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This paper examines the variety of agrarian classes of labour and the challenges they face in organizing and pursuing their interests. By taking the cotton sector in Burkina Faso as a case study, it analyses how various 'classes of labour' organize and mobilize for collective action to raise their claims: poor cotton farmers and workers in the cotton factories. Poor and middle farmers recently came to the fore when they boycotted cotton production in large numbers. The study focusses on the boycott campaign, and more broadly on class struggle and collective action by farmers and workers, on interclass alliances, and on capital's attempts to play the classes of labour against one another. The boycott campaign provides an outstanding case to analyse the interests of the various classes of labour and of opportunities for rural–urban mobilization and alliances across classes of labour. I argue that poor farmers and factory workers along the chain of cotton production can be considered as various classes of labour that are not necessarily antagonistic to one another but, first and foremost, to capital. In order to achieve radical transformation in the agrarian context, what is needed are networks and organizations to establish interclass solidarity and alliances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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For many years, the author has been involved in teaching and research in the use of Operations Research as a tool of analysis to study food security problems in sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, grass root problems of poor farmers. The paper presents an introduction to the way Operations Research methods have been applied in case studies and research projects, and discusses in retrospect the author's views on the strengths and limitations of the application of Operations Research. The paper has in particular been written for people who are not familiar with applications of Operations Research in agriculture, and are interested to learn about its potential usefulness in practice. The retrospective part is largely based on food security studies in e.g. Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Bénin, Togo and Eritrea and on participation in several interdisciplinary research programmes in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Industrial mining generally develops in rural areas where agriculture is the main subsistence activity of the population. However, there seems to be an incompatible coexistence between agricultural and mining activities, as both require a large amount of land. Given the extensive agricultural system in Burkina Faso and the expansion of mining since 2007, this study analyzed the effect of industrial mining land use on poverty in the 13 regions of Burkina Faso. The study examined the effect of mining land use intensity on cereal production/yield before exploring its impact on poverty by using several econometric methods and various data from the National Statistics Institute. The results indicate that mining land use intensity had no direct effect on poverty; instead, the effect is indirect. Indeed, mining land use intensity negatively affects cereal yield, and that reinforces the incidence of poverty in mining regions. Moreover, the results show that cereal production increases with cropped land. As cereal yield decreases with industrial mining land use intensity, this suggests that the expansion of mining would contribute to the jeopardizing of the food supply as well as the exacerbation of poverty in mining regions. Therefore, policies are needed to encourage the sustainable management of land and mining revenue redistribution in the mining regions of Burkina Faso. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Participation in natural resources management is widely promoted in sub‐Saharan Africa, but faces mounting criticism from social science scholars who rarely engage with it in practice. We use the notion of room for manoeuvre to reflect on a multi‐level participatory approach designed to support the Burkinabè Integrated Water Resources Management policy and propose ways of engaging constructively with local users and policy‐makers. Within an “invited space” of participation, water users’ room for manoeuvre was enhanced through the acquisition of new knowledge on the legal Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) framework. This allowed them to interact with decision‐makers and to extend their networks. Power imbalances were discussed, but this did not lead to modifying existing power structures that hinge on broader societal dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1980s, the Bagre region (Burkina Faso) has witnessed significant environmental changes mainly due to anthropogenic causes (arrival of new population groups, demographic increase, reservoir creation, exacerbation of conflict linked to land ownership, and land and agrarian reform), and secondarily to climatic perturbations. For a comprehensive understanding of these environmental changes, and their causes and impacts in the Doubegue watershed, it is necessary to combine different analytical tools. An original methodology, which combines remote sensing and field survey, is proposed. A temporal study of land use change was conducted to identify areas at risk and ongoing processes. At the same time, a survey was carried out to study the local population's knowledge concerning changes to the resources of vegetation, water and soil. The analysis of a time series of satellite images reveals environmental changes mainly in the central area of the watershed, since the 1990s in particular, with an increase in cropped and bare soils. The survey also highlights reduction in vegetation cover, a decrease in soil quality and changes in the river system. In addition, stakeholders link the degradation of vegetation cover to changes in the