Report on development alternatives in the Dilly Pastoral Zone

To aid in reducing these limitations, this study reports on livestock production, constraints to production, feasibility of development alternatives, topographical and climatic characteristics, and grazing patterns in Mali"s Dilly Pastoral Zone (DPZ). Although inadequate and unreliable data and the lack of a qualified sociologist, animal husbandry expert, and full-time economist marred the effectiveness of the report, three major constraints to livestock production in the DPZ were found: fire (1/3 of the DPZ, representing 200,000 tons of forage, burned during the 1979-80 grazing season); poor range conditions (e.g., burned land susceptible to erosion and desertification, overgrazing around permanent water supplies, and imbalance of forage between rainy and dry seasons); and water deficiencies (90% of the DPZ has water during the rainy season, but only 25% has water during the dry season). The first development alternative, maximum investment in the DPZ, includes fire control, water development, and range management, and is judged as too costly. The second, to develop only one of the maximum investment components, seems impractical because complete DPZ development requires development of all the components. The last alternative, to concentrate livestock development efforts on the Test Perimeter (a small pilot area within the DPZ), was selected as the most cost-effective alternative because all maximum investment components can be perfected there and implemented throughout the DPZ as funding permits. Recommendations include: establish a three-person core staff for the pilot area supplemented by research and technical specialists equivalent to 3 person-years; build facilities to house, transport, and properly equip expatriate advisors; secure frequent radio contact and energy supplies from the rear base in Bamako; and adopt the original management plan for the Test Perimeter making it the center for training and extension activities in livestock management. Appended are a 14-item bibliography (1974-80) and maps detailing proposed management units and recently drilled wells in the DPZ, underutilized areas and water resources in the DPZ, the extent of water development in the Test Perimeter, and location of the DPZ and Test Perimeter.