Natural products for upgrading sustainability of land resources and landscapes: the case of the Argan forest
In: Livestock farming systemsSearch for other papers by A. El Aich in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by A. Bourbouze in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by P. Bas in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by P. Morand-Fehr in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Purchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
The argan forest in southwestern Morocco is a three-component farming system based essentially on barley, the argan tree and the goat. Barley has several functions: it is part of the staple diet, while its straw, stubble and grain are also used as animal feed. The second component, the argan tree (having a dual role as fodder and fruit tree), constitutes the core of this agrarian system. The local goat breed constitutes the third component.
Forty heads is the usual herd size of small ruminants, with goats predominating at 80%, followed by sheep at 20% (de Ponteves et al., 1990; Boscher, 1992). Goats predominate because they are better adapted to the argan forest rangeland than sheep, thanks to their ability to climb.
Sylvo-pastoral resources, shrubs and argan trees, provide 51% of these herds’ feed on a year-round basis. Stubble, which provides about 9.5% of the feed requirements (Boscher, 1992), is used from June to September. Direct feed inputs from the farm and purchased feed from the market (straw, argan and barley pulp) cover 7.2 and 32.2% of the livestock feed needs respectively (Boscher, 1992). Argan pulp (Aligue, i.e. dried pulp of argan fruits) is the supplement fed to animals by herdsmen when pasture grows thinner. Livestock owners differ as to the quantity of feed they distribute and the frequency of its distribution. Argan pulp is usually fed between October and December.
On the basis of flock size, five types of producers have been identified. Goat performances are generally poor. Feed is mainly provided by sylvo-pastoral resources. Grazing on the argan trees is very important, especially during drought periods. According to the period of the year, the contribution of argan leaves and fruit to the goat’s diet ranges from 47 to 85%.
The typicality of goat meat from the argan area was studied in two experiments. Each experiment was carried out with 3 groups of 6 male goats, either reared indoors or grazing in the argan forest, with or without a concentrate. In the argan area, the growth rate of goats receiving no energy supplementation was very low in the first experiment (34 g/d), but it was relatively high in the second experiment (64 g/d), under conditions of more herbaceous vegetation. In the second experiment, the weights of omental and perirenal adipose tissues were the lowest in the 2 groups of goats raised in the argan area. Goats from the argan area had the highest percentages of odd FA, branched-chain FA, and n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated FA, but the lowest percentage of palmitic acid. The low fat content of the meat of goats reared in the argan area and the fatty acid profile render this meat more beneficial to consumers’ health.