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Medenou, Esteban Henoc, Bossima Ivan Koura, and Luc Hippolyte Dossa. "Typology and sustainability assessment of rabbit farms in the urban and peri-urban areas of Southern Benin (West Africa)." World Rabbit Science 28, no. 4 (December 30, 2020): 207. http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2020.13368.
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<p>Analysis of production systems allows scientists to identify their weaknesses, particularly concerning production practices which require improvements at economic, social, and environmental levels. The present study aimed to characterise rabbit farms in the urban and peri-urban areas of South Benin and assess their sustainability using the DIAMOND method, a multicriteria sustainability assessment tool. Ninety-eight farmers were surveyed and individually interviewed. Categorical principal component and twostep cluster analyses were performed on information collected for a typology of farms. Sustainability scores were generated using the scoring scale of the DIAMOND tool. Five types of rabbit farms were identified as follows: modern extensive polyculture, traditional extensive monoculture, modern extensive monoculture, semi-intensive polyculture, and traditional extensive polyculture. Overall, all the rabbit farms had good scores for the economic sustainability pillar but were socially limited. They were all similar in their economic and environmental performances. In particular, semi-intensive farms were the most socially sustainable, whereas traditional farms (either in polyculture or monoculture) showed the lowest social performances. Furthermore, there were significant differences between farms for criteria relating to consumers’ demands and resource use. Semi-intensive farms responded best to consumers’ demands, whereas the traditional polyculture farm type was the most resource use efficient. Overall, in the urban and peri-urban areas of South Benin, the most sustainable rabbit farms were semi-intensive. Irrespective of farm type, positive coefficients of correlations were recorded among the three pillars of sustainability, being significant between the social and economic pillars on one hand, and between the social and environmental pillars on the other hand. These results suggest that efforts to improve farm social performance would also positively affect their economic and environmental performances and improve overall farm sustainability.</p>
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Djamen Nana, Patrice, Nadine Andrieu, Ibrahima Zerbo, Yacouba Ouédraogo, and Pierre-Yves Le Gal. "Conservation agriculture and performance of farms in West Africa." Cahiers Agricultures 24, no. 2 (March 2015): 113–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1684/agr.2015.0743.
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Ducatez, M. F., C. M. Olinger, A. A. Owoade, Z. Tarnagda, M. C. Tahita, A. Sow, S. De Landtsheer, et al. "Molecular and antigenic evolution and geographical spread of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in western Africa." Journal of General Virology 88, no. 8 (August 1, 2007): 2297–306. http://dx.doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.82939-0.
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In Africa, highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus was first detected in northern Nigeria and later also in other regions of the country. Since then, seven other African countries have reported H5N1 infections. This study reports a comparison of full-length genomic sequences of H5N1 isolates from seven chicken farms in Nigeria and chicken and hooded vultures in Burkina Faso with earlier H5N1 outbreaks worldwide. In addition, the antigenicity of Nigerian H5N1 isolates was compared with earlier strains. All African strains clustered within three sublineages denominated A (south-west Nigeria, Niger), B (south-west Nigeria, Egypt, Djibouti) and C (northern Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Côte d'Ivoire), with distinct nucleotide and amino acid signatures and distinct geographical distributions within Africa. Probable non-African ancestors within the west Asian/Russian/European lineage distinct from the south-east Asian lineages were identified for each sublineage. All reported human cases in Africa were caused by sublineage B. Substitution rates were calculated on the basis of sequences from 11 strains from a single farm in south-west Nigeria. As H5N1 emerged essentially at the same time in the north and south-west of Nigeria, the substitution rates confirmed that the virus probably did not spread from the north to the south, given the observed sequence diversity, but that it entered the country via three independent introductions. The strains from Burkina Faso seemed to originate from northern Nigeria. At least two of the sublineages also circulated in Europe in 2006 as seen in Germany, further suggesting that the sublineages had already emerged outside of Africa and seemed to have followed the east African/west Asian and Black Sea/Mediterranean flyways of migratory birds.
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Lemke, S. "Nutrition security, livelihoods and HIV/AIDS: implications for research among farm worker households in South Africa." Public Health Nutrition 8, no. 7 (October 2005): 844–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1079/phn2005739.
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AbstractObjectivePrevious research on the health transition and nutrition security in black South African households revealed the need for further research among farm workers who belong to the poorest population categories. This article gives an overview of the link between nutrition security, livelihoods and HIV/AIDS in South Africa, drawing conclusions for research among farm worker households.Design and setting: A literature review, observations on farms and interviews with farmers and key informants were carried out in 2003 and 2004. Peer examination was done with South African and German researchers from the natural and social sciences.ResultsFarm workers face poverty and nutrition insecurity and continue to be a tragically underserved population group, also in terms of research. There is furthermore a lack of in-depth research on underlying causes for nutrition security in South Africa and on the link with livelihoods, poverty and HIV/AIDS. Micro-social qualitative research from the household and gender perspective is required, as valid data on households, their internal dynamics and therefore the reflection of social realities are missing. A multidisciplinary research approach based on a new conceptual framework was developed to address the situation of farm worker households.ConclusionThe outlined research contributes to existing programmes on farms in the North West Province, with the findings being valid also for other parts of southern Africa facing poverty, nutrition insecurity and HIV/AIDS.
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Ramatla, Tsepo, Nthabiseng Mphuthi, Kutswa Gofaone, Moeti O. Taioe, Oriel M. M. Thekisoe, and Michelo Syakalima. "Identification of Rodent Species That Infest Poultry Houses in Mafikeng, North West Province, South Africa." International Journal of Zoology 2019 (April 18, 2019): 1–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/1280578.
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Rodents cause serious adverse effects on farm production due to destruction of food, contamination of feed, and circulation of diseases. The extent of damage or the diseases spread will depend on the type of rodents that invade the farm. This study was conducted in order to find out the species of rodents that infest poultry farms around Mafikeng, North West Province of South Africa. The study was part of a broader project that was investigating Salmonella vectors in the poultry farms around the province. The study trapped 154 rodents from selected farms and used the Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) and the Cytochrome b (Cyt-b) barcoding genes for species identification. Two rodent pest species, namely, Rattus rattus (the black rat) and Rattus tanezumi (the Asian Rat/Asian House Rat) were identified. A total of 99 (64.3%) were identified as Rattus rattus and 55 (35.7%) were Rattus tanezumi. Between the two target genes, Cyt-b gene was only able to identify 40 (25.97%) of the total samples while COI was more efficient and amplified all the samples and thus was a better target gene for this kind of identification. The two rat species identified are known vectors of serious diseases; thus their presence should be regarded as an indication of high risk for diseases. Despite having been detected in the country before, finding R. tanezumi as the second largest rat species in the area was unexpected since this species is known to be indigenous to Asia.
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Faure, Guy, Pierre Rebuffel, and Dominique Violas. "Systemic analysis of management advice for family farms in West Africa." Cahiers Agricultures 20, no. 5 (September 2011): 364–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.1684/agr.2011.0507.
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Faure, Guy, Pierre Rebuffel, and Dominique Violas. "Systemic Evaluation of Advisory Services to Family Farms in West Africa." Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension 17, no. 4 (August 2011): 325–39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1389224x.2011.576821.
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Tapsoba, Parfait K., Augustin K. N. Aoudji, Madeleine Kabore, Marie-Paule Kestemont, Christian Legay, and Enoch G. Achigan-Dako. "Sociotechnical Context and Agroecological Transition for Smallholder Farms in Benin and Burkina Faso." Agronomy 10, no. 9 (September 22, 2020): 1447. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10091447.
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West Africa is facing the challenge of its population’s food insecurity in a context of accelerated degradation of natural resources. In order to efficiently face this double bottleneck, agroecological interventions were implemented as a way to promote best agricultural practices. Agroecology is a mode of production that nowadays questions our food system which, despite technological progress, still struggles to feed the world’s population. This systematic review is part of the vision of a deep agroecology and aims at analyzing the institutional, political, organizational, and social obstacles and levers for an agroecological transition and its amplification in Burkina Faso and Benin. For this purpose, a structured literature review was conducted using grey and published literature. It appears that despite the mitigated results of the implementation of the Green Revolution model of agricultural production in West Africa, African public authorities seem to have placed once again their faith in conventional production practices to respond to the challenges facing agriculture in the region. This situation goes beyond the regional framework to take root at the national level, (e.g., Burkina Faso, Benin), with the corollary of an apparent lack of institutional interest in sustainable modes of production. However, there is a network of stakeholders who are developing promising initiatives for scaling up agroecological practices.
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Haruna, Abdulai, James Matent Kombiok, Askia Musah Mohamed, Joseph Sarkodie-Addo, Asamoah Larbi, and Nurudeen Abdul Rahman. "Profitability of Cowpea Intercropped With Maize in West Africa Guinea Savanna." Journal of Agricultural Science 10, no. 11 (October 15, 2018): 185. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/jas.v10n11p185.
