new life economically. The resettlement pc.licy advocated by the authorities and certain
- ;...",..",~",,_.-.~---
E/ECA/CM.14/9 Page 15
NGOs therefore tries to find solutions to the problems of rehabilitating nomadic people who fail to adapt in the resettlement camps. This was a resettlement scheme which followed the drought and was carried out with the assistance of the Government, the agencies of the United Nations system, NGOs and such funding agencies as the European Development Fund.
D. Food situation
67. one fact that is accepted virtually everywhere is that, in normal years, malnutrition is less prevalent among nomads.
The following table shows the degree of malnutritior centres in the Niger over the period 1970-1971.
at seven nutrition
c
Table 8. Degree of malnutrition at seven nutritional centres in the Niqer,1970-
! i l l
Centre Province Climate Malnutrition
,
Madasuna Maradi Sahelian 38
Gaya Dosso Sahelian 24
Tahoua Tahoua Saharan
.l3
Filingue Niamey (Sahelian
(Saharan 28
Ditfa Diffa Saharan 20
Birni N'Koni Tahoua Sahelian 21
TiUabery Niamey Sahelian 35
68 • Nomads depend to a large extent on the milk intake in their diet. They do not suffer too much from lack of food in years when there is enough pasture
for their milk cows and camels.
69. The diet of Sahelian nomads is made up mainly of milk and such cereals
~s millet and sorghum. While the quantity of milk available during the rainy season is sUfficient, the diet depends exclusively on milk. As pastures deteriorate and water becomes harder to find in the dry seasons, milk production diminishes and herdsmen increase the proportion of cereals in their food ration. Getting to the end of the dry season, the diet ·'is almost entirely made up of cereals. In 1981, a survey was conducted on 40 families of herdsmen living in the pastoral zone of the Niger. It revealed that annual cereal consumption ranged from 130 to 180 kg per person.
lQ/
Previous surveys had yielded figures that were lower and there seems to have been a tendency to increase the quantity of cereals consumed during the last 20 years. This is perhaps due to the gradual impoverishment and growing dependence on cereals because there are not enough cows to provide adequate supplies of milk.lQ/
Louis Loutan. Nutrition amongst a group of Wodaabe (Sororol pastoralists in Niger, in Population, Health and Nutrition in the Sahel.Edited by Allan G. Hill 1985.
E/ECA/C'''!.14/9 Page 16
70. Contrary to what would have been thought, meat is not the chief food of herdsmen. The aforementioned survey came up with a finding that each of the 40 families of the samplE' had, on average, slaughtered 2.5 sheep or goats and one cow during the year. Meat is eaten only on occasion and this happens most often during the rainy season.
71. The quantity of milk consumed by adults in a sample survey of the Tamasheq in Mali (Niger Delta) shows that from 1981 to 1982 the maximum was two litres and the minimum 0.4 litre per person per day with significant differences between social classes. There was also a marked seasonal variation.
111
72. The same source indicates the relative importance over one entire year of three food categories (meat, milk and cereals). It gives different percentages of nutritional energy derived from each category by sex and by
0
social class for the Kel Tamasheq sample. It emerged that women drink more milk while men consumed mere cereals.
73. While the diet of nomads depends largely on the milk provided by their herds, i t is obvious that most of those who have settled (given the major cause of their resettling) should obtain a greater share of their food energy in food of plant origin, especially cereals.
74. Unfortunately, i t has not been possible to find scientific survey results that could help determine the composition of the diet of recently resettled nomadic people.
75. Over the year 1984-1985, nlltional production in the Niger accounted for a ratio of 220 kg per person for settled rural people and 10 kg for nomads and city dwellers (on the basis of 250 and 200 kg per year of cereal equivalent) would be supplied from off-season farming. This means that about 347,000 tonnes would go to the settled rural folk and 119,000 tonnes would go to nomads and city dwellers. In the circumstances, only 270,000 tonn~s
of these crops were produced (including niebe and rice). The difference : ) of 196,000 tonnes was covered by animal products and 350,000 tonnes of cereal
were imported.
76. The contribution of the livestock sector was evaluated at 8.73 kg of meat, 40.6 litres of milk and 35 eggs per person per year. !£(
111
I~rtie Wagenaar-Brouwer. Preliminary findings on the diet and nutritional status of some Tamasheq and Fulani groups in the Niger Delta of Central Mali, op.cit.!£( Evaluation of the 1984-19115 off-season crop harvest. Direction de l'agriculture, the Ministry of rural development, RepUblic of the Niger.
