Project to set up livestock feed production units in Benin

In Benin, relations between farmers and cattle breeders - formerly based on fruitful exchange agreements - are tending to deteriorate. In fact, strong demographic growth coupled with urbanization is increasing pressure on farmland and leading to the clearing of grazing areas by farmers. This is particularly striking in the departments of Borgou and Alibori, which account for almost 85% of the country's livestock. In a context of increasing scarcity of land and water resources, and where pastoral mobility appears to be both a resilience shield for herders against climatic variability and a vector of social problems for farmers, it is urgent to find alternatives to ensure herders' access to food resources in order to reduce food insecurity, poverty and the rural exodus of young people.

The aim of this proposal supported by ACED-ANOPER-ADECOB is to give livestock farmers in northern Benin continuous access to quality livestock feed, whatever the time of year. In concrete terms, the aim is to promote fodder production farms in order to supply breeders with hay and green fodder in quantity and quality. This initiative will create new jobs in the local milk value chain through training and capacity-building for young people in the Borgou department. It will ensure both the permanent availability of livestock feed in all seasons and the integration of young entrepreneurs into the milk value chain.