Effect of Land Fencing on the Productivity and Quality of Sahelian Grasslands: Case Study of the Ferlo, Northern Senegal

The objective is to determine the effect of the protection on the production and quality of fodder in the rangelands of the Great Green Wall (GGW) of Senegal in Ferlo during three successive years. The quadrat point method, and the full harvest method were used. The results reveal a rich flora of 56 species, 40 genera and 20 families. Between the first and last year of monitoring, the net pastoral value varied from 54.88% to 83.21% in the 2013 plot: from 22.53% to 80.41% in the 2009 plot and from 46.86% to 83.97% outside. The quality fodder is estimated at 3.07 tones DM/ha in the 2013 plot: 0.76 tones DM/ha in the 2009 plot and 0.91 tones DM/ha outside. The carrying capacity is lower than 1, which is low overall. The protection does not seem to have a significant effect on the quality of the pastures. On the other hand, it seems to be conducive to the production of abundant fodder.