Socioeconomic and genetic monitoring for conserving the cultural inheritance in the indigenous "Lobi" cattle of southwestern Burkina Faso

Cooperating countries: Burkina Faso and Austria

Coordinating institution: Pamela Burger, Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien

Partner institutions: Albert Soudré, Institut Africain pour le Développement Economique et Social; Institute of Environment and Agricultural Research; International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas; Universite Norbert Zongo; University Nazi Boni

Project duration: 1 September 2021 - 31 August 2025

Lobi cattle are a cultural heritage and have an important socio-economic role in south-western Burkina Faso, particularly in the society of the Lobi ethnic group. This animal is specifically used in sociocultural activities such as matrimonial compensations and sacrifices; it contributes to the rituals and reinforcement of social relationships. At biological level, Lobi as other taurine cattle are trypanotolerant, a biological heritable trait of resistance against trypanosomes. The genomic set-up of the Lobi cattle is unique among other cattle breeds from south-western Burkina Faso. Yet, the productivity of this small indigenous breed is very low and crossbreeding with local Zebu cattle is practiced to increase their body size. However, unsupervised crossbreeding leads to introgression of Zebu genes into West African taurine and possibly to the dilution of their trypanotolerant ability. Building on the results of our previous APPEAR (Austrian Partnership Programme in Higher Education and Research for Development) Project 120 “Characterisation of local cattle breeds in Burkina Faso (LoCaBreed)”, this proposed project focus on the implementation and socio-economic evaluation of community-based Lobi cattle breeding. Together with Lobi farmers we aim at establishing best-practise guidelines for selective breeding, on the one hand to increase body size, on the other hand to conserve the genetic integrity of this cultural important breed. This project is application-oriented and based on a long-standing partnership between the University Nobert Zongo, Koudougou, the University Nazi Boni in Bobo-Dioulasso, and Vetmeduni Vienna. The strength of this partnership is the excellent scientific and complementary expertise between both coordinators and the project participants, as the team has been working together very successfully in
the past three years and built a most effective infrastructure and network. The planned workshops and trainings for Lobi farmers will particularly involve women and young people in the community-based Lobi cattle breeding, which will help fighting rural exodus. It will strengthen the capacity of women to have equal access to resources and is one way to increase their empowerment by being economically more independent. Our project addresses several Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 1, 2, 5, 8, 10, 12 and 13. As such, it will contribute to solving local challenges to fight poverty, improve nutrition
and achieve gender equality.

The Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) are defined by the Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) in the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). There are seventeen goals set in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015. The cooperation research project is relevant to four goals from these SDGs, which are the following.

• Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
• Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
• Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
• Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

The cooperation research project is considering Performances-Related Specifications (PRS) for Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA). The investment in building roads and highways could be split into earthwork, pavement construction and structures building. The pavement has, usually, several layers. The most cost-sensitive layers are those built with HMA materials, which could be either surface or base layers. This project address the mechanical properties of these expensive and bitumen-based materials in order to bring their cost-effectiveness. This project aims to provide optimization for the pavement design especially in the bitumen treated layers. This project could, then, reduce bulk materials consumptions and decrease the carbon footprint of transportation infrastructure projects. Besides, the project may extend the durability and avoid premature failures of the pavement. Thus, the maintenance costs and pollution are moderated. This project is up to enhance the efficiency of the public investment. The sustainability is a main concern of this project. According to the SDGs, this project will meet Goal 9 under target 9.5:

“Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending.”

Besides, it is a research project in a developing country with the help of a developed country. So, the project is up to fulfill Goal 4 under target 4.b:

“By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programs, in developed countries and other developing countries”.

The forecasted results are up to improve investment in infrastructure for transportation projects. Thus, the project may reach Goal 11 under target 11.2:

“By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons”.

The project is partnership program based on knowledge exchange and mobility. Then, the project is able to achieve Goal 17 under target 17.7:

“Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favorable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed”.

The Sustainable Mobility for All (SuM4All) Initiative launched by the World Bank in agreement with the SDGs consider four aspects for mobility of goods and people which are equitability, efficiency, safety and greenish of transportation. The project could provide more efficiency and greener roads projects. It minimizes in a considerable manner the cost of the investment. Therefore, it ensures that demand for mobility is met at the least possible cost for society. Moreover, the project intends to lower the carbon footprint. The environmental footprint is reduced as well. This project is compliant with SuM4All initiative. Furthermore, the degree of implementation of PRS for HMA could be a benchmark to measure the convenience of given roads and highways projects to the SuM4All initiative.