Economic analyses of maize storage innovations in southern Benin

Key words: Storage innovations, maize, information sources, farmers’ perceptions, adoption and modification, treatment effects, sample selection bias, correction function approach, technology abandonment, cross-sectional and panel data, Benin. Maize is a staple food and an important source of income for farmers in southern Benin. It is stored at village level in traditional storage structures and treated with conservation products. To improve control pest damage in stored maize, improved wooden granaries and a new product, Sofagrain®, were introduced in 1992. On-farm trials indicated that after six months of storage, the losses were reduced from 30% to only 5% for maize treated with Sofagrain® stored in an improved wooden granary. Although the effectiveness of storage innovations against pests is well documented, little is known about the socioeconomic aspects of promotion of these innovations in southern Benin. Using appropriate econometric models, this study investigates the perceptions of farmers regarding the characteristics of storage innovations and the causal effect of participation in extension on their formation, the adoption of storage innovations and effect of sources of information on the determinants of adoption, the impact of adopting storage innovation on schooling expenditure and the factors that affect the abandonment of storage innovations. First, the empirical results show that the effectiveness against pests and the length of the storage are the most important preferred characteristics and are provided by the storage innovation. Second, farmer’s participation in an extension program on these storage technologies has an important effect on the probability that positive perceptions of the quality of effectiveness against insects are provided by the improved wooden granary and the Sofagrain®. Third, there are differences in adoption and modification decisions between farmers who are informed by extension agents and those informed by other farmers. Fourth, adoption of a storage innovation increases the schooling expenditure of adopters. Finally, the study highlights the effect of road conditions, availability of family labor and availability of the protection measure Sofagrain® on the probability of abandonment of storage innovations. <br/

Gender discrimination and its impact on income, productivity, and technical efficiency: evidence from Benin

This paper examines the occurrence and impact of gender discrimination in access to production resources on the income, productivity, and technical efficiency of farmers. Through an empirical investigation of farmers from Koussin-Le´le´, a semi-collective irrigated rice scheme in central Benin, we find that female rice farmers are particularly discriminated against with regard to scheme membership and access to land and equipment, resulting in significant negative impacts on their productivity and income. Although women have lower productivity, they are as technically efficient as men. The findings suggest that there is considerable scope for improving the productivity of women through increasing their access to production resources

Analyse des besoins en equipements et materiels de post recoltes des filieres des poles de developpement agricole du Benin

L’agriculture béninoise est caractérisée par une faible utilisation de matériels agricoles performants. En vue d’améliorer la mécanisation des&nbsp; opérations agricoles, de réduire les pertes post récoltes et d’aider les petits agriculteurs à améliorer leur valeur ajoutée, une étude d’identification&nbsp; des besoins en matériels de post récolte des petits producteurs a été réalisée au Bénin. La collecte des données a été faite avec les outils suivants :&nbsp; l’observation, l’interview semi-structurée, la classification préférentielle et l’arbre à problèmes. Les graphiques et la régression logistique sont les&nbsp; outils d’analyse des données utilisés. Les résultats ont révélé une variation significative des rangs attribués aux produits de transformations&nbsp; contribuant à l’alimentation et au revenu, suivant les villages, les spéculations et les pôles de développement agricole. Le fromage de soja, l’akassa,&nbsp; le kluiklui et le gari sont les produits de transformation contribuant à la fois au revenu et à l’alimentation des ménages. Le gari est le premier&nbsp; produit qui contribue le plus au revenu dans la moitié des villages d’étude. Les opérations de post-récolte constituant des goulots d’étranglement et&nbsp; donc les besoins en équipements varient significativement d’une spéculation à l’autre. &nbsp; English title: Analysis of the post-harvest equipment / materials needs of the Agricultural Development Hubs sectors in Benin Beninese agriculture was characterized by a low use of efficient agricultural equipment. In order to improve the agricultural operations&nbsp; mechanization, reduce post-harvest losses and help small farmers to improve their added value, a study was carried out in Benin to identify the&nbsp; small farmers post-harvest equipment needs. Data was collected using the following tools: observation, semi-structured interview, preferential&nbsp; classification and problem tree. Graphs and logistic regression are the data analysis tools used. The results revealed a significant variation in the&nbsp; ranks attributed to the processed products contributing to food and income, depending on the villages, crops and agricultural development hubs.&nbsp; Soy cheese, akassa, kluiklui and gari are the processed products contributing both to household income and food. Gari is the first processed&nbsp; product that contributes the most to income in half of the study villages. The post-harvest operations constituting bottlenecks and therefore the&nbsp; requirements for equipment vary significantly from one speculation to another.&nbsp

Analyse de l’evolution de la typologie des exploitations cotonnieres engagees dans la transition agroecologique au Benin et pratiques agroecologiques

