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Livestock Production in Central Mali: Economic Characters and Productivity Indices for Traditionally Managed Goats and Sheep

International Livestock Centre for Africa¹ Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

A study of traditionally managed goats and sheep was undertaken from 1978 to 1984 in a semi-arid, agro-pastoral system in central Mali. In total, 3,605 births gave rise to 4,049 young of which a subset of 1,064 goats and 877 sheep were suitable for the present analyses. The characters analyzed were parturition interval, postpartum weight of females, 150-d weight and viability: from these, productivity indices relating to total weight weaned per female per year, weight per kilogram and weight per kilogram ^.73 female were constructed. The fixed effects of irrigated and rain-fed agricultural system, management unit, season and year of birth, single or multiple birth, sex of young and parturition number on the dam's performance were investigated. Parturition intervals were significantly affected by season, year and management unit in goats; these, plus system and parturition number were significant in sheep. In goats all variables had significant effects on postpartum weight except sex of young, and all variables in sheep were significant except sex and year. Viability in goats was significantly affected by management unit in the rain-fed system, season, type of birth and parturition number, while in sheep only season and parturition number exerted significant effects. Weight of young weaned was not significantly affected by sex of young in goats and not by year in sheep. Year had no significant effect on any of the three productivity indices in either species while, in addition, sex had no effect in goats. The results of these analyses are used to propose appropriate programs for improving small ruminant productivity in this environment.

¹ P.O. Box 5689.