In the expansive drylands of Benin, which encompass roughly 70% of the country's land area, livestock production forms the backbone of rural economies and cultural identity. These semi-arid regions sustain approximately six million grazing animals—including 2.5 million cattle, one million sheep, and 2.4 million goats—that migrate across vast distances in search of seasonal pasture and scarce water resources. Yet this traditional pastoral lifestyle confronts mounting threats from climate change, which is fundamentally altering the ecological balance of these landscapes.
The precipitation patterns that once reliably nourished seasonal pastures are undergoing dramatic transformation across West Africa. Rainy periods are contracting and becoming less predictable, while drought conditions establish themselves earlier and persist longer. Concurrently, heatwaves are increasing in both frequency and severity, pushing temperature extremes beyond historical norms. This climatic volatility triggers a cascade of negative outcomes for dairy operations that ripple through household economies. When cattle face feed shortages from desiccated grasslands and cannot adequately cool their bodies, milk production drops precipitously—often by 20-30% during peak stress periods. Thermal stress compromises immune function at the cellular level, elevating vulnerability to mastitis, tick-borne diseases, trypanosomiasis, and parasitic infections that thrive in weakened hosts. For families whose livelihoods depend directly on livestock, these impacts rapidly translate into diminished food security, reduced child nutrition, and lost income that can total months of earnings.
Recent research offers a compelling, nature-based solution that leverages traditional ecological wisdom: the strategic integration of indigenous trees into farming systems. A team of scientists monitored 447 dairy cows across 40 smallholder farms in northern Benin, directly comparing conventional open-grazing methods with established agroforestry practices. The traditional approach featured cattle roaming natural pastures with minimal on-site tree cover, though herders historically supplemented diets with collected tree foliage during critical dry spells. In contrast, the agroforestry farms represented mature systems where farmers had intentionally intercropped native tree species with livestock and crop production over multiple years.
This long-term perspective allowed researchers to assess how sustained agroforestry practices influence cattle wellbeing, productivity, and climate resilience under real-world conditions. The findings, detailed in a newly published paper, demonstrate significant and measurable advantages in both milk output and reproductive performance.
Understanding Silvopastoral and Agrosilvopastoral Systems
The investigation centered on two integrated models that represent different points on the agroforestry spectrum. Silvopastoral systems position livestock beneath tree canopies within dedicated pasture areas, creating microclimates that buffer against environmental extremes while providing direct fodder resources. Agrosilvopastoral systems weave together trees, crops, and animals in mutually beneficial spatial arrangements where each component supports the others through nutrient cycling, shade provision, and diversified production. In both configurations, indigenous species serve multiple ecological and economic functions: providing shade, delivering nutrient-rich fodder during scarcity, enhancing soil organic matter, and improving water infiltration in degraded soils.
How Trees Transform Cattle Performance
The presence of strategically planted trees fundamentally changes the grazing environment in ways that directly impact animal physiology. Shade temperatures under dense canopies can register 10-15°C lower than exposed pasture, dramatically reducing heat load on cattle and lowering respiration rates by up to 40%. This thermal amelioration improves feed conversion efficiency, as animals divert less metabolic energy to thermoregulation and more toward milk synthesis. Indigenous tree leaves offer crucial protein and minerals when herbaceous forage becomes unavailable, helping maintain body condition through seasonal bottlenecks that previously caused dramatic weight loss.
Documented Improvements in Production and Health
The study quantified several concrete benefits that translate directly to household welfare. Cows in agroforestry systems achieved consistently higher milk yields—averaging 1.5 to 2 liters more per day during the dry season—compared to their open-grazing counterparts. Researchers attributed this gain to reduced heat stress, superior nutrition from tree fodder, and enhanced overall health. Reproductive metrics also showed marked enhancement, including 15-20% higher conception rates and reduced calving intervals of approximately 30 days. Health indicators demonstrated lower incidence of climate-sensitive diseases, as the synergistic benefits of shade and nutrition bolstered immune competence and reduced tick populations in shaded environments.
Livelihood and Food Security Impacts
For resource-constrained households living on margins of profitability, these production gains carry profound significance. Increased milk supply improves household nutrition, particularly for children and pregnant women, while generating marketable surplus that can fund school fees and medical expenses. Superior reproductive performance ensures herd viability without requiring external capital for animal purchases. Reduced disease burden cuts veterinary expenses and mortality losses that typically devastate family budgets. Together, these factors forge a more robust livelihood, better insulated against climatic shocks and market fluctuations.
The Value of Indigenous Species and Local Knowledge
A critical advantage lies in its ecological appropriateness and cultural resonance. The tree species utilized—such as Faidherbia albida and other local acacias—are native to the region, naturally adapted to local soils, and familiar to communities through generations of use. This builds upon traditional ethnobotanical knowledge rather than imposing external solutions requiring costly inputs. The practice evolves existing herding traditions through intentional tree management, making it culturally acceptable and practically feasible.
Beyond farm-level benefits, landscape-scale tree integration contributes to carbon sequestration, biodiversity habitat, and soil rehabilitation. It exemplifies a nature-based solution that tackles interconnected challenges simultaneously: climate adaptation, agricultural intensification, and environmental restoration.
Supporting Wider Adoption Through Policy and Practice
The research team advocates for expanded adoption through multiple channels. Priority recommendations include cataloguing and propagating the most valuable indigenous tree species through community nurseries, developing low-cost establishment techniques accessible to illiterate smallholders, embedding agroforestry principles in agricultural extension curricula, creating premium markets for climate-resilient milk, and strengthening land tenure security to encourage long-term tree investment.
Addressing Implementation Challenges Realistically
Scaling these systems requires navigating constraints with pragmatic solutions. Land tenure uncertainty can discourage tree planting; collective action approaches can mitigate this. Competing demands for land and labor must be balanced through flexible arrangements. Initial establishment costs may challenge the poorest producers; microfinance and payment-for-ecosystem-services programs can bridge this gap. Tree-crop competition requires careful management through appropriate spacing and species selection. The study demonstrates these hurdles are surmountable when approaches are grounded in farmer innovation.
Broader Applicability Across African Drylands
Benin's experience provides a replicable template for other African drylands confronting similar climate pressures, from the Sahel to the Horn of Africa. As global climate variability escalates, affordable, ecosystem-based adaptation strategies become increasingly vital for the hundreds of millions dependent on rain-fed agriculture and pastoralism. Integrating indigenous trees into livestock systems offers a transferable model that builds resilience while generating environmental co-benefits at landscape scale.
The research validates traditional ecological knowledge while providing rigorous scientific evidence for policy action. It confirms that trees and livestock can form synergistic partnerships that enhance productivity and sustainability simultaneously. For development actors, this represents an opportunity to invest in farmer-led innovations that address climate adaptation fundamentally rather than superficially.
Supporting agroforestry expansion in Benin's drylands could convert vulnerable livestock systems into resilient, productive landscapes that secure livelihoods and ecosystems alike for coming generations. The solution lies not in costly technological imports, but in cultivating ecological relationships that have sustained communities for centuries, now refined and validated through modern scientific understanding.