Improved Food and Nutritional Security
from Better Utilisation of Dairy Cattle
Breed / Cross-breed Types in Senegal
FoodAfrica Program Launch, January 2012
Karen Marshall : kmarshall@cgiar.org

The importance of milk
Milk = high-quality food which supplies
protein, energy & essential
micronutrients (which are scarce or
absent in plant-based diets).
Consumption of even small amounts of
milk can significantly increase
nutritional security & prevent
malnutrition.

Dairy sector of West Africa
Demand for milk and other dairy products is increasing:
population growth, urbanisation, rising incomes
The region (including Senegal) is already a net importer of milk
and other dairy products
FAO-STAT: Senegal

Initiatives enabling sustainable increases in
dairy productivity can lead to:
 Improved livelihoods, including that of small to medium scale
producers (regular cash income)
 More jobs: input-service providers, producers, transporters,
processors etc.
 Enhanced household and regional
food and nutritional security

In Senegal, the peri-urban dairy-cattle sector is rapidly
expanding, though limited quantitative information on rate of
expansion

Peri-urban dairy in Senegal: Breeds
Traditional breeds
– Low output but low input
– Well adapted to local environmental conditions
Recently introduced European breeds
– High output but high input
– Require increased health-care, fodder, water, better management etc.
Admixing (unstructured crossing) between the different breeds is
occurring

Peri-urban dairy in Senegal:
Pure-breeds contributing to the cross-breed types
West African Zebu
Azaouak Zebu Peul (Gobra)
Maure
European dairy breeds
Holstein-Freisian Montbeliard

Peri-urban dairy in Senegal: Breeds
 There is little information on the performance of the
different breed and cross-breed types in ‘in-situ’ settings
 The most appropriate breed combination for small to
medium-scale diary farmers to keep is not known
 Dairy farmers may not be able to access their breed of
choice, due to lack of production and delivery systems
This project will address these issues

Work-package overview
• Generate information on dairy genetics +
dissemination to various stakeholders
Research
 Performance of the different breeds /cross-breeds
 Analysis of the dairy germplasm production & delivery systems
 Analysis of policies pertaining to animal genetic resources
Capacity • Capacity building activities targeted at specific
Building stake-holders

Work-package overview
• Increased use of the most appropriate dairy breed /
cross-breed types
Outcomes • Improved dairy germplasm production and delivery
systems
• Strengthened dairy value chain 
enhanced household and regional food and
Impact nutritional security, improved livelihoods, business
and employment opportunities

Objective 1. Farmers and other stakeholders aware of the most
appropriate dairy breed / crossbreed types for peri-
urban dairy production systems in Senegal
a) Identification of the most appropriate dairy breed / cross-breed types for
selected dairy production systems in Senegal
b) Dissemination of the above information to a variety of stake-holders:
workshops, reports / publications, policy briefs & dialogues
Years 1 to 3

Identification of the most-appropriate dairy
cross-breed types
Genotyping of
monitered and
In-situ assessment reference animals
(SNP chip)
Performance + economic
data at households & Pedigree not required
animal level Breed composition of
each test animal
2 sites, each with 150 -200
households / 750 animals:
18 months monitoring
Comparative analysis
(Socio-) economic index = [outputs] – [inputs]

Genomic approaches to determine breed
composition from DNA data
New technology
– Feasability of approach demonstrated in cattle (Kuehn et al., 2011)
– Latest Bovine SNP chip has 700k markers

Objective 2. The dairy germplasm value chain of peri-urban
Senegal, and related policies, characterized and used to inform
the development of a strategy for strengthened dairy
germplasm production and delivery systems
a) Current policies and institutional arrangements in relation to dairy
germplasm production and delivery in the project sites documented
– Assessment of previous and current policies
– Value chain analysis
b) Recommendations on the way forward to achieving a strengthened dairy
germplasm production and delivery system
– Developed in conjunction with stakeholders
– May include business model development
Years 2 to 3.5

Objective 3. Local human, institutional and organizational capacity to access and
promote different breeds / cross-breeds of livestock for small to medium input
production systems in developing countries enhanced.
Who Area
Local University and project PhD Animal genetics and breeding / livestock
student production
Policy makers at different levels Appropriateness of the different dairy cross-
(provincial, national) breed types; need for research to evaluate
the performance of different breeds / cross-
breed of livestock.
Local project partner Various research methodologies, including field
survey design, implementation and analysis;
mechanisms for result dissemination
Local-level stakeholders in dairy: Appropriateness of the different dairy breed
farmers, agricultural extension /cross-breed types for specific production
officers, veterinarians, NGOs) systems

Objective 3. Local human, institutional and organizational capacity to access and
promote different breeds / cross-breeds of livestock for small to medium input
production systems in developing countries enhanced.
Who Area
Stakeholders in dairy germplasm Impact of policy on dairy germplasm
production and delivery production and delivery; the dairy germplasm
production and delivery value-chain and
mechanisms to strengthen it
Locally recruited site co-ordinators, Survey design and implementation; databases
site staff and enumerators and data management; facilitation of focus
group discussions & farmer cross-learning
activities
Project women and men dairy Management of dairy cattle
farmers
Performance of their own animals
Appropriateness of the different dairy breed /
cross-breed types for their specific situation

Year 1 activities
• Final selection of project sites: targeting 2 sites
• Recruit key project personnel within Senegal
– Project scientist
– Project PhD Student
– Project data-base manager
– Field staff: 3 per site x 2 sites
• Project launch at national and site levels (all stake-holders)
• Field survey to collect data for the purpose of identifying households and animals
to recruit into the project + project sensitisation
– 300+ households per site
• Identifying households / animals of interest and recruit into project
– 150 households / 750 animals per site
• Baseline survey initiated – to collect data on socio-economics of dairy production
at a household level
– all households recruited into project

Project partners
Interstate School of Veterinary
Science and Medicine of Dakar
Agrifood Research Finland

Peri-urban dairy
farming in Senegal