Lait, vecteur de développement

The 5th edition of the "Lait, vecteur de développement" meetings will be held in Saly, Senegal, from 12 to 14 May 2026. The event is co-organised by CIRAD, INRAE and ISRA, in partnership with several other bodies such as CNIEL, the PAOLAO project, and ENABEL. It will bring together a range of players involved in dairy value chains: researchers, professionals, international institutions, policymakers and grassroots players.

The meetings are part of a dynamic launched in 2014, aimed at recognising the role of milk as a sustainable development lever, particularly in the global South. They are a forum for dialogue and for sharing experiences of transforming dairy systems in a context marked by global challenges such as climate change, market changes and food security issues.

The aim is to allow players to network and improve coordination of initiatives, promoting the range of different production models and local solutions. This approach is helping to build development pathways tailored to situations in individual territories, while fuelling collective debate on an international scale.

The discussions will centre on several key topics, including:

• The dairy value chain in Senegal and West Africa: comparing viewpoints;
• Dairy product markets and the role of livestock farmers, from a local to a global level;
• Adaptation to climate change: greenhouse gases, environment;
• The range of different milks: processing, nutrition, safety and human health.

Full programme and registration