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An on-farm trial was conducted over a 2-year period in Tibali in the Savelugu district of Northern region of Ghana to evaluate the productivity and economic returns of hybrid and open pollinated maize (OPV) either in pure stands or intercropped with erect and trailing cowpea. The maize varieties used were medium maturing (110 days) whie the cowpea varieties were early maturiing (70 days). The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with 14 treatments (sole pan53, sole Etubi, sole mamaba, sole obatampa, sole erect cowpea, sole trailing cowpea, erect cowpea + pan53, erect cowpea+etubi, erect cowpea+mamaba, erect cowpea+obatampa, traing cowpea + pan53, traling cowpea+etubi, trailing cowpea+mamaba and trailing cowpea + obatampa) replicated on 10 farms. Intercropping had better productivity and economic returns than sole cropping. Intercropping maize with trailing cowpea type had better productivity and economic return than intercropping with erect type of cowpea. Intercropping the OPV maize with cowpea had better productivity and economic return than intercropping hybrid maize with cowpea. Farmers may either intercrop OPV maize with trailing cowpea type or hybrid maize variety Pan 53 maize with trailing cowpea type for better productivity and economic return.
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Amian, Aristide KOUDOU, KAKOU-NGAZOA Solange, Fernique KONAN Kouadio, AKA Edwige, ADDABLAH Audrey, COULIBALY N’GOLO David, KOUASSI Stéphane, et al. "Occurrence of multidrug-resistant bacteria in aquaculture farms in Cte dIvoire (West Africa)." African Journal of Microbiology Research 14, no. 5 (May 31, 2020): 182–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.5897/ajmr2019.9277.
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D'Cruze, Neil, Jodie Bates, Délagnon Assou, Delphine Ronfot, Emma Coulthard, Gabriel Hoinsoudé Segniagbeto, Mark Auliya, David Megson, and Jennifer Rowntree. "A preliminary assessment of bacteria in “ranched” ball pythons (Python regius), Togo, West Africa." Nature Conservation 39 (May 13, 2020): 73–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.39.48599.
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Captive reptiles are routinely identified as reservoirs of pathogenic bacteria and reports of reptile-associated infections relating to some species are well documented (e.g., salmonellosis). Currently, relatively little is known about the epidemiology and bacteria of ball pythons. We carried out a survey of ball python farms in Togo, West Africa to assess the presence of any potentially pathogenic bacterial taxa that have been identified in recent scientific literature relating to this species. The presence of bacteria belonging to the genera Acinetobacter, Bacteroides, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Lysobacter, Proteus, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, and Tsukamurella in oral and cloacal samples taken from five individual ball pythons is of potential concern for horizontal transmission given that pathogenic species belonging to these genera have been previously documented. The presence of bacteria belonging to the genera Clostridium, Escherichia, Moraxella, and Stenotrophomonas in the oral and rectal samples taken from five mice used to feed ball pythons suggests that they represent a potential reservoir of infection for wild caught ball pythons and their progeny. Furthermore, possible sources of environmental contamination include other captive amphibians, birds, reptiles and mammals, as well as free ranging birds and small mammals. Additional surveillance of ball pythons in the wild and in captivity at python farms in West Africa will shed light on whether or not this type of commercial activity is increasing pathogen exposure and lowering barriers to transmission. Meanwhile, as a precautionary measure, it is recommended that python farms should immediately establish biosecurity and disease surveillance practices to minimize potential horizontal and vertical bacterial transfer.
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Asiedu, Berchie, Dickson Malcolm, and Seidu Iddrisu. "Assessing the economic impact of climate change in the small-scale aquaculture industry of Ghana, West Africa." AAS Open Research 1 (November 1, 2018): 26. http://dx.doi.org/10.12688/aasopenres.12911.1.
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Background: Aquaculture in Ghana is very profitable, but faces sustainability challenges. This paper assessed the impact pathways by which climate change affects the production and profitability of small-scale aquaculture in Ghana. The study analyzed and compared the economic value of smallholder fish farms with and without the incidence of climatic parameters. Methods: Simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were used to select the study area and farms. A total of 30 farmers were interviewed using a questionnaire-based interview. Additionally, using document analysis, observation, and data on farms’ production input and output values, the economic impact of climate change on fish farms was assessed. Results: Extreme temperatures, erratic rainfall, floods, drought, storm and erosion are prevalent in fish farms. Available data shows a decrease of 53.4% of small-scale revenue, a 6.9% reduction in small-scale aquaculture value from GH¢ 1,200,000 to GH¢ 83,000, reducing fish supply by 25%. The findings indicate that the profitability, economic value, and livelihoods of the small-scale aquaculture industry is greatly affected by changes in climate. The incidence of floods, drought, erratic rainfall, erosion, and extreme temperature synergistically induce poverty. The implication on the livelihoods of fish farming households is very alarming and poses a serious threat to food security in the country. Conclusion: Based on the findings, this study concludes that; floods, rainfall temperature, and drought are the major climatic factors affecting the profitability and sustainability of the pond aquaculture industry. The preliminary recommendation is that there is an urgent need to map out flood-free zones close to perennial water bodies to overcome floods and droughts. Planting trees around ponds to create a micro-ecologies ideal for fish culture and also the construction of water storage facilities and proper dyke design would overcome drought and erosion issues. The adaptive capacity of fish-farmers must be built.
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Asiedu, Berchie, Dickson Malcolm, and Seidu Iddrisu. "Assessing the economic impact of climate change in the small-scale aquaculture industry of Ghana, West Africa." AAS Open Research 1 (October 17, 2019): 26. http://dx.doi.org/10.12688/aasopenres.12911.2.
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Background: Aquaculture in Ghana is very profitable, but faces sustainability challenges. This paper assessed the impact pathways by which climate change affects the production and profitability of small-scale aquaculture in Ghana. The study analyzed and compared the economic value of smallholder fish farms with and without the incidence of climatic parameters. Methods: Simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were used to select the study area and farms. A total of 30 farmers were interviewed using a questionnaire-based interview. Additionally, using document analysis, observation, and data on farms’ production input and output values, the economic impact of climate change on fish farms was assessed. Results: Extreme temperatures, erratic rainfall, floods, drought, storm and erosion are prevalent in fish farms. Available data shows a decrease of 53.4% of small-scale revenue, a 6.9% reduction in small-scale aquaculture value from GH¢ 83,000 to GH¢ 120,000 reducing fish supply by 25%. The findings indicate that the profitability, economic value, and livelihoods of the small-scale aquaculture industry is greatly affected by changes in climate. The incidence of floods, drought, erratic rainfall, erosion, and extreme temperature synergistically induce poverty. The implication on the livelihoods of fish farming households is very alarming and poses a serious threat to food security in the country. Conclusion: Based on the findings, this study concludes that; floods, rainfall temperature, and drought are the major climatic factors affecting the profitability and sustainability of the pond aquaculture industry. The preliminary recommendation is that there is an urgent need to map out flood-free zones close to perennial water bodies to overcome floods and droughts. Planting trees around ponds to create a micro-ecologies ideal for fish culture and also the construction of water storage facilities and proper dyke design would overcome drought and erosion issues. The adaptive capacity of fish-farmers must be built.
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Aigbedion-Atalor, Pascal O., Itohan Idemudia, Medetissi Adom, Ethelyn E. Forchibe, Hospice Tossou, David D. Wilson, and Michael D. Day. "Marching across and beyond West Africa: First record of the stem-galling fly Cecidochares connexa (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Central Africa and the implications for biological control of Chromolaena odorata (Asteraceae)." PLOS ONE 16, no. 6 (June 4, 2021): e0252770. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252770.
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The Neotropical invasive plant Chromolaena odorata R.M. King and H. Robinson (Asteraceae) is a serious weed in West and Central Africa and two biological control agents that have been introduced into West Africa to help reduce its impacts on agriculture and biodiversity, have established. The stem-galling fly, Cecidochares connexa (Macquart) (Diptera: Tephritidae), has spread widely across West Africa since its release in only Côte d’Ivoire, occurring in six countries. This study aimed to investigate whether the gall fly had spread further across West Africa and into Central Africa. Here, we surveyed C. odorata for C. connexa galls in Cameroon between October 2018 and October 2020, along roadsides, on farms, residential areas, and abandoned plots, encompassing various vegetation types. Additional surveys were conducted across four countries (Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic and Nigeria) in West Africa that we considered the probable pathway for the spread of the gall fly into Central Africa. Cecidochares connexa was present at five of the six locations surveyed in Cameroon, albeit in varying abundance. In Africa, these findings represent the first-ever report of C. connexa outside of West Africa. In West Africa, we recorded significant expansion in the geographic range of C. connexa, as reflected in the absent-present record of C. connexa in two locations in Nigeria and one in Ghana, as well as its occurrence in all locations surveyed in Benin Republic and Togo. Clearly, Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic and Nigeria served as the dispersal pathway of C. connexa from the release sites in Côte d’Ivoire into Cameroon, covering over 2,300 km. Following the spread and establishment of C. connexa into Cameroon, we anticipate that it will continue to spread further into other parts of Central Africa which are climatically suitable. Cecidochares connexa is currently the only biological control agent for C. odorata in Central Africa. Given that it has significantly reduced populations of C. odorata in other countries where it has established, it is expected to have a similar impact in Central Africa.
