Draft Animal Power in Sub-Saharan Africa: History and New Challenges
Draft animal power in the world has a long history. Despite huge agricultural and technological changes in the last century in agriculture as in other economic areas, the use of draft animal power remains a major component of many farming systems in this early part of the twenty-first century. The p...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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CIRAD
2004-03-01
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| Series: | Revue d’Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux |
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| Online Access: | http://revues.cirad.fr/index.php/REMVT/article/view/9883 |
| Summary: | Draft animal power in the world has a long history. Despite huge agricultural and technological changes in the last century in agriculture as in other economic areas, the use of draft animal power remains a major component of many farming systems in this early part of the twenty-first century. The present status of this technology varies greatly: draft animals are seldom used on farms in industrialized countries, they are declining in several emergent countries, but, in many developing countries, they remain very important. In Africa, human power still provides much energy used in agriculture, which, therefore, provides many opportunities for animal power to replace human energy, and new challenges to research and development. Structural adjustment programs caused governments to reduce their direct involvement in the provision of services, with significant implications for economic, social and political development. The trend is therefore to seek alternative service provision from a variety of alternative stakeholders. This means the following actions must be taken simultaneously: i) to respond to the new needs of farmers and other stakeholders; ii) to address the economic constraints of farmers, suppliers and markets; iii) to support sustainable and profitable farming activities; and iv) to support new service providers (blacksmiths, credit organizations, veterinary services and local agricultural advisers, etc.). |
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| ISSN: | 0035-1865 1951-6711 |