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Project in Burkina Faso & Niger

Enhancing the Productivity of Small Ruminants through Improved and Cost-Effective Feeding and Animal Health Interventions (ENHANCE) in Burkina Faso and Niger

Timeframe: May 2018 - March 2021

Funding: USAID

Principal investigator (PI) and lead institution

Abdou Gomma, Government of Niger – INRAN

  • Objective 1 Lead Scientist

Co-PI and collaborators

  • Linda Logan, co-PI, DVM, PhD, Texas A&M University
  • Bagnan Salifou, Senior Research Manager/Grant Administrator, Mercy Corps Niger
  • Objective 2 Lead Scientist: Dr. Amadou Traore, Government of Burkina Faso – INERA/CNRST
  • Objective 3 Lead Scientist: Dr. Saidou Tembley, Universities du CAMES and Texas A&M University

Results

Abdou, M.M., Gomma, A.D., Issa, S., Yahoussa, G., Karimou, M., Bagnan, S., And Moussa, Y.Z. 2021. Performance zootechnique des jeunes ovins mâles nourris en complémentation au résidu de moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) au Niger. (Zootechnical performance of young male sheep fed as a supplement to moringa residue (Moringa oleifera Lam.) in Niger). Int. J. Biol. Chem. Sci. 15(5): 2050-2057. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ijbcs.v15i5.28

Dahourou, L.D., Konaté, A., Tapsoba, A.S.R., Dicko, A., Sanou, M., Tamboura, H.H., Bayala, B., Salissou, I., Traoré, A., Logan, L.L., and Tembely, S. 2021. Epidemiology and spatio-temporal distribution of gastrointestinal parasites infection and accuracy of FAMACHA test in sheep in traditional farming systems in Burkina Faso. Trop Anim Health Prod., 6;53(3):392. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-021-02810-3

Dicko, A., Konate, A., Tapsoba, A.S.R., Tindano, K., Sanou, M., Kabore, A., Logan, L.L., Traore, A., Bayala, B. and Tamboura, H.H. 2021. Anthelmintic Activity in Vitro of Ceratotheca Sesamoides Endl and Striga Hermonthica (Delile) Benth Aqueous Extracts on Haemonchus Contor­tus Adult Worms. Biomed J Sci & Tech Res 40(2)-2021. BJSTR. MS.ID.006414. DOI: 26717/BJSTR.2021.40.006414

Dicko, A., Konate, A., Zabre, G., Tapsoba, A.S.R.,  Tindano, B., Sanou, M., Kabore, A., Traore, A., Bayala, B., and Tamboura, H.H. In vivo anthelminthic activity of Ceratotheca sesamoïdes Endl whole plant powder. International Journal of Applied Agricultural Sciences. Vol. 8, No. 2, 2022, pp. 64-71. doi: 10.11648/j.ijaas.20220802.11

Gomma, A.D., Issa, S., Abasse, T., Banoin, M. and Schlech, E. January 2020. Effets du ramassage des fourrages sur l’environnement et sur les activités agro-sylvo-pastorales et commerciales dans les régions sahéliennes au Niger (Effects of forage harvesting on environmental, agricultural, pastoral and trading activities in the sahelian regions of Niger). International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Volume 13, No. 6. DOI: 10.4314/ijbcs.v13i6.13

Gomma, A. D., Issa, S., Gambo, Y., and Abdou, M. M. 2021. Evaluation technico-économique de trois (3) formules alimentaires à base des ressources locales pour l'embouche des boucs roux à Maradi au Niger. (Technical and economic evaluation of three (3) feed formulas based on local resources for the fattening of red goats in Maradi in Niger). International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, 33(4), 733-741.

Video: The ENHANCE program in Burkina Faso and Niger

Project Plan

Livestock represents an essential component of the livelihoods of millions of people in Niger and Burkina Faso and is a key livelihood strategy in a region increasingly subject to the uncertainties of droughts, global climate change and consequent loss of livestock productivity that is impacting rural households. Agro-pastoral and pastoral populations in Niger and Burkina Faso have limited livestock herds per household, and most have limited resources to purchase inputs for increased productivity and little market power to ensure fair prices. This lack of available sustenance, particularly during the hot season, has a deleterious effect on livestock nutrition and health. Additionally, when animals are fed, they often do not utilize the feed efficiently due to the prevalence of parasites—for which one single anti-parasite treatment is used in the best cases, or more often none at all. This is due mainly to the limited capacity of community animal health workers, as well as the lack of knowledge of the types of parasites and their importance to the health of the animals. The issues are very similar in Burkina Faso. Over 80% of Burkinabé and 87% of Nigerians are involved with livestock in differing degrees, and livestock and its by-products represent an important source of revenues, and source of exports, second after cotton.2 Constraints to livestock production include shortage of water in the dry season, insufficient quantity and quality of feed throughout the year and high cost of veterinary drugs and services. Other identified constraints are the low technical knowledge of fodder production and conservation.

Mercy Corps is a recipient of a grant under the University of Florida (UF) Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems (LSIL) in partnership with Texas A&M University, and the Governments of Niger (INRAN) and Burkina Faso (INERA). The ENHANCE partners seek to expand this collaboration in West Africa to strengthen existing efforts in livestock rearing in Niger, which were started with Mercy Corps through FFP-funded programs such as the Development Food Assistance program in Niger from 2012-2018 “Sawki” and with other USAID-funded programs under the RISE umbrella, such as REGIS-AG in Niger and Burkina Faso.

Objectives

The project objective is to enhance the productivity of small ruminants through improved and cost effective feeding in Burkina Faso and Niger by:

  1. improving the production, transformation, conservation and commercialization of nutritionally-rich and cost-beneficial fodder and improved animal feed,
  2. improving the treatment of livestock against parasites that prevent a good utilization of feed and fodder, and
  3. improving the political environment and support of the animal feed and fodder industry.

Expected Outcomes

By the end of 2020, ENHANCE will: improve the development of appropriate production and post-harvest technologies in forage and feed value chains, animal feeds and feeding practices; strengthen capacity of small ruminant value chain actors to adopt technologies and innovations; disseminate best practices for parasites control and improve and disseminate policy recommendations related to the animal feed and fodder industry.

More information

 October 2020 research update ISSA VGM (Virtual General Meeting)

Photo credit: ILRI

Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems is part of Feed the Future

This work was funded in whole or part by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Resilience, Environment and Food Security under Agreement # AID-OAA-L-15-00003 as part of Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems. Additional funding was received from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation OPP#060115.  Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed here are those of the authors alone.