Simulating the Impact of the Global Economic Crisis and Policy Responses on Children in Ghana

Like many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana is experiencing the impact of the global crisis and the uncertain economic outlook. Indeed, as Ghana’s economy is among the most open in Africa, it is expected that the country has been and will continue to be severely affected by the crisis, although strong export prices of its main exports (gold and cocoa) may at least partially counteract the effects associated with the crisis. The main goal of this paper is to understand the potential impacts of the 2008/9 global crisis on different dimensions of child poverty (monetary, hunger, school participation, child labour and access to health services) in Ghana and to support the policy-maker in designing the most appropriate policy response to counteract the negative effects of the crisis. As timely data are not available, a combined macro-micro economic model to predict the impact of the global crisis on children was developed. Simulations suggest that the financial crisis would increase monetary poverty and hunger across all regions of Ghana, eroding many of the gains made over the past few years. Indeed, in comparison with the year preceding the crisis, instead of a reduction of four percentage points in child monetary poverty in 2011 predicted in the absence of crisis, the simulations indicate a 6.6 percentage point increase, with a continuous increasing pattern over the period of study. The global crisis is also predicted to severely deepen hunger among children, which is simulated to increase up to 6.6 percentage points in 2011 beginning with a sharp increase already in 2009. For both monetary poverty and hunger, the impact of the crisis differs across all regions, with the Eastern, Volta and Greater Accra regions predicted to be the most affected. Children’s participation in schooling and labour, as well as their access to health services, are forecast to be much less affected by the crisis, although it is found to reverse predicted increases in enrolment and health access (with substitution toward more modern types of health services) and forecasted reductions in child labour. Finally, alternative policy options have been simulated: a cash transfer programme targeted to poor children is found to be generally more effective in protecting children than food subsidies. Indeed, with a total budget equivalent to 1% of 2008 GDP, a cash transfer – equivalent to an individual annual amount of 19.8 Cedis – would cut the predicted increase in monetary poverty by over two percentage points in 2011. Although Ghana might be in a position to rapidly implement a cash transfer programme building on the existing Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP) programme, other interventions (or mix of policies) might be more cost-effective in the short run. A combination of a universal or regionally targeted cash transfer programmes for children aged 0 to 5 years old, together with a school-feeding programme in poorer regions, might represent an effective way to intervene quickly to improve child well-being.Global economic crisis, child poverty, hunger, education, child labour, health, West and Central Africa, Ghana, social protection

Characterization of maize producing households in the dry savanna of Mali

Maize is one of the three most important staple foods in Mali. Zones in the country with high potential for producing maize are limited to areas where the probability of drought risk is between 20 and 40%, meaning that recurring droughts have long handicapped maize production. In an attempt to alleviate drought stress on maize production, a household survey was conducted in the two Local Government Areas of Bougouni and Koutiala, both in the Sikasso Region, during the 2007/2008 production period. These two districts were selected following an environmental characterization of drought zones in Mali. The survey was mainly oriented towards maize based farming systems. Six sample villages were selected within each of the two districts. The sample population was defined as maize farming households. A total of 150 households were randomly selected and interviewed with structured questionnaires. Interviews were conducted by trained enumerators using a formal household survey. The purpose of the study is to provide both quantitative and qualitative feedback from farmers to researchers and to the B&MGF on the impact that improved maize varieties developed in the past have had upon the livelihoods of households and to provide a detailed database for the projection of expected outcomes with the deployment of new drought tolerant maize varieties under the B&MGF drought tolerant maize project. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were used to extract from our set of variables those orthogonal linear combinations of the variables that best captured the common information. Most successful was the one proposed by Filmer and Pritchett (1998; 2001) called the Principal Component Analysis (PCA). To assess the variables affecting the adoption of improved maize varieties, the Tobit model was used. The results show that 99% of household heads are male. The size of a household is 22 persons, on average. About 47% of the household’s members are available for farm work. About 59% of household heads are illiterate, an important factor concerning the adoption of new technology. These household heads make decisions about 84% of farming activities; 86% of the households involved in the study belonged to at least one farmers’ organization in order to have easy access to inputs

What is the genetic origin of teak (Tectona grandis L.) introduced in Africa and in Indonesia?

