Vegetable Consumption patterns in Yaounde, Cameroon

A survey was conducted in August and September 2008 in Yaoundé, Cameroon to assess vegetable consumption attitudes, constraints and factors that stimulate households’ consumption. Stratified sample based on district size, socioeconomic status and ethnics groups were used. Three hundred households were interviewed using a questionnaire and there were four times as many women as men in the sample. Data were analyzed using SNAP. More than 80% of the respondents were educated at the secondary (54%) and tertiary (30%) levels. The respondents were generally the wife (35%) or children (30%), and sometimes the husband (20%). More than 50% of the respondents were landlords living in their own homes and the rest were tenants. On average, the population of Yaoundé consumed vegetables frequently (2 to 4 times per week). Tomato, onion, carrot, and chili pepper were the most preferred exotic vegetables while bitter leaf (>80%) and okra (>70%), were the most preferred traditional vegetables. Attitudes towards vegetables varied according to socioeconomic and ethnic group. Main constraints to vegetable consumption were preparation time for respondents in the upper class (30%) and social taboos (amaranth is an ominous crop and can cause impotency in men; okra can inhibit the traditional treatment of some diseases) for the middle and lower classes. Freshness, wholesomeness, and color of the fruit or leaves determined the decision to purchase vegetables. Diversification of diet which is good for health, the preference of family members, and taste were the main reasons for consuming vegetables. Taste, degree of sliminess (okra), and smell after cooking were factors that increased satisfaction during consumption. Two-thirds of the respondents knew the benefits of vegetable consumption but their knowledge was not specific and is influenced by social taboos. Willingness to pay for processed traditional vegetables was higher among respondents in the upper income class (56.9%) than the lower (45.8%) and middle (37.1%) classes. The study revealed a need to further promote the consumption vegetables and inform consumers of their nutritional benefits.Keywords: vegetables, consumption, nutrition, vitamins, mineralsAfrican Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development, Volume 13 No. 2 April 201

Criblage de variétés commerciales de canne à sucre prometteuses dans le périmètre sucrier de ferké 2 au nord de la Côte d’Ivoire : optimisation de la durée de sélection

L’étude a été conduite en cinq ans à SUCAF/Ferké 2 au Nord de la Côte d’Ivoire dans le but de cribler des variétés précoces de canne à sucre sur la base du rendement en sucre et de la tolérance au charbon (U. scitaminea) et au foreur de tiges (E. saccharina), principales contraintes biotiques du site. Les variétés SP70-1143 et SP71-1406 ont été sélectionnées ; elles ont présenté de très bons rendements agro-technologiques (12,2 et 15,31 t de sucre.ha- 1) et une tolérance au charbon (194,6 et 455,4 fouets/ha) et au foreur de tiges (1,21 et 0,94 entre-noeuds attaqués). SP71-1406 est une variété auto-épaillante à port érigé qui pourrait se prêter à la récolte mécanisée et à la culture en rangs jumelés. L’étude suggère en outre la pertinence d’importer des variétés commerciales et de mener la phase expérimentale de la sélection en une seule étape de trois ans.Mot clés : sélection variétale, canne à sucre, variété, rendement, Côte d’Ivoir

Fertilization of Dioscorea rotundata with poultry manure: effects on nutrient dynamics and nutrient use efficiencies. Awarded poster presentation

Similar effects of poultry manure (PM) and mineral fertilizer suggest that PM is a cheap and effective alternative to fertilizers for yam production

Fertilization of Dioscorea rotundata with poultry manure: effects on nutrient dynamics and nutrient use efficiencies

Similar effects of poultry manure (PM) and mineral fertilizer suggest that PM is a cheap and effective alternative to fertilizers for yam production

Diagnosis of seeds supply of leafy vegetables in Yaoundé, Cameroon

The traditional leafy vegetables play a major role in the Cameroonian diet. In the metropolitan zone of Yaoundé, these vegetables are produced year round in family and commercial exploitations. The quality of the seeds, their mode of production and their system of distribution are little known. With the aim to better understand the seed system of traditional  vegetables, a study on the supply, the production and the quality of these seeds was carried out. The data were collected using questionnaires on a sample of 133 traditional leafy vegetable producers of the urban and peri-urban zone of Yaoundé. The data were analyzed using SNAP 9  software. The study showed that the most produced species are amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus), nightshade (Solanum scabrum) and jute mallow (Corchorus olitorius). The market-gardeners are influenced in their choice of vegetable to cultivate by the preference of the customers (85.7% of the respondents) and the productivity of the cultivars (66.2% of the  respondents). More than 40% of the respondents buy seeds in the  markets while 7.5% buy seed from other producers and 10.5% in the agricultural inputs stores. About half (47.4%) of the respondents produce seeds by leaving plants in the field after the first or the second harvest while 36.8% of the market-gardeners select the most vigorous plants for seed production. On average, 58.7% of respondents preserve the seeds in hermetically closed bottles and plastic bag. Storage on field is practiced by a significant part of market-gardeners (41.4%). A total of 79.7% of the producers reported constraints with the produced seeds. Poor seed  germination (81.1% of respondents) and the non uniformity of the seed (48.1% of the producers) were reported as the major constraints. The principal source of seed supply in the metropolitan zone of Yaoundé is the self production with rudimentary production and storage techniques subject to many qualitative constraints.Key words: leafy, vegetables, seeds, supply, qualit

Evolution des populations de Bemisia tabaci Genn. selon les variétés de tomate (Solanum lycopersicum L.) au Centre de la Côte d’Ivoire

