Resources endowment, income distribution and needs for techno-logies among peri-urban smallholders in the Gambia

One reason of the modest adoption of improved technologies by smallholder farmers is that the majority of them are resource constrained. Structural constraints at the households level and institutional weaknesses have often prevented most of the farmers from joining the economic development process. This study analyses the production resources in relation with the income and the needs for improved technologies of the peri-urban farm households in The Gambia. The results are compelling. The majority of the production resources are owned by small fraction of the smallholders. As a consequence, their income is higher and mostly derived from agriculture, while the poor-resource households rely on a relatively wide variety of activities to compensate their low income. The poor-resource households have also the greatest need for improved technologies, although many would also need some kind of subsidies to uptake them. There is a clear need for more agricultural research, expertise and policy-making to transcend the traditional global understanding of smallholder farmers, and consider their heterogeneity in terms of production resources

Dynamique structurale des îlots de forêt claire à Anogeissus leiocarpa (DC.) Guill. et Perr. dans le Sud-Ouest du Burkina Faso

Les forêts claires résultent de la dégradation des forêts denses sèches. Elles sont soumises aux facteurs climatiques et anthropiques. Cette étude vise à analyser la diversité floristique et la  dynamique des principales espèces dans la forêt classée de Koulbi. Les données ont été collectées dans 27 placeaux de 900 m2. Le diamètre (Dbh1,30 m) >5 cm et la hauteur des individus ont été mesurés. La régénération a été comptée et l’état sanitaire apprécié. Les indices de Shannon et de Piélou, la valeur d’importance écologique de l’espèce (IVI), la densité et la surface terrière ont été calculés. La distribution de Weibull a été appliquée à la structure des principales espèces. L’indice de Shanonn = 3,01 bits montre une diversité moyenne et l’indice de Pielou = 0,49 traduit la dominance de quelques espèces. Les espèces ayant un IVI significatif sont Anogeissus leiocarpa (DC.) Guill. Et Perr. (116,19), Pterocarpus erinaceus Poir. (21,66), Lannea barteri Oliv. Engl. (13,40), Adansonia digitata L. (12,92) et Vitellaria paradoxa Gaertn. (11,80). La principale espèce, A. leiocarpa présente une bonne densité tant au niveau des adultes (316 pieds/ha) que des juvéniles (667 pieds/ha). Sa structure diamétrique en «J renversé» est synonyme d’une bonne dynamique. Cependant, elle est menacée par la mortalité (9,27%) par endroit des sujets.Mots clés : Diversité floristique, régénération, mortalité, forêt classée de Koulbi

Utilisation et vulnérabilité des espèces végétales et stratégies d'adaptation des populations riveraines de la Forêt Classée du Kou (Burkina Faso)

La problématique de la déforestation est importante dans les régions arides et semi-arides de l’Afrique. Les politiques de gestion des forêts excluant les besoins réels des populations font qu’elle persiste. Cette étude vise à améliorer la gestion participative et durable des forêts classées au Burkina Faso. Une enquête ethnobotanique impliquant 60 ménages des villages riverains de la Forêt Classée du Kou et un inventaire floristique sur 36 placettes ont été réalisés. L’indice de vulnérabilité des espèces a été calculé et des analyses statistiques multidimensionnelles ont été effectuées. Les résultats montrent que la forêt comporte 206 espèces dont 80 utilisées pour l’alimentation (100%), la médecine (96,7%), l’artisanat (88,71%), la construction (88,7%), la bioénergie (75,81%) et le fourrage (64,52%). Les produits recherchés sont : fruits (100%), feuilles (95,16%) et bois (93,55%). Le V-test et l’ACM révèlent une utilisation influencée par la profession, le sexe et le niveau académique. Des espèces utilisées, 68,75% sont vulnérables et 53,75% sont sur la liste rouge de l’UICN. Comme stratégies d’adaptation, 58,82% des enquêtés proposent l’agroforesterie et 41,18% proposent la substitution des espèces menacées. Il est indéniable que cette forêt classée couvre les besoins essentiels des populations riveraines qui doivent s’imposer une exploitation rationnelle de ses ressources. English title: Use and vulnerability of plant species and adaptation strategies of the riparian populations of the Kou Classified Forest (Burkina Faso) The problem of deforestation is important in the arid and semi-arid regions of Africa. Forest management policies that exclude the real needs of the population justify the persistence of deforestation. This study aims to improve the participatory and sustainable management of classified forests in Burkina Faso. An ethnobotanical survey involving 60 households in the villages bordering the Kou Classified Forest and a floristic inventory on 36 plots were carried out. The species vulnerability index was calculated and multivariate statistical analyses were performed. The results show that the forest contains 206 species, 80 of which are used for food (100%), medicine (96.7%), handicrafts (88.71%), construction (88.7%), fuelwood (75.81%) and fodder (64.52%). The products sought are: fruits (100%), leaves (95.16%) and wood (93.55%). The V-test and the MCA reveal a use influenced by profession, gender and academic level. Of the species used, 68.75% are vulnerable and 53.75% are on the IUCN Red List. As adaptation strategies, 58.82% of the respondents propose agroforestry and 41.18% propose the substitution of threatened species by those available. It is undeniable that this classified forest covers the essential needs of the riparian populations who must impose themselves a rational exploitation of its resources. &nbsp

