Characterization of Oasis Livestock Systems in the Region of Béni Abbès (Southwestern Algeria)
Characterization of Oasis Livestock Systems in the Region of Béni Abbès (Southwestern Algeria)
Lahbib Cheikhi, Hafidha Boucherit* and Abdelkrim Benaradj
ABSTRACT
This study aims to characterize oasis livestock systems, through a typological analysis of their structure, management and zootechnical performances in the Saharan region of Béni Abbès (southwestern Algeria). The methodology adopted is based on field observations and a series of surveys with 55 oasis farmers in the three selected oases (Béni Abbès, Oued Khoudir, Tabelbala) in the wilaya of Béni Abbès. The results reveal the intensification of crops in association with livestock practices in oasis agrosystems. The production systems are characterized by intensive crop systems (three-stage: Phoeniciculture, Arboriculture and herbaceous crops) associated with livestock farming mainly consisting of small rustic ruminants with a good ability to adapt to desert conditions. The main types of livestock farming practiced in the oases are sheep, goat and poultry farming. These animals are well adapted to eco-oasis conditions, characterized by a continental desert climate. The main activity of the farmers 86% of the farms surveyed is mixed (crop-livestock) and 14% are of the crop-only type. It should be noted that livestock farming in oasis systems is based on family farming based on isolation, where sheep are separated for fattening, while goats and ewes are tangled for giving birth and milking, and chickens are raised for laying. Oasis livestock farming occupies a prominent place on the socio-economic level for local populations in order to satisfy the family’s needs for milk, meat and eggs; and to provide manure for maintaining the fertility of the farms’ soil.
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