The role of milk in a pastoral diet and economy: The case of South Darfur, Sudan

MILK IS one of the main products in most pastoral systems in Africa, yet the contribution of dairying to pastoral economies is often overlooked. This study of the nomadic pastoral system in South Darfur shows that milk not only meets 25% of a pastoral family's caloric requirements, but also has an important exchange value. Bartering dairy produce enables pastoralists to grow less crops and concentrate on herd management, while the cash generated through dairy sales is partly used to purchase food grains, thus helping to forestall sales of live animals until the late dry season, and in drought years, to avert the depletion of the breeding stock. The author concludes that the role of milk as a source of income in pastoral economies can be enhanced by introducing more advanced milk processing techniques such as cheese-making, which would allow seasonally surplus milk to be used more efficiently.