Strategic approach to achieving milk self-sufficiency and rehabilitation of pastoral areas

Abstract

Biodiversity is the natural repository of all animal, plant and microbial resources. These resources are the biological basis of food security. The diversity of local species and the genetic diversity they contain play a major role in economic, social and cultural development. Algeria is considered to be one of the world's biggest consumers of milk, importing large quantities in the form of powder to supply the national market, which is seen as a drain on the public treasury's import bill. Algeria's biological diversity, in terms of both animal and plant resources, needs to be assessed with a view to integrating it into local sustainable development in order to achieve food self-sufficiency, particularly in the dairy sector, given the presence of high-value local genetic resources. Dairy animal resources suffer from fodder and nutrition problems, which makes the milk production process difficult. Algeria can find solutions for feeding livestock by investing in steppe areas and rehabilitating them with vegetation. These points have been addressed by a great deal of scientific research at both academic and laboratory level, and field application is awaiting qualitative mechanisms and approaches.