Population pressure, migration and urbanisation: Impacts on crop–livestock systems development in West Africa

The population of West Africa has risen rapidly in the past 40 years and is expected to continue rising. However, rural population has increased slowly while urban population has grown dramatically. The result has been an increase in demand for cereals and pulses (which produce crop residues for livestock) and a much increased urban demand for livestock products. Grazing land has diminished, crop residues are becoming a more important element in livestock raising, and fattening penned livestock has become profitable. The changes in land use, land tenure and the shift of livestock raising southwards in West Africa are illustrated. Farmers ’ ability to adapt to changing markets for their products and the factors of production are illustrated with examples fro