Livestock and Livelihoods in Urban Niger

Ugo Pica-Ciamarra, Luca Tasciotti
2018 Journal of Global South Studies  
This paper will measure the magnitude played by livestock activities in urban Niger to determine which are the main socioeconomic determinants for keeping livestock in urban environments. Almost 40 percent of the households in urban Niger keep livestock, mainly as a source of additional income; urban households are more likely to keep small ruminants and poultry rather than large ruminants, as land and feed are not easily available in urban areas. Poorer households are more likely to rear
more » ... ock than the better-off ones, even though wealthy dwellers keep a higher number of animals; male-headed households tend to have a higher number of animals than female-headed ones. Keeping livestock significantly contributes to the livelihood of poor households as it represents an additional and significance source of income, hence playing a major role when facing unexpected expenses. Both descriptive and empirical tests show that keeping livestock does not constitute a source of animal food in the household's nutrition. Understanding the role that livestock activities play in the urban context is important for local governments and development organizations to better tailor define and address livestock related policies. This is the accepted version of an article published by University
doi:10.1353/gss.2018.0006 fatcat:pnlpmcizyfbfbffdvglz3bbwqe