Non-livestock value chains. Lateral thinking for the securing of the Sahelian livestock economies

In a rapid rural appraisal conducted in 2012 in the Senegalese Sahel, agropastoralists of Thiel expressed their need for technical and scientific support in peanut value chain development. Value chain analysis assessed the performance of the stakeholders. Multiple correspondence analysis clarified power relationships among them. Social network analysis facilitated the understanding of social and technical relationships inside the particular node of agropastoralists. Results show that the peanut crop is both a source of cash flow (marketing) and a pillar of food (basic consumption) and feed (by-products) security. This paper also highlights a lack of convenient economic environments, mutual assistance, capacity transfer and knowledge sharing on the best agricultural practices among agropastoralists, despite their weak production performance. Agropastoralists have no influence in the peanut value chain and are dependent on decisions from other actors. Technical support and knowledge sharing appear to be key for agropastoralists to control and adopt agricultural innovations. (Résumé d'auteur

Pastoralisme et défis statistiques : vers une méthodologie d'échantillonnage en milieu mobile - Cas des transhumants du Ferlo (Sahel sénégalais)

La mise en place d'un plan d'échantillonnage dans une population mobile habitant dans une vaste zone avec une dispersion entre les maisons très importante dans un même site nécessite de réfléchir sur la meilleur e façon de tirer un échantillon représentatif. Ce papier s'est intéressé sur la population pastorale occupant le Sahel sénégalais où cohabitent pasteurs et agropasteurs pratiquant la transhumance pour s'adapter face aux changements et à la disposition de fourrage pour leurs animaux. Jusqu' à présent, il existe un déficit notoire de procédure adaptée dans ce type de population pour laquelle des statistiques fiables sont presque inexistantes. Des méthodes d'analyse de données comme l'analyse des correspondances multiples (ACM) et la classification ont été utilisées pour faire le tirage des sites au premier degré. Il s'inscrit dans une approche pluridisciplinaire pour mieux rendre compte de la complexité des systèmes de production pastoraux. Il combine des techniques d'échantillonnage mixtes (analytique et statistique). (Résumé d'auteur

Woody plant cover estimation in drylands from Earth Observation based seasonal metrics

peer reviewedFrom in situ measured woody cover we develop a phenology driven model to estimate the canopy cover of woody species in the Sahelian drylands at 1 km scale. The model estimates the total canopy cover of all woody phanerophytes and the concept is based on the significant difference in phenophases of dryland trees, shrubs and bushes as compared to that of the herbaceous plants. Whereas annual herbaceous plants are only green during the rainy season and senescence occurs shortly after flowering towards the last rains, most woody plants remain photosynthetically active over large parts of the year. We use Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Satellite pour l'Observation de la Terre (SPOT) — VEGETATION (VGT) Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR) time series and test 10 metrics representing the annual FAPAR dynamics for their ability to reproduce in situ woody cover at 43 sites (163 observations between 1993 and 2013) in the Sahel. Both multi-year field data and satellite metrics are averaged to produce a steady map. Multiple regression models using the integral of FAPAR from the onset of the dry season to the onset of the rainy season, the start date of the growing season and the rate of decrease of the FAPAR curve achieve a cross validated r2/RMSE (in % woody cover) of 0.73/3.0 (MODIS) and 0.70/3.2 (VGT). The extrapolation to Sahel scale shows agreement between VGT and MODIS at an almost nine times higher woody cover than in the global tree cover product MOD44B which only captures trees of a certain minimum size. The derived woody cover map of the Sahel is made publicly available and represents an improvement of existing products and a contribution for future studies of drylands quantifying carbon stocks, climate change assessment, as well as parametrization of vegetation dynamic models

Dramatic declines in seropositivity as determined with crude extracts of Plasmodium falciparum schizonts between 2000 and 2010 in Dielmo and Ndiop, Senegal

