Contribution of livestock to the livelihood of local communities in the dry coastal zone of Western Desert in Egypt

摘要

The coastal zone of Western Desert in Egypt is a hot and dry area.Raising livestock,especially sheep and goats,is historically the main socioeconomic activity for the local communities(Bedouin)there.Three agro ecological regions are recognized in the zone: the rain-fed area with communal grazing in the West,the newly reclaimed land with irrigated farming in the East,and the desert oases in the South(Siwa).The area has witnessed a long drought incidence from 1995 to 2010.A field survey was therefore carried out with 182 livestock breeders to assess the socioeconomic vulnerability of the local community under the prolonged drought conditions and the role of livestock in sustaining their livelihood.Livestock contribution to the income of the local community in the rainfed region differed significantly with flock size(28％for the small size,up to 80％for the large size flocks).The contribution in the newly reclaimed lands was related to farm size(58％for small farms of ＜ 2 acres and up to 71％for large farms of ＞35 acres).Share of small ruminants in the livestock income was 95％for the small farms and 84％for the large farms there.Livestock contribution to the income of desert oasis ranged from 6％for small holders to 46％for large holders.Goats contributed significantly to the nutritional status of the families through domestic consumption of both meat and milk.Off–farm activities contributed moderately to the income of the small holders in the three regions and to the medium holders in the oasis and the newly reclaimed region(22-38％).Crops(mainly cereals)and fruit trees contributed significantly to the income of oasis communities and moderately to the small and medium breeders in the rainfed area and the newly reclaimed lands.