| The Gao region located in the northeastern part of Mali was the largest producer of both large and small ruminants in the country before the drought of 1972-1974. Since then, particular trends have been observed in livestock production: (a) small ruminant herds almost reached their pre-drought level in 1976, whereas cattle herds were at 23 percent of their pre-drought level; (b) in 1976-1977, local consumption of small ruminants attained their highest level of the 1970's, whereas cattle consumption decreased at least by a factor of four; and (c) exports of sheep and goats have increased after the drought, while cattle exports are almost nil. These trends suggest that herders have shifted from cattle to sheep and goat production at least during the... |
