Belgium

L’activité agricole est au cœur de l’activité économique tant dans les pays développés que ceux en voie de développement et constitue le moteur de croissance et de transformation structurelle des économies. Actuellement, le monde se caractérise par une bipolarité avec d’un côté une minorité des riches jouissant de l’essentiel de la richesse mondiale et d’autre côté, une majorité de la population croupissant dans la pauvreté sous toutes ses formes. Une inégale répartition des ressources de façon que, 20% de la population mondiale s’approprie plus de 80% des richesses, ce qui laisse une grande partie de la population dans une situation d’extrême pauvreté. Ainsi, dans les zones rurales, la pauvreté touche principalement les petits exploitants et les familles sans terres poussant ces derniers à migrer vers les villes entrainant une déstructuration des tissus sociaux. L’objectif de cette étude est de montrer comment le secteur agricole constitue une source d’inégalité dans la zone d’étude en identifiant les différentes sources de revenu des agriculteurs ainsi que les déterminants des inégalités au sein des ménages ruraux. Les enquêtes ont été menées auprès des ménages du territoire de Kalehe et celui de Kabare à l’aide de l’outil de collecte des données ODK (Open Data Kit). Les résultats attestent en amont que le plus grand déterminant des inégalités au sein des groupements et des ménages est le niveau de revenu ainsi que la superficie exploitée. Et en aval, que l’utilisation des intrants agricoles ainsi que l’accès au marché sont les sources secondaires d’inégalités des ménages agricoles dans les territoires d’étude de la province du Sud-Kiv

Fall Armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in South Kivu, DR Congo: Understanding How Season and Environmental Conditions Influence Field Scale Infestations

The fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) has become a global devastating pest because of its broad dispersal capacity and the high crop damages. At present, research on FAW infestations of crops in the DR Congo remains undocumented. Here, FAW infestations in two agro-ecological zones (Kabare and Ruzizi Plain) were compared in South-Kivu Province. Surveys were carried out during the early 2018 and late 2019 crop seasons to assess the impact of FAW on maize crops. In each agro-ecological zone, 50 fields were selected for investigation. A total of hundred (100) fields were assessed in the 2018 crop season. During the 2019 crop season, the same fields were investigated. The two zones had very different bioclimatic characteristics. FAW attacks were more pronounced under conditions of relatively high temperatures with high evapotranspiration, which occurred in the Ruzizi Plain and late 2019 season. In comparison, Kabare territory and the early 2018 season were characterized by heavy rainfall. The incidence, level of leaf damage, and density of FAW larvae varied significantly with season and agro-ecological zone. The Ruzizi Plain had the highest incidence (60 ± 30%), level of leaf damage and larval density (28.5 ± 19.3). The late 2019 season had the highest incidence (70 ± 20%) as well as the larval density (27.8 ± 19.2). Total annual number of FAW generations was 5.64 and 3.36 in the Ruzizi Plain and Kabare territory, respectively. In conclusion, FAW infestation represents a major problem for agricultural production due to the climatic conditions in the study region

Socio-economic drivers of improved sweet potato varieties adoption among smallholder farmers in South-Kivu Province, DR Congo

Promotion of improved crop varieties is an effective means of increasing farm productivity and alleviating poverty in rural areas. A successful dissemination of such varieties requires a deep understanding of target farmers’ attitudes, preferences and socio-economic status. This study aimed at assessing factors linked to smallholder farmers’ adoption decision for improved sweet potato varieties (ISPVs) in South-Kivu. A household survey was conducted on 360 smallholder farmers from four South-Kivu territories, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including Idjwi, Kabare, Kalehe and Walungu, and data were analyzed using a logit regression model. The adoption decision was negatively affected by farmers’ age and the field-to-house distance. In contrast, the ISPVs adoption was favored by farmers’ education level, reduced farm size, off-farm incomes, high monthly income and use of hired farm labor. Besides, farmers’ cooperative membership, access to credit and planting materials, and contacts with extension services were instrumental in adopting improved sweet potato varieties in South-Kivu. This study highlighted the need to strengthen extension services, seed delivery systems, and amending the credit systems for increased impact on improved varieties adoption among South-Kivu sweet potato farmers