Von der Notwendigkeit der Verknüpfung von National- und Fremdsprachen im Prozess der Alphabetisierung und der informellen Bildung in Burkina Faso

According to the 2006 national census 71,06% of Burkina Faso’s estimated 14 million inhabitants are functionally illiterate. This staggering number is referred to in explaining the slow social, economical and political development of the country; it is also linked to the high incidence of poverty in Burkina Faso. The government is aware of these connections between literacy and social circumstances and thus is determined to combat poverty through a literacy campaign. This article describes some of these attempts and critically reflects on the importance of the mastery of literacy in national languages, linking this also to the teaching and learning of foreign languages.Keywords: literacy, informal education, language policy, national languages, foreign languages, employmentSchlüsselbegriffe: Alphabetisierung, informelle Bildung, Sprachenpolitik, Nationalsprachen und Fremdsprachen, Stellensuch

Efficient cloud tracing: From very high level to very low level

With the increase of cloud infrastructure complexity, the origin of service deterioration is difficult to detect because issues may occur at the different layer of the system. We propose a multi-layer tracing approach to gather all the relevant information needed for a full workflow analysis. The idea is to collect trace events from all the cloud nodes to follow users' requests from the cloud interface to their execution on the hardware. Our approach involves tracing OpenStack's interfaces, the virtualization layer, and the host kernel space to perform analysis and show abnormal tasks and the main causes of latency or failures in the system. Experimental results about virtual machines live migration confirm that we are able to analyse services efficiency by locating platforms' weakest links

Stochastic dominance analysis of soil fertility restoration options on sandy Sahelian soils in Southwest Niger

The poor fertility of sandy Sahelian soils remains one of the major constraints to pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) production in West Africa. On-farm trials under farmers' management were conducted in two rainfall zones of Niger in 1996 and 1997 to evaluate the risk characteristics of six soil fertility restoration options. Stochastic dominance analysis was used to compare the fertilizer treatments tested. Results showed that the farmers' traditional method (no fertilizer control), Tahoua phosphate rock (PRT) alone applied at 13 kg P ha-1 broadcast, and a combination of PRT broadcast at 13 kg P ha-1 and single super phosphate (SSP) hill-placed at 4 kg P ha-1 had the most desirable risk characteristics and were acceptable to risk averse decision-makers in both rainfall zones. At current input-output price ratios, most fertilizer-using farmers would choose the combination of PRT broadcast and SSP hill-placed. If the availability of SSP was limited, some farmers would use PRT alone. The demand for risk efficient alternatives could significantly increase if farmers could bear less than half the fertilizer costs at the current output price, although further research is required to say if a fertilizer subsidy could be justified on broader economic or social grounds

An economic evaluation of a long-term experiment on phosphorus and manure amendments to sandy Sahelian soils: Using a stochastic dominance model

Poor fertility status of sandy Sahelian soils represents a major constraint to cereal and legume production. Soil amendment options were evaluated, using a stochastic efficiency framework. Dominance analyses showed that in the presence of annual applications of 30 kg N ha−1 and 30 kg K ha−1, efficient soil amendment options comprise of either the annual application of 8.7 kg P ha−1 in the form of single superphosphates in combination with 5 tonnes manure ha−1 applied every three years or the annual application of 17.5 kg P ha−1 in the form of single superphosphates. Choice between these two efficient options depends on the availability of manure, deficiencies in sandy soils and farmer resource endowments

Physiological determinants of cowpea seed yield as affected by phosphorus fertilizer and sowing dates in intercrop with millet

The interaction of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) cultivars with management factors and environments was analyzed in terms of parameters of a simple physiological model. In one set of experiments seven cultivars were sown at three rates of phosphorus (P) fertilizer (0, 8 and 16 kg P ha−1). In another set, five cultivars were sown on two dates relative to sowing of millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.). All experiments involved factorial combinations of management and cultivar treatments, and were conducted in 1988 and 1989 at two sites in western Niger. Seed yield, shoot dry matter, vegetative (Dv) and reproductive (Dr) durations were determined and crop growth rate (C) and partitioning (p) to seed estimated Application of P increased seed yield by increasing C. As sowing was delayed from 1 to 3 weeks after the millet was sown, there was a reduction in seed yield due to decreases in C, Dv and Dr. Variation in cultivar performance across years was mainly a function of C and partitioning. In both experiments the C of the landrace Sadore Local was greater than that of other cultivars, although the partitioning to seed of this cultivar was unstable due to variable control of insect pest damage It is concluded that the primary causes of G × E interactions were differential canopy development and insect damage effects. Therefore in the development of cowpea cultivars for intercropping with millet, emphasis should focus on light capture capabilities. Improved yields would then seem possible with most cultivars, providing insect damage is controlled

Effect of chemical fertilizers on production of yams (nyù) of passore in farmers’ environment

Nyù is the main morphotype of yams of Passoré. It is generally cultivated without chemical fertilizer. The study aims to determine the effect of one rate of chemical fertilizers on the yield of yams « nyù » of Passoré in farmers’ environment of Burkina Faso and to collect the appreciations of the various actors about tubers in the production chain. The results reveal that chemical fertilizer involved a better expression of the agro-morphological parameters and an increase of the tubers yield which reaches 42.5 t / ha compared to the field not fertilized where tuber yield is slow (9 t / ha). However, tubers obtained of treated field have not a good organoleptic quality whereas the tubers of untreated fields have good taste. Moreover, the chemical fertilizer changed also the morphology, taste and consistency of the tubers. These results could help all actors to choose the best method of nyù production according to their objectives.Keywords: nyù, yam, mineral fertlizer, Passoré, Burkina Fas

Modelling stochastic crop response to fertilisation when carry-over matters

Soils in a large part of Niger's agricultural area are sandy and very low in nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and organic matter. This low soil fertility combined with low and erratic rainfall constitutes a severe constraint on food cropping in the area. Although agronomists have advised chemical fertiliAtion as a means of improving soil fertility, little fertilizer has been used in this area of the world. The economic management of soil fertility in the agricultural area of Niger is analyzed using a dynamic model of farmer decision-making under uncertainty. The model is based on agronomic principles of plant growth and accounts for the carry over of P, an immobile nutrient. At current input prices, a soil P content of at least 14 pmm is found to be desirable. This target is above the natural soil fertility level of about 3 ppm. It can be maintained with a moderate annual application (12 kg P2O5 ha-1) of simple superphosphate. Results also suggests that returns to N fertilization are too low and variable to warrant the use of this inpu