E/ECA/CM.14/9 Page 17
77. Table 9 gives a picture of the food coverage for people that have been settled in the sy1vo-pastora1 zone of Senegal.
Table 9. Evaluation of food coverage (1) (in ki1ogrammes)
Food produced from Acquisition of ~
Plants Animals food products
Dates Heat Milk (Cereals) (milk)
C
19811980 11457 1818 208208 13376 28281983(2) 0 ? ? 190 0
1984(2) 0 ? ? 190 0
Source: Direction SODESP/ECA mission.
(1) Average evaluation per person in kg.
(2) Major drought.
78. The evaluation was reduced to zerO.
for the same period.
as 190 kg per person.
showed that during the 1983/84 drought plant production As 'for animal production, the figures were insignificant on the other hand, cereal intake increased by as much
c
79. With regard to Mali, the food coverage was most precarious for the people who were being settled.
80. To come back to the example of the Niono OASIS project, the report of a mission conducted from 21 January 1986 to 23 February 1986 described the survival ratio as 0.2 kg per person per day for 34 per cent of the population.
This means 73 kg per person per year or 40 per cent of the optimum required in similar circumstances.
11/.
Indeed, no food-for-work was transacted at the time of starting to grow crops for the market in January and February 1986. The report rightly recommends that food aid given to nomads should be increased in volume and distributed regularly in order to allow them to sustain agricultural rehabilitation activities.1lI
Denis Traore and A1iou Cou1iba1y.to Segou Region concerning the OASIS project,
Report of the mission undertaken Bamako, 8 March 1986.
E/ECA/CM.14/9 Page 18
81. Following the very poor discouragement set in when all
spite of repeated request
li/.
l·esults of the 1986 winter season, a deep food aid was stopped from November ·1986 in
82. Because the production base itself is still very fragile for the recently settled nomads of the OASIS pr.,ject, i t is hoped that these appeals will be heeded by the authorities concerned, the funding agencies and the NGOs so that the plight of these courageous people can be relieved and the ongoing operation made to succeed.
III. EVALUATION OF PRODUCTION LOSSES AND DETERMINATION OF FOODS TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT
83. It is generally recognized that food losses in general are very difficult to assess. For that reason, this study will merely review the causes of food loss during the production activities of recently settled nomads and give some idea of the magnitude of the damage done on the basis of empirical estimates made by the extension services of the countries visited in those cases where such data exist.
A. Plant production activities
84. The cash crops which are geraerally grown in the nomad resettlement areas are millet, sorghum, maize, rice, fonio and niebe.
85. The activities in which 10SSE!S occur are generally the following,
(a) Sowing, Insufficient rainfall, grain-eating birds, termites and poor farming practices. All these cause important losses during the planting season;
(b) Field watching, Fields abandoned as a result of neglect or : ) insufficient hands within the family become easily accessible to stray animals . in particular and may incur major damage:
(c) Harvestina, transport, Wind, unsuitable transport and poor packaging also cause very significant losses,
(d) Storaae, conservation, In Senegal for example, silos made out of Boscia Seneaalensis or from Grassiatora are permeable to rain water and may be the reason for major losses. Also, recently settled nomads do not know much about the preservation of fresh produce:
li/
Father Robin (Paroisse du Sahel).Financial Report, Bamako, 11 June 1987.
OASIS Project - Technical and
•
c
E/ECA/CM.14/ . Page 19
(e) Control of crop pests: This covers the entire plant cycle:
(i) Spanish flies: They appear at the time that the millet is sprouting and can damage as much as 10 per cent of the crop • In certain areas, there is no effective traditional way of controlling them so the farmers are increasingly abandoning this in-season crop in order to grow sorghum;
(ii) Grain-eating birds: Even though their infestation is lim!ted to localities, these birds are a terrible pestilence which can cause very substantial losses;
(iii) Stock parasites: Weevils and beetles usually attack stored grain, causing losses estimated at 1 per cent of the crop;
(iv) ~: These rodents also cause damage to seeds, young plants and grain stocks;
(v) Blights: The most common blights in resettlement areas are cryptogamic and the effects are seen on the shoots and grains;
(vi) Parasitic plants.
cereals.
These are mostly 8triga which live on
c
86. Other activities in which these people engage is to collect arabic gum.
In an average year, each person may collect as much as 15 kg of the gum but in a drought year there may be nothing to collect. Some also collect or pick baobab and bay leaves of Boscia Senegalensis.
