The phenomenon of transhumance affects Bouillagui, which sometimes has to find solutions to its negative effects, but manages to use the fertilising potential of the animals.
Transhumance and deforestation
Bouillagui is on the border of Mauritania, so every rainy season, if there is not enough rain or a lack of rain in Mauritania, their transhumant people move to Mali with their livestock, sheep, cows, goats and camels etc.
During this period the Bouillagui forest is devastated because of the cutting of trees by these foreigners in order to feed their animals well, and likewise when the animals return to their respective countries. As a result, this threatens the crop fields and degrades the forest.
In order to prevent the degradation of the forest of Bouillagui, the inhabitants have created an association called Garde Forestiers de Bouillagui to monitor and watch over the abusive cutting of trees which leads to deforestation.
Re-enriching the land, by Waly Traoré (Bouillagui, Mali)
Seven years ago a large area of land was set aside for maize cultivation in Bouillagui, but due to climate change and other factors that destroy the land, the land has become unfit for cultivation.
The solution found to enrich this land without chemical fertilisers is the following. During the transhumance of cattle, sheep or goats, the transhumancers are often asked to settle on this land to enrich it with natural fertilisers such as cow dung and other wastes.
It has been almost a year since this enriched land has become arable again and also profitable at harvest time.
By Waly Traoré
Auteur/autrice
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