Abstract:
Livestock farming is a livelihood activity and is critically important for the food and
nutritional security of the majority of the population in West African countries, including Senegal.
Nevertheless, livestock farming operates far below the optimum production potential, mainly due
to demographical, biophysical, economic, environmental, and sociopolitical challenges. To address
these issues, we conducted this review with an overall objective of characterizing different livestock
farming systems and to identify challenges and opportunities to improve livestock production in
West Africa through the broader perspectives from the case of Senegal. Pastoral, agropastoral, and
off-land systems are the three major livestock production systems in this region, which are unique
in terms of agroclimatology and degree of intensification and integration. The major challenges
identified in livestock farming systems are lack of pasture and quality feed, scarcity of water resources,
climate change, undeveloped breeding and management of livestock, poor marketing and trade, and
socioeconomic constraints. Moreover, we contribute to the literature on crop-livestock farming in
Senegal and West Africa by proposing plausible interventions to improve the productivity of the
farming system to improve food and nutritional security. Concentrated efforts must be taken in
co-designing effective management interventions for sustainable intensification of livestock sector in
the region, considering site-specific approaches.
