Seed value chains for Sorghum and Millet in Mali: A state-based system in transition

"This paper reviews the structure and performance of the sorghum and millet seed sector in Mali. The Sahel is the origin of pearl millet and sorghum, seed selection and management of these crops is embedded in local cultures, and most producers of these crops are subsistence oriented. Despite seed sector reform, no certified seed of these crops is sold in local markets and farmers prefer to rely on themselves or each other for seed. The dominant source of certified seed is the national seed service. Certified seed is multiplied by contracted farmers and seed producer groups, and supplied to farmers through farmers' associations, development organizations, and extension services. The informal sector supplies farmers with non-certified seed directly and indirectly through village grain markets. There is no consensus about whether it is lack of effective demand or supply that constrains farmer use of certified sorghum and millet seed, but researchers generally conclude that the process of certifying seed is too lengthy, some mechanism must be established for production and trade of locally-adapted landraces, and Mali's highly structured farmers' associations could play an even stronger role in testing and promoting demand for certified seed. Recommendations have included the use of small packs and seed auctions where market infrastructure is sparse, and in more commercialized areas, involvement of agro-input dealers, shopkeepers and traders. Still, estimated adoption rates for improved millet (under 10 percent of crop area) and sorghum seed (under 20 percent of crop area) could be as high as can be expected in this challenging natural environment and institutional context." from Author's AbstractSeeds, Formal sector, Informal sector, Millet, Sorghum, Seed markets, Biodiversity,

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit—USGS: REPORT OF ACTIVITIES October 2008 – October 2009

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .. 1 PERSONNEL AND COOPERATORS . 2 Unit Personnel .. 2 Coordinating Committee Members . 4 Cooperators .. 5 MILESTONES .. 7 AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS .. 8 THESES AND DISERTATIONS .. 8 PROJECTS IN FISHERY SCIENCE . 9 Angler Behavior in Response to Management Actions on Nebraska Reservoirs . 10 Geographic Trends in Contamination of Nebraska’s Surface Waters as Indexed by Sex Steroids of Common Carp .. 11 Impact of White Perch on Walleye at Branched Oak and Pawnee Reservoirs . 12 Latitudinal Influence on Age Estimation of Bluegill . 13 Predators of White Perch at Branched Oak and Pawnee Reservoirs . 14 Population Assessment of Channel Catfish in Nebraska . 15 Recruitment of Walleye and White Bass in Irrigation Reservoirs . 16 PROJECTS IN WILDLIFE SCIENCE . 17 Assessing the Relationship between Stable Isotopes and Grassland Bird Productivity on Great Plains National Park Service Properties . 18 Climate Change as a Challenge to Bird Conservation in Arid and Semi-arid Regions of North America . 19 Cross–Scale Structure and Scale Breaks in Complex Systems . 20 The Effect of Common Reed on River Otter Habitat Use . 21 Identifying Socio-Ecological Factors Determining Invasions and Extinctions . 22 Missouri River Mitigation: Implementation and Adaptive Management for Wetland Restoration Evaluation . 23 Monitoring, Mapping and Risk Assessment for Non-Indigenous Invasive Species in Nebraska . 24 The Relationship between Diversity and Ecological Functions . 25 River Otter Home Range and Habitat Use . 26 Southeast Prairies BUL and Sandstone Prairies BUL Research . 27 Spatial Risk Assessment of Invasive Species Impacts on Native Species in Nebraska . 28 Understanding Invasions and Extinctions . 29 OTHER AFFILIATED RESEARCH PROJECTS . 30 Multi-Criteria Assessment of Habitat Restoration for the Missouri River . 30 Productivity and Biology of Ducks Nesting in the Sandhills of Nebraska . 30 Quantifying Uncertainty in Missouri River Adaptive Management Processes . 31 Stable Isotope Determination in Deer and Mountain Lion Tissue . 32 Total Vegetation Control on Sandbars along the Missouri River Utilizing Lime and Herbicides . 32 PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES .. 33 Teaching .. 33 Training and Workshops .. 33 Peer-Reviewed Publications . 33 Presentations at Scientific Meetings . 35 Graduate Committee Service . 37 Professional and Faculty Service . 3

