Giant hydrocele - an epitome of neglect

Hydrocele [Greek: water - sac] is abnormal fluid collection within the tunica vaginalis of the scrotum or a patent tunica vaginalis. It is a relatively common condition in surgical practice. However, a giant hydrocele, here defined for clinical purposes, as a hydrocele equal to or bigger than the patient's head, is rare as indicated by the limited number of reported cases in the literature. In this paper I am presenting three cases of giant hydroceles and highlighting how it affects the quality of patients' life by way of complications, infertility, sexual function and work capacity. African Health Sciences Vol. 5 (4) 2005: pp. 343-34

Congrès international des terres de parcours

Afin de contribuer à la régénération des systèmes écologiques sahéliens particulièrement éprouvés par la persistance de la sécheresse et de la pression anthropique croissante, cette étude se propose d'identifier les interactions entre les espèces ligneuses et herbacées d'une steppe à épineux du Ferlo (nord Sénégal). L'analyse de l'influence des ligneux sur l'organisation spatiale et la structure spécifique de la strate herbeuse montre que l'arbre joue un rôle déterminant sur la répartition des espèces herbacées, augmente significativement la richesse floristique et la production de la strate herbacée. Par ailleurs, l'ombrage aide à la régénération des ligneux. Cette action favorable résulte de meilleures conditions d'alimentation en eau. (Résumé d'auteur

Analysing seed systems performance: the case of oil palm in Bénin

Key words: Bénin, genetic quality, growth dynamics, innovation, institutions, multistakeholders process, oil palm, perennials, physiological quality, pot size, seed quality, seed systems, smallholders, social learning. The seed supply system used by smallholder farmers is characterised by many dysfunctions. For perennials, including oil palm, there is a knowledge gap regarding these dysfunctions. In this thesis, we used oil palm as a case to analyse the performance of seed systems. We conducted social surveys, sampled farmers’ oil palm plots, ran field experiments and documented the social learning process of stakeholders involved. To identify major constraints in the seed system, we conducted a diagnostic study using farmers’ perspective. Jointly with stakeholders the following major constraints were identified (in order of importance): poor geographic distribution of official nurseries, poor genetic quality of palms in smallholder plots, high costs of hybrid seedlings, and poor seedling care in nurseries leading to poor physiological quality. The poor care was specifically mentioned in the eastern part of the study area. We investigated the reliability of genetic quality of seedlings supplied to smallholder farmers as one of the constraints that emerged from the diagnostic study. Main drivers of reliability in genetic quality over the past decades were analysed. Using event ecology approach, we document the historical events that may have affected the oil palm seed system. Proportions of hybrid palms varied with seedling supply source, farmers’ geographic position, seedling purchase price and year of planting. Socio-institutional mechanisms associated with observed variation in smallholder plantations were national policy change, local arrangements for seedling supply to smallholder farmers, and farmers’ personal characteristics. Local arrangements improved genetic quality in villages located far away from official supply sources. Villages where local seedling supply initiatives withdrew showed reduced genetic quality with farmers having fewer tenera in their fields than before. Membership of farmers’ organisation correlated positively with proportion of tenera. Farmer’s use of informal intermediaries showed negative effects on genetic quality they received. To evaluate the efficacy of on-going nursery management practices on the seedling phenotype at planting we conducted joint learning experiments. In two full 3 × 4 × 3 factorial experiments, bag size (small, medium, large), type of soil substrate ("forest" soil, household waste substrate, arable soil, and arable soil with animal manure) and fertiliser supply (no fertilisation, split dose every 15 days, and full dose every 30 days) were tested for their effects on seedling phenotype. Bag size proved the main factor determining oil palm seedling phenotype in both the 2011 and 2012 experiment. Although large-sized bags produced largest seedlings, medium-sized bags filled with a mixture of arable soil and animal manure without any fertiliser supply sustained seedling growth well and seemed the best balance between physiological quality and production cost. Growth variables were highly correlated. Height and root-collar diameter constituted good proxies to estimate seedling biomass differences between objects in a non-destructive way. To gain insight into temporal patterns of effects of bag size, substrate, fertiliser supply, and their interactions on seedling growth, we analysed the dynamics of oil palm seedling growth using monthly observations. Overall, in both experiments, bag size explained the largest proportion of experimental error and started to deviate earlier than substrate, fertiliser supply or their two and three way interactions. Curve fitting showed different growth models for height, root-collar diameter and number of leaves. The analysis of growth rates showed that (relative and absolute) growth rates were mainly affected by bag size in both years with larger F-values than for substrate, fertiliser supply, and interactions. Experimental findings indicated that pot size matters and cannot be compensated by fertiliser addition and should therefore be considered carefully for tree seedling production in nurseries. We analysed the joint experiment as a multi-stakeholder process and contributed to understand how the way of organising social learning affects stakeholders’ ownership of process outcomes. Stakeholders’ perceptions of seedling quality and their appreciation of treatment performance varied with the use they make of planting material. While farmers, as end-users, put forward seedling vigour when describing quality seedlings, nursery holders underlined production costs and reported that seedling quality is a compromise with production costs. Field observations further to the joint experiment indicated changes in practices among nursery holders, research, and farmers. The level of stakeholders’ involvement increased their participation, ownership of the learning process, and could lead to sustainable practices. The research approach developed in this thesis to analyse seed systems performance contributed to the methodology for seed systems analysis. It also contributed to knowledge of dysfunctions of seed systems for perennials, tree nursery seedling production and social learning processes.</p

