FoodAfrica: WP2
Improved Food and Nutritional Security
from Better Utilisation of Dairy Cattle
Breed / Cross-breed Types in Senegal
Miika Tapio, Enyew Negussie, Karen Marshal

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People
Dr. Karen Marshall
(animal breeder)
Dr. Stanly Fon Tebug
(animal scientist
Veterinarian)
Dr. Enyew Negussie
Dr. Miika Tapio
Dr. Jarmo Juga
Dr. Isabelle Baltenweck
(agricultural economist)
Jane Poole
(applied statistician)
+ PhD student and
University supervisor(s)
+ 6 enumerators
+ farmers

Background: Why West Africa
●
Recurrent food crisis in the Sahel region
2012: Starvation for 18 million people
(Conflicts & poor harvests)
●
MFA wishes to increase regional and thematic
co-operation with Sub-Saharan Africa,
specifically including West Africa.
●
The project was just launching first site selection
activities in Mali, when the 2012 coop occurred
●
The activities were moved to Senegal, where the
project was expected to make a big impact
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(Statistics by UNICEF)

Background: Why milk
●
Consumption of even small amounts of milk can
significantly increase nutritional security & prevent
malnutrition.
– In Senegal, on a 'non-crisis year'
over 300 000 of children <5years are
underweight (85 000 severely so)
●
Population growth, urbanisation, rising incomes
increasing demand for dairy products
– Annual population growth rate 2.4%
– 2/3 of births in urban areas
– 35% of the population below international
poverty line
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(Statistics by UNICEF)

Background: Why milk
●
Improved domestic small and moderate scale dairy sector has potential
– To improve the access to milk for poor people
– To strenghten the (SMB) job generation around the milk value chain
– Improve the national trade balance
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The expanding Senegalese dairy system
●
Periurban dairy
– Traditional breeds
●
Adapted low output, but low input
Zebu Gobra, Djakore (Zebu Gobra x N’dama cross), + rare
– Introduced European/Brazilian breeds
●
Non-resilient high output, but high input
Holstein-Friesan, Montbeliard,Jersey,Girolando,Guzerat, Gir, Brown
Swiss, Norman, Abondance, Ayrshire, Guernsey,Milking shorthorn
– Unstructured crossing
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Research - Capacity building – Outcome - Impact
The project aims to speed the dairy sector development by
addressing three research questions:
1) What type of cow fits the Senegalese small and medium-scale dairy
farms?
– What is the importance of production quantity and quality compared to
management requirements or resilience in these production environments?
2) How do the currently utilized breeds and breed composites perform
relative to each other on the Senegalese farms?
– Are some of the emerged development paths clearly worth concentrating on?
3) How to improve the availability of desired cattle types to small and
medium-scale farmers?
– Are there clear practical problems preventing sector development where the
preferred path is identified?
– Will focus on fewer cattle types improve farmer access to the desired cattle types?
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Research - Capacity building – Outcome - Impact
The research combines use of genomic tools, field surveys
and monitoring
Breed / Cross-breed Types in Senegal
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Research - Capacity building – Outcome - Impact
Capacity building is built within the research:
1) Phd-student in a Senegalese University
– With supervision by ILRI and support by MTT and HU.
– Visits to Finland
2) Farmer training during the monitoring phase, and
after the results are available.
– By local experts and 'masters', and project staff
– General information on management and breeding, available
extension services, cost-benefit analyses...
3) Institutional capacity strenghtening
– Participatory workshops to analyse the institutional
arrangements and novel ways to improve (along the idea of
innovation platforms).
– Policy briefs, publications, leaflets
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Research - Capacity building – Outcome - Impact
Capacity building is built within the research:
Outcomes
●
Increased use of the most appropriate dairy
breed / cross-breed types
– Promotion based on evidence
●
Improved dairy germplasm production and
delivery systems
– Improved focus and new ways to work
Impact
●
Strengthened dairy value chain
– Enhanced household and regional food and nutritional security
– Improved livelihoods,
– Business and employment opportunities
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Schedule (Research)
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2013: Blood sampling and DNA extraction: monitored animals and reference animals
2013/14: Genotyping, breed composition analysis and evaluation of breed impact

Thank you!
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Research - Capacity building – Outcome - Impact
Capacity building is built within the research:
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Research - Capacity building – Outcome - Impact
Capacity building is built within the research:
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