Establishing a Catalogue of Cattle Breeds in West Africa at African Union (AU)

Background

The African Union Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) is a specialized technical Office of the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA) of the African Union Commission (AUC). AU-IBAR's mandate is to support and coordinate the utilization of livestock, fisheries and wildlife as a resource for both human wellbeing and economic development in the Member States of the African Union (AU). The mission of AU-IBAR is to provide leadership in the development of animal resources for Africa through supporting and empowering AU Member States and regional Economic Communities (RECs). Under this mission, AU-IBAR has developed a framework to mainstream livestock in the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development program (CAADP) pillars. Sustainable utilization of AnGR is a priority area under pillar 4 of the AU framework. In order to successfully implement this strategy, AU-IBAR has received a financial support from the European Union (EU) to implement a project which focuses on "Strengthening the Capacity of African Countries to Conservation and Sustainable Utilisation of African Animal Genetic Resources".

The project "Strengthening the Capacity of African Countries to Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of African Animal Genetic Resources" aims at strengthening the capacity of African countries and Regional Economic Communities to sustainably use and conserve animal genetic resources (AnGR) through institutionalizing national and regional policy, legal and technical instruments and implementing actions that will result in judicious exploitation of AnGR in Africa. This is achieved through:

• Establishing the status and trends of animal genetic resources in Africa
• Developing policy frameworks for the sustainable utilization and conservation of AnGR
• Establishing national and regional utilization, conservation and improvement strategies and initiatives
• Increasing knowledge, attitude and practice on the use and contribution of livestock to economic growth, food security and poverty reduction.

Context of the Consultancy

Livestock is an important economic activity in many West African countries, characterized by a substantial wealth in animal genetic resources. Indeed, almost all animal species can be found there that are well adapted to their specific environment but unevenly distributed. Several complex and interactive factors such as human needs, adaptability of a species, agro-climatic conditions, selection and rearing practices have resulted in development of cattle breeds. Amongst domestic species, cattle feature prominently in the rearing of productive livestock. There are two main groups or types of cattle in Africa: zebus (Bos indicus), which are cattle with a cervico-thoracic hump and adapted to dry areas, and bulls (Bos taurus) which are cattle without a cervico-thoracic hump, found in forest wetland areas. To these two types are added their crosses. Each breed should be regarded as a specific gene aggregate, serving specific purposes in particular agro-ecological zones. These breeds are full of variability and have many positive traits such as a remarkable resistance to disease, improved tolerance against heat, moisture and nutritional stress, and a host of other characteristics adapted to particular agro-climatic environments. These breeds are more effective in the feed conversion in a crop-residue-based nutritious diet. With imminent threats from climate change and drastic reduction in crop productivity, West African cattle breeds, owing to their qualities, will be sought after, and therefore the conservation of these endangered breeds requires not only a national priority, but also an international one. Any selection or improvement programme requires a detailed inventory of the available animal breeds. The Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources recognizes that a good understanding of breed characteristics is required to guide decision-making in breeding development and selection programmes. It is strongly believed that negligence and lack of accurate information on the diversity and status of existing animal genetic resources increase the alarming rate of irreversible loss of genetic diversity. Such losses reduce opportunities to improve food security, to reduce poverty and to achieve sustainable farming practices. The advent of the national sovereignty era over genetic resources under the Convention on Biological Diversity requires an approach for describing and listing livestock breeds. This implies that member states protect their animal genetic resources, which are sovereign and have well-defined characteristics, through a national documentation system.

In this context, in order to ensure the identity and protection of valuable animal genetic resources and to facilitate their access to genetic improvement and economic use, the African Union Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU- BIRA) seeks to identify and hire a consultant for the development of a catalogue of cattle breeds in West Africa.

Objectives

The objective of the consultation is to establish a catalogue of cattle breeds in West Africa. The proposed action is a concerted effort to motivate, document and network for in situ conservation and use of underutilized bovine genetic resources in West Africa. In addition to a simple list of breeds, the catalogue will also contain other useful information from an economic, ecological and environmental perspective. Including this useful information appears justified in order to bestow on the catalogue the character of a complete inventory of useful species to the communities, whatever their current commercial status.
Specifically, the consultant will have to:

• Collect, compile and organize, in one catalogue, information on cattle genetic resources in West Africa, from all available sources.
• Disseminate information in an easily accessible way to all stakeholders (researchers, trainers, students, extension staff, policy makers, livestock breeders, farmers, etc.).

Expected Results

• In one catalogue, information on West African cattle genetic resources from all available sources is collected, compiled and organized.
• Information is disseminated in an easily accessible way to all stakeholders.

Deliverables

Inception Report (IR)

An inception report (IR) within 5 days of signing the contract. The IR coming in no more than 10 pages should include the proposed methodology, the timetable and activity schedule, the sites to be visited, the persons to interview and an overview of the contents of the final technical report.

Technical Interim Report (TIR)

The technical interim report is considered the initial draft of the Final Technical Report (FTR) before a final copy is formally and officially submitted to AU-IBAR for acceptance.

Final Technical Report (FTR)

The final technical report (RTF) should take into account inputs and comments from relevant stakeholders and AU-IBAR. The draft final report must be submitted at the end of the time allocated to task performance. Once validated, three (03) copies of the consultation’s final report, in which the raw data obtained is annexed, must be submitted to AU-IBAR. The final report must be submitted at the end of the time allocated to task performance within a maximum of three calendar months from the date of signing of the contract.

Term of Consultation

The consultation will be carried out within 45 working days, from the day of the signing of the contract.