Variations topographiques de la fructification d’une espèce ligneuse fourragère, Acacia tortilis (Forsk.) au Ferlo, Nord-Sénégal

La production annuelle de gousses de Acacia tortilis, a été suivie sur une toposéquence de 1,8% de dénivellation dans la réserve sylvo-pastorale de Sogobé au Nord-Sénégal. Les observations sont effectuées tous les quinze jours en saison des pluies et une fois par mois en saison sèche. Les suivis simultanés de la fructification de cette espèce en rapport avec l’évolution de l’eau du sol et des variables climatiques vise à caractériser l’effet de la topographie sur la production de gousses par unité de croissance. Les données sont soumises à une analyse multidimensionnelle et à une analyse de variance. La fructification de l’espèce intervient de novembre à juin. L’ACP effectuée à partir des relevés mensuels et des stades de fructification a permis d’identifier trois variables de la fructification : la nouaison des gousses, leur croissance et leur maturité et enfin leur dissémination. Cette dissémination peut être partielle (février et avril) ou totale (avril et juin). La nouaison des gousses concerne les mois de novembre et décembre (saison post-pluvieuse) alors que leur croissance et leur maturité se font de novembre à février (saison sèche fraîche). La dissémination des gousses de cette espèce et leur exploitation pour l’alimentation du bétail seraient à l’origine de la réduction de la densitédes fruits entre janvier et mai qui coïncide avec l’absence du tapis herbacée. Cependant, la biomasse des gousses par unité de croissance est significativement plus élevée chez les arbres de bas-fond qui bénéficient d’une alimentation hydrique plus favorable.Mots clés: Variabilité topographique, production de gousses, fourrage, Acacia tortilis, sahel, Zone sylvopastorale, Nord-Sénégal

Strategic Framework to Foster Grain Legume and Dryland Cereal Seed Systems Innovations Guidelines to Drive Seed Delivery Systems through Commodity Value Chains

Millions of smallholders in the drylands continue to use non-improved seed with lower productivity. About half of these farmers live below the poverty line with only US $1.90 per day or less sustaining them. This Grain Legume and Dryland Cereal (GLDC) crops seed systems strategy has been put together to deliver realized genetic gains to these farmers’ fields

Effet du sel sur le comportement des jeunes plants de palmier à huile (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) en Basse Casamance

En Casamance, les palmeraies occupent une place primordiale dans l’équilibre écologique mais la pression anthropique, la baisse de la pluviométrie et la salinisation des sols ont affecté cet écosystème. Le présent travail a été entrepris pour étudier le comportement des jeunes plants d’Elaeis guineensis en milieu salin. Le dispositif expérimental comprend quatre parcelles élémentaires en blocs randomisés répétées quatre fois. Les plants ont été maintenus en conditions naturelles et irrigués avec une gamme de solution de NaCl (0 ; 4 ; 10 ; 35 g.l-1). Après 6 mois de traitement, les résultats ont montré une hauteur moyenne T0 (230,44) ; T1 (109,13) ; T2 (90,81) et T3 (78,125). Le taux de survie a diminué dans le temps. Il a été de 79,6% et 50,1% à trois mois pour T2 et T3 respectivement. Aucune mortalité n’a été observée pour T1. A 4 mois, il a été de 36 % pour T2 et 0% pour T3. A 5 mois, les premières mortalités ont été enregistrées pour T1 (5,3%). Cependant, aucune différence significative n’a été observée entre T0 (100%) et T1 (94,7%). Le nombre moyen de feuilles par plant a été de T0 (5,75); T1 (5,5) ; T2 (4) et T3 (3,2).Mots clés : Elaeis guineensis Jacq, Basse Casamance, jeunes plants, sel, concentration, comportement

