Caractérisation des ménages producteurs de maïs en zone de savane sèche au Bénin

Des études antérieures ont prédis que le maïs deviendra une culture commerciale et assurera la sécurité alimentaire mieux que toute autre culture. Dans le Nord du Bénin par exemple, il vient en deuxième position après le coton en tant que culture de subsistance et de rente. Selon le Ministère de l’Agriculture, de l’Élevage et de la Pêche (1997-2005), les superficies emblavées ont augmenté de 583254 ha en 1997 à 714155 ha en 2004. Malheureusement, les rendements moyens ont stagné entre 1100 et 1250 kg/ha au cours de la même période. Cette faiblesse de la productivité s’expliquerait, entre autres, par la baisse de la fertilité des sols, l’utilisation de cultivars (semences, boutures etc..) inappropriés. Les paysans du Nord Bénin utilisent essentiellement des semences traditionnelles. Par contre, on reproche généralement aux variétés améliorées plus productives d’être très exigeantes en engrais minéraux et pesticides spécifiques souvent difficiles à acquérir et de présenter des qualités organoleptiques ne répondant pas toujours aux exigences alimentaires des producteurs. La sécheresse est perçue par les agriculteurs dans bon nombre de zones agro écologiques comme un facteur perturbateur de la production des cultures dont le maïs. Associée aux dégâts des ravageurs, elle hypothèque les rendements et la qualité marchande des produits. Les effets néfastes de la sécheresse continuent donc de réduire la production dans les différentes zones agro écologiques du pays, du fait de l’absence d’une large adoption de variétés tolérantes à ce facteur abiotique. Pour remédier à cette situation, le Centre international pour l’amélioration du maïs et du blé (CIMMYT) et l’Institut international d’agriculture tropicale (IITA) ont initié un projet de recherche sur le maïs tolérant la sécheresse. L’objectif de ce projet est de réduire la faim et d’augmenter la sécurité alimentaire et financière des paysans aux ressources limitées, à travers la création et la diffusion des variétés de maïs. Depuis son démarrage en 2007, de nouvelles technologies (variétés améliorées) sont en cours d’essais en station et en milieu réel. Ces variétés seront bientôt proposées à la vulgarisation. L’objectif de cette recherche est d’établir une situation de référence dans les zones d’intervention du projet DTMA en termes de niveau de vie des ménages, d’adoption des nouvelles variétés de maïs et d’adaptation aux catastrophes naturelles. Ce travail permettra de mieux apprécier l’impact des interventions du projet DTMA en fournissant une base de comparaison. Ce document présente la synthèse des enquêtes de base réalisées dans les communes de Kandi et de Tanguiéta dans le Nord Bénin avec 175 exploitations tirées au hasardL’enquête a confirmé le rôle prépondérant que joue le maïs dans la satisfaction des besoins alimentaire et financiers des populations de la zone. Cette étude a aussi permis de mettre en évidence les principales caractéristiques qui influencent et qui sont susceptibles d’influencer l’adoption de nouvelles variétés de maïs. L’un des principaux risques qui affectent les agriculteurs dans la zone d’étude est la fluctuation des prix de vente des récoltes. Pour pallier cette difficulté, les exploitants bradent prématurément leur production, recourent aux engrais minéraux et organiques, et diversifient leurs activités de production agricole. Les principaux chocs qui affectent la culture du maïs sont : les dégâts causés par les animaux (en divagation), la sécheresse, la forte hausse du prix des intrants, et la baisse spectaculaire du prix du maïs. Des efforts doivent être menés pour améliorer l’accessibilité et la qualité des semences, de même que la gestion de la fertilité des sols grâce à des technologies adaptées. Selon les paysans, le DMR est actuellement la meilleure variété améliorée. L’adoption des variétés améliorées semble être influencée par: l’appartenance aux associations, le genre, l’accès aux engrais chimiques (NPK, urée) et la taille de l’exploitation

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

Seed systems smallholder farmers use

Seed can be an important entry point for promoting productivity, nutrition and resilience among smallholder farmers. While investments have primarily focused on strengthening the formal sector, this article documents the degree to which the informal sector remains the core for seed acquisition, especially in Africa. Conclusions drawn from a uniquely comprehensive data set, 9660 observations across six countries and covering 40 crops, show that farmers access 90.2 % of their seed from informal systems with 50.9 % of that deriving from local markets. Further, 55 % of seed is paid for by cash, indicating that smallholders are already making important investments in this arena. Targeted interventions are proposed for rendering formal and informal seed sector more smallholder-responsive and for scaling up positive impacts

CGIAR modeling approaches for resource-constrained scenarios: I. Accelerating crop breeding for a changing climate.

