Mohamed Ould Ahmed

Camel farming occupies a growing place in the Mauritanian pastoral economy. The profitability of camel milk production, particularly in peri-urban systems around major cities, remains poorly documented, despite the country’s persistent dependence on dairy imports. This study aimed to assess the economic performance of peri-urban dairy camel farms and to identify the technical and socio-economic characteristics associated with their gross margin. Data were collected from 60 camel milk producer-traders distributed across four peri-urban roadside axes of Nouakchott; 59 farms with complete records were retained for analysis. These data were recorded using a semi-structured questionnaire (April-May 2024) and then analyzed by descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and standardized multiple linear regression. Results show that the farms generated an average annual gross margin of 355,588 MRU (∼9,000 USD) per farmer, generated mainly by milk sales (65% of revenue) and constrained mainly by feed costs (73% of expenditure). Multiple regression showed that gross margin per lactating camel increased significantly with the proportion of milk marketed, lactation length and daily milk yield (adjusted R ² = 0.20, p = 0.007), whereas herd size, camel type and farmers’ education level had no significant effect on gross margin per animal, indicating that profitability per lactating camel was associated with milk collection and lactation management rather than with herd expansion; sensitivity analyses showed that herd size nonetheless remained significantly associated with total farm income, indicating that its irrelevance is specific to per-animal profitability rather than to farm income as a whole. These findings suggest that extension and investment programs targeting peri-urban dairy camel farming should prioritize improving milk collection, market access and lactation management rather than herd-size growth, in order to strengthen the economic resilience of camel-farming households in Mauritania.

The Moorish zebu supports pastoral livelihoods in Mauritania, but regional morphometric variation has not been quantified using a common field protocol. To describe phenotypic variation among adult lactating cows from three Mauritanian regions and explore whether the sample contained distinct morphometric groups. A purposive cross-sectional sample included 352 cows from 158 herds in Hodh Chargui, Brakna, and Trarza. Sixteen direct measurements, estimated body weight, 16 zoometric indices, and six qualitative traits were recorded. Regional comparisons used one-way analysis of variance; LDA, PCA, and K-means explored multivariable structure. Associations with recorded milk yield were examined in 349 cows. LDA classification was validated by leave-one-herd-out cross-validation across the 158 sampled herds. Nominal regional differences were most evident for thoracic dimensions, estimated weight, and udder traits. Herd-grouped LDA classified 59.5% of cows to their region of origin, 2.9 points lower than non-grouped cow-level validation (62.4%). Three principal components explained 50.3% of variance. A three-group partition had weak separation (silhouette = 0.281, versus 0.298 for two groups). Teat length showed the largest unadjusted correlation with daily milk yield (r = 0.381). The exploratory three-trait model had non-nested cross-validated R ² = 0.162 and RMSE = 1.19 L/d. Sampled cows displayed overlapping regional morphometric variation rather than discrete regional types. This study nonetheless provides the first multi-region, herd-aware morphometric description of Moorish zebu cows in Mauritania, establishing provisional descriptive references while showing why current evidence does not yet support a breed standard, regional genetic subdivision, or phenotypic selection criterion; the proposed clusters and milk model require independent, herd-aware validation.

Background: Morphometric traits, defined as quantitative and qualitative measures of animal form and structure, are key indicators of goats’ adaptation to ecosystems. They also shed light on the interaction between genetics and the environment. Aim: This study characterizes the morphometric diversity of goats in four ecoregions: the local Arbia breed in 3 regions in Algeria and the Sahel breed in the Sahel region of Mauritania. Methods: Principal Component Analysis and Mahalanobis distances were used to reveal the phenotypic characteristics of 736 adult goats. Results: We identified three groups. Group 1, which includes desert and Sahelian regions, shows the highest divergence between goats (distance = 4.599), reflecting their contrasting adaptations: compact morphology in arid environments (HW = 65.1 cm, BL = 71.7 cm), and elongated necks in the Sahel (NL = 27.3 cm). Conversely, goats in the coastal and pastoral areas are morphologically closer (distance = 1.741), and form two distinct groups: group 2 includes robust goats (HW = 66.6 cm), typical of pastoral steppes, while goats in group 3 (coastal) have a deep chest (CD = 35.0 cm). These results suggest that ecological isolation is more likely to occur in extreme regions (desert/Sahel), whereas in temperate zones (coastal/pastoral), goat populations tend to be more homogeneous. Conclusions: The study advocates conservation strategies to improve goats’ water resilience in arid regions and optimize their productivity in pastoral areas. It also emphasizes the importance of integrating genomic data to further our understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms underlying the different adaptations.