BACKGROUND: Programmes of pre-elimination of malaria have been implemented in Senegal since 2010, and the burden of malaria has decreased substantially. These changes in the epidemiology should be monitored with effective tools that allow changes in patterns of transmission to be estimated. In Dielmo and Ndiop, two villages of Senegal with different malaria endemicity, infections have been followed longitudinally for 20 years, during which time there have been several control interventions leading to substantial decreases of transmission. This study aimed to compare malaria antibody responses of the inhabitants of these two villages, between 2000 and 2010, using schizont crude extracts of a local strain of P. falciparum (Pf Sch07/03). METHODS: Sera collected from inhabitants of the two villages (141 from Dielmo and 79 from Ndiop in 2000; 143 from Dielmo and 79 from Ndiop in 2010) were used to assess the prevalence of antibodies against crude schizont extracts of Pf Sch07/03. Three ages groups were defined: [5-9] yrs, [10-14] yrs and [15-19] yrs. Statistical comparisons were performed. Seroprevalence and the magnitude of antibody responses were compared between age groups, villages and periods. RESULTS: Overall seroprevalence to P.fSch07/03 decreased between 2000 and 2010 in both villages: from 94.4% to 44.4% in Dielmo and from 74.4% to 34.6% in Ndiop. The difference between Dielmo and Ndiop was highly significant in 2000 (p0.20). The decrease in seroprevalence was larger in younger (more than 40%) than older (less than 19%) inhabitants. Longitudinal monitoring of the younger group showed that seroprevalence decreased between 2000 and 2010 in Dielmo from 98.7 to 79.3, but not in Ndiop from 67.6 to 66.7. The magnitude of antibody responses in seropositive individuals was significantly higher in 2000 than 2010 for both villages. CONCLUSIONS: Crude extracts of P. falciparum are appropriate tools for evaluating malaria prevalence at different periods, and in both low and high endemic area. Using crude extracts from local strains to assess transmission may allow efficient evaluation of the consequences of control programs on malaria transmission

Dissemination process of new seed variety in Senegal: analysis of the interactions of the actors of the millet and sorghum sectors

One of the determinants of the low productivity of the millet and sorghum sectors in Senegal is the low use of improved varieties in rural areas. On average, the yields obtained on the farm are four to five times lower than those of the improved varieties obtained on the station (Diallo and Ndiaye, 2022). This low adoption is however attributable to a dysfunction of the seed system. This article aims to diagnose the level of collaboration and interaction of actors in order to find the bottlenecks that prevent the evolution of the seed system. A qualitative analysis of the survey data, based on the innovation spiral model of Wielinga (2016) and the Agricultural Innovation System (AIS) approach, was made. This analysis has shown that, in parallel with the hypothesis put forward at the start, the poor performance of the Senegalese seed system is attributable to the lack of interaction of the various actors that make up the system. Indeed, the analysis shows five major flaws that block the process : - A linear diffusion process - Weak synergy between ISRA and ANCAR - Late notifications from the State for seed orders to be subsidized - Insufficient pre-bases produced by ISRA - The presence of non-professional actors in seed multiplication activities The proper functioning of the seed system would then suppose the simultaneous application of policies on these five bottlenecks. Thus, the article proposes a retroactive dissemination model that makes it possible to simultaneously correct the shortcomings of the current system

Pelleting of agricultural residues in Senegal: Study of influencing Ppenomena & chemical elements

In Senegal, biomass fuels and more specifically pellets from agricultural residues have attracted interest in recent years. These fuels are eco-friendly materials and represent a better alternative to domestic fuels such as charcoal or firewood due to their availability at local scale associated to their relative uniformity (standard size, possible formulation of several residues, higher energetic density with respect to firewood). In the present work, we produced and characterized 6 mm diameter pellets from residues of groundnut shell, corn cob, palm nut shell and typha both in pure form or blended from two different residues. The characterizations of these pellets showed that the pelletizing of biomass residues makes it possible to significantly increase the Lower Heating Value (LHV) of single pellets. The mixture of different agricultural residues makes it possible to have a much higher heating value, with pellets with LHV greater than 19 MJ/kg. We also highlight the importance of the pelletizing process in reducing the ash content for blended pellets; the opposite phenomenon is observed for single pellets. Our work also shows the importance of pelletizing and blending of agricultural residues in reducing the formation of bottom ash and corrosion

