Camels for Meat and Milk Production in Sub-Sahara Africa

This review is of literature relevant to meat and milk production from the dromedary, or one-humped, camel.Recommendations are for further research and potential use by ranchers and pastoralist tribes in Sub-Sahara Africa.The anatomical, physiological, and behavioral advantages of camels for meat and milk production are summarized and discussed.Milk yields and carcass information for dromedary camels are reported and summarized.Research efforts by institutions involved in planning livestock development projects in Sub-Sahara Africa, where arid or semiarid conditions prevail, should include the dromedary camel.Research studies should provide basic information on the feeding, breeding, health care, and economics of the camel and of multispecies herd systems that include camels.The use of the dromedary camel as food ~tnd revenue should permit the pastoralist and rancher in arid Africa to reduce their dependence on higher risk livestock enterprises.Received April 15, 1983. 1 The Njemps pastoralists, Baringo, Kenya, a small tribe, traditionally kept only cattle, goats, and a few sheep.They now keep camels, having purchased them from the Turkana tribe, traditional camel herders located to the North.They said that their grazing (semi-arid) area no longer supported cattle numbers sufficient to supply enough milk for food, and camels were extra insurance against effects of drought.indigenous cattle died, only 20 to 30% of camels were lost (9).Improving meat and milk production through increased camel numbers could help to ensure that the pastoralists will survive.Also, there is a strong potential market for increased supplies of camel meat and milk which will help pastoralists bolster family income and reduce dependence on donated food.