A proposal of a vulnerability index in the pastoral food system in the Republic of Niger : case of the Department of Abalak

In the Republic of Niger, livestock is an important economic activity for a large number of Nigerian households. Indeed, the livestock products are the main export products with the agriculture, the uranium and the oil. In 2013, the primary sector represented 49% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, the livestock activities are disrupted because of many droughts, especially the droughts of 1970 and 1980. Besides that, the pastoral vulnerability keeps very important in Niger and the characterization of this vulnerability is not adapted to the pastoral context (Andres L. and Lebailly Ph., 2013c; Yamba B. et al., 2013). This paper attempts to describe the specific factors related to the pastoral vulnerability. This assessment of the pastoral vulnerability has been based upon two livestock systems: sedentary and mobile herds. This evaluation has certain limitations. These limitations can be ascribed to the difficulties in accessing the pastoral areas and in identifying many factors of each pastoral food system.