Farmers' perception to change and adaptation strategies of small ruminant systems in the West Bekaa of Lebanon

Sheep and goats production in the MENA region faces economic, environmental and social pressures causing major shifts in the production systems. This study investigates the main constraints affecting small ruminant production in the West Bekaa of Lebanon as perceived by the farmers, and their reported adaptive strategies. Four semi-sedentary systems were identified i) with landless shepherds, small herds and access to crop residues, ii) with small herds and no access to crop residues, iii) with medium sized herds and access to crop residues and iv) with large herds. Farmers from all systems perceived production constraints as related to pasture access and quality (25% of reported answers), and climate variability (22.5% of reported answers). Market and political uncertainties (24.5% of reported answers), on-farm socio-economic conditions and animal health were also reported as production challenges. Systems with larger herds were more affected by fluctuations in market prices and labor cost than systems with small herds. In the absence of the government support, farmers from all systems developed short-term adaptive strategies which mainly involved more time spent on pastures (88% of farmers), more feed supplementation (67% of farmers supplemented an average of 1 kg of barley/animal/day), and a decrease in herd size (61% of farmers). Changing herd movement was also practiced but to a lesser extent due to restricted access to pastures and local policies. Small ruminant systems in the West Bekaa are becoming more sedentary under environmental pressures and market uncertainties as perceived by the farmers, while diversifying their coping strategies.