ASSESSING PASTORAL POTENTIAL FEED RESOURCES AND THE EFFECT OF INVASIVE UNPALATABLE SPECIES ON PASTURES IN THE DISTRICT OF BOUGOUNI, SOUTHWEST OF MALI
Résumé
Pastoral feeding resources play an important role in the improvement of pastoral
livestock in the southwestern of Mali. Invasive unpalatable species have led to the
degradation of pasture quality. This study aims to assess the effect of these species on
pastoral feeding resources and livestock productivity in the southwest of Mali based on
a semi-structured household survey with 404 agro-pastoralists in four communes and
herbaceous vegetation inventory using the point quadrat aligned and yield square
method. The findings revealed significant differences in species composition, biomass,
and carrying capacity between pasture savannahs and bowals. The majority of
households are influenced by invasive species including Hyptis spicigera, Oximum
basillicum, Hyptis suaveolens, Cassia tora, Walteria indica, and Sida rhombifolia. Based on the survey and phyto-ecological data analysis, the paper provides that invasive species are
having a significant impact on pasture quality affecting livestock productivity and rural
livelihoods.
Auteur.e.s
Tidiani SANOGO, Koudzo SOKEMAWU, Moussa KAREMBE, Lisa BIBER-FREUDENBERGER.