Agroecological, Socioeconomic Potentials and Limitations of Abandoned Cattle Corrals in Sub-saharan Africa: A Review

Abandoned livestock corrals are widespread, yet overlooked legacies of pastoral and mixed crop-livestock systems in sub Saharan Africa. This review synthesizes their agroecological and socioeconomic potentials and limitations relative to surrounding landscapes. Agroecologically, former corrals typically show elevated soil organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, cation exchange capacity, boosting fertility, crop productivity and low input options that reduce mineral fertilizer dependence. They can also create biodiversity hotspots via distinctive vegetation succession and aid forest regeneration on degraded land. Key limitations include spatial fragmentation, nutrient losses (especially leaching), invasive species risks and limited scalability due to heterogeneous distribution. Utilization is further constrained by insecure tenure, space competition, labor intensive rehabilitation and farmer-pastoralist conflicts. Abandoned corrals are underutilized resources for sustainable intensification in sub-Saharan Africa. Realizing their full potential requires integrated management strategies that address ecological trade-offs, socioeconomic barriers and context-specific governance frameworks.