SIERRA LEONE maq 4ª.indd - agrilife - Europa
SIERRA LEONE maq 4ª.indd - agrilife - Europa
SIERRA LEONE maq 4ª.indd - agrilife - Europa
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Figure 12. Livestock (Ship-equivalent %) in selected countries of Western Africa<br />
Source: Own calculations from table 6.<br />
women during the lactating period and every<br />
second day as yields diminish. The milk is<br />
processed into butter and yoghurt which they<br />
sell in nearby markets or along the road sides.<br />
Women have the responsibility for looking after<br />
calves. Although its productivity is low, it is a<br />
hardy breed (i.e. trypano-tolerant) that is welladapted<br />
to the prevailing ecological and socioeconomic<br />
conditions (Jalloh, 2006).<br />
Poultry are the most widely owned form of<br />
livestock and also the most numerous. Poultry<br />
mostly comprise domestic fowl, although<br />
there are smaller numbers of Guinea fowl and<br />
Muscovy ducks. Pigs are also widely distributed<br />
with many found in urban areas. The country’s<br />
livestock population has been very severely<br />
depleted during the conflict and many years will<br />
be required to rebuild stock numbers to pre-war<br />
level. In the early 2000’s, livestock contributed<br />
4% of agricultural GDP (MAFF, 2001).<br />
According to Unruh and Turray (2006) the<br />
decimation of livestock population during the<br />
war is a particular food security concern in the<br />
country. “Livestock herds of reproductive utility<br />
require long periods to recover. Presently a single<br />
female cow in reproductive age can cost one<br />
million Leones ($350 - $400 USD). During the<br />
war the RUF shot a great deal of livestock, both<br />
for food and to decimate the countryside. In the<br />
north of the country the Fulani lost a great deal<br />
of livestock and moved their remaining herds<br />
across the border into Guinea. For the most part<br />
the Fulani herders have yet to return to be able<br />
to contribute to recovery of the national herd.<br />
Prior to the war ox traction was common in some<br />
areas, particularly in the north. Goat and poultry<br />
restocking programs are currently underway,<br />
and these can contribute to food security<br />
more quickly than cattle restocking programs;<br />
although cattle could also assist in related farming<br />
activities, primarily ploughing and transportation”<br />
(p 5, 2006).<br />
Fishing<br />
Along its coastline of 570 km and the<br />
continental shelf area of 25,600 km 2 , Sierra<br />
Leone is rich with marine resources. It is also<br />
well endowed with inland waters (rivers, lakes,<br />
and flood plains) which support a large number<br />
of aquatic organisms. Fisheries are dominated by<br />
artisanal marine capture systems, and by small<br />
Rural poverty reduction and food security: The case of smallholders in Sierra Leone<br />
39