Algeria’s Livestock Crisis: Soaring Sheep Prices and Fodder Deficits Threaten Food Security
Analysis | A perfect storm of climate change, population growth, and market speculation is driving unprecedented livestock prices in Algeria, with sheep now costing more than some cars and threatening the nation’s food security infrastructure.
The Price of Mutton Reaches Unprecedented Heights
In livestock markets across Djelfa, the heart of Algeria’s sheep farming region, economic reality has shifted dramatically. Farmers report lambs priced at over 50,000 Algerian dinars (DZD), while breeding ewes command prices reaching 300,000 DZD. In one startling transaction in Béjaïa, a farmer witnessed a ewe with two lambs sell for 450,000 DZD—a sum that would have purchased approximately ten lambs just years earlier.
“We can’t take the barley prices anymore,” one farmer told local media. “A quintal costs 4,500 DZD; the price would need to be half that for farming to be profitable.” This sentiment echoes throughout the farming community, where production costs have skyrocketed while profit margins evaporate.
The Root Causes: A Multifaceted Crisis
The price surge reflects deeper structural problems within Algeria’s agricultural sector. The nation’s population has exploded from 18 million in 1980 to 47 million today, creating unprecedented demand for meat products. Meanwhile, climate change has dramatically reduced rainfall in traditional grazing areas—from 350 mm annually to just 250 mm—creating a chronic fodder deficit.
Farmers who historically relied on free access to steppe grazing lands now find these resources insufficient. The transition from pastoralism to agro-pastoralism remains slow, hampered by limited access to water and arable land for forage cultivation.
Market Manipulation and the “Invoice for the Road”
Compounding the natural challenges, farmers face sophisticated market manipulation. Resellers have developed workarounds to avoid price controls through what market insiders call the “invoice for the road”—issuing official invoices showing regulated prices while demanding significantly higher actual payments from buyers.
“We are charged 2,500 DZD per quintal for bran by garage owners, but we end up paying 4,500 DZD per quintal,” revealed one breeder. His neighbor added, “and even at that price, sometimes we can’t find any.”
Innovation and Research: Potential Solutions
Despite the challenges, innovative approaches are emerging. Some farmers with access to irrigation have begun cultivating alfalfa, green barley, and vetch-oat mixtures. More recently, silage of fodder corn packaged in round bales or “boulas” has made significant inroads.
In Aïn Ben Khelil (Naâma), farmers equipped with small machinery produce 100-kilo round bales of corn, with one reporting, “Today, I am self-sufficient” and no longer needing wheat bran.
Academic research offers additional solutions dating back decades. Algerian agronomists have proposed everything from planting fodder shrubs in steppe environments to creating survival rations using by-products from the agri-food industry. Surprisingly, research from the 1980s suggested supplementing sheep barley rations with urea—a fertilizer produced locally by Asmidal—with University of Batna researchers confirming in 2014 that lambs from ewes fed urea-treated straw showed 20% higher weight gains.
Policy Responses and Political Engagement
The crisis has drawn attention at the highest levels of government. Members of Parliament have proposed various solutions, including greater availability of animal feed, addressing livestock theft, granting farmers 5-year leases with restrictions on permanent crops, and increasing wheat production prices to attract investors to southern regions.
The recent creation of agricultural chambers and development of professional associations may help bridge the gap between academic research and practical farming applications—a disconnect that has long hampered innovation in the sector.
The Path Forward
As Algeria grapples with this multifaceted crisis, the solution likely lies in a combination of approaches: developing sustainable forage cultivation, implementing effective market regulations, and better integrating academic research with farming practice. The term “boula” entering the agricultural lexicon illustrates that innovation is occurring, but whether it can outpace growing demand remains uncertain.
The stakes extend beyond expensive mutton—they touch on national food security, rural livelihoods, and Algeria’s ability to adapt to climate change while feeding a growing population.