Social effect and female genital mutilation (FGM)

In this article we attempt to identify the impact of social effects on the decision to practice excision on girls, based on the methodology used by Bertrand, Luttmer and Mallainathan (2000). We are particularly interested in social determinants, and make use of the heterogeneity of behaviors according to area of residence, ethnicity and religion. We focus on the interaction between the density and the quality of contacts to infer a social network. We use the percentage of individuals of the same ethnic group and religion, living in the same survey area, to measure the quantity of contacts, and the percentage of excised women of the same ethnic group and religion to measure the quality of contacts. To implement our trials, we use data from the Burkina Faso's Demographic and Health Surveys 2003, which supplies information on the prevalence of female genital mutilation (FGM) and on the characteristics of Burkina Faso households. Our results show that social pressure is strongly correlated to the decision to practice excision in Burkina Faso households.Burkina Faso, poverty, Female genital mutilation, social effects

Biomass production and management practices in mixed crop-livestock systems in the west African Sahel: Opportunities and constraints

The Sahel is characterized by a marked inter-annual climate variability and has experienced a number of food security crises following the severe droughts during the 1970s and 1980s. Due to recent challenges such as rapid population growth, climate change, environmental concerns and market changes which cause major impacts to their production systems, the sahelian people have been shifting and adapting their production systems and the way they live to cope with uncertainties. The objective of the present report is to review the various biomass production and management issues in the mixed crop-livestock systems in West African Sahel. An elaborated literature survey of peer reviewed papers mostly, was conducted. The studies were based on the Sahel scale research, more specifically research that had been published on the West African Sahel, including studies published between 1990s and 2016. Results show that many factors have contributed to the changes, among which, rainfall variability, population growth, human induced-activities, land tenure systems and the effects of globalization. Various biomass production and management practices are employed in West African Sahel for both on-farm and off-farm biomass improvements. Some of the best practices are mulching, soil and water conservation techniques, composting, farmer managed natural regeneration, agroforestry, etc. These practices have overall contributed to increase agricultural productivity, ecosystem services provisioning and have sometime deepened the difference between men and women, rich and poor, young and old people. Most of the constraints associated with large adoption of the best practices in the Sahel are land tenure systems, the huge gap between inputs and output investment costs but, the climate conventions are offering new opportunities that will ultimately contribute to positive changes. This will be possible only when land tenure systems in the region are reinforced, institutional linkages are strengthened, and new information systems are used to inform farmers on climate issues and new agricultural practices

Efficience technico-economique: Cas des producteurs de l'oignon et de la pomme de terre dans le sa&#239s au Maroc

In the new context of globalisation and of market economy, it is necessary to follow the productive sector, particularly the agricultural one, in order to equip them with more efficient means of production. Hence, the aim of this work is to evaluate two production processes through the analysis of the technico-economic efficiencies. Two crops were used: onion and potato in the Saïs region of Morocco. Four areas were selected: Meknès, El Hajeb, Ain taoujdate and Agourai. The results show that, potato producers were more efficientthan onion producers. The technical efficiency index ranges from 0.22 to 0.99 for surveyed onion producers and 0.48 to 0.96 for potatoes producers. The cost of inefficiency index ranges from 1 to 2.86 for the onion and 1 to 1.77 for potato. Dans le nouveau contexte de globalisation et d’économie de marché, il est nécessaire de suivre les structures productives, particulièrement, afin de doter les agriculteurs de moyens permettant d’être efficients. C’est dans ce cadre que le présent travail s’est fixé pour objectif l'étude des systèmes de production, à travers une analyse de l'efficience technico-économique. Cette étude porte sur deux cultures, l’oignon et la pomme de terre dans la région du Sais au Maroc. Quatre sites ont été retenus : Meknès, ElHajeb, Ain Taoujdate et Agouraï. Les résultats obtenus montrent, dans l'ensemble, une plus grande efficience des producteurs de pomme de terre comparativement à ceux d'oignon. L’indice d’efficience technique varie de 0,22 à 0,99 pour les producteurs d’oignon enquêtés et de 0,48 à 0,96 pour les producteurs de pomme de terre. Les indices d’inefficience coût varient de 1 à 2,86 pour l’oignon et de 1 à 1,77 pour la pomme de terre

Classification of Traces and Associated Determinants on Odd-Class Operators in Odd Dimensions

To supplement the already known classification of traces on classical pseudodifferential operators, we present a classification of traces on the algebras of odd-class pseudodifferential operators of non-positive order acting on smooth functions on a closed odd-dimensional manifold. By means of the one to one correspondence between continuous traces on Lie algebras and determinants on the associated regular Lie groups, we give a classification of determinants on the group associated to the algebra of odd-class pseudodifferential operators with fixed non-positive order. At the end we discuss two possible ways to extend the definition of a determinant outside a neighborhood of the identity on the Lie group associated to the algebra of odd-class pseudodifferential operators of order zero

