AGRICULTURE AND RELATED SECTORS IN THE CILSS COUNTRIES: PAST PERFORMANCE AND STRATEGIC CHOICES FOR THE FUTURE

The document identified five priority areas on which to focus future development plans and projects: 1) human resource development; 2)institutional capacity building; 3) rapid and sustainable development of agricultural production; 4) economic growth and diversification; 5) greater regional integration and ties to the world economy. Recognizing that several of these priorities reached beyond its mandate, CILSS recommended that other more qualified regional organizations (ECOWAS, UEMOA) assume their responsibilities in pursuing these objectives. This paper analyzes the past performance, potential for and challenges facing the agricultural sector in the Sahel, focusing on the factors critical to increasing household income and improving food security in the Sahel. It is divided in four parts.Industrial Organization,

Linkages Between Agricultural Growth and Improved Child Nutrition in Mali

This paper presents the results of the first phase of a project aimed at analyzing the links between agricultural growth in Mali and child nutritional status. The objective of this project is to strengthen these links through applied research and extension. The first phase of the project was designed to generate hypotheses concerning the relationship and review existing data to test these hypotheses, generate new hypotheses and draw policy implications. The second phase of this project will carry out in-depth research to address the critical questions left unanswered in phase I and initiate actions designed to improve these links.food security, food policy, child nutrition, Mali, agricultural growth, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, International Development, Downloads July 2008-July 2009: 13, I1,

Development of the preterm gut microbiome in twins at risk of necrotising enterocolitis and sepsis

The preterm gut microbiome is a complex dynamic community influenced by genetic and environmental factors and is implicated in the pathogenesis of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) and sepsis. We aimed to explore the longitudinal development of the gut microbiome in preterm twins to determine how shared environmental and genetic factors may influence temporal changes and compared this to the expressed breast milk (EBM) microbiome. Stool samples (n = 173) from 27 infants (12 twin pairs and 1 triplet set) and EBM (n = 18) from 4 mothers were collected longitudinally. All samples underwent PCR-DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) analysis and a selected subset underwent 454 pyrosequencing. Stool and EBM shared a core microbiome dominated by Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcaceae, and Staphylococcaceae. The gut microbiome showed greater similarity between siblings compared to unrelated individuals. Pyrosequencing revealed a reduction in diversity and increasing dominance of Escherichia sp. preceding NEC that was not observed in the healthy twin. Antibiotic treatment had a substantial effect on the gut microbiome, reducing Escherichia sp. and increasing other Enterobacteriaceae. This study demonstrates related preterm twins share similar gut microbiome development, even within the complex environment of neonatal intensive care. This is likely a result of shared genetic and immunomodulatory factors as well as exposure to the same maternal microbiome during birth, skin contact and exposure to EBM. Environmental factors including antibiotic exposure and feeding are additional significant determinants of community structure, regardless of host genetics

Restricting Microbial Exposure in Early Life Negates the Immune Benefits Associated with Gut Colonization in Environments of High Microbial Diversity

Background: Acquisition of the intestinal microbiota in early life corresponds with the development of the mucosal immune system. Recent work on caesarean-delivered infants revealed that early microbial composition is influenced by birthing method and environment. Furthermore, we have confirmed that early-life environment strongly influences both the adult gut microbiota and development of the gut immune system. Here, we address the impact of limiting microbial exposure after initial colonization on the development of adult gut immunity. Methodology/Principal Findings: Piglets were born in indoor or outdoor rearing units, allowing natural colonization in the immediate period after birth, prior to transfer to high-health status isolators. Strikingly, gut closure and morphological development were strongly affected by isolator-rearing, independent of indoor or outdoor origins of piglets. Isolator-reared animals showed extensive vacuolation and disorganization of the gut epithelium, inferring that normal gut closure requires maturation factors present in maternal milk. Although morphological maturation and gut closure were delayed in isolatorreared animals, these hard-wired events occurred later in development. Type I IFN, IL-22, IL-23 and Th17 pathways were increased in indoor-isolator compared to outdoor-isolator animals during early life, indicating greater immune activation in pigs originating from indoor environments reflecting differences in the early microbiota. This difference was less apparent later in development due to enhanced immune activation and convergence of the microbiota in all isolator-reared animals. This correlated with elevation of Type I IFN pathways in both groups, although T cell pathways were still more affected in indoor-reared animals. Conclusions/Significance: Environmental factors, in particular microbial exposure, influence expression of a large number of immune-related genes. However, the homeostatic effects of microbial colonization in outdoor environments require sustained microbial exposure throughout development. Gut development in high-hygiene environments negatively impacts on normal succession of the gut microbiota and promotes innate immune activation which may impair immune homeostasis

THE IMPACT OF HOUSEHOLD LEVEL DETERMINANTS OF CHILD HEALTH AND NUTRITION: CROSS-COUNTRY EVIDENCE FROM WEST AFRICA

Poor child health and nutrition persist throughout West Africa. This research analyzes the impact of key economic variables, including income, education and background characteristics, on child health and nutrition across nine different countries. The results are interpreted in the context of differing levels of economic development among these nations. The findings do not show wealth and parental education to be robust across the sample, but maternal background characteristics have a positive, statistically significant and highly consistent effect across all the countries. The importance of mothers' height does not simply represent a genetic influence, but can be interpreted to signify that women who have had a healthier upbringing and hence are taller, have healthier children, ceteris paribus. This finding is consistent with long-run observations that increases in health (and height) coincide with economic development

THE IMPACT OF HOUSEHOLD-LEVEL DETERMINANTS OF CHILD HEALTH AND NUTRITION: CROSS-COUNTRY EVIDENCE FROM WEST AFRICA

Poor child health and nutrition persist throughout West Africa. This research analyzes the impact of key economic variables, including income, education and background characteristics, on child health and nutrition across nine different countries. The results are interpreted in the context of differing levels of economic development among these nations. The findings do not show wealth and parental education to be robust across the sample, but maternal background characteristics have a positive, statistically significant and highly consistent effect across all the countries. The importance of mothers' height does not simply represent a genetic influence, but can be interpreted to signify that women with a healthier upbringing, and hence taller, have healthier children, ceteris parabus. This finding is consistent with long run observations that increases in health (and height) coincide with economic development

THE IMPACT OF HOUSEHOLD-LEVEL DETERMINANTS OF CHILD HEALTH AND NUTRITION: CROSS-COUNTRY EVIDENCE FROM WEST AFRICA

Poor child health and nutrition persist throughout West Africa. This research analyzes the impact of key economic variables, including income, education and background characteristics, on child health and nutrition across nine different countries. The results are interpreted in the context of differing levels of economic development among these nations. The findings do not show wealth and parental education to be robust across the sample, but maternal background characteristics have a positive, statistically significant and highly consistent effect across all the countries. The importance of mothers' height does not simply represent a genetic influence, but can be interpreted to signify that women with a healthier upbringing, and hence taller, have healthier children, ceteris parabus. This finding is consistent with long run observations that increases in health (and height) coincide with economic development.West Africa, Economic Development, Health, Nutrition, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Health Economics and Policy,