Hernies Ombilicales Étranglées De L’enfant Au Centre Hospitalier Régional De Ziguinchor (Sénégal)

The umbilical hernia is a well-known pathology even though, its strangulation has been subject to much controversy. The aim of this work is to report our experience in the management of strangulated hernia of the child at the Ziguinchor regional hospital and to compare our results with those of the literature through a retrospective and descriptive study over a four years period. During the study period 24 patients with high male predominance were received. The mean age of the patients was 2.1 years. 45% of patients had a chronic cough. The average time for consultation was 27.6 hours. A notion of abdominal abrupt was found in 45% of the cases. The vast majority of patients arrived at the hospital during the dry season. Abdominal pain and vomiting were the main symptoms. An occlusive syndrome was present in about half of the patients. The diameter of the collar of the hernia varied between 1.5 and 2.5 cm and no intestinal necrosis was found during exploration. The surgery was simple in the majority of cases. Umbilical hernia is a reality in under-developed environment some factors promotes its complications

Contribution of Dehydration and Malnutrition to the Mortality of Children 0-59 Month of Age in a Senegalese Pediatric Hospital

In-hospital mortality is an indicator of the quality of care. We analyzed the mortality of under five years children of Pediatric ward of Aristide Le Dantec teaching hospital to update our data, after an previous study conducted ten years earlier.Methods: This was a retrospective study involving children 0-59 months of age, hospitalized from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012.For each child, nutritional status was assessed according to 2006 World Health Organization growth standards; clinical and biological data were recorded. The outcome of the disease was specified. Bivariate and multivariable were used to identify risk factors for death.Results: 393 children were included. Overall mortality rate was 10% (39/393). Factors associated with death were severe wasting [OR = 8.27, 95% CI [3.79-18], male gender (OR = 2.98, 95% CI [1.25-7.1]), dehydration (OR = 5.4, 95% CI [2.54-13.43]) in the model using the weight-for- height z score, male gender (OR = 2.5, 95% CI [1.11-5.63]), dehydration (OR = 8.43, 95% CI [3.83-18.5]) in using the height- for- age z score, male gender (OR = 2.7, 95% CI [1.19-6.24]), dehydration (OR = 7.5, 95% CI [3.39-16.76]), severe underweight (OR = 2.4, 95% CI [1.11-5.63]), in the model using the weight-for- age z score, and male gender (OR = 2.5, 95% CI [1.11-5.63]), dehydration (OR = 8.43, 95% CI [3.83-18.5]) in that using MUAC.Dehydration and malnutrition are two independent factors of mortality. Our management protocols of dehydration and malnutrition have to be updated. Screening malnutrition has to be done systematically for each child by anthropometric measurements using WHO growth standards

Chapter 5: Food Security

The current food system (production, transport, processing, packaging, storage, retail, consumption, loss and waste) feeds the great majority of world population and supports the livelihoods of over 1 billion people. Since 1961, food supply per capita has increased more than 30%, accompanied by greater use of nitrogen fertilisers (increase of about 800%) and water resources for irrigation (increase of more than 100%). However, an estimated 821 million people are currently undernourished, 151 million children under five are stunted, 613 million women and girls aged 15 to 49 suffer from iron deficiency, and 2 billion adults are overweight or obese. The food system is under pressure from non-climate stressors (e.g., population and income growth, demand for animal-sourced products), and from climate change. These climate and non-climate stresses are impacting the four pillars of food security (availability, access, utilisation, and stability)