L’analyse socioéconomique de la transition agroécologique est entreprise au Bénin pour améliorer les connaissances sur ce processus en cours dans les zones cotonnières du pays. Cette étude permet de catégoriser les exploitants et d’identifier les pratiques agroécologiques susceptibles d’adoption. Les enquêtes ont porté sur 509 exploitants agricoles dans 5 communes : Banikoara, Kandi, Ouassa-Péhunco, Parakou et Savalou. Les données recueillies sont relatives aux caractéristiques socioéconomiques des exploitations et aux technologies agroécologiques. L’Analyse Factorielle des Données Mixtes est réalisée suivie d’une Classification Ascendante Hiérarchique pour déterminer les différents types d’exploitations. Une analyse comparative des contraintes d’adoption desdites technologies avec les caractéristiques des exploitations est faite. Cinq types d’exploitation ont été identifiés : exploitations cotonnières des agro éleveurs (34,18 %) ; exploitations cotonnières des petits producteurs (28,88 %) ; exploitations cotonnières des producteurs moyens (11,79 %) ; exploitations cotonnières des grands producteurs (21,22 %) et exploitations cotonnières mécanisées (3,93%). Les technologies agroécologiques susceptibles d’être adoptées par type d’exploitation ont été identifiées. Cette recherche sert de base aux études ultérieures sur la caractérisation des exploitations dans les zones cotonnières du Bénin. Elle est aussi utile pour le choix des pratiques agricoles à vulgariser selon les types d’exploitants en vue de booster les performances agroécologiques des exploitations bénéficiaires. English title: Typology evolution analysis of cotton farms involved in agroecological transition in Benin /analysis of the typology evolution of cotton farms involved in agroecological transition in Benin Abstract A socio-economic assessment of agroecological transition is undertaken in Benin to improve knowledge on the process promoted in cotton areas. This study enables to categorize farmers and to identify the agroecological practices likely to be adopted. Surveys carried out covered 509 farmers in 5 municipalities: Banikoara, Kandi, Ouassa-Péhunco, Parakou and Savalou. Data collected is related to socio-economic characteristics of farms and agroecological technologies. Factorial Analysis of Mixed Data was carried out followed by an Ascending Hierarchical Classification to determine types of farms. Correspondence analysis of constraints of adoption of agroecological technologies resulting from previous work with characteristics of farms types was made. Five types of farms have been identified: cotton farms of agro-pastoralists (34.18%); cotton farms of small producers (28.88%); cotton farms of medium producers (11.79%); cotton farms of large producers (21.22%) and mechanized cotton farms (3.93%). Agroecological technologies likely to be adopted by type of farm have been identified. This research serves as basis for subsequent studies on characterization of farms. It is also useful for choosing of agricultural practices to particular types of farmers in order to boost agroecological performance. Keywords: agroecological transition, agroecological technology, typology, AFDM, stability of types

GEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATION OF PROPOSED DAM SITE ALOMG RIVER ADUNIN, OGBOMOSO, SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA.

ABSTRACT Dams are vital structures that store water for consumption, irrigation, electricity production and industrial purposes.The design and construction is very important to prevent the collapse of the structure .Thirty (30) Vertical Electrical Sounding points were investigated. Very Low Frequency profiling at 5m inter station along five profiles were carried out. The interpretation of geophysical data were achieved using the following software; Res 2D, Win Resist, Surfer 11, Arc GIS 3.3 and Excel. Six resistivity sounding curve types were obtained from the study area and these are the H, HA , KH, HKH, and KHA curves. The geologic sequence beneath the study area is composed of top soil, weathered basement, fractured basement, and fresh basement. The topsoil is composed of clayey-sandy and sandy-lateritic hard crust with resistivity values ranging from 339-1971 ohm-m and thickness of 0.7-1.3 m. The weathered basement resistivity is within the range of 98-3026 ohm-m and thickness value of 0.3-7.0m.The fractured basement layer resistivity values vary from 163–4049 ohm-m while its thickness ranges from 2.7 to 17m. Fresh basement has resistivity value range of 228 to14793 ohm-m. The bedrock is highly fractured beneath the river axis and extended toward the left abutment while fresh basement is closer to the surface at the right abutment.The fractures beneath the proposed dam axis may pose serious threat to the dam in term of future seepage. The dam should be shifted toward the right abutment by 20m and excavation should be made up to depth of about 5m, the materials so removed could be used for the construction of the embankment and the filter materials

