- Agadir ,Morocco
ELMOTTAKI Meriam
Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II, Veterinary Medecine, Graduate Student
- Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II, Comparative Anatomy, Graduate Studentadd
- noneedit
Animal traction take on particular importance in the Moroccan‘s agricultural sector. Sure enough, being an agricultural country, draft animals are used in the majority of small farms (less than 5 hectares) which represent 70% of farms in... more
Animal traction take on particular importance in the Moroccan‘s agricultural sector. Sure enough, being an agricultural country, draft animals are used in the majority of small farms (less than 5 hectares) which represent 70% of farms in Morocco .Further, the amelioration of the conditions of animal traction will contribute the augmentation of the agricultural production and improving the living standards of many rural. This present work establish an assessment of the actual situation of animal traction in Morocco, its characteristics, its yearly costs, and particularly its contribution in the national energetic assessment. For this reason, a systematic investigation into a sample of farmers and other actors in various Moroccan regions was realized, and has affected 87 farms. The study was performed on a staff of 157 draft horses in 8 regions. Various parameters were specified, including the number of draft horses on the farm, the characteristics of agricultural work done by these animals, the cost of their food and their annual maintenance costs.
It follows from this study that a large percentage of the studied drought horses (around 55%) is located in the farms of less than 8 hectares, and most of these draft animals are much used in the types of predominantly cereal farms, followed by farms with vegetable predominance. Moreover, draft animals are used for the transport of goods and people in 50% of days worked per year. However, the ground work is only less than 20% of the annual working time. Moreover, feeding these animals is highly dependent on the type of traction performed, and varies seasonally. The energy provided by the work of the draft animals corresponds to the energy provided by 16 200 tractors and represents 4.5% of the energy consumed in agriculture, which equivalent in total to nearly 20% of traction energy consumed annually by agriculture. Indeed, the work energy for the totality of draft animals yearly provides is estimated at around 535.8 Million kWh / year, equivalent to almost 500 million Dhs (2016). 46% of this energy (around 217. 9 Million kWh) is provided by the mules population, compared to 41% provided by the donkey population (nearly 249.3 Million kWh) and 13% provided by the horse population (nearly 68. 6 Million kWh).
Keywords: Draft animals, farm, animal energy, national energy assessment.
It follows from this study that a large percentage of the studied drought horses (around 55%) is located in the farms of less than 8 hectares, and most of these draft animals are much used in the types of predominantly cereal farms, followed by farms with vegetable predominance. Moreover, draft animals are used for the transport of goods and people in 50% of days worked per year. However, the ground work is only less than 20% of the annual working time. Moreover, feeding these animals is highly dependent on the type of traction performed, and varies seasonally. The energy provided by the work of the draft animals corresponds to the energy provided by 16 200 tractors and represents 4.5% of the energy consumed in agriculture, which equivalent in total to nearly 20% of traction energy consumed annually by agriculture. Indeed, the work energy for the totality of draft animals yearly provides is estimated at around 535.8 Million kWh / year, equivalent to almost 500 million Dhs (2016). 46% of this energy (around 217. 9 Million kWh) is provided by the mules population, compared to 41% provided by the donkey population (nearly 249.3 Million kWh) and 13% provided by the horse population (nearly 68. 6 Million kWh).
Keywords: Draft animals, farm, animal energy, national energy assessment.
