African Journal of
Agricultural Research

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Agric. Res.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1991-637X
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJAR
  • Start Year: 2006
  • Published Articles: 6849

Full Length Research Paper

Environmental constraints and sustainability of dairy cattle farms in the suburban area of the city of Blida (Mitidja, Algeria)

Sarah Ikhlef
  • Sarah Ikhlef
  • Higher National School of Agronomy, El Harrach, 16200 Algiers, Algeria.
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Fatima Brabez
  • Fatima Brabez
  • Higher National School of Agronomy, El Harrach, 16200 Algiers, Algeria.
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Belkacem Ziki
  • Belkacem Ziki
  • Higher National School of Agronomy, El Harrach, 16200 Algiers, Algeria.
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Abdenour Bir
  • Abdenour Bir
  • Higher National School of Agronomy, El Harrach, 16200 Algiers, Algeria.
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Mohamed Benidir
  • Mohamed Benidir
  • Higher National School of Agronomy, El Harrach, 16200 Algiers, Algeria.
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  •  Received: 14 December 2014
  •  Accepted: 11 March 2015
  •  Published: 12 March 2015

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the agro-ecological sustainability of dairy cattle farms in the suburban area of the city of Blida. An investigation was carried out on 19 farms. The study area, located in the Mitidja plain, is well known for its farming tradition and has suffered over the last decades from countless environmental constraints. The assessment tool used is the IDEA method (Indicateurs de Durabilité des Exploitations Agricoles or Farm Sustainability Indicators). The agro-ecological scale comprises three components: domestic diversity, organization of space and farming practices, summing up 18 indicators. Analysis of the results showed that the surveyed farms are characterized by a low agro ecological sustainability (45.97/100) mainly explained by the limited diversity of perennial crops, lack of crop rotation, poor use of space and water, many failures in the management of fodder resources, the non-protection of soil resources, and high energy dependency.

 

Key words: Assessment, sustainability, indicateurs de durabilité des exploitations agricoles (IDEA) method, dairy cattle, Mitidja. 

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This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0

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