Institutional histories, seasonal floodplains (mares), and livelihood impacts of fish stocking in the Inner Niger River Delta of Mali

The Community-based Fish Culture in Seasonal Floodplains and Irrigation Systems (CBFC) project is a five year research project supported by the Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF), with the aim of increasing productivity of seasonally occurring water bodies through aquaculture. The project has been implemented in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Mali and Vietnam, where technical and institutional options for community based aquaculture have been tested. The project began in 2005 and was completed in March 2010. The seasonally flooded depressions in the Inner Niger Delta (known as mares) represent a critical fishery resource for the inhabitants of the village of Komio, and at present, access is open to all residents. A proposal to build stocked fish enclosures in the main village mare presents potential benefits and risks. On one hand, overall productivity in the mare could be significantly increased, providing important sources of protein and cash during the annual drought period, when few livelihood activities can be performed and when village livelihoods are at their most vulnerable. Enhanced productivity in mares may also decrease local household pressures for seasonal labor migration. On the other hand, a resulting increase in the value of these mares may encourage elite capture of project benefits or rentseeking by certain village leaders of the landowning Marka ethnic group. Using qualitative interviews and focus group discussions, the study provides evidence of how local institutional and leadership capacity for equitable common property resource management have evolved since the introduction of irrigated farming systems (known as PΘrimΦtres IrriguΘs Villageois or PIVs) in the 1990s.Fishing rights, River fisheries, Livelihoods

Effect of rain drop washes on soil fertility in cotton production zone of Burkina Faso

Crop production in the Sahel is limited by nutrients availability. The study aimed to estimate the contribution of avifauna, crop rotation and trees to soil fertility and crop production improvement. Pot experiment was carried out with soils sampled in Faidherbia albida parklands in cotton production zone of West Burkina Faso. The treatments consisted of two levels of sampling sites (outside and under the crown of Faidherbia albida), three types of previous crop (fallow, maize and sorghum) and two levels of fertilization (normal rain drop and raindrop washes). Results showed that cotton plants height were affected by sampling site and previous crop between 30 and 80 days after sowing. Rain drop washes contained nutrients that can help to improve soil fertility although their nutrients level in the soil is too small to have an impact significant on cotton plant development. No significant difference was observed between factors for the number of nodes and generative branches except for sampling site. Nutrients content in cotton plants was affected by the soil sampling site, the previous crop and the fertilization

Stacking tolerance to drought and resistance to a parasitic weed in tropical hybrid maize for enhancing resilience to stress combinations

Open Access JournalMaize is a food security crop cultivated in the African savannas that are vulnerable to the occurrence of drought stress and Striga hermonthica infestation. The co-occurrence of these stresses can severely damage crop growth and productivity of maize. Until recently, maize breeding in International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has focused on the development of either drought tolerant or S. hermonthica resistant germplasm using independent screening protocols. The present study was therefore conducted to examine the extent to which maize hybrids simultaneously expressing resistance to S. hermonthica and tolerance to drought (DTSTR) could be developed through sequential selection of parental lines using the two screening protocols. Regional trials involving 77 DTSTR and 22 commercial benchmark hybrids (STR and non-DTSTR) were then conducted under Striga-infested and non-infested conditions, managed drought stress and fully irrigated conditions as well as in multiple rainfed environments for 5 years. The observed yield reductions of 61% under managed drought stress and 23% under Striga-infestation created desirable stress levels leading to the detection of significant differences in grain yield among hybrids at individual stress and non-stress conditions. On average, the DTSTR hybrids out-yielded the STR and non-DTSTR commercial hybrids by 13–19% under managed drought stress and fully irrigated conditions and by −4 to 70% under Striga-infested and non-infested conditions. Among the DTSTR hybrids included in the regional trials, 33 were high yielders with better adaptability across environments under all stressful and non-stressful testing conditions. Twenty-four of the 33 DTSTR hybrids also yielded well across diverse rainfed environments. The genetic correlations of grain yield under managed drought stress with yield under Striga-infestation and multiple rainfed environments were 0.51 and 0.57, respectively. Also, a genetic correlation between yields under Striga-infestation with that recorded in multiple rainfed environments was 0.58. These results suggest that the sequential selection scheme offers an opportunity to accumulate desirable stress-related traits in parents contributing to superior agronomic performance in hybrids across stressful and diverse rainfed field environments that are commonly encountered in the tropical savannas of Africa

