Social and Zootechnical Organization of Dairy Products Management under Sahelian Conditions: The Milk Sphere. Case of the Senegal River Delta

In a Sahelian environment, the concession is a common, social, but also complex organization. An example is provided by dairy products management in pastoral and agropastoral environments. A schema of the social and zootechnical organization of such management was developed based on field work concerning farmers living in the Senegal River delta. Milking is a crucial step of milk management. It helps to shape the “milk sphere”, which contains both livestock and people who drive them. The proposed model distinguished different decision making levels: that of milkers/farmers who decided on milked quantities (production), and that of women collectors who decided individually if milked milk was for self-consumption, trade or gift. Besides, the present model helped avoid the common trap of confusing herd manager or concession head with dairy farm head