Antimicrobial susceptibility of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae causing urinary tract infections in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Objective: To determine the frequency of extended-spectrum beta lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL) and other antibioticsresistant bacteria in urinary tract isolates.Study Design: prospective and experimental study.Methodology: Place and duration of study :YalgadoOuedraogo University Hospital Center, Charles De Gaulle Pediatric Hospital Center, Saint Camille Hospital and National Public Health Laboratory, Ouagadougou, from November 2014 to October 2015.AllEnterobacteriaceaestrains isolated from urinary samples of patients were identifiedusing API 20E chemical gallery (BioMerieux, France). All strains were subjected to an array of 14 antibiotics to study their drug susceptibility by using Kirby- Baeurdisk diffusion method. Detection of ESBL was carried out by double disk diffusion technique. Statistical analysis was performed by Microsoft Excel and Anova one-way GrapPad Prism version 5.01. Chi-square (χ2) test was used to determine significance. A p˂ 0.05was considered to be statistically significant.Results: A total of 324 isolates of Enterobacteriaceae were identified during the study period, including211(65%) E. coli, 75 (23%)Klebsiella spp., 18 (6%) Enterobacter spp., 11 (3%)Proteus spp., 5 (2%) Citrobacter spp., Serratia spp. 3 (1%).All the clinical isolates were susceptible to imipenem. Resistance to amikacinwas 14% (45/324); gentamicin 54% (175/324); tobramycin 58% (187/324); nalidixic acid 72% (234/324),ciprofloxacin 63% (204/324) and to cotrimoxazole 83% (269/324).The overall rate of the EBSL producing strains was 35% (114/324). Their susceptibility to antibiotics was (imipenem,amikacin, cefoxitin and fosfomycin) 100% (114/114), 93% (106/114), 74% (84/114) and 84% (96/114) respectively. ESBL positivity within individual organism group was highest inEscherichia coli 64% (73/324) followed byKlebsiellaspp. 28% (32/324), Enterobacterspp. 3% (4/324), Proteus spp. and Citrobacterspp. 2% (2/324).Conclusion: The results showeda high frequency of ESBL producing Enterobacteriaceae, especially Escherichia coli and Klebsiellaspp. The data points to theneed of routine detection and surveillance of ESBL producing bacteria in Burkina Faso.Keywords: Antimicrobial susceptibility, Enterobacteriaceae, Urine, Burkina Fas

Crop yield and the fate of nitrogen and phosphorus following application of plant material and feces to soil

Organic materials are the most important sources of nutrients for agricultural production in farming systems of semi-arid West Africa. However, reliance on locally available organic nutrient sources for both crop and livestock production is rapidly becoming unsustainable. A series of feeding and agronomic trials have been conducted to address the role of livestock in sustainable nutrient cycling. This paper reports results of a greenhouse study that evaluated the effects of applying crop residue and browse leaves, or feces derived from these feeds, at equal organic-N application rates (150 kg h

Modeling the Cost-Effectiveness of the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) System: Meningitis in Burkina Faso

Background: Effective surveillance for infectious diseases is an essential component of public health. There are few studies estimating the cost-effectiveness of starting or improving disease surveillance. We present a cost-effectiveness analysis the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) strategy in Africa. Methodology/Principal Findings: To assess the impact of the IDSR in Africa, we used pre- and post- IDSR meningococcal meningitis surveillance data from Burkina Faso (1996–2002 and 2003–2007). IDSR implementation was correlated with a median reduction of 2 weeks to peak of outbreaks (25 th percentile 1 week; 75 th percentile 4 weeks). IDSR was also correlated with a reduction of 43 meningitis cases per 100,000 (25 th –40: 75 th-129). Assuming the correlations between reductions in time to peak of outbreaks and cases are related, the cost-effectiveness of IDSR was $23 per case averted (25 th-$30; 75 th- cost saving), and $98 per meningitis-related death averted (25 th-$140: 75 th – cost saving). Conclusions/Significance: We cannot absolutely claim that the measured differences were due to IDSR. We believe, however, that it is reasonable to claim that IDSR can improve the cost-effectiveness of public health surveillance

In silico identification of a candidate synthetic peptide (Tsgf1(18-43)) to monitor human exposure to tsetse flies in West Africa

