Global breeding programs

Community based breeding programs for local cattle in Burkina Faso: Design and eight years of implementation

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Abstract

Community based breeding programs (CBBP) have gained popularity in a range of countries in Africa, and other continents, mostly for sheep and goat. CBBP are designed in a participatory process, taking into account farmers' needs and the local infrastructure. The aim of this study is to provide an overview after eight years of CBBP implementation in Burkina Faso, highlighting the performance and selection indicators achieved. In 2016, researchers and farmers designed the first set of CBBP for cattle in the hot, semi-humid area. Originally, three programs were established in three communities, involving a total of 100 farmers and approximately 2,000 animals: one breeding program involved pure Lobi cattle in a sedentary system, another involved taurine-Zebu crosses in a sedentary system, and the third involved taurine-Zebu crosses in a transhumant system. All farmers chose body size and trypanosoma tolerance as their traits of interest and repeated recording was implemented for body weight (based on weighing bands). A phenotypic index of body weight at selection (at the age of about 36 months) and body weight gain in the year, reflecting trypanosoma tolerance, was designed. Trained community members recorded the traits, partner institutions ranked candidates using genetic evaluation principles, and a community-only selection committee chose the breeding bulls. After eight years of implementation, five selection cycles involving 278 candidates were carried out, resulting in the selection of 92 breeding bulls. The process of selection was very well received by the farmers. The exchange of breeding bulls between physically distant groups of farmers was well accepted by the Lobi people, but not by the Fulani, against their original commitment. Therefore, the program with Fulani cattle owners was discontinued. In the second phase of the CBBP, genetic testing using a small number of ancestry-informative SNP markers was implemented to improve selection and identify pure Lobi and Lobi x Zebu crosses/composites as some farmers prefer crossbred animals because they are larger. The average body weight at selection was 179.42 kg for pure Lobi bulls with an average daily gain of 3.50 g and 249.97 kg and daily gain of 21.63 g for crossbred bulls in the first phase of the programme. In the second phase the daily gain was 25.24 g and 43.60 g respectively for Lobi and crossbred bull. It has been recommended not to use a bull for more than 3 years in a herd. Unselected bulls are castrated/sold out. Breeding associations were formed and rules formally established. Currently, about 70 farmers are registered in the pure Lobi program, and about 30 farmers in the crossbred program. The experience is that CBBP are very well accepted by farmers, implemented in collaboration with local research institutions and supported by ongoing national promotion efforts.

Keywords: 2026

How to Cite:

Akounda, B., Burger, P., Gebre, K., Mészáros, G., Mwai, O., Ouédraogo, D., Ouédraogo-Koné, S., Sölkner, J., Soudré, A., Traore, A., Wurzinger, M., Yougbaré, B. & Zongo, P., (2026) “Community based breeding programs for local cattle in Burkina Faso: Design and eight years of implementation”, World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production Digital Archive 2026(1): 2286499. doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/wcgalp.24030

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