Niamana livestock market in Mali

At the Niamana Livestock Market, in Bamako, the largest in Mali, animals for sale and slaughter including trypanosomosis-resistant humpless Ndama cattle and humped Zebu (photo credit: ILRI/Stevie Mann).

A new study published in the April 2013 issue of the journal Environmental Economics has identified the key cattle attributes considered most important by smallholders in the Malian humid and sub-humid zones, and the implications on production, marketing and animal genetic resource management.

The study found that the body condition, agroecological origin and category of the transacted animal were the most important attributes of cattle sold in selected markets in the Malian humid and sub-humid zones.

These findings will enable producers and traders of trypanotolerant Ndama cattle to make more informed production and marketing decisions because they would be better informed about how the attributes of cattle they put on the market are rewarded or penalized.

Access the abstract and full-text article

Citation
Fadiga ML. 2013. Valuation of cattle attributes in the Malian humid and sub-humid zones and implications for sustainable management of endemic ruminant livestock. Environmental Economics 4(1): 39-50.