Analysis of the Economic Impact of Sorghum and Millet Research in Mali

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) and pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum] are very impor tant to the economy and people of Mali. But, their productivity is low given the reliance on traditional, low-input production practices. The Institut d'Economie Rurale (IER) was started soon after the country's independence to find ways of improving the productivity of food crops in collaboration with regional and international agricultural research institutes (e.g., IRAT, ICRISAT, CIRAD-CA) . A numbe r of improved seed-based sorghum and millet technologies have since been developed and diffused. They were developed from two approaches: (1) selection within local germplasm, which consisted of collecting, testing, purifying, and supplying farmers with readily available materials. These are identified as Generation 1 materials; and (2) plant breeding, which consisted of crossing with exotic germplasm, and pedigree selection. Outputs of this second approach are identified as Generation 2 materials. This study evaluates the returns to sorghum and pearl millet research investments in Mali by combining farm-level survey information from 1990 to 1995 with that from research and extension in an economic surplus framework. The results indicate that by 1995, 30% of the sorghum and 3 7% of the millet areas were sown to improved varieties. Th e estimated benefits from research and extension efforts range from US$16 million (for sorghum) to US$ 25 million (for pearl millet). These represent internal rates of returns of 69% and 50%, respectively. A disaggregated analysis indicates higher yield gains and higher returns to Generation 2 materials than to Generation 1 materials for bot h sorghum and pearl millet. Unit costs were also much lower for Generation 2 materials. The major constraints cited by farmers as limiting their ability to adopt improved materials include lack of information, lack of improved seeds, and low soil fertility. The study concludes that the breeding philosophy should be diversified to respond to the need of the changing socioeconomic environment with the recent devaluation of the CFA. It also recommends that efforts be made to improve the economic farming environment to enable farmers to adopt mor e productive agricultural technologies which are necessary for rural poverty alleviation and improvement in national food security

Best-bet integrated strategies for containing drug-resistant trypanosomes in cattle

Background African animal trypanosomosis is a major constraint to the rearing of productive livestock in the sub-humid Sudan-Sahel zone of West Africa where cotton is grown. Trypanosomosis is mainly controlled using trypanocidal drugs, but the effective use of drugs is threatened by the development of widespread resistance. This study tested integrated best-bet strategies for containment and/ or reversal of trypanocide resistance in villages in south-east Mali where resistance has been reported. Methods Four sentinel villages each from an intervention area (along the road from Mali to Burkina Faso) and a control area (along the road from Mali to Côte d’Ivoire) were selected for the study. Tsetse control was based on deltamethrin-treated stationary attractive devices and targeted cattle spraying between March 2008 and November 2009. Trypanosome-positive cattle were selectively treated with 3.5 mg/kg diminazene aceturate. Strategic helminth control using 10 mg/kg albendazole was also undertaken. During the intervention, tsetse densities along drainage lines, trypanosome infections and faecal egg counts in risk cattle (3 to 12 months of age) were monitored. Results Catch reductions of 66.5 % in Glossina palpalis gambiensis and 90 % in G. tachinoides were observed in the intervention area. Trypanosome prevalence was significantly (p < 0.05) lower in the intervention area (2.3 %; 1.3-3.6 %) compared to the control area (17.3 %; 14.8-20.1 %). Albendazole treatment resulted in a faecal egg count reduction of 55.6 % and reduced trypanosome infection risk (2.9 times lower than in the placebo group) although not significantly (p > 0.05). Further studies are required before confirming the existence of albendazole resistant strongyles in the study area. Conclusion Integration of best-bet strategies in areas of multiple drug- resistance is expected to reduce trypanosome infection risk thus contributing to containment of trypanocidal drug resistance. Integrated best-bet strategies could therefore be considered a viable trypanosomosis control option especially in areas where multiple drug-resistance has been reported

Relation entre Maladies Parodontales et Maladies cardiovasculaires : Revue de la littérature

