Elaeiculture villageoise au Cameroun : bilan des connaissances à la privatisation de la Socapalm et perspectives de recherche

(SOCAPALM), l'engouement des planteurs pour la culture et la transformation artisanale était très fort, et les relations entre les agro-industries et les planteurs s'étaient dégradées au cours de la dernière décennie (livraison à une autre huilerie, transformation artisanale, recouvrement des crédits de plantation difficile, arrêt de l'appui technique, des crédits de plantation et de campagne, réduction de l'offre en plants). Une enquête réalisée en 2000 auprès de 100 planteurs illustre comment les agriculteurs ont adapté leurs pratiques de création, de gestion pendant la phase juvénile et d'exploitation de palmeraie, à cette nouvelle situation. Cette étude a permis d'identifier les stratégies de création de palmeraie développées par des agriculteurs qui parviennent avec les moyens dont ils disposent (finances, main d'oeuvre, offre en plants, ressources foncières), à atteindre leur objectif : planter une palmeraie. La marge de manoeuvre d'un agriculteur pour le choix du matériel végétal dépend par exemple, de l'environnement et du fonctionnement de son exploitation. Cette étude permet également de constater que dans un bassin de production où les opportunités d'écoulement de la production sont multiples, les planteurs ne se limitent pas forcément à un seul débouché. Comme le choix d'un débouché impose des pratiques de récolte, il existe un lien fort entre les pratiques en palmeraie et le contexte filière dans lequel se situe l'exploitation. Dans ce contexte mouvant lié au désengagement de l'état, il apparaît alors primordial d'aborder la gestion technique des palmeraies villageoises par une approche qui intègre à la fois les pas de temps de la culture, le contexte du bassin de production mais aussi l'évolution des moyens et des objectifs de l'agriculteur. Les résultats d'une telle démarche devraient permettre de construire un appui technique modulaire qui s'adapte à la situation de chacun en remplacement de l'itinéraire normatif diffusé au début du développement des palmeraies villageoises. (Résumé d'auteur

Desarrollo de la palma de aceite: riesgos y oportunidades con base en las lecciones aprendidas de Camerún e Indonesia

La expansión agrícola, a expensas del bosque natural, es causa y consecuencia bien reconocida del desarrollo económico. Los cultivos en auge se exportan, convirtiéndose en cultivos comerciales que se desarrollan muy rápidamente en una región, en respuesta a la elevada demanda en el mercado internacional. Podrían surgir en razón de proyectos enormes que implican asociaciones entre gobiernos y compañías agroindustriales. Los impactos en el sustento de vida de la población local suscitan preocupación entre los de fuera, que señalan los riesgos de injusticia, manipulación y abusos de la población. Abundan ejemplos en el sector de la palma de aceite en Indonesia y en el desarrollo del caucho en el Sudeste de China y Laos. Otra gran preocupación es la consecuencia directa de la conversión rápida de grandes áreas en plantaciones, las cuales pueden tener un impacto directo en el acceso a la tierra por parte de la población local y pueden inducir al desplazamiento de la producción de cultivos alimentarios, al igual que causar deforestación directa e indirecta. El desarrollo de la palma de aceite en el Sudeste Asiático es el cultivo en auge más reciente y notable. Con base en una revisión de la literatura, información cualitativa recopilada durante un taller de intercambio y aprendizaje y el análisis de ponencias, al igual que la experiencia de los autores en el desarrollo de la palma de aceite en Indonesia y Camerún, este estudio aborda las oportunidades y los riesgos de varios modelos para el desarrollo de la palma de aceite. (Résumé d'auteur

Free fatty acids and beta-carotene of artisanal red palm oil in Cameroon

Introduction: African countries of the Guinean gulf among them Cameroon, are traditional red palm oil (RPO) producers and eaters. Nowadays oils and fats consumption per capita is regularly increasing in this countries. In parallel, health problems associated to obesity, type 2 diabetes and A vitamin deficiency are booming. In the southern Cameroon, people are using both industrial and artisanal RPO. The production of the latter, sold on the informal market out of any quality control, is rising thanks to the development of small-scale mills. In such a context, it seemed necessary to assess the chemical and physical quality of artisanal RPO and to relate the recorded quality differences to producing conditions. This work aims to determine the physicochemical characteristics of RPO to the extraction conditions met with small-scale mills.The impact of factors such as planting material, length/storage time between harvesting and treatment of palm fruits and type of extraction process on the composition and thermal properties of RPO are explored. Methodology: RPO samples were collected from 32 local artisanal producers after a survey. Artisanal extraction processes were analyzed as regards to RPOs parameters characterizing their nutritional (tocopherols, carotenoids, fatty acid and glyceridic composition, oxidation level) and functional properties (lipolysis level, thermal properties). Results: Collection of RPO samples: 32 artisanal producers from 4 different production regions were interviewed and tracked. The planting material was identified, the production processes described and 32 samples taken. In 3 producing regions (Center, Littoral and South-West), most of the producers are using continuous small scale mill (Caltech type), manual and motorized ones while in the last region (West) more far away from oil palm development actions, producers are using locally designed motorized water extractors. Oils samples were also collected from a local industrial. Physicochemical characteristics of the RPOs: The physicochemical analysis of the RPO samples shows quite homogeneous fatty acid composition and solid and liquid phases with palmitic and oleic fractions representing 15-35% and 85-65% respectively at 25 degree. -carotene content presented large variations (380-990 ppm) depending on the planting material and/or the region. Free fatty acid (FFA) content depended on the artisanal process. It reached 30% in some samples from Western region. In all samples oxidation markers remained very low while aflatoxins were always below the detection threshold. Conclusion: The highest variations in RPO samples were found in β-carotene and FFA contents. The artisanal RPOs in Cameroon are very acid with FFA content far superior to edible oil standards. The results evidence that FFA content in RPO from small-scale process reach high levels in some samples is closely related to the time and method of storage of bunches/fruits before the oil extraction

