Place et rôle de l’élevage dans les systèmes de production agricoles en régions semi-arides de l’est de l'Algérie

Place and role of livestock farming in the agricultural production systems of the semi-arid region of Eastern Algeria

The association of cereal growing and livestock rearing, with fallow grazing (by sheep and by cattle), which is observed on the farms of the upper semi-arid plains of Eastern Algeria, may be considered as resulting from strategies to ensure the sustainability of the farms that are worth analysing.
The analysis of the diversity of production systems on the farms of this region identifies several types in relation to the structural and environmental factors. The study of the choice of enterprise, of the forage system, of the livestock-rearing system, and of the production goals throws light on the orientations of these production systems, which are largely dependent on the climatic storey and the availability of irrigation water. When the working of the whole system is considered, the cropping system (fallows included) and the rearing of livestock are found to be mutually serviceable. The form and the organization of the livestock farming and of the forage systems, together with the adjustments of stock numbers and of the management of flocks and herds relatively to the resources and their variability (especially through the use of fallows) are thus able to meet various goals.