Recherche
4 items
-
Parklands for buffering climate risk and sustaining agricultural production in the Sahel of West Africa
In the Sahelian zone of West Africa, crops grown under a discontinuous cover of scattered trees dominate many landscapes and constitute the so-called parklands. These systems reflect the ecological knowledge of the farmers of such risk prone environments. Agroforestry parklands are playing an important role, through trees and shrubs providing soil cover that reduces erosion and buffers the impacts of climate change. They also provide green fodder that complements crop residues for livestock feeds, and fruits and leaves for human consumption and for income generation. The interactions between various components of the system influence the ecosystem service functions of trees of parklands (provisioning, regulating and supporting services) in several ways. These ecosystem functions have beenat the center of the local ecological knowledge guiding the management options of the farmers and have also attracted the attention of scientists. Findings revealed new challenges that call for production options ensuring increased and diversified productivity of the systems while preserving the environment. Research on such challenges must adopt an inclusive approach based on local knowledge supported by science-based analyses of the socio-ecological systems in the face of high population pressure and climate change.
-
Faidherbia albida (Delile) Tree Dieback Effects on Crop Production in the Parkland Agroforests of Southwestern Niger
Faidherbia albida is an agroforestry tree species playing important agroecological and socioeconomic roles in arid and semiarid zones in Africa. For many years, anthropogenic and abiotic stresses were considered as the main threats for the species in West African parkland agroforests. Considerable dieback has recently occurred in F. albida trees of parkland agroforests in central southwestern Niger, and the causes are unknown. The e objectives of this study are to (i) investigate the magnitude of dieback of F. albida trees and (ii) assess local community perceptions of the effects of F. albida dieback on crop production. The health status and phenology of 213 F. albida trees were observed in the area where the dieback is occurring. Similarly, a sample of 144 people, 86% of which were farmers, was surveyed. Dieback incidence of F. albida trees was 19%, with mortality of 6%. Large-diameter trees had greater dieback than small-diameter trees. The most affected parts of the tree were the branches at 54% and the trunks at 39%. The populations noted a 33–55% reduction in the yields of major crops. This dieback of F. albida trees poses a serious threat to the survival of rural communities. Further studies can be conducted to identify the cause or cause of the dieback to guide the suitable agroforestry parkland management strategies. -
Restoring Plant Succession on Degraded Crusted Soils in Niger: a Case Study Using Half Moons, Tree Seedlings and Grass Seed
We assessed a restoration treatment (planting tree seedlings and sowing grass seeds as nurse plants in waterharvesting half-moon pits) on degraded, compacted soils with surface crusts in Niger. Height and above-ground biomass of herbaceous plant species, tree stem circumference, and relative cover of erosive crust, gravel crust, bare ground, rock, litter, and total vascular plants were assessed at three sites with similar environmental conditions but different treatment periods (3, 5, 7 years). Species richness, evenness and Shannon-Weaver index were lowest at the 7-year site and highest at the 5-year site. Above-ground biomass of herbaceous plants and percent plant cover were lowest at the 3-year site and highest at the 7-year site. -
Essai comparatif de l’utilisation des extraits du Neem et du virus entomopathogène MaviNPV dans la gestion des insectes ravageurs du niébé en milieu paysan au Niger
Le niébé (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp (Fabaceae) est une culture importante dont le rendement est faible en raison de fortes attaques des insectes ravageurs. Cette étude a été entreprise pour comparer l’efficacité de cinq biocides sur la gestion des principaux insectes ravageurs dans la région de Zinder au niveau de quatre villages en 2014 et vingt-cinq villages en 2015. Un dispositif en blocs de Fischer à deux répétitions et six traitements a été mis en place avec trois producteurs par village. Pour les deux années, le pesticide chimique de synthèse et les extraits aqueux de Neem ont été les plus performants avec 6,1 à 17,1% des gousses présentant des dégâts de Clavigralla tomentosicollis Stål, 3,3 à 7,0% affectées par Maruca vitrata Fabricius et des rendements en graines variant de 811 à 1233 kg/ha. Les traitements à l’huile de Neem, au mélange TopBio + Virus et au Virus ont connu plus d’infestation que les traitements précédents avec 23,8 à 65,9% des gousses attaquées par C.tomentosicollis, 17,6 à 25,6% affectées par M. vitrata et un rendement de 389 à 616 kg/ha. Les résultats obtenus encouragent l’utilisation des extraits aqueux de graines de Neem en milieu paysan comme solution de lutte alternative contre les principaux insectes ravageurs du niébé.