TRANSHUMANCE MAPAND PASTORAL CALENDAR OF CATTLE HERDS EXPLOITINGTHE FORAGE RESOURCES OFTHE CLASSIFIED FOREST OF UPPER ALIBORI NORTHERN BENIN

Abstract

The Classified Forest of Upper Alibori (CFUA) is one of the favorite destinations of national and foreign transhumant who are attracted by its availability of water and forage resources. The agricultural and pastoral pressures on the biological resources of this reserve forest are intensifying, and it is important to develop the transhumance map and the pastoral calendar. The semi-structured and structured interviews with 300 actors of transhumance were conducted. The surveys had shown that transhumance within CFUA was mainly due to fodder and water research (81%), and the avoidance of conflicts between farmers and herders due to field damage (16.1%). The calendar, the itinerary followed and the length of stay of transhumant were depended on the availability of pastoral resources (61.1%) and the frequency of forest patrols in the CFUA (8.5%). The period of departure or return in transhumance remained variable according to the rainfall of the current year. Thus, the cattle herd movements started from the Sahelo-Sudanian zone (Niger, Burkina-Faso) or the riparian villages, either to join CFUA or to cross it in the direction of South Benin or Togo. These results lay the foundations for a better exploitation of the pastoral resources of the classified forest of Upper Alibori.