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit—USGS: REPORT OF ACTIVITIES October 2008 – October 2009

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .. 1 PERSONNEL AND COOPERATORS . 2 Unit Personnel .. 2 Coordinating Committee Members . 4 Cooperators .. 5 MILESTONES .. 7 AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS .. 8 THESES AND DISERTATIONS .. 8 PROJECTS IN FISHERY SCIENCE . 9 Angler Behavior in Response to Management Actions on Nebraska Reservoirs . 10 Geographic Trends in Contamination of Nebraska’s Surface Waters as Indexed by Sex Steroids of Common Carp .. 11 Impact of White Perch on Walleye at Branched Oak and Pawnee Reservoirs . 12 Latitudinal Influence on Age Estimation of Bluegill . 13 Predators of White Perch at Branched Oak and Pawnee Reservoirs . 14 Population Assessment of Channel Catfish in Nebraska . 15 Recruitment of Walleye and White Bass in Irrigation Reservoirs . 16 PROJECTS IN WILDLIFE SCIENCE . 17 Assessing the Relationship between Stable Isotopes and Grassland Bird Productivity on Great Plains National Park Service Properties . 18 Climate Change as a Challenge to Bird Conservation in Arid and Semi-arid Regions of North America . 19 Cross–Scale Structure and Scale Breaks in Complex Systems . 20 The Effect of Common Reed on River Otter Habitat Use . 21 Identifying Socio-Ecological Factors Determining Invasions and Extinctions . 22 Missouri River Mitigation: Implementation and Adaptive Management for Wetland Restoration Evaluation . 23 Monitoring, Mapping and Risk Assessment for Non-Indigenous Invasive Species in Nebraska . 24 The Relationship between Diversity and Ecological Functions . 25 River Otter Home Range and Habitat Use . 26 Southeast Prairies BUL and Sandstone Prairies BUL Research . 27 Spatial Risk Assessment of Invasive Species Impacts on Native Species in Nebraska . 28 Understanding Invasions and Extinctions . 29 OTHER AFFILIATED RESEARCH PROJECTS . 30 Multi-Criteria Assessment of Habitat Restoration for the Missouri River . 30 Productivity and Biology of Ducks Nesting in the Sandhills of Nebraska . 30 Quantifying Uncertainty in Missouri River Adaptive Management Processes . 31 Stable Isotope Determination in Deer and Mountain Lion Tissue . 32 Total Vegetation Control on Sandbars along the Missouri River Utilizing Lime and Herbicides . 32 PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES .. 33 Teaching .. 33 Training and Workshops .. 33 Peer-Reviewed Publications . 33 Presentations at Scientific Meetings . 35 Graduate Committee Service . 37 Professional and Faculty Service . 3

How do Poor People Adapt to Weather Variability and Natural Disasters Today?

human development, climate change

Examination of the Allee effect on postlarval recruitment and post settlement survival in the Caribbean spiny lobster \u3ci\u3ePanulirus \u3ci\u3eargus\u3c/i\u3e

