Draft Animal Power and Its Sociotechnical Environment in Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Senegal

Draft animal power is being developed in Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Senegal in an evolving environment that is characterized by government disengagement from cash crops, and general liberalization of the agricultural sector. In Senegal, the level of use of draft animal equipment is stable and has been higher than 95% for the past 25 years in the groundnut basin. In North Cameroon, although its level is below 35%, the use of draft animal power has been increasing continuously as a result of support activities by the Cotton Development Corporation. In Burkina Faso, the rate of adoption of draft animal power goes up and down in the Tapoa area depending on the existence of short-term agricultural support programs and projects. Privatization of draft animal power support services, which had been taken care of by the State, has been achieved in Senegal and is under way in the other two countries. This privatization shows that iron craftspeople and traders handle as best they can supply and repairs of equipment, and animal care. However, the new service providers (financial credits, support/consultancy, veterinary services) face difficulties in adapting their offers to the demands. In the driest zones, farming conditions require early planting and weeding, as any delay can lead to significantly reduced yields. Consequently, 90% of farms in the Senegalese groundnut basin have planting and weeding implements; in the northern part of Cameroon’s cotton belt, planting implements are absent and cereals are often planted without tillage. In the more humid zones (Tapoa area in Burkina Faso and the southern part of North Cameroon), the propitious planting period lasts longer. The early rains produce weeds that must be buried by tillage using draft animal power before planting. The diversity in the use of draft animal power and the varying degrees of privatization of agricultural support services require development agencies and research institutions to adapt their programs to the changing environment