La mouche blanche, (Bemisia tabaci Genn.), est le vecteur de la sévère maladie de l’enroulement jaunissant des feuilles de la tomate (TYLC) qui limite considérablement sa production. Le rôle que joue cette culture, en tant que réservoir de B. tabaci a été déterminé par le dénombrement des populations de l’insecte, à la Station de Recherche sur les Cultures Vivrières du Centre National de Recherche Agronomique à Bouaké, de décembre 2000 à février 2002. Cinq variétés de tomate, dont un témoin local (ABBA), deux variétés tolérantes au TYLC (CLN2116B et CLN2123A) et deux variétés sensibles (IDSA108 et IDSA109), ont été évaluées à travers six essais sans traitements phytosanitaires. Ces variétés ont toutes hébergé des adultes et des larves de B. tabaci. Le semis de juin 2001 a enregistré le plus faible effectif avec une larve et deux adultes, tandis que celui de décembre 2000 a connu plus de prolifération de B. tabaci avec six larves et six adultes. Le témoin local a enregistré le plus faible effectif de B. tabaci et le plus faible pourcentage de plants contaminés comparativement aux autres variétés et peut par conséquent être utilisé dans des travaux ultérieurs de sélection.Mots clés: Tomate, Solanum lycopersicum, enroulement jaunissant, Bemisia tabaci, mouche blanche, Côte d’Ivoire

L’automutilation génitale : intérêt d’un avis psychiatrique dans la prise en charge urologique

Les automutilations sont des conduites fréquentes, souvent associées à une morbidité psychiatrique. Les auteurs rapportent trois observations de sujets admis dans le service d’urologie du CHU de Cocody d’Abidjan, pour des automutilations génitales. Au cours de la prise en charge chirurgicale, l’avis psychiatrique demandé chez ces patients a conclu au diagnostic de schizophrénie paranoïde. Les frustrations survenues dans l’accomplissement de leur sexualité ontconstitué les motifs évoqués par les patients pour réaliser l’automutilation génitale. La blessure auto-infligée a eu pour fonctions de communiquer à l’entourage la souffrance psychique, exprimerla dissociation psychique caractéristique de la schizophrénie. Le traitement chirurgical débuté avant la prise en charge psychiatrique ou de façon concomitante, a consisté en une suture des corps caverneux chez le 3ème patient; suture des corps caverneux et urétrorraphie chez le 2ème, puis à une urétrostomie définitive chez le premier. Ces observations soulignent l’intérêt de la collaboration entre chirurgiens et psychiatres dans la prise en charge des automutilations

Plant yields and fodder quality related characteristics of millet-stylo intercropping systems in the Sahel

In trials at Sadoré, Niger in 1988-90, Pennisetum glaucum cv. Composite Inter-Varietal de Tarna, Stylosanthes fruticosa cv. ILCA 13860 and S. hamata cv. Verano were grown for 1 or 2 years as pure stands or as cereal-legume intercrops with different row ratios. In the 2-year intercrop, P. glaucum was resown on land on which the legume would regrow from the previous crop stubble. Intercropping the legumes with P. glaucum for 1 year in alternate single rows did not affect P. glaucum grain yield because of poor legume competition. Total DM yield of the intercrop was similar to pure P. glaucum, while CP concentration increased significantly with intercropping. During the 2nd year of association the legumes were more competitive, depressing P. glaucum yield by 67% in 1989 and 48% in 1990 compared with pure stands. Yield was decreased more by S. hamata than by S. fruticosa in 1990 but not in 1989, and alternate triple-row sowing of P. glaucum with the legumes gave higher grain yields than alternate single-row sowing in 1990 while the reverse pattern occurred in 1989. Total DM and CP yields, and CP concentration of the harvested fodder were, respectively, 1.4, 3.0 and 2.3 times greater in intercrops than in pure P. glaucum stand

Optimizing implementation of preventive chemotherapy against soil-transmitted helminthiasis and intestinal schistosomiasis using high-resolution data: Field-based experiences from Côte d'Ivoire

BACKGROUND: Despite efforts to control neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) using preventive chemotherapy (PC), soil-transmitted helminthiases and schistosomiasis remain widely prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. The current PC regimen in endemic settings is defined based on health district-level prevalence. This work aims to highlight the need for high-resolution data when elimination, rather than morbidity control, is the targeted goal. METHODOLOGY: Cross-sectional parasitological surveys were conducted from July to August 2019 and from September to October 2019, respectively, across the entire Dabou and Jacqueville health districts in southern Cote d'Ivoire. From every village, 60 school-aged children (6-15 years) were randomly selected and invited to provide one fresh stool sample, whereof duplicate Kato-Katz thick smears were prepared and read by two independent technicians. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: 4338 school-aged children from 77 villages were screened from the Dabou (n = 2174; 50.12%, 39 villages) and Jacqueville (n = 2164; 49.88%, 38 villages) health districts. The prevalence of any soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infection was 12.47% and 11.09% in the Dabou and Jacqueville health districts, respectively. Species-specific district-level prevalence remained below 10%, varying between 0.51% (hookworm in Jacqueville) and 9.06% (Trichuris trichiura in Dabou). However, when considering sub-districts or villages only, several STH infection hotspots (five sub-districts with >/=20% and four villages with more than 50% infected) were observed. Schistosoma mansoni infection was found in less than 1% of the examined children in each health district. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We conclude that keeping health district-level prevalence as a reference for PC implementation leaves many high-risk sub-districts or villages requiring PC (>/=20% prevalence) untreated. To avoid maintaining those high-risk villages as STH reservoirs by skipping control interventions and jeopardizing the successes already achieved in STH control through PC during the past two decades, precision mapping is required. Further investigation is needed to assess cost-efficient approaches to implement small-scale disease surveillance