Access to forest resources: women's rights to Parkia biglobosa in three villages in Central-West Burkina Faso

Parkia biglobosa, a NTFP tree species commonly known as "néré" is particularly important in the diet of rural and urban populations in the Sudano-Sahelian zone. The seeds are processed into a highly nutritious sauce, called "soumbala", combined with cereal dishes. While néré is very popular, its occurrence is declining because of various threats hindering its regeneration. In a condition of increasing scarcity of néré and increasing demand, changes in use and access rights, depending on the social status of harvesters, are taking place. Harvesting is an activity carried out by women. Although they depend on NTFP in general, and on néré in particular, to procure food for the household and for income generation, they have no secure access to tree resources. This study focused on the analysis of the dynamics of women's access rights and control over néré in three villages in Central-West Burkina Faso, inhabited by three ethnic groups (Nouni, Mossi and Fulani) with specific and differentiated modes of access to the land. The approach adopted enabled to individually follow in the field each woman involved in the study and observe tree-specific conditions of access. Individual access rights of 180 women to 400 exploited trees were investigated. The findings indicate a different access for land and for trees. While access to trees and harvesting rights of women are stable and almost uniform in the land occupied by forest, within the boundaries of the household or within the territory attributed to a particular lineage, women are affected by gains or losses of rights to use néré that are highly dependent on changes in land tenure. These changes are associated with the transfer of land rights from a person to another through the processes of inheritance, renting, lending and sale. In addition, these access rights to néré are considerably differentiated based on a hierarchical system defined by ethnicity and position in the household. Understanding the differentiated tree tenure in a multi ethnical context of Burkina Faso will help to develop sustainable and equitable protection measures and policies, based on local management practices

Access right to food tree species: the case of women access to nere (Parkia biglobosa) in Central-West Burkina Faso

This paper first presents a clustering of women based on the characterization of their distinct access rights to néré. Secondly, the types of access rights are characterized also in spatial terms, based on the type of land use where the women harvesting is exercised

Direct contributions of dry forests to nutrition: a review

Globally, micronutrient deficiencies are more prevalent than calorie and protein deficiencies. In order to address global micronutrient deficiencies, increasing attention is being paid to the nutritional quality of people’s diets. While conventional agriculture is key for ensuring adequate calories, dietary quality depends on the consumption of a diverse range of micronutrient rich foods. Many wild foods are rich in micronutrients, particularly fruits, vegetables, and animal source food. As a result there has been increasing interest in the value of wild foods to meeting nutritional requirements. We review literature on the consumption of wild foods in dry forest areas to assess the current state of knowledge as to how dry forests may contribute to nutrition. We focus on papers that quantify consumption of wild forest foods. Although there is a great deal of literature that lends weight to the notion that dry forests are important for food security and nutrition, we find surprisingly little evidence of direct contributions to diets. Of 2514 articles identified by our search, only four quantify the consumption of wild foods from dry forests, and only one of these puts this consumption in the context of the entire diet. There is a need for research on the nutritional importance of dry forest foods which combines methodologies from nutrition science with an understanding and appreciation of the ecological, social, cultural and economic context

Uncertainty in context-aware systems: A case study for intelligent environments

Data used be context-aware systems is naturally incomplete and not always reflect real situations. The dynamic nature of intelligent environments leads to the need of analysing and handling uncertain information. Users can change their acting patterns within a short space of time. This paper presents a case study for a better understanding of concepts related to context awareness and the problem of dealing with inaccurate data. Through the analysis of identification of elements that results in the construction of unreliable contexts, it is aimed to identify patterns to minimize incompleteness. Thus, it will be possible to deal with flaws caused by undesired execution of applications.Programa Operacional Temático Factores de Competitividade (POCI-01-0145-

