Mahounakpon Wilfried TOSSOU & Matthew Atongbiik ACHAGLINKAME
Wilfried and Matthew are pursuing their PhD studies within the BMBF funded project DecLaRe – under the co-supervision of Prof. Daniel Mörlein, head of the research unit quality of animal products at Göttingen university.
Globally, sustainable land management is vital for balancing human demands with ecosystem services, enhancing food security, and adapting to climate change. The project Decision support for strengthening land resilience in the face of global challenges (DecLaRe) seeks to identify scalable innovations for sustainable crop and livestock production in northern Benin and Ghana. One subproject addresses sustainable land use and food security by researching into livestock management, dairy processing.
For the past two years, Wilfried has been actively collaborating with Fulani communities in northern Benin, one of West Africa’s largest pastoralist groups. Livestock is central to their livelihoods, nutrition, wealth, and cultural identity. Traditionally nomadic, they migrate with their cattle in search of pasture, yet their way of life is increasingly threatened by climate change, resource depletion, and agricultural expansion. Wilfried’s research explores the quality and dynamics of their dietary diversity while seeking to enhance the quality of traditional soft cheese, Wagashi. Using an innovative andparticipatory approach, he conducted a year-long longitudinal food consumption survey with a pictogram-based questionnaire to gain deeper insights into households’ diets. Preliminary analyses revealed generally good Dietary Diversity Scores (HDDS) and Food Consumption Scores (FCS) across communities over time. However, both metrics exhibited significant seasonal variations. Although milk and dairy products constitute the primary source of animal-source foods in Fulani households —compared to other such as meat, fish, egg— their availability and consumption decline markedly during the dry season. In parallel, he is conducting experimental trials on Wagashi production, investigating the effects of different coagulants and the partial substitution of cow milk, with a focus on sensory evaluation. His work underscores the transformative potential of community-based research, bridging academic inquiry with real-world impact.
More details on the Wagashi experiments can be found here: https://www.uni-goettingen.de/en/declare+%E2%80%93+decision+support+for+strengthening+land+resilience+in+the+face+of+global+challenges+%282022-2026%29/677747.html
Similarly, Matthew is also working with herder households in DecLaRe communities in northern Ghana. He has conducted field surveys to identify milk production and Wagashi processing and preservation practices. The study found water and feed scarcity during the dry season (November to May), poor animal husbandry and hygienic practices as key challenges negatively affecting milk and cheese production and quality in the study areas. Partly addressingthese challenges, Matthew together with the Ghana DecLaRe team organised training sessions on animal feeding and health, and good hygiene practices during milk and cheese production and handling as a key step to improving milk and cheese production, quality and safety. Matthew also investigated the food consumption and dietary diversity among the herder households as part of assessing their food security levels for informed policy making and direction. Havingidentified research gaps from literature and community engagements with cheese processors, Matthew is currently investigating the impact of cow breed, heating condition and coagulant concentration on the yield and quality of the cheese. This study ultimately aims to help standardise processing steps of the traditional cheese to improve yields for enhanced income levels of processors and to ensure quality and safe cheese to meet consumer needs.
Jointly, they made an oral presentation in TROPENTAG 2024 conference held in Austria and are almost through with a systematic review on the West African soft cheese for publication.
Contact
Prof. Dr. Daniel Mörlein
Department für Nutztierwissenschaften
Abt. Produktqualität tierischer Erzeugnisse
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Kellnerweg 6
D- 37077 Göttingen
fon: ++49 (0)551 39-25601
fax: ++49 (0)551 39-5587
Mail: daniel.moerlein@uni-goettingen.de