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Snoeck, Chantal J., Mariette F. Ducatez, Ademola A. Owoade, Olufemi O. Faleke, Bello R. Alkali, Marc C. Tahita, Zekiba Tarnagda, et al. "Newcastle disease virus in West Africa: new virulent strains identified in non-commercial farms." Archives of Virology 154, no. 1 (December 4, 2008): 47–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00705-008-0269-5.
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Norgrove, Lindsey, and Stefan Hauser. "Improving plantain (Musa spp. AAB) yields on smallholder farms in West and Central Africa." Food Security 6, no. 4 (June 24, 2014): 501–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12571-014-0365-1.
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Auliya, Mark, Sylvia Hofmann, Gabriel H. Segniagbeto, Délagnon Assou, Delphine Ronfot, Jonas J. Astrin, Sophia Forat, Guillaume Koffivi K. Ketoh, and Neil D’Cruze. "The first genetic assessment of wild and farmed ball pythons (Reptilia, Serpentes, Pythonidae) in southern Togo." Nature Conservation 38 (March 13, 2020): 37–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.38.49478.
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The ball python (Python regius) is the world’s most commonly traded python species for the “exotic” pet industry. The majority of these live snakes are produced via a number of python farms in West Africa that have been in operation since the 1960s and involved with “ranching” operations since the 1990s. However, to date no thorough taxonomic review or genetic studies have been conducted within its range, despite the fact that the evaluation of a species’ genetic variability is generally considered mandatory for effective management. We used mtDNA sequence data and eight polymorphic microsatellite markers to assess the underlying population genetic structure and to test the potential of the nuclear markers to assign farm individuals to wild reference populations in southern Togo. Despite the relatively large distances between sample locations, no significant genetic population structure was found, either in mtDNA sequence data or in the microsatellite data. Instead, our data indicate considerable gene flow among the locations. The absence of a distinct population subdivision may have resulted from an anthropogenic driven admixture of populations associated with commercial wildlife trade activity in recent decades. Given the ongoing largely unregulated nature of the commercial ranching of ball pythons in West Africa, should a wild release component continue, as a first measure we recommend that the Management Authorities should develop an action plan with specific release protocols for python farms to minimise any potential negative conservation impacts resulting from admixture (genetic pollution) between farmed and wild individuals.
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Lombard, Andrea. "Using participatory GIS to examine social perception towards proposed wind energy landscapes." Journal of Energy in Southern Africa 26, no. 2 (April 13, 2017): 42. http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2413-3051/2015/v26i2a2195.
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Thirteen onshore wind farm projects, totalling approximately 700 wind turbines, are proposed for the West Coast Region (WCR) of the Western Cape Province in South Africa. Wind energy exploitation possesses the ability to transform what can be classified as natural landscapes into landscapes of power, making the type of landscape on which wind turbines are deployed a prominent factor in its social acceptance or rejection. This paper examines the landscape aesthetics and land use interference of proposed wind farms in the WCR of South Africa through determining if social acceptance or rejection of proposed wind farms is dependent on the residents and visitors scenic and land use valuation of the natural landscape. The results indicate that the visual intrusion of wind turbines is the impact that respondents are least concerned with contrasting with the findings of international literature and further reasons for this anomaly are interrogated against the background of South Africa’s dire electricity needs. The paper concludes that visual impact assessments alone are not sufficient for evaluating landscapes and this paper recommends that participatory geographic information systems (PGIS) be used in addition to existing wind energy landscape assessments.
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AKOHOUE, FÉLICIEN, ALCADE C. SEGNON, and ENOCH G. ACHIGAN-DAKO. "DIVERSITY IN SMALLHOLDER CITRUS ORCHARDS AND CULTIVATION BOTTLENECKS: RESEARCH AVENUES FOR IMPROVED PRODUCTION IN BENIN, WEST AFRICA." Experimental Agriculture 54, no. 5 (September 7, 2017): 641–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s001447971700028x.
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SUMMARYDespite tremendous efforts made in agricultural sectors in sub-Saharan Africa in the last two decades, fruits production and consumption to reduce malnutrition and chronic diseases remain low and have received less attention. Moreover, our knowledge of the current production situation and options for improvement are still limited. In this study, we investigated citrus farming systems and production bottlenecks to identify leverage points for intensification of smallholder citrus farming systems in Benin. We provided a typology of citrus orchards based on 17 quantitative and qualitative variables using Factor Analysis of Mixed Data combined with Hierarchical Cluster Analysis. The typology revealed four categories of citrus farms based on biophysical resources, socioeconomic resources and system management practices. Categories 1 and 2 included farms characterised by less diversified cropping systems with non-recommended management practices. Orchard categories 3 and 4 included farms with high varietal diversity and improved management practices. However, farmers of category 4 neglected staking and digging practices. The inadequate farming practices explained some of the production bottlenecks, which were orchard-type dependent. We discussed the implications of our findings and suggested a number of policy and strategic decisions as well as research and development actions for improving citrus production in Benin.
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Olubamiwa, O., E. A. Iyayi, E. A. Ayodele, and B. A. Adebowale. "Kola-pod husk as a partial substitute for maize in layer diets." Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 2000 (2000): 121. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1752756200001228.
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The continued search for alternative feed resources for poultry in Africa is necessitated by the competition between people and poultry for cereal grains. Several farm and agro-industrial by-products have been evaluated for this purpose in West-Africa. One of such by-products, cocoa-pod husk (CPH) has shown promise in laying hen diets in Ghana and Nigeria (Osei et al., 1991; Sobamiwa, 1998). Another farm by-product sharing several similarities with CPH but of higher crude protein and lower crude fibre contents is Kola-pod husk (KPH). Nigeria produces 70% of world kola (Cola nitida Vent) and consequently the bulk of KPH which is estimated at 210,000 tones annually (Ogutuga, 1975). The present study investigates the partial replacement of maize with KPH in laying hen diets in South Western Nigeria. This is the region of kola production and it is characterized by small holder rural poultry farms which could easily adopt the findings of this study.
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Owusu Danquah, Eric, Yacob Beletse, Richard Stirzaker, Christopher Smith, Stephen Yeboah, Patricia Oteng-Darko, Felix Frimpong, and Stella Ama Ennin. "Monitoring and Modelling Analysis of Maize (Zea mays L.) Yield Gap in Smallholder Farming in Ghana." Agriculture 10, no. 9 (September 22, 2020): 420. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10090420.
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Modelling and multiple linear regression were used to explore the reason for low maize yield in the Atebubu-Amantin and West Mamprusi Districts of Ghana, West Africa. The study evaluated maize yields on twenty farms against measures of soil fertility, agronomic attributes and soil water availability. Correlations between yield, soil fertility, rain, crop density, and weed biomass, were low, and no single factor could explain the low yields. A 50-year virtual experiment was then set up using the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) to explore the interactions between climate, crop management (sowing date and nitrogen fertilization) and rooting depth on grain yield and nitrate (NO3-N) dynamics. The analysis showed that a lack of optimal sowing dates that synchronize radiation, rainfall events and nitrogen (N) management with critical growth stages explained the low farm yields.
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caruth, nicole j. "Curiously Chocolate: April Banks." Gastronomica 8, no. 2 (2008): 9–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/gfc.2008.8.2.9.
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In 2004, Bay Area conceptual artist April Banks traveled to West Africa, which produces seventy percent of the world's cocoa, to learn firsthand about the cocoa farms of the region and their relationship to the modern-day chocolate industry. Her related research has been wide, including travel to cocoa farms in Cuba and a visit to the New York Board of Trade. Free Chocolate, Banks's resulting body of work, follows cocoa's global exchange from forest to palate, farmer to consumer, illustrating the mingled effects of desire, greed, and manipulation. This article examines two photographic works in the Free Chocolate series, placing them in their broader cultural and economic contexts.
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Ogunsola, J. F., B. Ikotun, and K. E. Ogunsola. "Incidence of leaf blight disease of Egusi melon in South-west Nigeria." African Crop Science Journal 28, no. 2 (July 27, 2020): 255–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/acsj.v28i2.10.
