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Are radiometric landscapes mirrors of agrarian systems?
Get PDFIn Benin, identifying agro-ecological zones and agricultural development poles is crucial for implementing effective agricultural policies. However, current large-scale zoning methods for agrarian systems rely on heterogeneous data sources and often involve subjective selection of socio-economic and environmental variables. These approaches face challenges in representativeness and reproducibility, limiting their utility for policy and planning. To overcome these limitations, we propose a novel approach grounded in the principle that landscapes - as a reflection of the interplay between biophysical and human factors - can serve as proxies for land use and agricultural practices in rural areas. This makes landscape zoning a viable tool for approximating agrarian system zoning. Recognizing that traditional landscape mapping relies on extensive, multi-scale data with varying degrees of accuracy, we introduce an innovative method called radiometric landscape mapping (Lemettais et al., 2024). This approach derives landscapes exclusively from remote sensing data, bypassing the need for measured variables (e.g., climate data) or interpreted products (e.g., land cover maps). It offers a statistically robust, scalable, and cost-effective solution that is applicable across different locations and scales. Data and Methods Radiometric landscapes were calculated using the first principal components of a series of MODIS NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) images from 2018 to 2022. These analyses resulted in the identification of 36 homogeneous radiometric landscapes, which were subsequently classified into nine broader radiometric zones. For comparative analysis, we utilized data from the 2017 " Typologie des exploitant(e)s des sites de recherche et développement du Bénin " survey (Sossou et al., 2019), which covered 477 villages. This survey collected data on agricultural households, focusing on socio-economic characteristics (e.g., household composition, assets) and agricultural practices (e.g., crop types, mechanization, irrigation). The analysis identified three primary farming system types: irrigated systems, mechanized systems, and intensive systems relying on chemical inputs. Results and Implications The comparison of the agrarian system types distribution with radiometric zoning revealed strong alignment in terms of land cover composition and an intensification of the agriculture. Radiometric zones effectively discriminated between land cover types and provided a robust framework for analyzing agrarian systems. Conclusion These findings highlight the potential of radiometric zoning to redefine zoning frameworks for agricultural and land-use planning policies. By offering a replicable, data-driven, and scalable approach, radiometric landscapes present a promising tool for supporting sustainable agricultural development in Benin and beyond
Agroecological practices and light trapping of Eldana saccharina (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) as an integrated toolbox in sugarcane in the Senegal River Valley
No full textEldana saccharina, the African stalk borer, attacks sugarcane in most African countries with a major impact on cane and sugar yields. The sugarcane company Compagnie Sucrière Sénégalaise (CSS) established in the Senegal River Valley has been combatting this borer by revising agricultural practices and deploying a grid of solar-powered light traps through its estate totalling more than 10,000 ha. The objective of this paper is to present the key integrated pest management (IPM) tactics to reduce borer infestation through (i) varietal resistance, (ii) reduction in nitrogen fertilizer field rates, (iii) improvement of water management for drip irrigation to reduce plant stress, and (iv) establishment of more than 100 light traps using solar panels to monitor E. saccharina adult populations and decrease infestations in sugarcane fields. In addition, other agroecological measures were identified to be urgently implemented such as the reduction of cane burning for harvest in fields bordering natural vegetation. This action will allow the restoration and conservation of natural enemies of the borer, namely predators and parasitoids, in a Sahelian climatic environment. Finally, an integrated toolbox to control E. saccharina is proposed to avoid significant economic losses in sugarcane production in Senegal
A "culture of impact" - What can research organisations gain from it?
Get PDFPublic demands for accountable, problem-solving, and impactful research, together with global climate and inequality crises, push research organisations to rethink their impact strategies beyond academic performance indicators based on peer-reviewed publications. Part of these organisations conduct applied research and attempt to assess the effect of their activities on the ground. This is the case for agricultural research organisations, which mission is to improve performances of eco-agri-food systems across all sustainability dimensions. Yet, these assessments have mainly remained concentrated along specific research lines and performance indicators, lacking explicit reflection on the theories of change against which the impact of research should be evaluated. They also tend to prioritize quantitative measures, with the traditional question “which benefits from one invested dollar?” and focus on research outputs (such as publications, patents, technologies, events), less often on understanding the uptake of these outputs by stakeholders, the associated behavioral changes they generate, and the mechanisms underlying those changes. This is encouraged by research-funding mechanisms that tend to favor short-term projects, logic-framework exercices, and projects' output rather than behavioral change and impact per se. More in-depth considerations are necessary to examine research through the prism of impact, at both research organisation and wider research ecosystem levels
Fostering circularity through livestock in small-scale territories of Madagascar highlands: a preliminary study of their protometabolism