International audienceThe first introduction of Tectona grandis in Indonesia took place between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries and in Africa in the nineteenth century. A total of 1.1 and 0.3 million ha, respectively were planted in the two areas. The extension of teak plantations often started from these first introductions. Unfortunately, the documentation concerning dates, planting stocks and the sources of origin of the teak imported into the different countries was very inaccurate. In this study, the use of 15 microsatellite molecular markers enabled us to compare 22 exotic teak provenances with 17 provenances of the natural range. Results of the analysis showed that the provenances from South India were not related to the provenances that were first introduced in either Africa or Indonesia. Nearly 95% of teak landraces in Benin, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Tanza- nia, Togo and Senegal came from North India, and 96% of Indonesian and Ghanaian teak appeared to be very closely linked to Central Laos. The genetic origin of introduced teak was confirmed by the main traits of interest of provenances observed in international trials. Thus, trees from North India had very bad stem forms compared to Laotian and Thai provenances, which generally had good stem forms but low vigour. This genetic knowledge is essential for programmes to develop varieties and to improve the quality of plantations, particularly in Afric

Physiological responses of cowpea simultaneously exposed to water deficit stress and varying light intensities at vegetative and reproductive growth stages

A combination of stresses as it occurs on the field poses more challenges to crop production than individual stress. Crops’ response to single stress also differs from that of combined stresses. The morpho-physiological responses of two cowpea varieties (IT89KD-288 and IT99K573-1-1) to a combination of stresses (water deficit stress and high light intensity) were investigated at different growth stages. Three levels of light intensities (L3: 259 Lux- 36%, L2: 394 Lux-55% and L1: 710.2 Lux-100%) were imposed using one, two and zero layer(s) of the net, respectively, while, water deficit stress at four levels (W1: no water stress; 0-5 bars, W2: moderate water stress; 5-15 bars, W3: moderately-severe; 15-40 bars and W4: severe water stress; 40 -70 bars) was imposed differently at vegetative and reproductive growth stages. Data were collected on the cowpea yield, Leaf Temperature (LT), Chlorophyll (C), Photosynthesis (P), Stomatal Conductance (SC) and Canopy Transpiration Rate (CTR). Exposure to W4 under L1 considerably reduced cowpea yield by 80% compared to those grown under L3 and full watering. Reduced light intensity enhanced cowpea grain yield irrespective of water deficit stress and IT89KD-288 was superior to IT99K573-1-1. Reduction in light intensity also increased the SC from 55.18 in L1 to 76.88 in 36 % L3. Full light intensity without water stress (100% light intensity), increased C content, while severe water stress reduced the C content and CTR. Photosynthesis was, however, reduced under low light intensity compared to 100% light intensity. It was also observed that water deficit stress imposed at the reproductive stage did not affect P, CTR and SC unlike that of the vegetative stage. In conclusion, reduced light intensity enhanced cowpea tolerance to water deficit and increased yield. Cowpea response was dependent on growth stage, variety and severity of stress

Le lymphangiome cervico-facial congenital de l’enfant au chu de conakry : analyse de trois cas