Effet de l’interaction entre des modes de gestion de fertilité et la macrofaune sur la productivité du niébé et du sorgho en zone nord soudanienne du Burkina Faso

L’intensification des systèmes de production agricole se traduit par l’utilisation de plus en plus importante des pesticides chimiques de synthèse. La macrofaune du sol est gravement menacée par l’usage de ces pesticides qui réduisent fortement sa diversité et son abondance. Cette étude a été conduite pour évaluer l’impact de l’interaction entre la macrofaune et des modes de gestion de la fertilité des sols sur la productivité du sorgho et du niébé en zone nord soudanienne du Burkina Faso. Le dispositif expérimental comprend deux traitements principaux (parcelles avec et sans macrofaune) et quatre traitements secondaires qui sont de différents modes de gestion de la fertilité du sol. En présence de la macrofaune, le compost a entraîné une augmentation de rendement grain du sorgho de 385%, contre 78% en absence de la macrofaune. Ce résultat montre clairement l’importance de la macrofaune dans le processus de mise à disposition des nutriments pour les cultures. L’usage exclusif de compost ou la combinaison des matières organiques à C/N élevé à l’urée peuvent être vulgarisés dans les systèmes de culture à faible intrants externes. La quantité d’urée à associer au compost pourrait être diminuée et apportée au moment où la plante en a vraiment besoin.Mots clés : rendement, compost, urée, systèmes de production, légumineuses, céréale

Fragmentation de l’espace et conflits d’usage au sahel : cas du bassin versant de Yakouta (Burkina Faso)

Face à la croissance de la population et au développement de l’agropastoralisme dans le bassin versant de Yakouta, l’occupation de l’espace connaît une forte modification donnant lieu à des conflits d’usage. L’objectif de cette recherche est d’analyser les mutations spatio-temporelles de l’occupation des terres dans le bassin versant de Yakouta et de ses conséquences sur les activités agropastorales. La méthodologie s’appuie sur des données de télédétection et d’enquêtes sur le terrain. L’étude diachronique de l’occupation des terres du bassin versant des années 2002 et 2011 révèle que les superficies des formations ripicoles ont connu une réduction de l’ordre de -7,82% et une augmentation de 1,59% et de 15,71% respectivement pour les cultures et les plans d’eau. La modélisation de la dynamique de l’occupation des terres par la matrice de transition montre que les catégories en diminution concernent les steppes arbustive et arborée en faveur des champs de cultures. Les quantités de changements d’occupation de terre observés entre les deux dates est supérieure à 40% pour les steppes arbustives, 22% pour les cultures, et 1,76% pour les sols nus. Plus de 550 nouveaux ilots d’occupation sont apparus en 9 ans augmentant le niveau de fragmentation de l’espace avec une difficile cohabitation de l’élevage et de l’agriculture en saison pluvieuse.© 2015 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Mots clés: Activité agropastorale, bassin versant, fragmentation de l’espace, Sahel, Burkina FasoEnglish Title: Spatial fragmentation and usage conflicts in the Sahel: case of Yacouta catchment (Burkina Faso)English AbstractUnder the rapid population growth and the increasing agro-pastoral activities, the land cover in the Yacouta catchment is experiencing strong changes leading to use conflicts. The objective of this study is to examine the spatio-temporal shift of land cover and its impacts on the agro-pastoral activities in the catchment. Remotely-sensed data over 9-year period were used to detect, analyze and model land cover change in the catchment. Results revealed that from 2002 to 2011, the area of gallery forest decreased with a rate of 7.8% while the areas of cropland and water body increased with the rates of 1.6% and 15.7%, respectively. The transition matrix showed that the area of cropland is increasing at the expense of the shrub and wood steppes. Within the two dates, the highest net change was observed for shrub steppe (40%) followed by cropland (22%) and barre land (1.7). About 550 new patches come out within the 9-year period highlighting the high degree of the fragmentation of the landscape. This fragmentation is source of conflicts due to high competition for space between farmers and breeders during rainy seasons.© 2015 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Keywords: Agro pastoralism, catchment, spatial fragmentation, Sahel, Burkina Fas

Tax Revenue Mobilization in Sub-Saharan Africa: Does political Legitimacy Matters?

The mobilization of substantial domestic resources is required to finance human and physical capital in order to achieve the sustainable development goals. In developing countries like those of Sub-Saharan Africa, the mobilization of tax revenues remains a great challenge. In this context, identifying the determinants of fiscal capacity remains crucial to guide the adoption of appropriate fiscal reforms. Therefore, as part of the wave of literature on the institutional and political determinants of fiscal capacity, this article explores the effect of political legitimacy on tax revenues in a sample of 41 SSA countries over the period 1996-2017. The system GMM in two steps estimator is used for empirical investigation. The result shows that tax revenue increases with political legitimacy. This result suggests that political legitimization in SSA remains crucial to mobilize more resources in order to adequately finance the development