Introduction : La maladie parodontale (MP) est une maladie inflammatoire complexe qui détruit les tissus de soutien de la dent (parodonte) avec une étiologie multifactorielle elle a été liée au diabète, aux obstructions chroniques des voies respiratoires, aux maladies rénales chroniques, aux syndromes métaboliques, à certains types de cancers, la polyarthrite rhumatoïde et aux maladies cardiovasculaires. Les maladies cardiovasculaires (MCV) constituent un ensemble de troubles affectant le cœur et les vaisseaux sanguins, leur cause la plus courante est l’athérosclérose, qui correspond à un remaniement pathologique de la paroi interne des artères de gros et moyen calibres par accumulation de lipides, glucides complexes, éléments sanguins et dépôts calcaires, formant des plaques d’athérosclérose. Ainsi, l’objectif de cette revue de la littérature est de déterminer la relation entre les maladies parodontales et les maladies cardiovasculaires. Matériels et Méthodes : Pour ce travail une stratégie de recherche documentaire électronique a été réalisée dans 2 bases de données dont Pub Med et Google scholar. Ainsi 423 articles traitant la relation entre les maladies parodontales et les maladies cardiovasculaires publiés en anglais ou en français avec texte intégral dans la période allant de 1989 à 2016 ont été sélectionnés. Les titres et résumés des articles retrouvés grâce à la stratégie de recherche ont été passés en revue. Les articles qui n’étaient pas pertinents pour une inclusion ont été écartés dès ce stade. Les données recueillies ont subi une analyse après mise en œuvre des critères d’inclusions : Etudes réalisées chez les humains et rédigées en anglais ou en français et publiés entre 1989 à 2016. Les articles inclus étaient ceux après lecture des titres, des résumés jugés pertinents dont 35 articles traitant la relation entre les maladies parodontales et les Maladies Cardiovasculaires ont été sélectionnés. Résultat : Au total 35 articles traitant la relation entre les maladies parodontales et les Maladies cardiovasculaires ont été sélectionnés compte tenu de leurs cohérence et pertinence. La limite a été la consultation que de 2 bases de données. Les bactériémies associées aux parodontites sont responsables d’une activation de la réponse immuno-inflammatoire favorisant la formation, la maturation et la complication des plaques d’athérome. Il existe un risque accru de MCV chez les patients atteints de parodontite chronique, indépendamment des autres facteurs de risques cardiovasculaires. Le traitement parodontal réduit le niveau d’inflammation systémique et améliore la fonction endothéliale, mais ne modifie pas la dyslipidémie. Conclusion : avec une étiologie infectieuse pour les maladies et divers pour les maladies cardiovasculaires, un lien a été établi entre les deux maladies dans diverses études épidémiologiques et cliniques mais toutes fois reste controverse dans d’autre

Participatory varietal selection with improved pearl millet in West Africa

A reconnaissance survey and participatory varietal selection trials (PVS) were conducted in four major pearl millet-growing countries of the Sahel between 2001 and 2003. The studies aimed to identify farmers' preferences in improved pearl millet varieties, increase awareness, test new varieties and enhance farmers' access to the improved varieties. Farmers selected five out of 10 tested varieties, with preferred characteristics, namely, maturity cycles of 80-90 d in the Sahel and 90-100 d in the Sudanian agro-ecozones, acceptable grain yield, compact and long (30-100 cm) panicles, a large number of tillers with panicles, adaptation and an acceptable taste. Farmers indicated that their local varieties were of superior adaptation and taste. They mentioned that hindrances to uptake and sustained use of improved varieties were due to lack of awareness, traditional values, seed unavailability, early maturity, bird damage and lack of fertilizer. The strong genotype × environment interactions in the Sahel suggests that breeding should be directed towards producing varieties adapted to specific zones rather than for wide adaptation. Notably, since farmers often cultivate pearl millet without any soil amendments, it may be advisable to disseminate varieties as a package (with fertilizer and agronomic instructions) rather than as varieties alone in a PVS programme, in order to achieve the full potential of improved varieties. The PVS trials are synergistic to plant breeding in identifying varieties suitable for harsh environments, which are difficult to duplicate in the research station. However, in the absence of formal distribution seed systems in the trial countries, village- or community-based seed production of varieties selected by farmers appears critical to the sustainable adoption of selected varieties

Understanding farm trajectories and development pathways: Two decades of change in southern Mali

Institutional support for smallholders has been the motor for the expanding cotton production sector in southern Mali since the 1970s. Smallholder farms exhibit diverse resource endowments and little is known on how they benefit from and cope with changes in this institutional support. In this paper we explore farm trajectories during two decades (1994 to 2010) and their link with farm resource endowment and government support. We distinguished a favourable period for cotton production and an unfavourable period during which institutional support collapsed. A panel survey that monitored 30 farms in the Koutiala district in southern Mali over this period was analysed. Based on indicators of resource endowment and using Ascending Hierarchical Classification (AHC), farms were grouped into four types: High Resource Endowed farms with Large Herds (HRE-LH), High Resource Endowed (HRE) farms, Medium Resource Endowed (MRE) farms and Low Resource Endowed (LRE) farms. Average yield, labour productivity and food self-sufficiency status of each type were calculated. Farms remaining in the same type were classified as ‘hanging in’, while farms moving to a type of higher yields, labour productivity and food self-sufficiency status were classified as ‘stepping up’, and farms following the opposite trajectory of deteriorating farming conditions were classified as ‘falling down’. The LRE farms differed from all other farm types due to lower yields, while both LRE and HRE farms differed from the MRE and HRE-LH farm types due to a combination of less labour productivity and less food self-sufficiency. During those two decades, 17% of the farms ‘stepped up’, while 70% of the farms remained ‘hanging in’, and only 13% of the farms ‘fell down'. We found no obvious negative impact of the collapse of government support on farm trajectories. For MRE, HRE and HRELH farms, average N and P use intensity increased from 1994 to 2004 and then decreased during the following cotton crisis. On the other hand, organic fertilizer use intensity increased continuously over the entire monitoring period for HRE-LH and MRE farms. Crop yields did not change significantly over time for any farm type and labour productivity decreased. We discuss how technical options specific for different farm types (increase in farm equipment, sale of cereals, incorporation of legumes and intensification of milk production) and broader institutional change (improvement in finance system and infrastructure, tariffs) can enhance ‘step up’ trajectories for farming households and avoid stagnation (‘hanging in’) of the whole agricultural sector