Forests and trees for social adaptation to climate variability and change

Ecosystems provide important services that can help people adapt to climate variability and change. Recognizing this role of ecosystems, several international and nongovernmental organizations have promoted an ecosystem-based approach to adaptation. We review the scientific literature related to ecosystem-based adaptation (EBA) with forests and trees, and highlight five cases in which forests and trees can support adaptation: (1) forests and trees providing goods to local communities facing climatic threats; (2) trees in agricultural fields regulating water, soil, and microclimate for more resilient production; (3) forested watersheds regulating water and protecting soils for reduced climate impacts; (4) forests protecting coastal areas from climate-related threats; and (5) urban forests and trees regulating temperature and water for resilient cities. The literature provides evidence that EBA with forests and trees can reduce social vulnerability to climate hazards; however, uncertainties and knowledge gaps remain, particularly for regulating services in watersheds and coastal areas. Few studies have been undertaken on EBA specifically, but the abundant literature on ecosystem services can be used to fill knowledge gaps. Many studies assess the multiple benefits of ecosystems for human adaptation or well-being, but also recognize trade-offs between ecosystem services. Better understanding is needed of the efficiency, costs, and benefits, and trade-offs of EBA with forests and trees. Pilot projects under implementation could serve as learning sites and existing information could be systematized and revisited with a climate change adaptation lens

First-Principles Investigation of Structural and Electronic Properties of the BxGa1−xN,B_{x}Ga_{1-x}N, BxAl1−xN,AlxGa1−xNB_{x}Al_{1-x}N, Al_{x}Ga_{1-x}N and BxAlyGa1−x−yNB_{x}Al_{y}Ga_{1-x-y}N Compounds

The structural and electronic properties of the $B_{x}Ga_{1-x}N, B_{x}Al_{1-x}N,$ $Al_{x}Ga_{1-x}N$ and $B_{x}Al_{y}Ga_{1-x-y}N$ compounds were studied using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method, within the generalized gradient approximation. We have compared the Al and B compositions dependence on the ground state properties: lattice parameters, bulk moduli and their pressure derivative, and band gap energies. The lattice parameters are found to change linearly for $Al_{x}Ga_{1-x}N,$ exhibit a downward bowing for both $B_{x}Al_{1-x}N$ and $B_{x}Ga_{1-x}N,$ and has a very small deviation when Al is added and a large deviation when B is incorporated for $B_{x}Al_{y}Ga_{1-x-y}N$. The calculated band gap variation for the ternaries shows that the $B_{x}Ga_{1-x}N$ has a phase transition from direct-gap to indirect-gap for high boron contents (x > 0.75). As for $B_{x}Al_{1-x}N$, a direct-gap is found in the boron content range 0.07 < x < 0.83. For $Al_{x}Ga_{1-x}N$ and $B_{x}Al_{y}Ga_{1-x-y}N$ compounds, they have been found to be direct-gap materials. The results show that the $B_{x}Ga_{1-x}N,$ $B_{x}Al_{1-x}N,$ $Al_{x}Ga_{1-x}N$ and $B_{x}Al_{y}Ga_{1-x-y}N$ materials may well be useful for optoelectronic applications

First-Principles Investigation of Structural and Electronic Properties of the B x

The structural and electronic properties of the $B_{x}Ga_{1-x}N, B_{x}Al_{1-x}N,$ $Al_{x}Ga_{1-x}N$ and $B_{x}Al_{y}Ga_{1-x-y}N$ compounds were studied using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method, within the generalized gradient approximation. We have compared the Al and B compositions dependence on the ground state properties: lattice parameters, bulk moduli and their pressure derivative, and band gap energies. The lattice parameters are found to change linearly for $Al_{x}Ga_{1-x}N,$ exhibit a downward bowing for both $B_{x}Al_{1-x}N$ and $B_{x}Ga_{1-x}N,$ and has a very small deviation when Al is added and a large deviation when B is incorporated for $B_{x}Al_{y}Ga_{1-x-y}N$. The calculated band gap variation for the ternaries shows that the $B_{x}Ga_{1-x}N$ has a phase transition from direct-gap to indirect-gap for high boron contents (x > 0.75). As for $B_{x}Al_{1-x}N$, a direct-gap is found in the boron content range 0.07 < x < 0.83. For $Al_{x}Ga_{1-x}N$ and $B_{x}Al_{y}Ga_{1-x-y}N$ compounds, they have been found to be direct-gap materials. The results show that the $B_{x}Ga_{1-x}N,$ $B_{x}Al_{1-x}N,$ $Al_{x}Ga_{1-x}N$ and $B_{x}Al_{y}Ga_{1-x-y}N$ materials may well be useful for optoelectronic applications