Background: The analysis of humoral responses directed against the saliva of blood-sucking arthropods was shown to provide epidemiological biomarkers of human exposure to vector-borne diseases. However, the use of whole saliva as antigen presents several limitations such as problems of mass production, reproducibility and specificity. The aim of this study was to design a specific biomarker of exposure to tsetse flies based on the in silico analysis of three Glossina salivary proteins (Ada, Ag5 and Tsgf1) previously shown to be specifically recognized by plasma from exposed individuals. Methodology/Principal Findings: Synthetic peptides were designed by combining several linear epitope prediction methods and Blast analysis. The most specific peptides were then tested by indirect ELISA on a bank of 160 plasma samples from tsetse infested areas and tsetse free areas. Anti-Tsgf1(18-43) specific IgG levels were low in all three control populations (from rural Africa, urban Africa and Europe) and were significantly higher (p < 0.0001) in the two populations exposed to tsetse flies (Guinean HAT foci, and South West Burkina Faso). A positive correlation was also found between Anti-Tsgf1(18-43) IgG levels and the risk of being infected by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense in the sleeping sickness foci of Guinea. Conclusion/Significance: The Tsgf1(18-43) peptide is a suitable and promising candidate to develop a standardize immunoassay allowing large scale monitoring of human exposure to tsetse flies in West Africa. This could provide a new surveillance indicator for tsetse control interventions by HAT control programs

Risk factors associated with HIV prevalence in pregnant women in Burkina Faso, from 2006 to 2014

Purpose of the study: To determine the socio-demographic factors influencing the dynamics of HIV prevalence among pregnant women in Burkina Faso.Material and methods: A total of 66,597 pregnant women from the 13 health regions of Burkina Faso were included in this study conducted between 2006 and 2014. Venous blood samples were collected and analyzed for the detection of HIV antibodies according to WHO / UNAIDS strategy II, using the mixed test Vironostika HIV Uniform II Plus O (Bio-Mérieux) and the test discriminating ImmunoCombII HIV-1 &amp; 2 BiSpot (Orgenics). Samples with discordant results between the two tests, as well as those positive to HIV-2 or HIV-1 + 2, were retested with HIV BLOT 2.2 (MP Diagnostics). Sociodemographic data collected from the participants were correlated with their HIV status to determine key risk factors influencing HIV infection prevalence in Burkina Faso.Results: Sociodemographic data showed that the study population consisted mainly of married women (91.2%) at their first pregnancy (27.1%) with a large majority of them being housewives (86.2%) who did not attend any form of schooling (69.4%). About 88.4% had stayed longer than a year in the health region where they initially participated in the study and 55.8% were between 20 and 29 years of age. Overall HIV prevalence significantly dropped from 2.7 % in 2006 to 1.3% in 2014. However HIV seroprevalence in this study has varied significantly according to socio-demographic characteristics including marital status, parity, occupation, education, age group and the length of stay in the women's health community (p &lt;0.0001). Factors sustaining HIV transmission included the status of being unmarried (OR=1.67 [1.42-1.97]), primigest (OR=1.64 [1.41-1.89]), having other occupations except being student (OR = 1.68 [1.20-2.33]), aged between 20-49 years (OR=3.14 [2.51-3.93]) and the duration of stay less than a year in their locality (OR=5.33 [4.61-10.16]) and these factors were identified as main risk factors associated with HIV prevalence.Conclusion: Burkina Faso remains among the countries with concentrated epidemics despite a significant reduction in the prevalence observed in this study. The inclusion of identified risk factors in the national HIV program could improve the quality of the response to the epidemic.Keywords: HIV-Pregnant Women-Risk Factors-Burkina Fas

Multi-Actors' Co-Implementation of Climate-Smart Village Approach in West Africa: Achievements and Lessons Learnt

Climate change and variability are significant challenges for the environment and food security worldwide. Development strategies focusing simultaneously on adaptive farming, productivity, and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions-known as climate-smart agriculture (CSA) strategies-are key to responding to these challenges. For almost a decade, within the framework of Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), World Agroforestry (ICRAF), and its partners have been using Participatory Action Research (PAR) to fully engage key stakeholders in co-creating such CSA development strategies. This includes the testing of Agricultural Research for Development (AR4D) CSA scalability options. The multidisciplinary teams include the National Research and Extension Systems (NARES), national meteorological services (NMS), non-profit organizations (NGOs), and local radio programs, among others. The CCAFS-West Africa Program,World Agroforestry-West and Central Africa (ICRAF-WCA), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), University of Reading, and Centre Régional de Formation et d’Application en Agro-météorologie et Hydrologie Opérationnelle (AGRHYMET) provide technical backstopping to the national teams. Climate information (CI) was used as an entry point to inform the development of CSA technologies and practices within Climate-Smart Villages (CSV). This groundwork has led to a greater understanding of three critical factors for successful CSV implementation: (1) Building strong partnerships to co-design and develop agricultural systems that improve ecosystemand population resilience, (2) Key stakeholders (researchers, farmers, development agents, and students) capacity strengthening through vocational and academic training, and (3) Using CI for livelihood planning at all scales. These three factors support more effective identification and testing of agricultural technologies and practices addressing climate variability and change at plot, community, and landscape levels. This paper discusses the PAR-CSA methodology and parameters for evaluation, including biophysical and social change. Keys to success, including communication, knowledge sharing tools, and scalability are also discussed. Finally, future opportunities for improvement are presented, including knowledge product development, CSA policy and investment planning, capacity building, further engagement of the private sector, and additional research on existing practices and tools