Mapping out market drivers of improved variety seed use: The case of sorghum in Tanzania

It is understood that the grain market pulls the seed market. The problem of low quality prompted failure of traders and processors to purchase most of the farmers' grain to subsequently drive the use of improved variety seed. The aim of this study is to identify drivers that persuade farmers to use improved variety seeds for grain production. It also assesses factors affecting market participation among small-scale farmers. Descriptive analysis, Binary Logistic model, Probit model and gross margin analysis was conducted from random selected sample of 212 individual farmers, 63 grain off-takers, 3 extension officers and 7 seeds producers through structured interviews. In additional, 80 farmers were interviewed through 10 focus group discussion. The results showed that taste, preferences and price difference between grain and seed were significant and positive drivers that influenced the decision of farmers to use improved varieties at 47% and 0.007%, respectively. Factors such as group membership and farm size were significantly positive affecting farmer's market participation while age was negatively significant affecting farmer's market participation. Gross margin was computed to compare the profit margin between users and non-users of improved variety seeds, where users had high profit margin (530 979.89Tsh/Ha) compared to non-users (472 885.94Tsh/Ha), because non-users incurred high seed cost (54 504.84Tsh/15kg) compared to users of improved variety seeds (39 329.94Tsh/kg). Also, users obtained high grain revenue compared to non-user at 1 353 268.37Tsh and 848 249.11Tsh, respectively. Efforts should be made by value chain actors and other agricultural actors to support farmers based on market demand so they could benefit from high grain quality, quantity and promising grain market

Sowing Legume Seeds,Reaping Cash

The smallholder farmers’ access to the outputs of the breeding programs’ achievements has been very weak and hence calls for effective, more coherent, and wellarticulated design of technology and seed delivery systems of food legume crops. The Tropical Legumes projects responded to this need. This book shares impact stories and testimonies from various value chain actors who were part of the Tropical Legumes (TL) projects over the past 12 years. It presents the experiences of a diversity of actors within the grain legume value chains, with a focus on groundnut and common beans in Tanzania and Uganda, groundnut and cowpea in Nigeria, and groundnut in Ghana. All actors involved shared their feeling of being part of decade-long development project families. National agricultural research institutes, knowledge brokering organizations, NGOs, public seed companies, private seed companies, agro-dealers, individual seed entrepreneurs, farm implement makers, farmer cooperatives, farmer groups, individual farmers, women farmers, middlemen, processors, traders, and consumers were all involved in this experience. This book provides learning opportunities for development workers, technical staff, and project managers. It will also inspire development workers and project managers to share their own experiences for others to learn from

Concluding Remarks: The Tropical Legumes Projects Empowered Communities in a Wide Variety of Assets

After 12 years of activity, the Tropical Legumes (TL) projects come to an end the year 2019. In addition to quantitative impact assessment, this publication brings to light various stakeholders’ own words about the kind of benefits they have made thanks to the TL projects. Research institutions, management and technical staff, extension services, NGOs, public and private seed companies, agro-dealers, farmer cooperatives, farmer groups, individual seed entrepreneurs, farmers, women farmers, processors, farm implement makers, middlemen, and traders have all shared their unique impact stories for being part of TL families. From poor knowledge of recently developed legume technologies, most communities in the project areas of the target countries have been widely exposed and have a very good knowledge and use of newly released varieties of groundnut, common bean, cowpea and chickpea. This allowed them to increase crop productivity and production, improve resilience to advert weather conditions, and enhance family welfare through various livelihood assets such as ownership of land, houses, transport means, market connections, social recognition, food security, children education, health care, etc. The huge smiles on different faces pictured in this publication is illustrative

A Brief Overview of Smallholder Farmers’ Access to Seed of Improved Legume Varieties

For decades, the vast majority of smallholder farmers in developing countries, mainly sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and to some extent South Asia (SA), heavily rely on non-improved and auto-saved variety seed, accounting for about 80% of their material used for planting. Though the seed use figures by farmers vary from one region to another, with West Africa showing the lowest rate of improved seed use (below 20%) and South Asia with much higher rate (up to 70%), the overall situation looks less encouraging. At the same time, substantial breakthroughs have been made by breeding programs, and many more are still in the pipeline. Some of the traits of recently developed varieties have targeted the consumers’ demands and farmers’ preferences