Small ruminants play a significant role in Mauritanian culture and traditions. The purpose of this study was to characterize the breeding system of two locally dominant breeds, the Sahelian goat and the Ladem sheep. This characterization was based on the technical and socio-economic characteristics of the breeders, as well as the morpho-biometric features of the animals. The study was conducted between April and June 2019 and involved 45 breeders located around two small ruminant pilot farms in the Benichab and Kankoussa departments of Mauritania. A questionnaire was administered to the breeders and sixteen measurements were taken on 303 animals (185 goats and 118 sheep). Small ruminant breeding in the study sites is practiced by both men (55%) and women (45%). Breeding can be focused solely on goats (38%), solely on sheep (9%), or include both species (53%). The average herd size is 20 ± 15 for goats and 19 ± 16 for sheep. For the Sahel goat, the height at the wither ranges from 68 to 78 cm in males and from 63 to 76 cm in females, while the body weight ranges from 20 to 43 kg. The most common morphotypes are multicolored (71%), with unicolored animals being less common (29%). As for the Ladem sheep (also known as Touabire), the height at the wither ranges from 70 to 87 cm in males and from 64 to 85 cm in females. The body weight ranges from 25 to 62 kg. The coat is predominantly white with black spots (91%), sometimes red or grey-spotted. The survey also identified the breeding objectives of the farmers. The breeders primarily reported objectives of conformation and growth performances (68%), followed by dual-purpose milk/meat production traits (32%) for the Ladem sheep. In the case of the Sahelian goat, milk production (73%) is the predominant objective, followed by dual-purpose milk/meat production traits (27%). Based on the collected information, tailored selection schemes have been proposed for the Ladem sheep and the Sahelian goat to improve their performances, enhance their breeding, and maintain a focus on the sustainability and resilience of these two local breeds in Mauritania.

(1) Background: Milk is an important product in Mauritania both for livelihood and food and nutritional security. (2) Methods: In this study, we examine the economic performance of cattle farms in the Hodh Chargui region using data from a cross-sectional survey of 50 farms conducted in 2023. (3) Results: The results showed that the most significant cost item was animal feed (54%), followed by labor (40%) and charges induced by health and watering (3% each). In terms of income, the sale of young males accounted for the largest portion (48%), followed by the sales of dry cows (20%), lactating cows (17%), adult males (8%), and milk (7%). The average gross margin was MRU 131,697.82 ± 509,571.84 (equivalent to USD 3300.69 ± 12,771.22) per breeder per year. Out of the farms surveyed, 46% (23/50) reported a positive gross margin, while 54% reported a negative gross margin. (4) Conclusions: These results indicate a wide range of profitability, from lowest to highest, and suggest the need for improved management of cattle farms in Hodh Chargui in order to enhance their economic efficiency.

Résumé: Cette étude a été entreprise dans trois villages de la région de Trarza en Mauritanie, afin de caractériser la poule locale. Dans les trois villages enquêtés tous les éleveurs ont été interviewés suivant un questionnaire rédigé en français et traduit oralement enhassanyaou enpoular(langues nationales) si nécessaire. Au total, 56 ménages ont été enquêtés et 260 oiseaux (69 coqs et 191 poules) ont été pesés et mesurés. Il ressort de l’étude que l'aviculture familiale est une activité sous la responsabilité des femmes. Malgré son importance socio-économique, elle n'est pas considérée comme une activité principale chez les enquêtés. L'alimentation, la santé et la faible productivité des poules ont été déclarées comme les principales préoccupations des éleveurs. L’âge moyen des poules à l'entrée en ponte est de 6 mois. Le poids moyen des mâles est de 1324 ± 249 g. Celui des femelles est de 1028 ± 229 g. Le poids moyen pour les deux sexes confondus est de 1107 ± 268 g. Le poids moyen de l’œuf est de 31 ± 4,81 g. Le poids moyen de poussin d'un jour est de 26 ± 6,03 g. Toutes les mensurations corporelles considérées sont plus élevées significativement (p < 0,05) chez les mâles. La variabilité observée des caractères permet d'envisager des possibilités de sélection de souches répondant aux besoins des éleveurs. Chez la poule locale le plumage est très varié et présente plusieurs colorations.