Characteristics of urban and peri-urban dairy farms in the City of Bobo Dioulasso in Western Burkina Faso: A review

In West Africa, and particularly in Burkina Faso, local milk from dairy cattle is processed in several forms. Yet, actors in the sector fail to meet the demand for local milk consumers. To this end, a literature review was conducted to characterise the urban and peri-urban dairy farms in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso, in western Burkina Faso. The review shows that three (3) rearing systems are practised: (i) extensive agropastoral dairy systems; (ii) semi-intensive dairy systems; and (iii) intensive dairy systems. The Fulani breed accounts for nearly 80%, while crossbreeds make up about 15% of these systems. However, Fulani cows produce on average only 2 litres of milk per day over a lactation period of 243 days, compared to crossbreeds, which can yield up to 8 litres per day. This production is conditioned by multiple factors, the main ones being the cows’ nutrition and their health status. Thus, regardless of the rearing system, feeding is based on natural pasture grazed on range or provided at the trough in intensive systems. To this base diet are added supplementary feeds made of cultivated forages, agricultural by-products (legume haulms, cereal straws), and agroindustrial by-products (oil cakes, bran), used in the form of concentrates for dairy cows. Despite these efforts, the cows’ nutrient needs remain unmet, and in addition, there are health problems. Hence the adoption of feed formulations that match the cows’ needs and that allow efficient, effective use of by-products in forms more adaptable to the socio-economic conditions of the farmers.