Transhumance cattle on mobility
Ghana has a rich diversity of livestock genetic resources that have over the years survived the existing harsh environmental and disease challenges. The major livestock species reared in the country are cattle, sheep, goat, pig, poultry (domestic fowl, duck, turkey and guinea fowl) grasscutter and rabbit. However, the main livestock species contributing significantly to national food security in the country comprise cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry. Cattle, sheep and goats in the country are kept mainly under agro-pastoral (mixed farming) production systems. On the other hand, pigs and poultry are normally kept under sedentary (intensive) and semi-intensive systems. Pastoralism is a production system based on extensive livestock production. It includes systems where animal/human movement is paramount such as nomadism, transhumance and semi-transhumance.
The meat consumption per person in Ghana is significantly below the global and developing countries average per capita consumption of meat. Meat and dairy products obtained from transhumance livestock contributes significantly to improving the availability and per capita consumption of meat in the country. The estimated domestic production of 195,516 MT meat in 2022 was woefully inadequate to meet the national demand. The gap between the national demand and domestic supply of meat was filled partially through the importation of 288,944 MT of frozen meat at a cost of GH¢1,351 million, equivalent to 163 million US Dollars at the time. Additional supply of meat and milk were obtained from pastoral transhumance livestock entering the country mainly on foot.
Transhumance pastoralism is an old age practice in the country carried out predominantly by nomadic herders mostly from the Sahel region of West Africa with a long history of cattle rearing and transhumance. Seasonal movement of grazing livestock by herders, in particular cattle, originating from mainly Mali and using Burkina Faso as transit country into Ghana through border areas in the North East and North West Regions is motivated by the search for pasture and water. Also, herds from Niger enter the country through Togo into the North East Region. In addition, some local cattle herders move their stock from their normal areas of operation to other areas in search of pasture and water mainly during the dry season when these commodities are in short supply as well as to avoid areas affected by livestock disease or to engage in livestock trade.
The seasonal movements of livestock are not only primarily in search of pasture but could be influenced by other factors such as climate change, epidemics, conflicts, bush burning and market forces in their operating areas, and that they do not move for the sake of it. Knowledge about pastoralism in the country is generally poor and relatively little is known about its logics, the scale and scope of pastoral movements within the country.
The movement of the transhumance livestock in the country is poorly controlled as the ECOWAS International Transhumance Protocol that regulates transhumance practice in West Africa is not strictly adhered to in the country. As such pastoral livestock enter the country not only through the approved entry points with quarantine stations but a large number of them go through unapproved points. Furthermore, Ghana does not have legally demarcated corridors nor grazing areas allocated specifically for use by pastoral livestock rendering some herds moving through farm lands and causing damage to crops. Other major causes of conflicts between crop farmers and pastoralists are contamination of water bodies by cattle, cultivating close to kraals or near cattle routes, burning of farms, cattle rustling and killing, raping of girls and women, shooting and killing of innocent people. The situation is often worsened by communication barrier between the herders and crop farmers. Despite the challenges of pastoralism, the cattle population in the country continues to rise, with some host communities unable to absorb the increase.
The herder-farmer conflicts lead to negative outcomes such as discouragement of farmers from cropping, abandoning crop farms and out-migration of some community members in affected communities. This leads to fall in output of food crops and increased prices of commodities, discouragement of prospective domestic and foreign agro-investments, and at times occurrence dealt in affected communities.
Despite the negative effects of transhumance pastoralism, the practice is of immense importance to the nation as it serves as a source of income to some livestock value chain actors through the sale of livestock for breeding. It also contributes significantly to national food and nutrition security through provision of meat and dairy products. Manure from the animals serves as invaluable organic fertilizer for maintenance and improvement of soil fertility in the rangelands, crop and vegetable farms as well as control of soil erosion. Significant portion of the income generated from sale of livestock, meat and by-products is injected into the local and national economy.
The country continues to witness farmer-herdsmen conflicts that affect the peace and food security. There was therefore a need to find a lasting solution to the perennial conflicts by implementing appropriate strategies that will ensure adequate water and feed resources as well as health care for livestock under the various pastoral systems, and that herdsmen adhere strictly to lay down regulations on pastoral practice while ensuring that the country derives optimum benefit from the system. In view of the negative effects of herder-crop farmer conflicts, the Ministers for Food and Agriculture and National Security set up the Ghana Cattle Ranching and Transhumance Committee (GCRTC) to develop sustainable proposals and strategies to resolve the challenges of transhumance and improve domestic cattle production to conform with the status quo of the efforts being led by the ECOWAS to curb the excesses of transhumance and improve domestic production in the West Africa sub-region. The membership of the Committee comprises representatives of some ministries, Farmer Organisations, Civil Society Organisations, Fulbe Chiefs and the Academia. The GCRTC has a Technical team of experts, with some them coming from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Animal Research Institute.
By Dr. Kwame Oppong-Anane, Ghana Cattle Ranching and Transhumance Committee and Dr. Doris Yaa Osei, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Animal Research Institute