Performance of dual-purpose pearl millet genotypes in West Africa: Importance of morphology and phenology

Pearl millet ( Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) is a cereal crop vital for food security in West and Central Africa. Its byproducts also serve as fodder for livestock, especially during dry seasons. The objective of this study was to evaluate selected genotypes from West African pearl millet breeding programmes, for dual-purpose (grain and fodder) and elucidate prospects for future breeding. A total of 83 open-pollinated varieties (OPVs), five composites, six landraces, one synthetic and five hybrids were evaluated at 14 environments in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Senegal during the rainy seasons of 2015 and 2016. Combined analysis of data revealed significant differences among genotypes and prevalence of high genotype-by-environment interaction effects. Two stability analyses models consistently indicated that genotypes 10 (SMILBF10), 14 (SMILBF14) and 39 (SMILML5) were widely adaptable across the region. Plant height, panicle length and panicle yield showed significant positive correlations with grain yield; while days to flowering was negatively correlated. Positive correlation between grain and fodder yields indicate possibility for simultaneous improvement involving the two important traits. This result suggests that germplasm exchange and regionally integrated breeding programmes are important for the identification of widely adapted dual-purpose varieties of pearl millet, particularly in West African drylands.Le mil\ua0\ue0\ua0chandelle ( Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) Est une c\ue9r\ue9ale vitale pour la s\ue9curit\ue9 alimentaire en Afrique de l\u2019Ouest et centrale. Ses sous-produits servent \ue9galement de fourrage pour le b\ue9tail, en particulier pendant les saisons s\ue8ches. L\u2019objectif de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait d\u2019\ue9valuer des g\ue9notypes s\ue9lectionn\ue9s \ue0 partir des programmes de s\ue9lection du mil\ua0\ue0\ua0chandelle d\u2019Afrique de l\u2019Ouest, pour l\u2018 usage double (c\ue9r\ue9ales et fourrage) et d\u2019\ue9lucider les perspectives de s\ue9lection dans le future. Les 83 vari\ue9t\ue9s \ue0 pollinisation libre (OPV), cinq composites, six vari\ue9t\ue9s locales, une synth\ue9tique et cinq hybrides ont \ue9t\ue9 \ue9valu\ue9s dans les 14 environnements au Burkina Faso, au Mali, au Niger et au S\ue9n\ue9gal pendant les saisons des pluies de 2015 et 2016. L\u2018 analyse combin\ue9e des donn\ue9es ont r\ue9v\ue9l\ue9 des diff\ue9rences significatives entre les g\ue9notypes et la pr\ue9valence des effets \ue9lev\ue9s d\u2019interaction g\ue9notype-par-environnement. Deux mod\ue8les d\u2019analyses de stabilit\ue9 ont syst\ue9matiquement indiqu\ue9 que les g\ue9notypes 10 (SMILBF10), 14 (SMILBF14) et 39 (SMILML5) \ue9taient largement adaptables dans toute la r\ue9gion. La hauteur de la plante, la longueur de la panicule et le rendement de la panicule ont montr\ue9 des corr\ue9lations positives significatives avec le rendement en grains; tandis que les jours avant la floraison \ue9taient corr\ue9l\ue9s n\ue9gativement. Une corr\ue9lation positive entre les rendements en c\ue9r\ue9ales et en fourrage indique la possibilit\ue9 d\u2019une am\ue9lioration simultan\ue9e impliquant les deux caract\ue8res importants. Ce r\ue9sultat sugg\ue8re que l\u2019\ue9change de mat\ue9riel g\ue9n\ue9tique et les programmes de s\ue9lection int\ue9gr\ue9s au niveau r\ue9gional sont importants pour l\u2019identification de vari\ue9t\ue9s \ue0 l\u2018 usage double largement adapt\ue9es de mil \ue0 chandelle, en particulier dans les zones arides d\u2019Afrique de l\u2019Ouest