Structure and age dynamics of breeders in the western Algerian steppes (region of Nâama)

Abstract

This paper attempts to study the age structure of the stock breeders of the Nâama region located in the west of Algeria, and to interpret the dynamics of the classes of these ages according to breeding techniques, to know the trend of this activity that characterizes the region of Nâama recognized for its pastoral vocation. Like the other Algerian steppes, the herders of the western regions suffer from a real upheaval that has strongly impacted their lifestyle and consequently their livestock systems, under the combined effect of a number of natural and anthropogenic factors in a political, economic and social context. In order to gather the information necessary for this work, we selected a representative sample of 364 livestock holders randomly distributed across the study area, from a total number of the targeted population estimated at 6.700 breeders, setting a margin of error of 5% and a confidence rate of 95%. It emerges that the mobility of herds is in clear decline, especially transhumance, giving way to practices which present interdependence between livestock breeding and land appropriation, where sedentarization, the intensification of livestock farming and its association with some agricultural practices follow a growing trend. In addition, the mixed profile, which includes those who are both breeder and fattener, seems preferable to young breeders.