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Egusi melon (Citrullus lanatus (Thumb) Mansf.) is an important vegetable crop grown for edible seeds and oil in West Africa. Leaf Blight Disease (LBD) is one of the major constraints to its production, with potential to cause economic damage. The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence and distribution of leaf blight on Egusi melon in Southwestern Nigeria. A survey of LBD of Egusi melon was conducted in 2015 and 2016, in five southwestern States of Nigeria (Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo States). Twenty plants each, were randomly sampled from 150 farms comprising 30 farms each, from each State. The distribution of different Egusi melon varieties planted was recorded. “Bara” cv. was the most cultivated variety (51.6%); followed by “Bojuri” (30.4%) and “Serewe” (18%). Leaf blight was observed in most farms in the five States, from 73% in Osun and Oyo states to 83% in Ondo State. Disease incidence and severity varied with locations and cultivars, and ranged from 0.0-87.5±18% and 1.0±0-4.5±0.8 in Osun State to 20.0±19 - 95.0±4.5% and 2.3±1.5 - 5.0±0 in Ondo State. Out of the twelve fungal pathogens from ten genera isolated from infected plants, only Colletotrichum truncatum, C. gloeosporioides and Lasiodiplodia theobromae caused Leaf blight on Egusi melon.
Key words: Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Colletotrichum truncatum, Lasiodiplodia theobromae
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Ameur, Wafa, Aymen Frija, Mohamed Arbi Abdeladhim, and Chokri Thabet. "Patterns of Use of Residue Biomass in Cereal–Sheep Production Systems of North Africa: Case of Tunisia." Agriculture 11, no. 7 (June 30, 2021): 612. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11070612.
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This paper analyzes the complex relationships of factors influencing residue biomass management in cereal–sheep production systems in semi-arid areas of Tunisia. The Bayesian belief network (BBN) methodology was applied to identify factors enabling the better management of crop residue (CR) at the farm level. Data were collected from 152 farms located in the governorate of Siliana in north-west Tunisia. After designing the complex interactions between different variables that have an influence on the allocation of CR, BBN was also applied as a predictive model by inserting evidence conditional probabilities on the quantity of CR left on the soil and simulating the incurrent changes in the probability state of the remaining network variables. The results show that around 70% of farmers in our sample retain an overall quantity of CR lower than 200 kg/ha. The share of livestock income, livestock herds, cost of livestock feed, and off-farm income are all factors that have a strong influence on residue biomass management.
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Alabi, Tunrayo, Kai Sonder, Olusoji Oduwole, and Christopher Okafor. "A Multi-Criteria GIS Site Selection for Sustainable Cocoa Development in West Africa." International Journal of Applied Geospatial Research 3, no. 1 (January 2012): 73–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/jagr.2012010107.
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Cocoa occupies 6 million hectares in humid coastal West Africa where 70% of the world supply is grown, 90% of which is produced on 2 million family farms of 2 hectares or less. Here, at least 16 million people depend on cocoa but earn only $100/person/year from the crop. There is need to optimize the farming system, minimize the environmental impact of technologies, and improve socio-economic dynamics. This study identifies areas with potential for intensified cocoa farming and where maximum impact to household income could be achieved without deforestation. The selection involves defining suitability criteria, preparing an inventory of available data, determining suitability based on identified criteria, and combining suitability into hierarchical preferences based on weights proposed by local experts. GIS and Multi-Criteria land Evaluation technique using biophysical, socioeconomic, and demographic variables were employed in selection. Nineteen administrative units were selected in Nigeria where the intervention project could be implemented.
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D’Cruze, Neil, Lauren A. Harrington, Délagnon Assou, Delphine Ronfot, David W. Macdonald, Gabriel H. Segniagbeto, and Mark Auliya. "Searching for snakes: ball python hunting in southern Togo, West Africa." Nature Conservation 38 (March 13, 2020): 13–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.38.47864.
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The ball python (Python regius) is the single most exported live CITES-listed species from Africa, with a large proportion of snakes being sourced from Togo, West Africa, officially via a system reported nationally as “ranching”. This study represents the first in-depth review of ball python hunting being carried out by rural communities in Togo for nearly 15 years. Our approach, focused at the bottom of the trade chain, permitted extensive detailed data to be collected from hunters, and provides a unique insight into the practices, drivers and impacts associated with this type of large-scale commercial wildlife trade activity. We show that ball python hunting remains an economically valuable endeavour for these rural hunters. However, it also highlights a number of potential legal, conservation and animal welfare issues associated with the current hunting practices being carried out in Togo (and neighbouring range States) to supply the snake farms and ultimately the international exotic pet trade. Our findings suggest that the methods applied on the ground do not accurately reflect those being reported to national authorities and international regulatory mechanisms such as CITES. This irregular, if not illegal, trade may also be unsustainable, as suggested by hunters reporting that there are fewer ball pythons in the wild than there were five years previously. We recommend that additional scientific investigation (focusing on the size and status of the wild population), better management, and enforcement of regulations, are required to ensure that ball python populations are managed in a sustainable, legal and traceable way.
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Ewing, Adam. "The Challenge of Garveyism Studies." Modern American History 1, no. 3 (May 2, 2018): 399–418. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/mah.2018.16.
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The past two decades have witnessed a resurgence of work on Marcus Garvey, Garveyism, and the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in the American academy. Building on a first wave of Garveyism scholarship (1971–1988), and indebted to the archival and curatorial work of Robert A. Hill and the editors of the Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers, this new work has traced the resonance of Garveyism across a staggering number of locations: from the cities and farms of North America to the labor compounds and immigrant communities of Central America to the colonial capitals of the Caribbean and Africa. It has pushed the temporal dimensions of Garveyism, connecting it backward to pan-African and black nationalist discourses and mobilizations as early as the Age of Revolution, and forward to the era of decolonization and Black Power. It has revealed the ways that Garveyism, a mass movement rooted in community aspirations, ideals, debates, and prejudices, offers a forum for excavating African diasporic discourses, particularly their contested gender politics. It has revealed that much more work remains to be done in Brazil, West Africa, Britain, France, and elsewhere.
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Bräutigam, Deborah A., and Tang Xiaoyang. "China's Engagement in African Agriculture: “Down to the Countryside”." China Quarterly 199 (September 2009): 686–706. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0305741009990166.
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AbstractAgriculture is a rapidly growing arena for China's economic engagement in Africa. Drawing on new field research in East and West Africa, and in Beijing and Baoding, China, as well as earlier archival research, this article investigates the dimensions of China's agricultural engagement, placing it in historical perspective. It traces the changes and continuities in China's policies in rural Africa since the 1960s, as Chinese policies moved from fraternal socialism to amicable capitalism. Beginning in the 1980s, the emphasis on aid as mutual benefit began to blur the lines between aid, south–south co-operation and investment. Today, Beijing has established at least 14 new agro-technical demonstration stations using an unusual public–private model that policy makers hope will assist sustainability. At the same time, a stirring of interest among land-scarce Chinese farmers and investors in developing farms in sub-Saharan Africa evokes a mix of anticipation and unease.
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Faure, Guy, and Paul Kleene. "Lessons from new experiences in extension in West Africa: Management advice for family farms and farmers' governance." Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension 10, no. 1 (March 2004): 37–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13892240485300061.
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Nicolay, Gian L. "Understanding and Changing Farming, Food & Fiber Systems. The Organic Cotton Case in Mali and West Africa." Open Agriculture 4, no. 1 (March 8, 2019): 86–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/opag-2019-0008.
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Abstract Science should be capable of covering issues as diverse as farming systems, technology, innovation, climate change adaptation, poverty alleviation, extension, policy and practice, as they all relate to sustainable agriculture and development. Some years ago, the call for a new farming systems approach was raised to accommodate the principles of interdisciplinary, systems thinking and participatory research. Society calls for systems performance that provides stability and sustainability (SDGs!), multi-scale and territorial approaches and looks for solutions for critical issues such as employment, migration and inclusion/exclusion at the global level (World Society). We propose here a way in dealing with this complexity by addressing the mentioned problem from the communication and symbolic perspective, i.e. to consider the "object" within agricultural science but mainly observe the dedicated systems of communication. By using the concept of social systems, we can accommodate under it systems as diverse as farms, extension organizations, innovation patterns, (agricultural) sciences, policy and politics, farmer and indigenous knowledge, markets and value chains, but always in the form of communication. As such, we remain within a discipline with the potential to evolve towards a promising sub-discipline of agricultural sciences (or of sociology?). The relatively new farming approach of certified organic in combination with agroecology is relevant for family farms and small-scale entities. It depends much more on societal support for extension, technology development and policy coherence than commercial farms. Organic agriculture, with its standards, technological requirements and consumer preferences is nested in socio-economic and political networks, which makes it challenging for researchers to integrate the various components. This challenge applies particularly to countries with poorly developed institutions, weak organizations and within the context of poverty and rural exodus. We therefore use a unified approach under a single scientific system. This system observes, analyses and reports on communication aspects of involved (observed!) social systems (including networks and interactions) within the society of any given nation, including the realities of globalized markets. We are developing a case study based in Mali, in which we apply this method. The case is describing a planning process involving cotton farmers from the Sikasso region, the cotton industry, public and private extension systems, farmer organizations, local governments, the NARS (IER), FiBL, donors and the national institutions involved in climate change adaptation and food security. Various technological options of production (conventional, organic) and farming systems are available. The reflexive use of science dealing with human behavior may facilitate the pragmatic participation of researchers from various disciplines in addressing the uncertainties and opportunities that lie ahead of us and achieve the required impacts together with the practitioners.