Comportement des dromadaires sur patures Sahelien et Subhumide au Mali : 2. Especes vegetales et quantites de fourrage ingerees

Trois expériences ont été conduites entre 2014 et 2015 sur 12 dromadaires mâles adultes à Niono et 12 à Sotuba pour identifier les espèces broutées et la quantité de matière sèche ingérée correspondante en zones sahélienne et subhumide. Les données ont été collectées par suivi quotidien de 4 dromadaires porteurs de sac de collecte de fèces choisis au hasard, conduits avec le reste du troupeau durant 12 jours. A Niono, 32 espèces végétales ont été broutées et 71 espèces à Sotuba. A Niono, les espèces les plus broutées ont été Acacia seyal (19 %), Acacia senegal 14,8%), Balanites aegyptiaca (12,6 %) pour les ligneux et Zornia glochidiata (12,6 %) et Schoenefeldia gracilis (6,1 %) pour les graminées. A Sotuba, ce sont Ziziphus mauritiana (14,9 %), Vitellaria paradoxum (10,5 %) et les graminées Cassia tora (7,4 %) et Hiptis suaveolens (6,2 %). Dans le menu figuraient les feuilles, les rameaux, les fleurs et les fruits des espèces végétales consommées. Le taux moyen de protéines de l’ingéré a été de 13,3 % à Niono contre 8,7 % à Sotuba. La digestibilité de la matière sèche a été de 47,9 % à Niono contre 41,2 % à Sotuba. La teneur en protéines digestibles a été de 66,8 ± 0,8 g/kg MS à Niono contre 62,0 ± 0,7 g/kg MS à Sotuba. La quantité de matière sèche ingérée a été de 5,6 ± 0,2 kg à Niono et 5,1 ± kg à Sotuba. La connaissance de ces informations permettra de mieux organiser la complémentation alimentaire des dromadaires afin d’optimiser  leurs productions en zones sahélienne et subhumide du Mali. Mots clés : dromadaires, ingestion pâturage, sahel, subhumide, Mali English Title: Dromedary behaviour on Sahelian and subhumid pasture of Mali: 2. Plant species and feed intake Three experiments were conducted on 30 adult male camels to identify species grazed and the amount of dry matter ingested in the Sahelian (Niono) and sub-humid (Sotuba), zones during the rainy, cold dry and hot dry, seasons. Data were collected by monitoring 4 camels carrying faeces collection bags conducted with the rest of the herd. In Niono, 32 plant species were grazed and 71 species in Sotuba. The menu included leaves, twigs, flowers and fruits of consumed plant species. The average protein level of ingest was 13.3% in Niono and 8.7% in Sotuba. The digestibility of the material was 47.9% in Niono and 41.2% in Sotuba. The digestible protein content was 66.8 ± 0.8 g / kg of dry matter (DM) at Niono and 62.0 ± 0.7 g / kg DM at Sotuba. The amount of dry matter ingested was 5.6 ± 0.2 kg at Niono and 5.1 ± kg at Sotuba. Knowledge of this information is a key element to better organize animal feed supplementation in order to optimize camel production in the sahelian and sub-humid zones of Mali. Keywords: camels, grazing ingestion, Sahel, subhumid, Mal

Comportement des dromadaires adultes sur paturages sahelien et subhumide en station au Mali: 1. Description des principales activites

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Les aspects parasitologiques de l'épidémiologie du paludisme dans le Sahara malien

Dans le cadre de l'évaluation épidémiologique de la Transsaharienne, une enquête transversale paludométrique a été réalisée d'Août 1988 à Septembre 1988 le long du tronçon malien. Neuf localités ont été visitées : Douentza, Gossi, Bourem, Almoustarat, Anefis, Aguel-Hoc, Tarlit, Tessalit, Kidal, Bouressa. 2185 unités ont été prélevées pour les études cliniques, parasitologiques et immunologiques. L'indice plasmodique global est de 5,3 % avec une grande variation du Sud (44,6 %) au Nord (0 %). L'indice gamétocytique et l'indice splénique sont très faibles. #P. falciparum est l'espèce dominante. #P. malariae a été décrit une fois en association avec #P. falciparum. #P. ovale n'a jamais été observé. Par contre un cas de #P. vivax a été décrit chez une jeune fille leucoderme de 8 ans à Kidal. #A. gambiae s.s. (forme Mopti) et #A. arabiensis sont les principaux vecteurs au Nord du Mali. Une hypothèse de circulation de #P. vivax dans le Sahara malien est émise. (Résumé d'auteur