Crop improvement efforts aiming at increasing crop production (quantity, quality) and adapting to climate change have been subject of active research over the past years. But, the question remains 'to what extent can breeding gains be achieved under a changing climate, at a pace sufficient to usefully contribute to climate adaptation, mitigation and food security?'. Here, we address this question by critically reviewing how model-based approaches can be used to assist breeding activities, with particular focus on all CGIAR (formerly the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research but now known simply as CGIAR) breeding programs. Crop modeling can underpin breeding efforts in many different ways, including assessing genotypic adaptability and stability, characterizing and identifying target breeding environments, identifying tradeoffs among traits for such environments, and making predictions of the likely breeding value of the genotypes. Crop modeling science within the CGIAR has contributed to all of these. However, much progress remains to be done if modeling is to effectively contribute to more targeted and impactful breeding programs under changing climates. In a period in which CGIAR breeding programs are undergoing a major modernization process, crop modelers will need to be part of crop improvement teams, with a common understanding of breeding pipelines and model capabilities and limitations, and common data standards and protocols, to ensure they follow and deliver according to clearly defined breeding products. This will, in turn, enable more rapid and better-targeted crop modeling activities, thus directly contributing to accelerated and more impactful breeding efforts.Online Version of Record before inclusion in an issue

Current warming will reduce yields unless maize breeding and seed systems adapt immediately

The development of crop varieties that are better suited to new climatic conditions is vital for future food production1, 2. Increases in mean temperature accelerate crop development, resulting in shorter crop durations and reduced time to accumulate biomass and yield3, 4. The process of breeding, delivery and adoption (BDA) of new maize varieties can take up to 30 years. Here, we assess for the first time the implications of warming during the BDA process by using five bias-corrected global climate models and four representative concentration pathways with realistic scenarios of maize BDA times in Africa. The results show that the projected difference in temperature between the start and end of the maize BDA cycle results in shorter crop durations that are outside current variability. Both adaptation and mitigation can reduce duration loss. In particular, climate projections have the potential to provide target elevated temperatures for breeding. Whilst options for reducing BDA time are highly context dependent, common threads include improved recording and sharing of data across regions for the whole BDA cycle, streamlining of regulation, and capacity building. Finally, we show that the results have implications for maize across the tropics, where similar shortening of duration is projected

Factors that transformed maize productivity in Ethiopia

Published online: 26 July 2015Maize became increasingly important in the food security of Ethiopia following the major drought and famine that occurred in 1984. More than 9 million smallholder house- holds, more than for any other crop in the country, grow maize in Ethiopia at present. Ethiopia has doubled its maize produc- tivity and production in less than two decades. The yield, currently estimated at >3 metric tons/ha, is the second highest in Sub-Saharan Africa, after South Africa; yield gains for Ethiopia grew at an annual rate of 68 kg/ha between 1990 and 2013, only second to South Africa and greater than Mexico, China, or India. The maize area covered by improved varieties in Ethiopia grew from 14 % in 2004 to 40 % in 2013, and the application rate of mineral fertilizers from 16 to 34 kg/ ha during the same period. Ethiopia ’ s extension worker to farmer ratio is 1:476, compared to 1:1000 for Kenya, 1:1603 for Malawi and 1:2500 for Tanzania. Increased use of im- proved maize varieties and mineral fertilizers, coupled with increased extension services and the absence of devastating droughts are the key factors promoting the accelerated growth in maize productivity in Ethiopia. Ethiopia took a homegrown solutions approach to the research and development of its maize and other commodities. The lesson from Ethiopia ’ s experience with maize is that sustained investment in agricul- tural research and development and policy support by the national government are crucial for continued growth of agricultur

An assessment of the risk of Bt-cowpea to non-target organisms in West Africa

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata Walp.) is the most economically important legume crop in arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Cowpea is grown primarily by subsistence farmers who consume the leaves, pods and grain on farm or sell grain in local markets. Processed cowpea foods such as akara (a deep-fat fried fritter) are popular in the rapidly expanding urban areas. Demand far exceeds production due, in part, to a variety of insect pests including, in particular, the lepidopteran legume pod borer (LPB) Maruca vitrata. Genetically engineered Bt-cowpea, based on cry1Ab (Event 709) and cry2Ab transgenes, is being developed for use in sub-Saharan Africa to address losses from the LBP. Before environmental release of transgenic cowpeas, the Bt Cry proteins they express need to be assessed for potential effects on non-target organisms, particularly arthropods. Presented here is an assessment of the potential effects of those Cry proteins expressed in cowpea for control of LPB. Based on the history of safe use of Bt proteins, as well as the fauna associated with cultivated and wild cowpea in sub-Saharan Africa results indicate negligible effects on non-target organisms