Updated knowledge on breeding and feeding systems of sheep raised in Beni Mathar steppe of eastern Morocco
Oumaima Mahir | Abdelmajid Bechchari
The breeding of small ruminants is the main means of livelihood and job provider for the population of the Eastern region in Morocco, with increasingly frequent use of concentrated feed without abandoning grazing. The objective of this study is to update knowledge on breeding and feeding systems of sheep raised in Beni Mathar steppe of eastern Morocco. The study was conducted through a survey of eighty-three sheep farms in the rural area of eastern Morocco. After multidimensional analyzes based on feed management and on the form the rangeland uses, three distinct groups of breeding systems in the study area were obtained. The first system included the subsistence pastoral farms (n=53) with a feeding system based mainly on stubble grazing with an annual supplementation of 25815 FU. The second one included peasant pastoral farms (n=12) grazing mainly on natural pastures and providing an annual supplement of 72374 FU. Finally, the third system is composed of speculative pastoral farms (n=14) which also benefit from the free fodder units of the rangelands but supplemented at about 103514 FU per year. The result of this study encourages to take development measures appropriate to the specific conditions and resources of each system.
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