Get PDFIncreasing agrifood systems' circularity is a sustainable transition pathway in which livestock can play a major role. This study addresses the protometabolism of two small territories (fokontany) from Madagascar highlands: Malaza (MLZ) and Miarinarivo (MRN). This assessment is based on quantification of matter inflows, outflows and circulating between four components: crops, livestock, households and natural areas. Data farming systems management from 30 farms per fokontany has been harvested in 2023. This provides a better understanding of biomasses management and circularity within the two territories with a special focus on role of livestock. MLZ relies more on intensive agriculture, notably irrigated rice, and dairy production. This intensification leads to dependence on external inputs and increased pressure on natural resources. MRN is more focused on household subsistence, relying most on local resources and limiting inflows and outflows. Its agriculture is less intensive, based on rainfed crops and less productive, mainly extensive, forms of livestock farming. Livestock plays a major role in both areas. In MLZ, dairy systems are highly integrated with crops, enabling nutrients to be recycled through the consumption of residues and organic manure deposits. In MRN, while crop-livestock integration (CLI) also exists, notably familiy pig farming systems, extensive zebu rearing partly ensures nutrient transfers from natural areas through daily grazing. These results illustrate different potential solutions for livestock-related circularity. In MLZ, improving manure management and developing agroforestry systems in association could optimize the use of local resources and thus reduce the use of external inputs. In MRN, while CLI remains an issue, the low availability of irrigated land limits agricultural intensification. The improvement of security conditions (zebu theft) are therefore a challenge to ensure territory sustainability
Integrating ethnolinguistic and archaeobotanical data to uncover the origin and dispersal of cultivated sorghum in Africa: A genomic perspective
Get PDFArchaeobotanical evidence suggests that the beginning of cultivation and emergence of domesticated sorghum was located in eastern Sudan during the fourth millennium BCE. Here, we used a genomic approach, together with archaeobotanical and ethnolinguistic data, to refine the spatial and temporal origin and the spread of cultivated sorghum in Africa. We built a probability map of the origin of sorghum domestication in Eastern Africa using genomic data and spatial Bayesian models. The origin was located in Eastern Sudan and Western Ethiopia, in perfect concordance with recent archaeobotanical evidence. Calibrated on archaeological remains, our genomic-based model suggests that the beginning of the expansion of sorghum agriculture took place around 4,600 years ago. Spread of sorghum cultivation led to a sorghum population structure fitting ethnolinguistic groups at different scales, suggesting that human social groups and sorghum populations co-diffused. Consequently, ethnolinguistic barriers and social preferences, as well as adaptation to specific climate zones, have contributed to structuring domesticated sorghum diversity during its diffusion
Pour un appui systémique à la mécanisation agricole en Afrique sub-saharienne
Get PDFLa mécanisation et la motorisation agricoles jouent un rôle important dans la réduction de la pénibilité du travail et la contribution à la sécurité alimentaire. En Afrique sub-saharienne, les défis restent nombreux pour que les équipements soient accessibles au plus grand nombre, correctement utilisés, entretenus, dans un déploiement inclusif et pérenne. Les équipements existants sont parfois mal adaptés, et les données manquent, tant sur l'accès à la mécanisation et les pratiques agricoles associées que sur les modes d'intervention appropriés. Cependant, des pistes d'action innovantes existent, privilégiant les interventions systémiques incluant les notions d'accès, d'usage et de pérennisation à travers notamment la co-conception d'équipement et l'accompagnement des acteurs
An empirical analysis of the determinants of food insecurity among smallholder farmers in Eastern Rwanda
Get PDFBackground: Food insecurity is one of the most pressing problems confronting households in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It is particularly acute in low income areas across the continent. Despite Rwanda's economic progress, food insecurity persists especially in rural areas, necessitating empirical evidence to inform targeted interventions that address the complex interplay of socio-economic, environmental and policy factors affecting household food insecurity. Factors affecting food insecurity vary, and obtaining context-specific information is necessary for designing relevant interventions. This empirical study analyzes factors affecting the probability of experiencing severe food insecurity in Eastern Rwanda and discusses how land restoration strategies like agroforestry may contribute to it. Panel data collected in 2018 and 2022 from 1100 randomly selected households are analyzed using both descriptive statistics and a correlated random effects probit model. Results: The findings show a generally high level of food insecurity, with sample households having average food insecurity experience scale scores of 6.02 in 2018 and 5.73 in 2022. Moreover, 63% and 60% of the households experienced severe food insecurity in the two periods, respectively. The empirical results show that farming practices and household socio-economic characteristics played a more significant role in food insecurity status. Households that cultivated different crops had a lower probability of experiencing severe food insecurity and larger households were more likely to experience severe food insecurity. However, agroforestry-related variables were not statistically significant in reducing the probability of severe food insecurity experience in the study area. Conclusion: The study concludes that food insecurity in the study area is high. To address the prevailing situation, efforts to reduce food insecurity should focus on solutions that could increase food production in the short term, such as improving household socio-economic status, diversifying crop production and market-focused production. However, these need to be aligned with local needs and ecological conditions. Agroforestry interventions should focus on integrating suitable tree species into farming systems, and future studies should account for the time dimension to accurately capture long-term effects of such interventions. Moreover, experimental studies to enable rigorous impact analysis of agroforestry interventions are recommended
Atelier ImpresS PIF2 et entretiens sur les agroforêts de Côte d'Ivoire. Compte-rendu de mission (11-21 novembre 2025)
No full textContributions à la modélisation de la transmission du virus de la fièvre de la vallée du Rift au sud-est de Madagascar
Get PDFComplete and nearly complete genome sequences of seven strains of Burkholderia glumae and B. gladioli isolated from rice panicles in Vietnam
Get PDFBurkholderia gladioli and Burkholderia glumae are two of the main pathogens associated with bacterial panicle blight, a major disease of rice worldwide. Here, we present complete and nearly complete genome assemblies of three B. glumae and four B. gladioli strains isolated from rice collected in the Mekong Delta area