Bacteraemia in patients admitted to an urban hospital in West Africa

BACKGROUND: Few studies on bacteraemia in Africa have been published. We aimed to prospectively identify the causative organisms of bacteraemia in The Gambia and their relation to clinical diagnoses, outcome and antimicrobial susceptibility. METHODS: Between November 2003 and February 2005 we studied those admitted to the Medical Research Council hospital who were suspected of having bacteraemia. We documented clinical features, outcome, pathogens identified and their susceptibility patterns, and searched for factors associated with bacteraemia. RESULTS: 871 patients were admitted and had a blood culture taken. The median age was 2 years (range 2 months to 80 years) and 36 of 119 tested were HIV positive; 54.5% were male. 297 (34%) had a positive result and 93 (10.7% overall) were considered a genuine pathogen. Those with bacteraemia were more likely to die in hospital (OR 2.79; 1.17–6.65, p = 0.017) and to have a high white cell count (WCC; OR 1.81;95% CI 1.09–3.02; p = 0.022). Three organisms accounted for 73% of bacteraemias: Streptococcus pneumoniae (45.2%), Staphylococcus aureus (18.3%) and Escherichia coli (9.7%) while non-typhoidal salmonellae (NTS) accounted for 8.6%. Antimicrobial susceptibility of S. pneumoniae was very high to penicillin (97.5%); high resistance was found to co-trimoxazole. S. aureus was generally highly susceptible to cloxacillin, gentamicin and chloramphenicol. E. coli and NTS were all susceptible to ciprofloxacin and mostly susceptible to gentamicin. Thirteen (33%) S. pneumoniae isolates were of serotypes contained in a 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and 20 (51.3%) were of the same serogroup. CONCLUSION: In The Gambia, those with bacteraemia are more likely than those without to die in hospital and to have a raised peripheral blood WCC. S. pneumoniae is the most common organism isolated. Introduction of a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine can be expected to lead to a reduction in disease incidence

Relationship between plant growth and organic acid exudates from ectomycorrhizal and non-ectomycorrhizal Pinus patula

Plant–mycorrhizal interaction is an important association in the ecosystem with significant impacts on the physical, biological and chemical properties of the soil. In the present study, potential relationships that exist between organic acid production by ectomycorrhizal pine seedlings and plant parameters in the absence of any significant environmental stress were investigated. The aim of the study was to investigate the contribution of organic acid production to plant growth. Four different ectomycorrhizal fungi were used in a mycorrhizal synthesis experiment to colonise roots of Pinus patula. Ectomycorrhizal and nonectomycorrhizal plants were used in a pot trial experiment that lasted for 24 weeks. After harvesting, plant materials as well as soil samples underwent different analyses, which included the determination of pH, organic acids, plant biomass, and foliar and root phosphorus and potassium. The results indicated a significant interaction (P < 0.0001) between fungal type and organic acid production. This reflects the influence of fungal type on organic acid production. However, it was observed that organic acids secreted into the soil do not have a direct link to the quantity of nutrients detected in either the root or shoot, but seemed to positively influence plant growth as reflected in the result from root and shoot biomass.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tjps202016-06-04hb201

Risk factors for pulmonary tuberculosis: a clinic-based case control study in The Gambia

BACKGROUND: The tuberculosis (TB) epidemic in Africa is on the rise, even in low-HIV prevalence settings. Few studies have attempted to identify possible reasons for this. We aimed to identify risk factors for pulmonary tuberculosis in those attending a general outpatients clinic in The Gambia, a sub-Saharan African country with relatively low HIV prevalence in the community and in TB patients. METHODS: We conducted a case control study at the Medical Research Council Outpatients' clinic in The Gambia. Pulmonary TB cases were at least 15 years old, controls were age and sex matched clinic attendees. Participants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: 100 sputum smear positive TB cases and 200 clinic controls were recruited. HIV prevalence was 6.1% in cases and 3.3% in controls. Multivariable assessment of host factors showed that risk of TB was increased among the Jola ethnic group and smokers, and decreased in those in a professional occupation. Assessment of environmental factors showed an increased risk with household crowding, history of household exposure to a known TB case, and absence of a ceiling in the house. In a combined multivariable host-environment model, the risk of TB increased with crowding, exposure to a known TB case, as well as amongst the Jola ethnic group. CONCLUSION: In The Gambia, household crowding and past household exposure to a known TB case are the standout risk factors for TB disease. Further research is needed to identify why risk of TB seems to differ according to ethnicity

Identification of Subsets of Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli Associated with Diarrheal Disease among Under 5 Years of Age Children from Rural Gambia.

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) cause acute and persistent diarrhea, mostly in children worldwide. Outbreaks of diarrhea caused by EAEC have been described, including a large outbreak caused by a Shiga toxin expressing strain. This study investigated the association of EAEC virulence factors with diarrhea in children less than 5 years. We characterized 428 EAEC strains isolated from stool samples obtained from moderate-to-severe diarrhea cases (157) and healthy controls (217) children aged 0-59 months recruited over 3 years as part of the Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS) in The Gambia. Four sets of multiplex polymerase chain reaction were applied to detect 21 EAEC-virulence genes from confirmed EAEC strains that target pCVD432 (aatA) and AAIC (aaiC). In addition, Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed on 88 EAEC strains following Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute guidelines. We observed that the plasmid-encoded enterotoxin [odds ratio (OR): 6.9, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.06-29.20, P 12 months). Our data suggest that some EAEC-virulent factors have age-specific associations with moderate-to-severe diarrhea in infants. Furthermore, our study showed that 85% and 72% of EAEC strains tested were resistant to sulphamethoxazole-trimethoprim and ampicillin, respectively. Sulphamethoxazole-trimethoprim and ampicillin are among the first-line antibiotics used for the treatment of diarrhea in The Gambia

Longitudinal Assessment of an ELISPOT Test for Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection

Philip Hill and colleagues report that both ELISPOT conversion and reversion occur afterM. tuberculosis exposure in an endemic country and that the ELISPOT results agree poorly with results from the tuberculin skin test