87. The interim report· of the OASIS project on agricultural work done during the 1986 winter season by the nomad resettlement camps in Niono district provides a vivid illustration of the difficulties and losses encountered during the season:
maize planted in soils that were too poor stood. no chance of being harvested;
because the rains failed, the millet which had been planted too close together could not be spaced out;
ground-nuts were planted two pods to a hole;
since 1973, rainfall had never been so poor. In August 1986, only 24 mm of rain fell as against 117 mm in 1973;
• Interim report of the OASIS project on agricultural work done during the 1986 winter season by the nomad resettlement camps in Niono district.
E/ECA/CM.14/9 page 20
birds and locusts did not stay idle; in about 15 camps, particularly at Darinemati and Roba, the young seedlings were chewed off by rats or devoured by locusts. At Roba in particular, in the camp of the Youssouf Ag Sidi group, paddy rice growing in the nursery was entirely destroyed by rats.
It is generally estimated that 15 to 20 per cent of the crops were lost to rodents and insect pests of all types;
the birds also attacked the young shoots of early-maturing millet thereby making the harvest a question of chance."
B. Animal production activities
88. Stock replenishment is one very important area in the nomad resettlement areas. The livestock generally include beef cattle, sheep and goats.
89. The main occupations in the animal production sector and the major causes of animal loss were generally identified as follows,
(a) Milking' Among nursing cows, causes of loss are generally attributed to the deficiencies in nitrogenous minerals, breast diseases (mammitis) and milk contamination;
(b) Watering' The causes of loss points dry up (high rate of evaporation).
troughs leak and the distribution network
at this level arise when the water There is the fact that some drinking is not adequately maintained;
(c) Disease and parasite control, ~ike rinderpest, bacterial and symptomatic anthra, internal parasites cause in resettlement areas;
pasteurellosis, seriouso•.Clamage
(d) Migratory movements, ~oss.es may be occasioned by long journeys
:»
in search of insufficient pasture a,nd water and by theft at times.
90. To these general causes should be added branding accidents such as those cases which occurred under the OASIS project. Indeed, the brands used for marking nursing nanny goats have proven to be dangerous for the animals.
They showed symptoms around the ears. The brands which were meant for beef cattle have seriously affected the, nanny goats and several of them have died as a result of septicaemia.
C. Description of traditional ways of preserving, processing and preparing food from plants and animal sources
91. The two tables below show the traditional ways in which food is preserved, processed and prepared generally in resettlement areas.
.\'
•
E!ECA!CM,.1.4!9
Page 21
Food from plants
'liable11l. Tra!UtiO!!.~lmethods of preserving,processinq' and preparinq fbod
-
...
Food
Millet
Sorghum Fonio Rice
Preservation -gre.I'ary
- on the head - jute bags - goat skin bags
"
in sheaves or bundles - jute bag
- woven leaf baskets
'Processing -'pounding
- sifting and washing - drying and
pounding - fine flour
~C()arse grain - pounding-
sifting - pounding-
siftin'g sH;ting
(porridge)
Preparati<>n
(l) graining by hand
(couscous)
(2) Steaming (3) Breaking up
(4) Sifting
(5) Cooking (tuo) Steaming
(couscous) - steaming -boiling - stewin.~ with
. lIleat or fish Maize - on the cob (shucks)
-, jute bag
pounding (dQcortication)
Boiling in water or
steaming
Boscia Seneq~l€nsis
;-'
- bulkb(:\ggi!!g - pitc~e!,s' ,
- sifting- , , waS}1ing
~cpotinding (flour)
II "
,-,..-:
,"".
- rolling i';to. .. J:)ali~I
- drying
- dec~rtisa~~on.
- threshing
and, '
sifting
~.'"
- boiling
E/.f.CA/CI1. H/S Page 22
• Food from animals
Tablel!. 'l'l:ii!di tional methods of 1'l:eservi.nq, processing and pl:eparing·, fOod
Food·
Milk
~Ient
Sub-products (hide$)
Preservation - Calab1lshes
covered with a round sifb~r
- Sun-dl:ying - Smoking - Salting 01:
marinating
- Drying
Processing - Fennentation
(24 to 48 hours according to the season) - Curdling end
creaming - Mincing
- Tanning
Pl:epal:ation - By $kiiMIing
the milk, buttel: is obtained
- Grilling Meat balls - Stewing
92, As can be seen from both tables, the numbez of foods traditionally presel:ved, processed or prepared, are few (milk, meat and aub-pxoduct.s ) and of insignificant quantity given the scarcity in recently settled al:eas.