Positive density dependence (the Allee effect) has been reported in a number of species that are attracted to conspecific cues. This effect has been shown to influence the settlement of many species of marine invertebrates. Caribbean spiny lobsters are gregarious den dwellers attracted to conspecific cues. Previous studies have suggested that the benefit of conspecific attraction is a reduced predation risk by decreasing the time to find crevice shelters (the guide effect) or by cooperative group defense once sharing shelters. I tested a third hypothesis that attraction to conspecific cues increases the settlement of lobster postlarvae into the highest quality nursery habitat (settlement cue) in Florida Bay, FL, USA. Y-maze laboratory choice test on postlarval lobsters (N = 67) found a significant preference for odor cues of large juvenile lobsters. To determine if this preference for conspecific odors could influence lobster recruitment, I established sixteen paired field sites (25 m X 25 m) and manipulated the density of large juvenile lobsters by the addition of ten artificial crevice shelter blocks. Treatment sites received unplugged shelter blocks that could house lobsters up to 45 mm CL while control sites received plugged shelter blocks that could house lobsters up to 25 mm CL. Treatment sites attracted and retained large juvenile lobsters (\u3e 25 mm CL) during our six month study and maintained a density five fold higher than the paired control sites. Each month I censused the density of small juvenile lobsters (\u3c 25 mm CL) along with the density of large juvenile lobsters (\u3e 25 mm CL); crab, fish and octopus predators; and percent cover of red macroalgae. The density of small juvenile lobsters was most influenced by large juvenile lobster density. I also seeded (N = 800) and recovered (N = 18) microwire-tagged small juvenile lobsters from both control and treatment sites. I detected a significant correlation in the number of untagged lobsters with large juvenile density, but no correlation in the number of tagged lobsters with large juvenile density. These results suggest that more postlarval lobsters were settling on sites with high juvenile lobster density supporting the predictions of the Settlement Cue hypothesis

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit—USGS: REPORT OF ACTIVITIES October 2009 – October 2010

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .. 1 PERSONNEL AND COOPERATORS .. 2 Unit Personnel .. 2 Coordinating Committee Members . 4 Cooperators .. 5 MILESTONES .. 8 GOLDEN PILLAR AWARD .. 9 AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS .. 11 THESES AND DISERTATIONS .. 11 OUTREACH ACTIVITIES .. 12 RESEARCH PROJECTS.. 13 Angler Behavior in Response to Management Actions on Nebraska Reservoirs . 14 Assessing Local and Landscape Constraints on Habitat Management of Upland Birds . 16 Assessing the Relationship between Stable Isotopes and Grassland Bird Productivity on Great Plains National Park Service Properties .. 17 Avian Conservation in the Prairie Pothole Region: Understanding the Links Between Climate, Ecosystem Processes, Wetland Management, and Bird Communities. 18 Cross–Scale Structure and Scale Breaks in Complex Systems . 19 The Effect of Common Reed on River Otter Habitat Use . 20 Estimating North American River Otter (Lontra Canadensis) Population Size Using DNA from Scat . 21 Making Adaptive Management Meaningful: Translating Science Learning into Policy Decision-Making. 22 Missouri River Mitigation: Implementation and Adaptive Management for Wetland Restoration Evaluation . 23 Monitoring, Mapping and Risk Assessment for Non-Indigenous Invasive Species in Nebraska . 24 Monitoring, Mapping, Risk Assessment and Management of Invasive Species in Nebraska . 25 Platte River Watershed Ecosystems Services on Native and Restored Grasslands. 26 Population Assessment of Channel Catfish in Nebraska . 27 Recruitment of Walleye and White Bass in Irrigation Reservoirs . 28 The Relationship between Diversity and Ecological Functions . 29 River Otter Home Range and Habitat Use . 30 Scenarios of Climate Change and Land Use Change and Biological Invasions in the High Plains . 31 Southeast Prairies BUL and Sandstone Prairies BUL Research . 32 Wetland Condition Assessment . 33 OTHER AFFILIATED RESEARCH PROJECTS . 34 Quantifying Uncertainty in Missouri River Adaptive Management Processes . 34 Total Vegetation Control on Sandbars along the Missouri River Utilizing Lime and Herbicides . 35 USGS Subsurface Investigation for Eolin and Interdune Deposits near Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge . 35 PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES .. 36 Teaching .. 36 Training, Workshops and Outreach Activities . 36 Peer-Reviewed Publications .. 37 Presentations at Scientific Meetings . 39 Graduate Committee Service.. 42 Professional and Faculty Service . 4