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Breeders in West Africa are increasingly turning to the Maradi red goat and "Balami" sheep, two goat and sheep breeds that are very popular in Niger, and which scientific research has shown to be more adaptable to climate change and genetically rich.

Within the framework of the West African Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP), one of the most successful agricultural programs in the region, West African countries have intensified their cooperation not only in agricultural research, but also in the transfer of innovative technologies.

These technology transfers have enabled poor livestock breeders in Mali and other countries to increase their incomes, while finding additional food resources for themselves.

In 2016, IER, the Institut d'Economie Rurale, Mali's leading agricultural research institute, imported around 1,000 "Balami" sheep from Niger, which were distributed to herders in the Koulikoro, Ségou and Mopti regions. The main aim of this initiative was to strengthen the resilience of livestock breeders in Mali, and to improve the sheep and livestock value chain in general.

Millions of farmers in Mali consider small ruminants to be their primary source of subsistence income. According to the CGIAR Livestock and Fish Research Program, raising small ruminants is considered a fully-fledged income-generating activity, and is even crucial in the fight against poverty and malnutrition in rural areas.

In Bla, a town some 400 kilometers east of the Malian capital, Bamako, a group of 10 women received the new breed of sheep from Niger. After around 18 months of breeding the 'Balami', many indicators point to an increase in the women's income and an improvement in their living conditions.

"I'm essentially a housewife, and raising Balami is my main economic activity. When I have two, for example, I sell one and use the money to solve my problems," says Ms. Domboua.

Although Mali and Niger are neighboring countries and share the same environmental realities, the transfer of livestock from one ecological zone to another, and from one country to another, can pose considerable challenges.

Adapting this breed has been difficult, not only because of their enormous dietary requirements, but also because we've had to make extra efforts to care for them in terms of cleaning and vaccination," adds Ms. Domboua.

Nevertheless, for this 31-year-old mother of two, the new breed of sheep is relatively better than the previous species she owned.

Its meat is tender, and people appreciate it enormously. Customers flock to it every time I bring meat to sell at the market," says Ms. Domboua.

Livestock farming has an important cultural value and represents a significant source of subsistence for millions of families in Mali and West Africa in general.

Some five million people are livestock farmers in Mali, most of them women, according to the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish.

As for the Bla women's group in Mali, their ambition is to expand their activities despite the difficulties associated with access to credit.

We are now approaching Tabaski, the biggest Muslim holiday. If we had sufficient financial resources, we would have developed our business to meet the growing demand for sheep, which would also have enabled us to make a lot of profit and help our families," explains one breeder.

The ten women who raise "Balami" sheep in Bla have set up an association to which they make a modest contribution of 500 FCFA (1 USD) per month. They save money in the bank in the hope that when their capital becomes substantial, they will be able to use it as collateral to obtain a loan to develop their sheep-breeding business.

Niger is home to the National Center for Specialization in Livestock and Meat in West Africa.

The Maradi red goat produced at CNS bétail et viande has been exported to Mali, Senegal, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire and other countries in the region.

Experts say that prices for this species are becoming more attractive with its ability to adapt to new environments, its resistance to climate change, in addition to its recognized nutritional qualities.

In many of the communities where it has been adopted, including Bla, there is abundant evidence of its real contribution to poverty reduction and to the food and nutritional security of small-scale livestock farmers.