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Bankole, Honoré Sourou, Victorien Tamègnon Dougnon, Roch Christian Johnson, T. J. Dougnon, Boniface Yehouenou, Sylvain Kougblenou, Maxime Agonsa, Magloire Legonou, Thomas Dadie, and Lamine Baba-Moussa. "Assessment of the Contamination of Some Foodstuffs byEscherichia coliO157 in Benin, West Africa." International Journal of Microbiology 2014 (2014): 1–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/417848.
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Escherichia coliO157 is a pathogenic bacterium causing haemorrhagic colitis. It represents a serious public health problem in Northern America and Europe, which can plague Africa. Most cases of mentioned poisoning were related to contaminated meat products and vegetables. The present work aimed to estimate the prevalence ofE. coliO157 in meat and vegetables in Benin. For this purpose, 6 lots of faeces samples from pigs and 8 from cattle were collected at the farms on the outskirts of Cotonou. Similarly, 20 samples of carcasses, 20 samples of intestines and stomach, and 20 surfaces samples of slaughtering equipment were taken. Vegetables and environment materials in gardens have also been sampled for 84 samples. Bacteriological analyses revealed a percentage of contamination of 50% for pig faeces and 25% for cattle ones. All the meats from stalling parks have been contaminated by this bacterium. For vegetables, 14.6% of samples were contaminated byE. coliO157. The presence of this pathovar in animal breeding and slaughtering environment and in the gardens shows that Benin is not aware of the risks of foodborne illness associated with the consumption of contaminated products. Therefore, it urges including that germ in a systematic search during safety control of food products in Benin.
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Freduah, Bright, Dilys MacCarthy, Myriam Adam, Mouhamed Ly, Alex Ruane, Eric Timpong-Jones, Pierre Traore, Kenneth Boote, Cheryl Porter, and Samuel Adiku. "Sensitivity of Maize Yield in Smallholder Systems to Climate Scenarios in Semi-Arid Regions of West Africa: Accounting for Variability in Farm Management Practices." Agronomy 9, no. 10 (October 15, 2019): 639. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9100639.
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Climate change is estimated to exacerbate existing challenges faced by smallholder farmers in Sub-Sahara Africa. However, limited studies quantify the extent of variation in climate change impact under these systems at the local scale. The Decision Support System for Agro-technological Transfer (DSSAT) was used to quantify variation in climate change impacts on maize yield under current agricultural practices in semi-arid regions of Senegal (Nioro du Rip) and Ghana (Navrongo and Tamale). Multi-benchmark climate models (Mid-Century, 2040–2069 for two Representative Concentration Pathways, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5), and multiple soil and management information from agronomic surveys were used as input for DSSAT. The average impact of climate scenarios on grain yield among farms ranged between −9% and −39% across sites. Substantial variation in climate response exists across farms in the same farming zone with relative standard deviations from 8% to 117% at Nioro du Rip, 13% to 64% in Navrongo and 9% to 37% in Tamale across climate models. Variations in fertilizer application, planting dates and soil types explained the variation in the impact among farms. This study provides insight into the complexities of the impact of climate scenarios on maize yield and the need for better representation of heterogeneous farming systems for optimized outcomes in adaptation and resilience planning in smallholder systems.
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Fondong, V. N., J. S. Pita, C. Rey, R. N. Beachy, and C. M. Fauquet. "First Report of the Presence of East African Cassava Mosaic Virus in Cameroon." Plant Disease 82, no. 10 (October 1998): 1172. http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/pdis.1998.82.10.1172b.
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Cassava mosaic disease (CMD) occurs in all cassava-growing regions of Africa, India, and Sri Lanka. Characterized by mosaic and distortion of cassava leaves and reduced plant growth, causing high yield losses, CMD is caused by geminiviruses (genus Begomovirus, family Geminiviridae) transmitted through infected cuttings or by the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci. Three such geminiviruses have been described: African cassava mosaic virus (ACMV) occurs in most of the cassava-producing zones of Africa; East African cassava mosaic virus (EACMV) in East Africa; and Indian cassava mosaic virus (ICMV) in the Indian subcontinent (1). The two components of ACMV and ICMV genomes, DNA-A and DNA-B, have been sequenced; only DNA-A of EACMV has been identified and sequenced. Variations in symptom expression and severity within the same cassava variety have been observed in Cameroon. To determine the nature of the virus species inducing such variations, 50 samples were collected from CMD-infected plants in the savannah and rainforest zones of Cameroon: 2 from the sahel/savannah plain, 13 from the western highland savannah, and 35 from the main cassava-producing belt of the southwestern rainforest. There is a high incidence of CMD in the rainforest region, with some farms completely infected, while in the savannah regions farms generally have less than 25% incidence. Variation in symptom expression was more common in the rainforest region. Samples were collected from plants with distinct symptoms and/or different extents of symptom severity, then analyzed with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with specific primers: JSP1, ATG TCG AAG CGA CCA GGA GAT; JSP2, TGT TTA TTA ATT GCC AAT ACT; and JSP3, CCT TTA TTA ATT TGT CAC TGC. Primer JSP1 anneals to the 5′ end of the coat protein (CP) of ACMV and EACMV; primers JSP2 and JSP3 anneal to the 3′ ends of ACMV and EACMV, respectively. Virus identification was based on presence of an amplified fragment of either virus. ACMV was detected in all 50 samples; EACMV was detected in 8. All samples infected with EACMV were from the southwestern rainforest of Cameroon and were more severely affected by the disease than single infected plants. Previous reports have limited occurrence of EACMV to East Africa (1). This is the first report of the occurrence of EACMV in West Africa. The CP gene of three isolates of EACMV from Cameroon (EACMV/CM) was sequenced from cloned PCR products. There was a high CP nucleotide sequence identity (>99%) with only two amino acid differences among all three EACMV isolates. In contrast, there was a rather low sequence identity (94%) with EACMV/TZ from Tanzania (2), suggesting they may belong to a previously undescribed West African strain of EACMV. This indicates the geminiviruses causing CMD in Africa are more widely distributed than previously reported. None of the Cameroon isolates showed the type of recombination of the EACMV isolate from Uganda (EACMV/ UG) (having the CP core segment the identical to the corresponding ACMV CP sequence) (2). This emphasizes the need for characterization of the viruses causing CMD in different cassava-growing regions of Africa since appropriate control strategies depend on adequate knowledge of disease etiology. References: (1) Y. G. Hong et al. J. Gen. Virol. 74:2437, 1993. (2) X. Zhou et al. J. Gen. Virol. 78:2101, 1997.
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Simon, C. A., T. M. Worsfold, L. Lange, and J. Sterley. "The genus Boccardia (Polychaeta: Spionidae) associated with mollusc shells on the south coast of South Africa." Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 90, no. 3 (August 14, 2009): 585–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0025315409990452.
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Three species of Boccardia (B. polybranchia, B. pseudonatrix and B. proboscidea) were associated with mollusc shells on the south and south-east coasts of South Africa. Boccardia polybranchia was widely distributed along the coast and falls within the known distribution range of this species. Comparisons with material from other, international, locations showed that some specimens have been misidentified. No characters could be found to characterize distinct species for different regions within the range of B. polybranchia, as currently recognized. Boccardia pseudonatrix was found only at the most eastern site, increasing its known distribution range. Boccardia proboscidea, a non-indigenous species, was found only on abalone farms and was most abundant in the west.
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Koffi, Djima, Komi Agboka, Delanyo Kokouvi Adenka, Michael Osae, Agbeko Kodjo Tounou, Mawuko Kossi Anani Adjevi, Ken Okwae Fening, and Robert L. Meagher. "Maize Infestation of Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Within Agro-Ecological Zones of Togo and Ghana in West Africa 3 Yr After Its Invasion." Environmental Entomology 49, no. 3 (April 29, 2020): 645–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvaa048.
