Context

The development of cities in urban and suburban areas in West Africa has not resulted in the marginalization of livestock activities. On the contrary, there is a growth in cultivating livestock in urban and suburban areas to support urban growth. Urbanization and the issue it presented in properly raising livestock does not deter the citizens of African cities from raising animals in their homes; raising sheep in Dakar is a perfect example. This dynamic reflects the many benefits associated with urban livestock industries, including  income generation, job creation, urban supplies, food security and improving their environment and living conditions.

The constraints of urban agriculture

• The lack of space. The livestock industries are located in urban areas where there is competition for the use of land. The land constraint leads to agricultural systems based primarily on animal confinement in cramped spaces, creating an environment that promotes the development of microbial and parasitic diseases.

• The cost of water. In many cases - in the Niayes area of ​​Dakar, Senegal for example - water is a rare commodity due to over-exploitation of land and drought, making it a relatively expensive factor for the production of agricultural activities.

• Input costs. The high cost of key inputs (food, veterinary medicines and other products) results in high production costs, which in turn negatively affects the profitability and reproducibility of some farms.

• Competition from imported products. The major constraint of urban husbandry is its ability to compete with imports from rural areas. Given their saisanal nature, the products from rural areas are rather complementary to those produced in an urban context: production costs, sanitary conditions, acceptance by the consumer. Three factors determine the competitiveness of products: their production costs, the hygienic quality and their marketability to consumers. The high costs of essential supplies (food, water, veterinary products and equipment)  and measures on imported products, like milk, are relatively more accessible than local products. They have, moreover, hygienic guarantees valued by consumers.

• The risks associated with drug use. In urban areas, veterinary inputs are distributed in a non-standardized setting, creating a risk to public health.

Ways of improving

With the numerous barriers to  livestock production in urban and suburban areas, it is interesting to see what is done to improve development. These efforts are partly individual (innovative farming strategies) and partly collective (organizing and optimizing the framework of production).

The objectives of improving: the positive impact of the livestock industry concerns both urban farmers and the urban community in general. The livestock sector provides a means of income, and social status, whether as a secondary activity (production of some animals for home consumption) or as the main activity of the home. For farmers, this industry works to safeguard their crops and improve their businesses and living conditions.

Conditions of development

Prior to envisaging the improvement of urban and periurban husbandry systems, we must ensure that husbandry can exist or even develop in good environmental, economic and sanitary conditions. It is these criteria that will determine the sustainability of any husbandry activity. It must not be more expensive nor too difficult to lead a healthy production. We have to fight against the occurrences of sanitary issues such as zoonoses for example, by making vaccination available and inexpensive, raising awareness of waste management and providing advice and services for waste removal (recovery systems).