Le lymphangiome kystique est une tumeur vasculaire, bénigne, rare, d’origine lymphatique. La forme principale est représentée par le lymphangiome cervico-facial congénital de l’enfant. Sa pathogenèse est inconnue. Cette malformation congénitale du système lymphatique est composée de formations kystiques développées à partir d’endothélium lymphatique et remplies de lymphe et de sang. L’atteinte des voies aérodigestives supérieures (VaDS) peut conduire à des complications graves, mettant en jeu le pronostic vital. nous présentons trois observations de lymphangiomes kystiques de diagnostic post natal. Le traitement était chirurgical dans tous les cas consistant en exérèse complète de la tumeur et le diagnostic confirmé par l’examen histopathologique de la pièce opératoire. après un recul d’au moins 12 mois, aucune récidive locale n’a été observée cependant la surveillance reste de mise.Mots clés : Lymphangiomes kystique, malformation, cervico-facialeCystic lymphangioma is a vascular tumor, rare benign lymphatic origin. The main form is represented by the cervicofacial congenital lymphangioma of the child. Its pathogenesis is unknown. This congenital malformation of the lymphatic system is composed of cystic formations developed from lymphatic endothelium and filled with lymph and blood. Involvement of the upper aero digestive tract (UaDT) can lead to serious complications, involving life-threatening. We present three cases of cystic lymphangiomas of postnatal diagnosis. Treatment was surgical in all cases consisting of complete resection of the tumor and the diagnosis confirmed by histopathological examination of the surgical specimen. after a decline of at least 12 months, no local recurrence was observed; however, monitoring is still required.Keywords : cystic lymphangioma malformation, cervicofacia

Les hybridations interspecifiques dans le genre Phaseolus : selection des genotypes compatibles et caracterisation des hybrides interspecifiques

La réussite de l’introgression de caractères utiles chez le haricot commun P. vulgaris à partir des deux espèces P. coccineus et P. polyanthus dépend en partie des génotypes utilisés. Ce travail vise à identifier des génotypes de Phaseolus compatibles lors des hybridations interspécifiques et à identifier les hybrides issus des croisements entre P. vulgaris utilisé comme parent mâle et les deux autres espèces utilisées comme parents femelles. Dans les croisements P. coccineus x P. vulgaris, le taux de gousses avortées audelà de 8 JAP est d’environ 12 %. Quatre gousses supposées hybrides ont été obtenues. Pour les hybridations P. polyanthus x P. vulgaris, le taux de gousses avortés au-delà de 8 JAP est d’environ 18 % et une seule gousse supposée hybride a été produite. Les hybrides issus des deux combinaisons interspécifiques ont été mis en évidence au moyen de caractères morphologiques et grâce à un marqueur moléculaire microsatellite. Les génotypes retenus pour leur bonne aptitude à la combinaison, en tenant compte des taux d’avortement au-delà de 8 JAP, sont les suivants : NI637 et G21245 pour P. vulgaris, NI889 et NI16 pour P. coccineus, NI1015 et G35348 pour P. polyanthus. Mots clés : Phaseolus, hybridations interspécifiques, caractères morphologiques, marqueur microsatellite (SSR).INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDIZATIONSWITHIN THE GENUS PhaseolusSuccessful introgression of useful traits in common bean P. vulgaris from the two species P. coccineus and P. polyanthus depends in part to genotypes used. This work aims to identify genotypes of Phaseolus compatible during interspecific crosses and to identify hybrids from crosses between P. vulgaris used as male parent and the other two species used as female parents. In crosses P. coccineus x P. vulgaris, the rate of pod abortion 8 days after pollination (DAP) is around 12 %. Four putative hybrid pods were obtained. For hybridizations P. polyanthus x P. vulgaris, the rate of pod abortion 8 DAP is around 18 % and one putative hybrid pod was produced. The hybrid nature of one plant from each interspecific combination was confirmed using morphological characters and one microsatellite molecular marker. Genotypes selected for good combining abilities, considering pod abortion rates 8 DAP are NI637 and G21245 for P. vulgaris, NI889 and NI16 for P. coccineus, NI1015 and G35348 for P. polyanthus.Keywords : Phaseolus, interspecific hybridizations, morphological characters, microsatellite marker (SSR)

Indicateurs de dégradation physique des sols dans le Nord de la Côte d’Ivoire: Cas de Boundiali et Ferkessédougou

