Fossil energy efficiency assessment of livestock systems in West Africa: Methodological adaptations and perspectives

Abstract

Fossil energy analysis appears as a relevant assessment method considering the joint challenges of livestock that will meet future growth in demand for animal protein while reducing its environmental impact,. This method enables to provide references about both fossil energy use and efficiency use by livestock systems and to design ecological intensification ways. Two previous studies dealing with its application on livestock systems from West Africa required methodological improvements. They concerned the inclusion of herd mobility, the assessment at herd level to provide a relevant comparison between different systems, the quantification of fossil energy cost of human and animal labor and accounting orf manure and animal traction as herd products. Other prospects for methodological improvement, especially concerning investigations of other livestock systems and territories, are also suggested.