river system. Finally, to reduce degradation of resources (vegetation, water and soil), actions are being developed and/or sought by the population and by organisations in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the food disturbances in Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Senegal in Senegal. It infers that Scientists and Non-Government Organizations (NGO) in Africa calls for a moratorium on new biofuels projects which causes the conversion of acres of agricultural land areas to fuel plants. It infers that due to the food crisis, food riots broke out in mid-February in Mozambique as government attempts to control bread and fuel costs. It is also inferred that food crisis is also experienced in Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Objective To evaluate whether community-based health insurance ( CBHI) protects household assets in rural Burkina Faso, Africa. Data Sources Data were used from a household panel survey that collected primary data from randomly selected households, covering 41 villages and one town, during 2004-2007( n = 890). Study Design The study area was divided into 33 clusters and CBHI was randomly offered to these clusters during 2004-2006. We applied different strategies to control for selection bias-ordinary least squares with covariates, two-stage least squares with instrumental variable, and fixed-effects models. Data Collection Household members were interviewed in their local language every year, and information was collected on demographic and socio-economic indicators including ownership of assets, and on self-reported morbidity. Principal Findings Fixed-effects and ordinary least squares models showed that CBHI protected household assets during 2004-2007. The two-stage least squares with instrumental variable model showed that CBHI increased household assets during 2004-2005. Conclusions In this study, we found that CBHI has the potential to not only protect household assets but also increase household assets. However, similar studies from developing countries that evaluate the impact of health insurance on household economic indicators are needed to benchmark these results with other settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluation findings from a particular setting need to be generalized into policy implications if they are to find widespread use. Skilled attendance at delivery is widely regarded as one of the most important intervention strategies for safe motherhood in low-resource settings, particularly in Africa, but implementations of such strategies are often not rigorously evaluated or interpreted into future policy. Initiative for Maternal Mortality Programme Assessment (Immpact) has applied a package of research-based monitoring and evaluation tools to assess the Family Care International Skilled Care Initiative in Ouargaye District, Burkina Faso. This evaluation research aimed to generate reliable, evidence-based policies for accelerating safe motherhood programmes in Burkina Faso and elsewhere in Africa. Five policy priorities were identified as representing real chances of improving the safety of motherhood: (1) enhancing national coverage of delivery by professionally skilled attendants; (2) to provide a network of 24-h basic emergency obstetric care within 5 km; (3) to have an effective referral system, equipped and resourced to undertake a reasonable number of Caesarean sections; (4) to promote community mobilization activities as a lever to increasing delivery care utilization; and (5) to implement strategies to remove financial barriers to delivery care. To meet Millennium Development Goal five by 2015, both supply and demand side constraints on the provision of quality maternity care have to be addressed, which in turn need greater political commitment and funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tropical Medicine & International Health is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices can help ensure nutrient adequacy and support healthy growth and development. Small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) have been proposed to help fill nutrient gaps, but little is known about the impact of provision of SQ-LNS on breastfeeding or complementary feeding practices. In the context of four coordinated randomized controlled nutrient supplementation trials in diverse sites in Africa, we compared IYCF practices at infant age 18 months (after 9-12 months of supplementation) between those receiving and not receiving SQ-LNS. Practices were assessed by caregiver recall. Continued breastfeeding ranged from 74% (Ghana site) to 97% (Burkina Faso site) and did not differ between groups in any site; prevalence of frequent breastfeeding also did not differ. In two sites (Burkina Faso and Malawi), infants receiving SQ-LNS were more likely to meet the World Health Organization recommendations for frequency of feeding (percentage point differences of 12-14%, P < 0.0001 and P = 0.005, respectively; the remaining two sites did not have data for this indicator). Most indicators of infant dietary diversity did not differ between groups in any site, but in the same two sites where frequency of feeding differed, infants receiving SQ-LNS were less likely to have low frequency of consumption of animal-source foods in the previous week (percentage point differences of 9-19% for lowest tertile, P = .02 and P = 0.04, respectively). We conclude that provision of SQ-LNS did not negatively impact self-reported IYCF practices and may have positively impacted frequency of feeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the widespread planting of jatropha bush in various African countries, under the management of DI Oils, a biodiesel developer. Use of the oil from the jatropha seed to produce biodiesel; Farmers in Zambia and Malawi's contract with Stancom Tobacco to plant jatropha on land managed by the company; DI's development of a pilot project under jatropha in Burkina Faso.