Integrating farmers' knowledge, attitude and practice in the development of sustainable Striga control interventions in southern Mali

Technologies for Striga control have not been widely adopted because of the mis-match between technologies and farmers' socio- economic conditions. This study uses a participatory rural appraisal technique at the village, household and plot levels to diagnose the extent of the Striga problem in two agro- ecological zones in southern Mali. It has led to the understanding of farmers' attitudes and constraints to Striga control, and opportunities for the development of sustainable technologies suitable for a wide range of farming conditions. Results show that the degree of Striga infestation, levels of farmer knowledge and control practices vary substantially across village territories and fields, and that the severity of the infestation is clearly linked with soil fertility condition and farming practices. It was concluded that in general, the Striga control interventions that would most likely appeal to farmers would be those that will simultaneously improve soil fertility and suppress the development of Striga

Farmers’ perceptions and attitudes towards introduced soil-fertility enhancing technologies in western Africa

Soil fertility enhancing technologies (SFETs) have been promoted in the West African Semi-Arid Tropics (WASAT) for many years with limited success. Using a qualitative approach of focus group discussions, long, openended interviews and observations from field visits, this paper explores with farmers their beliefs and rationales behind the adoption or non-adoption of SFETs. Farmers are knowledgeable about, and practise SFETs of rock phosphate application, crop residue and farm yard manure, chemical fertilizer and crop rotation to combat soil fertility decline. Their attitudes to and rationales behind adoption decisions are influenced by the availability and use policies of land and labour resources, food security concerns, perceived profitability, contribution to sustainability and access to information. Some of the factors are beyond farmers’ control and require a broad and integrated effort from research, extension and government to promote the use of the SFETs in the region

Effects of cowpea fortification and the level of ripeness of plantain on the nutritive value of plantain based snack foods

To investigate effects of cowpea addition and level of ripeness of plantain on the nutritional and sensory characteristics of Kaklo and Ofam in Ghana, A 2X4 factorial experiment with firm and soft ripe plantain and cowpea fortification of 0, 10, 20 and 30% was designed. The proximate composition and acceptability of products using a 7-point hedonic scale were evaluated. With the addition of 30% cowpea, the protein content of the Kaklo from the firm ripe and soft ripe plantain increased from 2.92% to 7.32% and 3.65% to 8.05% respectively, whilst the protein of the Ofam from the firm and soft ripe plantain also increased from 3.80% to 8.45% and 3.75% to 8.15% respectively. The 10% fortified Kaklo and Ofam werethe most acceptable. The cowpea addition significantly affected the nutritional value of the Kaklo and Ofam. To obtain an acceptable cowpea fortified plantain-based snack, the fortification should be done at10%

Impact of Germplasm Research Spillovers: The Case of Sorghum Variety S 35 in Cameroon and Chad

An important objective of international agricultural research inst i tut ions is to determine the extent to which research under taken in one location may impact on other regions of interest. Thi s is because research activities are most often planned to target mandate crops and agroecological areas found in many parts of the world. ICRI S A T has, as a pol icy, disributed a wide range of parental materials to breeding programs in the NARS and private seed industries throughout the semi-arid tropics. This has cont r ibuted to faster and cost-effective development of useful final products by the receiving parties. Thi s study evaluates the impacts and research spillover effects of adopt ion of sorghum variety S 35, a pure line developed f rom the ICRI S A T breeding program in India. It was later advanced in Niger ia and promoted and released in Cameroon in 1986 and Chad in 1989. Today, S 35 occupies about 33% of the total rainfed sorghum area in Cameroon and 2 7 % in Chad. Compared to farmers' best t radi t ional varieties across all study sites in Cameroon and Chad, S 35 yields 2 7 % more output (grain) and reduces uni t product ion cost by 20%.These farm-level impacts are larger in Chad where yield gain is 5 1 % higher and cost reduct ion is 3 3% higher. Th e net present value of benefits f rom S 35 research spillover in the Af r ican region was estimated to be US$15 mi l l ion in Chad and US$ 4.6 mi l l ion in Cameroon, representing internal rates of return of 9 5% in Chad and 7 5% in Cameroon. These impacts were evaluated f rom the perspective of nat ional research systems. A conscious decision, therefore, was made to include only those costs associated wi t h nat ional research and extension inst i tut ions. Al l other S 35-related research and development expenditures incur red in India and Niger ia were treated as 'sunk costs', that is, costs which woul d have occur red anyway wi thout spillover. Ha d each count ry had to develop S 35 and associated management practices on its own, the t ime lag between research and release of the technology woul d have been longer and consequently impacts, if any, woul d have been smaller. For greater effectiveness in sorghum technology development and transfer in the region, future research and pol icy actions should take greater advantage of research spillovers through more col laborat ion, communicat ion, and networking between nat ional , regional , and internat ional research inst i tut ions

Volatile compounds of maari, a fermented product from baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) seeds

The volatile compounds associated with baobab seeds fermentation for Maari production were extracted and analysed by Likens-Nickerson simultaneous steam distillation-extraction method and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), respectively. Furthermore, the titratable acidity, tannin content and proximate composition were evaluated. A total of 96 compounds were identified with esters, acids, alcohols and ketones being quantitatively the major groups. Fermentation led to an increase in the concentration of total volatile compounds from 121.6 in unfermented cooked seeds to 809.1 mg kg-1 in the fermented product. Drying resulted in a significant loss of up to 80.7% of the total volatiles.Key words: Volatile compounds, maari, baobab, fermentation

Analysis of constraints to agricultural production in the Sudan Savanna zone of Nigeria using multi-scale characterization

A multi-scale characterization approach was used to identify the major constraints to agricultural production and to describe the major production systems in the Sudan Savanna Zone of northern Nigeria. Relative emphasis was placed on the household-level characterization to have a better understanding of the land use system, farmers' constraints and opportunities, so as to better target agricultural technologies and interventions in this large agro-ecological zone. Large variations exist in agricultural management practices among villages and households in terms of access to resources, such as labour, fertilizers, livestock, farm equipment, and land. Intensive and extensive farming practices co-exist within the same villages and households. Results were also used to identify benchmark site

Partners in Impact Assessment Summary Proceedings of the ICRISAT/NARS Workshop on Methods and Joint Impact Targets in Western and Central Africa 3-5 May 1995

Regional workshops were held at Sadore, Niger and Samanko, Mali, to evaluate the joint impact of ICRISAT and National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in Western and Central Africa. Twentyone scientists from ICRISAT and the national program in Cameroon, Chad, and Niger participated in the workshop at Sadore. The Samako workshop was at tended by 18 scientists from ICRISAT, NARS collaborators in Burkina Faso and Mali, INSAH and the West and Central African Sorghum Research Network (WCASRN) . National program representatives identified specific jointly-developed technologies that should be targeted for impact assessment. Methodological approaches for measuring welfare benefits to consumers and producers were discussed and illustrated wi th case studies. Minimum dataset requirements were outlined and protocols for case studies on technologies targeted by NARS partners were develope

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