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Abstract The fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) invaded several West African countries in 2016 causing severe injury to maize plants and economic damage. This study assesses variations in the occurrence of this species in different Agro-Ecological Zones (AEZs) in Togo and Ghana during the 3 yr following its discovery. The surveys were conducted on 120 farms in Togo and 94 farms in Ghana by collecting larvae from 200 maize plants per hectare. Infestation levels were 68.46% in 2016, 55.82% in 2017, and 17.76% in 2018. The number of larvae recorded per hectare and infestation levels were higher in Togo than in Ghana. The lowest number of collected larvae and infestation levels of S. frugiperda were in 2018, compared to the other 2 yr. Larvae per hectare and the infestation level varied regionally inside the two countries. The southern part of Togo (AEZ five) contained higher numbers of larvae and higher infestation levels during the 2 yr following the invasion of the pest. We concluded that infestation levels of S. frugiperda are much lower in 2018 than the two previous years and it is therefore necessary to determine the factors that affect the population dynamics of S. frugiperda in the field, which is a perquisite for developing management interventions.
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Cooper, P. J. M., P. J. Gregory, D. Tully, and H. C. Harris. "Improving Water use Efficiency of Annual Crops in the Rainfed Farming Systems of West Asia and North Africa." Experimental Agriculture 23, no. 2 (April 1987): 113–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s001447970001694x.
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SummaryFarming systems in west Asia and north Africa have evolved to cope with the problems of highly variable and, frequently, chronically deficient rainfall. Cereals (mainly wheat and barley) are the dominant arable crops with food legumes (chickpea, lentil and faba bean) occupying only 5 to 10% of the area planted to cereals. Livestock is closely integrated into the farming system and crop production practices often reflect the importance of animals as a major source of income, particularly on the smaller farms. Soils of the region are predominantly calcareous, frequently phosphate deficient, and their depth and texture are important in determining the maximum amount of water that can be stored which, in turn, may determine the effective length of the growing season.Rain falls mainly during the winter months so that crops must often rely on stored soil moisture when they are growing most rapidly. Analysis of equations relating crop growth and water use shows that there are three ways in which the ‘water use efficiency’ of dry matter production can be increased. First, the amount of dry matter produced per unit of water transpired might be increased; second, if the water supply is limited, the amount of water transpired might be increased relative to evaporation from the soil surface; and third, the total amount of water used might be increased to produce extra growth provided that this results in increased transpiration rather than simply increasing evaporation from the soil surface.These three possible routes to increased crop growth are reviewed in relation to possible improvements in water management and crop genotypes in the Mediterranean environment. Scope for improving transpiration efficiency is limited although genotypic differences exist and may be useful in the future. More immediately, changes in crop management, such as applications of fertilizer, improved tillage and better weed control, will all increase the amount of water transpired. Application of mulches will also reduce evaporation from the soil surface but crop residues are usually eaten by livestock and are, therefore, often unavailable.The barley/livestock farming system of west Asia is used as a case study to illustrate how the Fanning Systems Programme of ICARDA has developed on-farm research programmes of direct relevance to current farming systems. Research on experimental sites directed at improving water use efficiency has been developed into on-farm trials and into collaborative trials with the Syrian Soils Directorate.
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Alexander, Justine Shanti, James McNamara, J. Marcus Rowcliffe, James Oppong, and E. J. Milner-Gulland. "The role of bushmeat in a West African agricultural landscape." Oryx 49, no. 4 (August 4, 2014): 643–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0030605313001294.
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AbstractThere is little information on the changing role of bushmeat hunting in the agricultural areas of West Africa. We assessed the status and role of bushmeat hunting and rural consumption in three communities in Ghana, through household surveys (n = 250), and interviews with hunters (n = 69), eatery owners (n = 18) and bushmeat traders (n = 3). Hunting was embedded within dynamic livelihood strategies, with two broad categories of hunters identified: a large group who targeted pests on their own farms using traps, and a smaller group of professional hunters. The professional hunters included a group of young men who hunted with dogs, and another group of older firearm hunters who tended to be members of Hunters’ Associations. All professional hunters reported a decline in bushmeat availability and expressed concerns about the viability of hunting as a livelihood. The frequency of consumption of bushmeat increased with distance from the region's main urban centre, Kumasi, but bushmeat was not found to be a major component of the diet in any of the villages. Few men self-identified as hunters, although bushmeat hunting continued to play an important role in the rural economy, primarily for crop protection. Conservation efforts need to consider the full spectrum of hunting behaviours. Specific measures should target forest-based hunters, who are more likely to damage forest ecosystems than crop pest hunters but also show more concern for the sustainability of hunting, and commitment to hunting as an institution.
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Lombard, Andrea, and Sanette Ferreira. "Residents' attitudes to proposed wind farms in the West Coast region of South Africa: A social perspective from the South." Energy Policy 66 (March 2014): 390–99. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2013.11.005.
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D'Cruze, Neil, Lauren A. Harrington, Délagnon Assou, Jennah Green, David W. Macdonald, Delphine Ronfot, Gabriel Hoinsoudé Segniagbeto, and Mark Auliya. "Betting the farm: A review of Ball Python and other reptile trade from Togo, West Africa." Nature Conservation 40 (July 1, 2020): 65–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.40.48046.
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Our review of the CITES trade database confirmed that the ball python is the most exported species by Togo; with 1,657,814 live individuals – comprising 60% of all live reptiles – reported by importing countries since 1978 (almost 55,000 annually since 1992). In total, 99% of the ball pythons legally exported from Togo under CITES were intended for commercial use, presumably as exotic pets. Since the turn of the century, wild-sourced snakes exported from Togo have been largely replaced with ranched snakes, to the extent that in the last 10 years 95% of these live exports were recorded using CITES source code “R” with the majority destined for the USA. We found discrepancies in the CITES trade database that suggest ball python exports were consistently underestimated by Togo and that both ranched and wild-sourced ball python annual quotas have been exceeded on multiple occasions including as recently as 2017. Furthermore, our field visits to seven of these “python farms” revealed that they are also involved in the commercial trade in at least 46 other reptile species, including eight that are already involved in formal CITES trade reviews due to concerns regarding their sustainability and legality. Ranching operations in West Africa were once thought to provide a degree of protection for the ball python; however, in light of recent research, there is growing concern that ranching may not confer any significant net conservation benefits. Further scrutiny and research are required to ensure the long-term survival of wild ball python and other reptile species populations in Togo.
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Hebbar, Prakash K. "Cacao Diseases: A Global Perspective from an Industry Point of View." Phytopathology® 97, no. 12 (December 2007): 1658–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/phyto-97-12-1658.
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Diseases of cacao, Theobroma cacao, account for losses of more than 30% of the potential crop. These losses have caused a steady decline in production and a reduction in bean quality in almost all the cacao-producing areas in the world, especially in small-holder farms in Latin America and West Africa. The most significant diseases are witches' broom, caused by Moniliophthora perniciosa, which occurs mainly in South America; frosty pod rot, caused by M. roreri, which occurs mainly in Central and northern South America; and black pod disease, caused by several species of Phytophthora, which are distributed throughout the tropics. In view of the threat that these diseases pose to the sustainability of the cacao crop, Mars Inc. and their industry partners have funded collaborative research involving cacao research institutes and governmental and nongovernmental agencies. The objective of this global initiative is to develop short- to medium-term, low-cost, environmentally friendly disease-management strategies until disease tolerant varieties are widely available. These include good farming practices, biological control and the rational or minimal use of chemicals that could be used for integrated pest management (IPM). Farmer field schools are used to get these technologies to growers. This paper describes some of the key collaborative partners and projects that are underway in South America and West Africa.
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Tindano, K., N. Moula, A. Traoré, P. Leroy, and N. Antoine-Moussiaux. "Characteristics and typology of sheep herding systems in the suburban area of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)." Archives Animal Breeding 58, no. 2 (November 24, 2015): 415–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/aab-58-415-2015.
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Abstract. Strong increase in demand for animal products could benefit local producers in developing countries. This development opportunity particularly concerns suburban livestock. In Burkina Faso, the suburban area of Ouagadougou is a place for the setting up of an increasing number of breeders. Due to its importance in religious traditions, spurring its consumption in whole West Africa, mutton is a major part of this suburban production. In order to characterize sheep farming in the suburban zone of Ouagadougou, in terms of motives, practices, and economic performance, and to better understand the dynamic at play in the sheep sector, a survey has been conducted among 80 sheep farmers around Ouagadougou. The results show that suburban sheep keeping is a highly dual sector. Nearly half (42.5 %) of farms may be described as traditional livestock, while 50 % are evolving towards intensification. These two groups essentially differ in terms of animal genetic and feeding management, farm infrastructure, and farmer education level. Economically, the whole sample tends to indicate a lack of profitability of the activity in terms of monetary income. Several factors contributing to this situation are pinpointed, namely feed and animal health constraints, flock and production management, and the market conditions.