Therefore, food losses are kept to the barest minim~~ in these various stages.
ph MEASURES' FOR IMPROVING THE FOOD SITUATION; IDENTIFICATION OF POSSIBLE PROJECTS AND RECOMMENDI.TIONS
A. Measures for improving the food situation
93. In the two precedinCJ chapters, major constr,aints were noted ~hich should be removed in order to make for the intpro.&emellt of the food 'situation of nomadic people and recently settled nomadic groups.
94. Some of these problems are general and beyond the control of affected nomads. Others are specific to aacb resattlem"llt area. It is precisely in the latter case that appropriate measures should be tllken to reduce food losses with the active participation of the people concerned.
B. Generi'.l problems and WillS of -improving the food situation ....
95. (a) Food llid, Food aid in the fonn of "food-for-work" is a primary factor for improving the food and nutritional situlltion of the tllrget popullltion. Unfortunately, sucll aid does not regularly Ilrrive lit its destinlltion in sufficient qUllntity and this compromises the measures taken to improve the situation, plllcillg at risk the very lives of the affected people.
.3 .§4UJAU bilL Wi! t
aM
I.lit.;. ik
IiUh4i4
E/ECA/Cl.I.14/9 Page 23
•
•
•
96. It is therefore up to the authorities concerned to work with the NGO!l;
bilateral and multilateral agencies who have demonstrated their preparedness to assist in order to -ensure that food aid reaches the people
tor
whom i t is intended regularly and without any major losses that are most often attributable to unsuitable transport and storage facilities.97. (b) Problems of health, water supply, pasture and land security' These are also constraints that must be properly solved with the assistance of the public authorities especially.
98. Indeed, at new resettlement sites, such problems as malaria, trypanosomiasis and onchocerciasis can be added to the diseases commonly affecting these people who war", used to a relatively healthier environment.
New resettlement lands which have not been cultivated for a long time are often contested-by local farmers. Access to water and pasture often becomes a source of conflict.
99. The administration in the resettlement areas responsibility of finding speedy solutions to the common benefit of the indigenous population and resettled_
therefore has the heavy varIous problems for the groups which are being
e
100. (c) Problems of extension,' It is not rare to find volunteers without - appropriate training taking care of work which is beyond their competence at resettlement sites. It _ should be said that the inadequate nUlllber of extension .officers and the'tack of adequate resources account a lot ,for this
, ", _ . . ri.''' i , . . .","
unfortunate situation. Given the fact that the settlement of nomads involves
1\ degr'ce of rehabilitation for many of them, i t is very important to have competent extension officers so that needless and some'times dangerous .waste (as happened in the case
ot'
~he branding of nanny goats mentioned in 'paragraph 90) can be avoided.C. Problems relating to the reduction of production losses with a view to improving the food situation
101. Section III reveals the production activities which could occasion losses of food.
102. The improvement measures should therefore aim at finding ways of reducing such 10sse8 to the extent feasible.
103'. 'such measures include:
(a) Pprotection of plant8, taking into account the ecological specifics of each zone:
(b) Control of such crop pests as birds and rodents;
(c) Improvement of storage and transport facilities in the resettlement areasI
E/ECA/CM.14/9 Paqe 24
i Ii J&
(d) Improvement of animal health services in drder to cope with infectipus and parasitic diseases;
(e) Popularization of modern methods of preservinq fOOd from animals through heati~q, as in solar drying.
D. Project ideas and recommendations
lOL It appears from the foregoin,g pages that the losses occurring' during the production of food from plants and animals have to do with protecting plants and animals from harmful insects, birds,' rodents, infectious and parasitic diseases. Therefor", any attempt to reduce"food losses to an appreciable extent sho~ld m~ke for minimizing these constraints. The project ideas and recommendations should be 'aimed at:
(a) Subregional co-ordination of national programmes for the resettlement of nomadic people;
(c) The establishment of branches of the national plant protection ,services at resettlement sites in co-operation with' OCLALAV which could play
tile role of sUbregional co-ordinatclr;
,.
•
•
•
, (e) Livestock development plans shou1d be formu1ated for pastora1 areas
'Yor
which-no snchp1ans existalre•...:Iyl' ":,.1
d) , The strenqthening of nat.Lona), animal health networks in the areas of origin and resettlement of nomads together with the co-ordination of animal health activities at the subregional level;Ftirther~ it is recommended that: ·--7"
•
'" (fI. The, s\,bregion should adopt a master-plan for the reduction of animal product' losses and waste as ptoposed bY' ECA duting the ri:!cent meetinq i t organized at OUagadougou on subre9ional co-opehitiori 'for livestock develoPment in West Africa from 1 to 6 February 1988.
