Launching a support for small Eastern sheep farmers

The Department of Agriculture continues its support actions for breeders for the reconstruction of livestock national sheep. An operation is thus scheduled for the region of l’Orientalwhere thesheep farming among the most important agricultural sectors.

The project is part of the Solidarity agriculture program centered on farming. Its objective is the reconstruction of the livestock and the development of the breeding of sheep and goats for the benefit of small breeders in vulnerable areas having undergone significant losses of livestock in recent years.

This will allow the improvement of the income of the population concerned, the creation of a middle class of breeders, the promotion ofjob of the young and women in rural environment. The program includes six components. This is the nutrition animalethrough the supply ofalimony subsidized to breeders, technical supervision aimed at improving the productivity of sheep, goat, bovins et camelidsas well as the animal health. Little breeding ruminants is a main activity of the vulnerable population in the rural environment in the region ofOujda. It is a traditional breeding hampered by several natural, technical and organizational constraints. The number of breeders of small ruminants is estimated at more than 3,411 breeders.

The size of the herds is very variable, going from 2 heads to more than 1,000 heads per breeder. The average size is estimated at 50 heads per breeder. These are sedentary breeders who also practice cereal farming andarboriculture. The breeding mode varies from semi-intensive operating collective courses and stubble in intensive mode for some specialized operations in fattening.