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Hasyim, Ahsol, Azwana Azwana, and Syafril Syafril. "EVALUATION OF NATURAL ENEMIES IN CONTROLLING OF THE BANANA WEEVIL BORER Cosmopolites sordidus Germar IN WEST SUMATRA." Indonesian Journal of Agricultural Science 10, no. 2 (October 25, 2016): 43. http://dx.doi.org/10.21082/ijas.v10n2.2009.43-53.
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<br />The banana weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus Germar, is an important pest of highland banana and plantain in Africa, but it exists in low densities in presumed area of origin in Southeast Asia such as in Indonesia. This suggests a possible existence of effective co-evolved natural enemies in the origin area of Indonesia, especially West Sumatra. The objectives of this study were: (1) to evaluate banana weevil pest status at selected sites in West Sumatra, (2) to survey parasitoids and predators, and (3) to determine the control potential of the most important natural enemies. Surveys were undertaken in March 2002-August 2003 in five locations in West Sumatra, i.e., Bukittinggi, Sitiung, Pariaman, Pasaman, and Batusangkar. Five farms per site were selected randomly among all farms that contained banana stands of > 0.5 ha. Sampling for banana weevil adults and damage, and for predators was done throughout small banana stands and within a 20 m x 40 m (0.08 ha) subplot on larger farms. Field-collected larvae were taken to the laboratory and reared on corm pieces (3 cm x 3 cm x 3 cm) until pupation. Larvae were collected from pseudostem as well as corm residues. To estimate the abundance of non-social predators, i.e., those other than ants, 10 residues each on each farm were examined from plants that had been harvested 1-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks or 9 or more weeks before our visit to the site. Samples of the different morphospecies were saved in alcohol for later identification. The result showed that the banana weevil incidence was found to be low, 0.6-1.7 adults per trap. Plant damage indices were below 2.2%. We collected and reared 24,360 eggs and 3118 larvae, but no parasitism was detected. Phorids (Megaselia sp.) and drosophilids were recovered from larval rearings, but most likely were scavengers. A complex of predators was detected, the most important of which was the histerid beetles, <em>Plaesius javanus </em>Erichson. In laboratory tests, adults and larvae of P. <em>javanus</em> attacked 75-88% and 38-53% of banana weevil larvae and pupae, respectively. Predatory ants, including species of Myrmicinae, Ponerinae, Formicinae, and Dolichoderinae, were found to be associated with banana plants and residues. Adults of Myopopone castanea Smith (Ponerinae) were directly observed attacking banana weevil larvae in crop residues. The adult banana weevil mortalities caused by the entomopathogen fungi of Beauveria bassiana from Baso, Sungaitarab, Sei Sariek, and Sikabau at highest density (3.2 x 108 spores ml-1) after two weeks were 96.67%, 90.00%, 60.00% and 83.33%, respectively. The high diversity of habitat conditions in which crop-pest-natural enemies systems exist, support the idea that banana weevil population and damage intensity in the study area is low due to active role of natural enemies.
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Hasyim, Ahsol, Azwana Azwana, and Syafril Syafril. "EVALUATION OF NATURAL ENEMIES IN CONTROLLING OF THE BANANA WEEVIL BORER Cosmopolites sordidus Germar IN WEST SUMATRA." Indonesian Journal of Agricultural Science 10, no. 2 (October 25, 2016): 43. http://dx.doi.org/10.21082/ijas.v10n2.2009.p43-53.
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<br />The banana weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus Germar, is an important pest of highland banana and plantain in Africa, but it exists in low densities in presumed area of origin in Southeast Asia such as in Indonesia. This suggests a possible existence of effective co-evolved natural enemies in the origin area of Indonesia, especially West Sumatra. The objectives of this study were: (1) to evaluate banana weevil pest status at selected sites in West Sumatra, (2) to survey parasitoids and predators, and (3) to determine the control potential of the most important natural enemies. Surveys were undertaken in March 2002-August 2003 in five locations in West Sumatra, i.e., Bukittinggi, Sitiung, Pariaman, Pasaman, and Batusangkar. Five farms per site were selected randomly among all farms that contained banana stands of > 0.5 ha. Sampling for banana weevil adults and damage, and for predators was done throughout small banana stands and within a 20 m x 40 m (0.08 ha) subplot on larger farms. Field-collected larvae were taken to the laboratory and reared on corm pieces (3 cm x 3 cm x 3 cm) until pupation. Larvae were collected from pseudostem as well as corm residues. To estimate the abundance of non-social predators, i.e., those other than ants, 10 residues each on each farm were examined from plants that had been harvested 1-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks or 9 or more weeks before our visit to the site. Samples of the different morphospecies were saved in alcohol for later identification. The result showed that the banana weevil incidence was found to be low, 0.6-1.7 adults per trap. Plant damage indices were below 2.2%. We collected and reared 24,360 eggs and 3118 larvae, but no parasitism was detected. Phorids (Megaselia sp.) and drosophilids were recovered from larval rearings, but most likely were scavengers. A complex of predators was detected, the most important of which was the histerid beetles, <em>Plaesius javanus </em>Erichson. In laboratory tests, adults and larvae of P. <em>javanus</em> attacked 75-88% and 38-53% of banana weevil larvae and pupae, respectively. Predatory ants, including species of Myrmicinae, Ponerinae, Formicinae, and Dolichoderinae, were found to be associated with banana plants and residues. Adults of Myopopone castanea Smith (Ponerinae) were directly observed attacking banana weevil larvae in crop residues. The adult banana weevil mortalities caused by the entomopathogen fungi of Beauveria bassiana from Baso, Sungaitarab, Sei Sariek, and Sikabau at highest density (3.2 x 108 spores ml-1) after two weeks were 96.67%, 90.00%, 60.00% and 83.33%, respectively. The high diversity of habitat conditions in which crop-pest-natural enemies systems exist, support the idea that banana weevil population and damage intensity in the study area is low due to active role of natural enemies.
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Muhr, L., S. A. Tarawali, M. Peters, and R. Schultze-Kraft. "ACCEPTABILITY OF FORAGE LEGUMES FOR IMPROVED FALLOWS – FIRST EXPERIENCES OF AGRO-PASTORALISTS IN SUBHUMID SOUTHWEST NIGERIA." Experimental Agriculture 37, no. 4 (October 2001): 495–507. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0014479701000436.
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In the process of developing an improved fallow system based on forage legumes, the potential interest of crop-livestock farmers in enhancing soil fertility restoration and dry-season feed supply was assessed during a socio-economic study on 11 farms of settled agro-pastoralists in the subhumid zone of West Africa. Simultaneously, eight farmers in the group participated in simple and largely farmer-managed on-farm experiments testing the establishment of selected forage legumes on fallow land. In addition to agronomic parameters, the participatory approach included an evaluation of the technology by farmers both during farm visits and field days.With cropping and dry-season feeding strategies increasingly being limited by land availability, the agronomic performance of some of the tested legume species, in particular Stylosanthes guianensis, promised substantial productivity gains once they could be integrated into the traditional fallow system. The major concerns of the farmers were animal health and labour supply for cropping activities, rather than soil fertility and feed constraints. The need for initial weed control within most of the legume species, therefore, limited their acceptability by farmers at this early stage of innovation testing. Nevertheless, farmers' interest grew remarkably in the course of the study. Options for the selection of appropriate species and management practices, which aimed at facilitating the establishment of legumes on fallow land, are discussed as a means of enhancing further adoption of the innovation.
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ASARE, RICHARD, VICTOR AFARI-SEFA, and SANDER MUILERMAN. "ACCESS TO IMPROVED HYBRID SEEDS IN GHANA: IMPLICATIONS FOR ESTABLISHMENT AND REHABILITATION OF COCOA FARMS." Experimental Agriculture 54, no. 2 (March 23, 2016): 273–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0014479716000247.
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SUMMARYPoor access to improved seeds in West and Central Africa has compromised crop yields and productivity as most farmers source the bulk of their seeds from informal channels. The use of farmer produced seeds has mostly resulted in high seedling mortality thereby presenting challenges to cocoa rehabilitation programmes across the sub region. With the aid of a mobile data collection system (MDCS), the first of its kind to enhance accuracy of survey results in an improved seed supply system through brokerage and linkages among diverse actors, this study assesses Ghanaian farmers’ access to improved hybrid cocoa seeds and provides evidence on the socio-cultural factors that affect field performance of such planting materials. Results show that farmers value a seed brokerage system (SBS), which is facilitated through group bulk purchase, timely acquisition and delivery of seeds. The study also revealed that farm size, land use type and gender have significant effect on survival rate of transplanted hybrid cocoa seedlings over two dry seasons. Regardless of the rehabilitation process, mean survival rate was high (79%) although an 11% (p < 0.000) difference occurred between gender with men recording a higher rate. The majority of farmers prefer cultivating cocoa on forest and fallow lands, implying continues degradation of forest areas. There is therefore an urgent need for a change of mind set, to advocate for land recycling to spare forest areas to thrive.