En vue d’inventorier quelques indicateurs de la dégradation physique des sols dans le Nord de la Côte d’Ivoire, différents segments topographiques, de haut versant (HV), mi versant (MV) et bas versant (BV) ont été considérés sur des toposéquences implantées, à Boundiali (Guinguereni), bassin versant de la Bagoué et à Ferkessédougou (Nabankaha), bassin versant du Bandama. Des échantillons de sols ont été prélevés dans des fosses pédologiques ouvertes sur des sites des cultures et de jachères de courte durée en HV, à MV et en BV. Les descriptions morpho pédologiques et analyses physiques réalisées indiquent que le surpâturage et la mise en culture des terres amenuisent la couverture végétale ainsi que le taux de matière organique. Les sols observés ont une texture majoritairement sablo–argilo–limoneuse (30% d’argile) avec une faible imprégnation humifère. Les valeurs de densité apparente (da) qui varient de 0,67 à 1,49 g.cm-3, indiquent une compaction des sols cultivés en mi et bas de versant, avec une perméabilité médiocre (13 à 17 mm.h-1). Des corrélations significatives (r ± 0,70 à 0,95) observées entre l’infiltration, le taux de matière organique, la densité apparente et l’humidité témoignent que la compaction est à l’origine de l’augmentation de la densité apparente des sols, de la diminution de la conductivité hydraulique et donc de leur dégradation physique.Mots-clés: dégradation physique, compaction, indicateurs, Boundiali, Ferkessédougou, Côte d’Ivoire. Physical indicators of soil degradation in northern Côte d'Ivoire: Case of Boundiali and FerkessédougouTo perform the monitoring of some physical indicators of degradation in northern Côte d'Ivoire, different topographic segments, at the upper slope (HV), middle slope (MV) and lower slope (BV) were considered on implanted toposequences at Boundiali (Guinguereni), the watershed of Bagoue and at Ferkessédougou (Nabankaha), the watershed of Bandama. Soil samples were taken from soil pits open on sites of crops and short fallow at HV, MV and BV. Morpho pedological descriptions and physical analyzes indicate that overgrazing and cultivation of land deteriorate vegetation cover and the organic matter content. The observed soils are predominantly sandy clayey loam texture (30% clay with low humus impregnation). The bulk density values (da), ranging from 0.67 to 1.49 g.cm-3, indicates that soil compaction grown in middle and lower slope, with poor permeability (13-17 mm.h-1). Significant correlations (r ± 0.70 to 0.95) observed between infiltration, organic matter rates, bulk density and moisture show that the compaction is at the origin of the increase of the soil bulk density, the reduction of the hydraulic conductivity and thus their physical degradation.Keywords: physical degradation, compaction, indicators, Boundiali, Ferkessedougou, Côte d‟Ivoire

Les dominantes du parasitisme helminthique chez les bovins, ovins et caprins en Guinée maritime, République de Guinée

L'inventaire, la charge et la dynamique saisonnière des populations de nématodes gastrointestinaux chez le bétail en Guinée maritime ont été étudiés par autopsie helminthologique et par coprologie. Quatre-vingt-dix-huit pour cent des bovins et 99 %  des petits ruminants autopsiés étaient infestés. Haemonchus sp. et Cooperia spp. constituaient l'essentiel chez les bovins. Chez le mouton, Trichostrongylus colubriformis-, Cooperia spp. et Haemonchus sp. constituaient l'essentiel. Chez la chèvre, T. colubriformis et Haemonchus sp. constituaient avec Oesophagostomum sp. les principales populations de nématodes. Quarante-deux pour cent des 200 échantillons de fèces de jeunes veaux contenaient des oeufs de Toxocaravitulorum et 46 % des oeufs de Strongyloides sp. L'absence de douves du foie, de schistosomes et la faible prévalence des populations de larves intramuqueuses ont été notées. Ces résultats et les charges parasitaires rencontrées démontrent l'importance des nématodoses en tant que contraintes à une meilleure productivité du bétail dans la zone d'étude. Un calendrier de vermifugation basé sur ces résultats est proposé en conclusion