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  • Publication | 2022
Is the camel conquering the world?
Global Food and Nutrition Security

Implications:

  • The expansion of large camelids around the world has continued since their domestication. Trade routes and warfare were historically the main ways for the species expansion in Middle-East and North Africa.

  • Camel farming is not limited to arid countries nowadays.

  • There is a growing camel dairy industry in Western countries.

Introduction:

Large camelids have long been called the “ships of the desert” for their importance in the desert regions of Africa and Eurasia. Although their reputation as an animal of the nomads and for caravans of merchants recalls their mobility far exceeding that of other domestic herbivores, the use of this species for transportation and in animal agriculture remains confned to the deserts of northern Africa and Asia. However, the geographical distribution of large camelids has grown in the last 30 years. As they gain popularity, the species has been confronted with new environmental contexts. So much so that one may wonder if they are not conquering the world. Here, we take a closer look at the journey of the camel from its early ages of domestication to its role in a world facing climate change.