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Raes, Dirk, Moussa Waongo, Eline Vanuytrecht, and Patricia Mejias Moreno. "Improved management may alleviate some but not all of the adverse effects of climate change on crop yields in smallholder farms in West Africa." Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 308-309 (October 2021): 108563. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2021.108563.
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Tela, Murna, Will Cresswell, and Hazel Chapman. "Pest-removal services provided by birds on subsistence farms in south-eastern Nigeria." PLOS ONE 16, no. 8 (August 9, 2021): e0255638. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255638.
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To what extent birds provide the ecosystem service of pest control in subsistence farms, and how this service might depend on retained natural habitats near farmlands is unexplored in West Africa. To fill this knowledge gap, we placed plasticine mimics of insect pests on experimentally grown crops on the Mambilla Plateau, South Eastern Nigeria. We recorded bird attacks on the mimics and the proportion of mimics removed by birds. We also determined the influence of distance of crops from forest fragments on both attack and removal rates. We placed 90 potted plants of groundnut (Arachis hypogea) and bambara nut (Vigna subterranea) along 15 transects running 4.5 km from forest edge into open grassland. Each plant had six of the 540 mimics in total placed on their leaves. We inspected the potted plants weekly for 12 weeks to record (i) the presence of bird beak marks on mimics, and (ii) the number of missing mimics. Once a week we collected all the mimics from the plants and counted the number of assumed beak marks. After counting we replaced the mimics on the plants, mark free. We found a strong positive correlation between the abundance of insectivorous birds and the mean number of missing mimics and/or bird attack marks on mimics. However, this positive effect of insectivorous bird abundance on prey mimic attack/removal became less strong the farther they were from a forest fragment. We found increased predation rates and abundance of insectivorous birds closer to forest fragments. Our data suggest that pest predation may be a key ecosystem service provided by insectivorous birds on Nigerian farmlands. Farmlands that are closer to forest fragments may experience a higher rate of pest control by insectivorous birds than those further away, suggesting that retaining forest fragments in the landscape may enhance pest control services in sub-Saharan subsistence farms.
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Muller, Mischa F., Irene Barnes, Ncobile T. Kunene, Bridget G. Crampton, Burton H. Bluhm, Sonia M. Phillips, Nicholas A. Olivier, and Dave K. Berger. "Cercospora zeina from Maize in South Africa Exhibits High Genetic Diversity and Lack of Regional Population Differentiation." Phytopathology® 106, no. 10 (October 2016): 1194–205. http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/phyto-02-16-0084-fi.
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South Africa is one of the leading maize-producing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Since the 1980s, Cercospora zeina, a causal agent of gray leaf spot of maize, has become endemic in South Africa, and is responsible for substantial yield reductions. To assess genetic diversity and population structure of C. zeina in South Africa, 369 isolates were collected from commercial maize farms in three provinces (KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and North West). These isolates were evaluated with 14 microsatellite markers and species-specific mating type markers that were designed from draft genome sequences of C. zeina isolates from Africa (CMW 25467) and the United States (USPA-4). Sixty alleles were identified across 14 loci, and gene diversity values within each province ranged from 0.18 to 0.35. High levels of gene flow were observed (Nm = 5.51), and in a few cases, identical multilocus haplotypes were found in different provinces. Overall, 242 unique multilocus haplotypes were identified with a low clonal fraction of 34%. No distinct population clusters were identified using STRUCTURE, principal coordinate analysis, or Weir’s theta θ statistic. The lack of population differentiation was supported by analysis of molecular variance tests, which indicated that only 2% of the variation was attributed to variability between populations from each province. Mating type ratios of MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 idiomorphs from 335 isolates were not significantly different from a 1:1 ratio in all provinces, which provided evidence for sexual reproduction. The draft genome of C. zeina CMW 25467 exhibited a complete genomic copy of the MAT1-1 idiomorph as well as exonic fragments of MAT genes from both idiomorphs. The high level of gene diversity, shared haplotypes at different geographical locations within South Africa, and presence of both MAT idiomorphs at all sites indicates widespread dispersal of C. zeina between maize fields in the country as well as evidence for sexual recombination. The outcomes of this genome-enabled study are important for disease management since the high diversity has implications for dispersal of fungicide resistance should it emerge and the need for diversified resistance breeding.
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Ahozonlin, Maurice Cossi, Ivan Bossima Koura, and Luc Hippolyte Dossa. "Determinants of Crossbreeding Practices by Cattle Farmers in South Benin, West Africa: Implications for the Sustainable Use of the Indigenous Lagune Cattle Population." Sustainable Agriculture Research 8, no. 2 (April 13, 2019): 101. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/sar.v8n2p101.
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While it is widely acknowledged that the small-sized West African Shorthorn taurine Lagune cattle is being increasingly crossbred with and replaced by large-sized zebus, little is known about the factors that influence farmers’ crossbreeding decisions and selection practices. But this information is necessary for the development of strategies towards a rationale use and conservation of this unique African genetic resource. To fill this knowledge gap, we conducted, between September and November 2016, a questionnaire survey in the belt of this breed in South Benin. One hundred seventy-three cattle farms were surveyed. The binomial logistic regression approach was used to predict the likelihood of a Lagune cattle farmer to be willing to introduce zebus in his herd. The herds were composed of either Lagune only (82.1%), zebu only (4.0%), crossbred Lagune x zebu (1.2%), Lagune and zebu (9.2%) or Lagune and crossbred Lagune x zebu (3.5%). The low productivity of the Lagune cattle and the market demand for large-sized animals were the main farmers’ motivations for crossbreeding. Farmers raising large herds of Lagune cattle under control mating system were more likely to adopt crossbreeding. The risk of dilution of the Lagune breed could be reduced by increasing awareness among farmers, improving their technical skills in herd management and empowering them to develop legal institutions, by-laws and collective actions for sustainable breed management. Farmers who have already adopted crossbreeding should be provided with appropriate services and technical assistance, whereas breed conservation initiatives should mainly focus on small purebred herds kept under control mating.
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Zougmoré, Robert B., Peter Läderach, and Bruce M. Campbell. "Transforming Food Systems in Africa under Climate Change Pressure: Role of Climate-Smart Agriculture." Sustainability 13, no. 8 (April 13, 2021): 4305. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13084305.
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Low-income producers and consumers of food in Africa are more vulnerable to climate change, owing to their comparatively limited ability to invest in more adapted institutions and technologies under increasing climatic risks. Therefore, the way we manage our food systems needs to be urgently changed if the goal is to achieve food security and sustainable development more quickly. This review paper analyzes the nexus “climate-smart agriculture-food systems-sustainable development” in order to draw sound ways that could allow rapid transformation of food systems in the context of climate change pressure. We followed an integrative review approach based on selected concrete example-experiences from ground-implemented projects across Africa (Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, in West Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania in East Africa). Mostly composed of examples from the Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS) Research Program of the CGIAR (former Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) and its partners, these also included ground initiatives from non-CGIAR that could provide demonstrable conditions for a transformative agriculture and food systems. The lessons learnt from the ground implementation of climate-smart agriculture (CSA), in the African context, were instrumental to informing the actions areas of the food-system transformation framework suggested in this paper (reroute, de-risk, reduce, and realign). Selected CSA example-cases to inform these action areas included 24 initiatives across Africa, but with a focus on the following studies for an in-depth analysis: (1) the climate-smart village approach to generate knowledge on climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies and practices for their scaling, (2) the use of climate information services (CIS) to better manage climate variability and extremes, and (3) the science–policy interfacing to mainstream CSA into agricultural development policies and plans. The analysis of these examples showed that CSA can contribute driving a rapid change of food systems in Africa through: (1) the implementation of relevant climate-smart technologies and practices to reroute farming and rural livelihoods to new climate-resilient and low-emission trajectories; (2) the development and application of weather and climate information services (WCIS) that support de-risking of livelihoods, farms, and value chains in the face of increasing vagaries of weather and extreme events; (3) the use of climate-smart options that minimize waste of all the natural resources used for growing, processing, packaging, transporting, and marketing food, and therefore mitigating the carbon footprint attached to this food loss and waste; and (4) the realignment of policies and finance that facilitate action in the four proposed action areas through the identification of news ways to mobilize sustainable finance and create innovative financial mechanisms and delivery channels.