Livestock systems and fertility transfer in the African savannah zone. II. Manure management methods and its place in animal husbandry and farming

摘要

This article analyses the methods of managing manure enabling man to profit from animal fertilizing-matter production described in the first part of the present paper [1]. Manure management methods vary considerably and often according to the species involved (cattle, small ruminants and horses). Certain typical systems are described, such as the mobile field ?paddocking?, the regular village paddock, the Peul ?rotating paddock?, and various systems of hired stalling. The many types of fertiliser products derived from these systems, i.e. dung, paddock earth, dried and pulverized faeces, ?manures?, etc., along with analytical characteristics (minerals) are presented. Following this, a few synthetic results of the agricultural effects of organic manure are provided. In the second part, the analysis is extended to situate the fertilising function within the framework of farming’s socio-economic functions as a whole; this overview allows possible improvements to be thought about. In increasingly tighter-packed farming systems, where relations between farming and stock-breeding are becoming more and more important, organizing fertility transfer cannot be separated from the management of space by the societies concerned. In technical terms, stress is laid on the difficulties involved in fertilizer matter transport and on the vital role that animal locomotion can play. For each of these themes, the present analysis brings to light certain shortcomings in the knowledge acquired and enables priority research requirements to be identified.