Oil palm in Africa

Palm oil demand is particularly strong in Africa, where people used to eat both refined and “red” oil palm. Population is increasing dramatically: 4 billion people are expected in 2100 of which 750 million in Nigeria. Undernourishment is concerning 20% of the population. As African oils and fats balance is in deficit,4 million tons of palm oil are already imported per year. Oil palm appears as a major solution to feed African people (best yield of energy per ha, high nutrition value of red oil palm) and to employ people (biggest quantity of labor work per ton of oil).Despite the lack of accurate data from smallholder sector, Oil palm area is estimated at 4,5 million ha of which 2/3 in Nigeria. More than 80% of oil palm area is controlled by smallholders, including family farms. They produce oil palm bunches in traditional “wild groves” (dura palm trees widely spaced within agroforestry or annual crops systems) and in small-scale oil palm plantations (tenera and open pollinated progenies: unselected planting material),properly spaced but often poorly maintained (pruning, weeding, fertilizing). Most of smallholders are facing high cost of inputs, poor access to loans, advice, planting material, fertilizer, working tools. Smallholders bunches are processed both in industrial mills and in artisanal small-scale mills (manual or motorized), producing artisanal red oil used for human alimentation and soap industry, but not refinable. Small scale process allow oil palm development far away from industrial mills and thus can be considered as socially and economically sustainable even with its poor oil extraction rate. Agro-industrial interests in Africa are growing since the 2000s. They are meeting government strategy: large-scale investments are setting up in many countries, often including small holders' development schemes and sustainability procedures. 800.000 ha of concessions for oil palm were recently acquired in Central Africa by international and local companies. In Liberia, 700.000 ha were awarded or reassigned between 2008-2010, all of which now owned by Southeast Asian companies. Ivory Coast is setting up a new development plan of 200.000 ha for the next ten years, 57%by agro-industry and 43% by smallholders. Nigeria is facing a huge challenge to reduce yield gap with all its “wild groves” area. Initiative towards more sustainable and inclusive oil palm production are taken, reviewing land tenure to enhance land availability for agriculture, taking into account customary rights and historical occupation of land. New agronomical managements adapted for industrial plantations and for smallholdings, associated with improved planting material give part of the solution. (Texte intégral

Improving smallholders' competitiveness: role of Cirad and PalmElit

Oil palm smallholdings represent about 80% of the oil palm area in Africa, while only 40% in the world. Smallholders hide a huge diversity of farm situation, from family farms to business farms, which can be in competition for land access or in synergy sharing the use of a small-scale mill. In Africa, smallholders have 3 main cropping systems: oil palm plantation with a spacing design, wild grove and isolated oil palm trees in food crops plots. Planting material is the main yield limiting factor in all these main cropping systems. Smallholders generally need technical support from local development projects or agro-industries to plant selected palms. Actual spontaneous development of oil palm smallholdings shows a lack of technical support for smallholders, a lack of local access to selected planting material. Cirad and PalmElit are proposing to build partnerships between development actors to create local inclusive business projects aimed to improve smallholders' competitiveness in Africa. In such inclusive projects, high yielding and low lipase PalmElit seeds are particularly adapted to improve competitiveness of existing unselected smallholdings and of new smallholdings. (Texte intégral

Caféiculture en Guinée : bilan des résultats de la recherche

Parmi les initiatives de relance de la culture caféière en Guinée le projet, lancé par la Caisse française de développement, vise à replanter les vieilles caféières avec du matériel amélioré. Pour répondre aux besoins du projet, l'Institut de la recherche agronomique de Guinée débute un programme de recherche café en 1990. Cet article présente les résultats des recherches sur le matériel végétal, la conduite des caféiers, la réhabilitation des vieilles caféières, l'ombrage, la gestion de l'enherbement, la technologie de post-récolte. Après cette phase d'étude de modèles biotechniques, la recherche doit mettre au point des itinéraires variés adaptés aux principales conditions socio-économiques de production. A plus long terme, les travaux de sélection doivent se poursuivre. (Résumé d'auteur

Effects of fires in juvenile oil palm fields on yield and oil palm breeding

Fires in juvenile oil palm (Elaeis guinenesis Jacq.) fields cause the death and/or reduce the yield. The magnitude of the loss of yield in subsequent years has been assessed for the first time on four of the 25 progenies that composed the 20th genetic trial laid out at La Dibamba (Cameroon) in 1993 which was accidentally victim of fires in 1996. Records of bunch production during the first five years of harvesting (1996-2000) showed that in the first two years after fires, total bunch weight was reduced by 35%, bunch number by 26% and average bunch weight by 23%. From two years after the fires onwards, burnt oil palms reacted by producing a high number of bunches, which compensated for the small average bunch weight. Fire damage to juvenile oil palms disrupted the selection of precocious progenies that helps procure for the plantations an early financial return on their investment. (Résumé d'auteur