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Description. La culture du cacaoyer en Guyane tend à se (re)développer et nécessite aujourd’hui des références technico-économiques adaptées. Objectifs. Réalisation d’une évaluation de la viabilité technico-économique de la cacaoculture et de la transformation de ses produits.Méthode. Modélisation des produits et des couts de l’exploitation d’un hectare selon deux modes de gestion différents et trois types de produits finis. Résultats. Le système de culture installé après défriche partielle d’une forêt demande moins de main-d’œuvre et de trésorerie que le système s’appuyant sur l’association au bananier qui, lui, permet un retour sur investissement avant maturité de la production cacaoyère. Pour être viables, les systèmes de culture ayant pour seule finalité la production de fèves fermentées et séchées nécessiteraient des rendements de l’ordre d’1 tonne·ha-1 pour des prix de vente planchers souvent supérieurs à 10 000 €·t-1, ce qui interroge fortement sur leur faisabilité. Pour la production transformée en bâton de cacao ou en chocolat, la viabilité économique serait plus facilement acquise, mais demanderait un investissement et une technicité qui ne sont pas forcément accessibles aujourd’hui à toutes les exploitations qui s’engagent dans la cacaoculture.Conclusions. Nos résultats soulignent la nécessité de (re)considérer dans les régions ultramarines françaises : (i) la nature et l’usage des espèces associées aux cacaoyers ; (ii) le statut de culture principale ou non du cacaoyer dans les exploitations agricoles ; (iii) la diversification des produits du cacaoyer permettant de nourrir plusieurs marchés ; (iv) l’organisation collective de la filière naissante pour soutenir la production et la transformation ; (v) l’accompagnement technique et financier (ex : aides PAC) des agriculteurs se lançant en cacaoculture.

Background Understanding end-users’ preferred breeding traits and plant management practices is fundamental in defining sound breeding objectives and implementing a successful plant improvement programme. Since such knowledge is lacking for Synsepalum dulcificum, a worldwide promising orphan fruit tree species, we assessed the interrelationships among socio-demography, ecology, management practices, diversity and ranking of desired breeding traits by end-users of the species (farmers, final consumers and processing companies) in West Africa. Methods Semi-structured interviews, field-visits and focus groups were combined to interview a total of 300 farmers and final consumers belonging to six sociolinguistic groups sampled from three ecological zones of Benin and Ghana. One processing company in Ghana was also involved. Data collected included socio-demographic characteristics; crop management systems and practices; and preferences of farmers, final consumers and processing companies and ranking of breeding traits. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, independence, and non-parametric tests, generalized linear models, multi-group similarity index and Kendall’s concordance coefficient. Results Men (86.33% of respondents) were the main holders of S. dulcificum in the study area. The three most frequent management practices observed in the species included weeding, fertilization and pruning, which were applied by 75.66%, 27.33% and 16.66% of respondents, respectively. The management intensity index varied significantly across ecological zones, sociolinguistic groups, and instruction level (p < 0.001) but was not affected by gender (p > 0.05). General multigroup similarity indices ($$ {\mathrm{C}}_{\mathrm{S}}^{\mathrm{T}} $$ C S T ) for farmer-desired traits, on one hand, and final consumer-desired traits, on the other hand, were high across ecological zones ($$ {\mathrm{C}}_{\mathrm{S}}^{\mathrm{T}} $$ C S T ≥ 0.84) and sociolinguistic groups ($$ {\mathrm{C}}_{\mathrm{S}}^{\mathrm{T}} $$ C S T > 0.83). Nevertheless, respondents from the Guineo-Congolian (Benin) and the Deciduous forest (Ghana) zones expressed higher agreement in the ranking of desired breeding traits. Preference for breeding traits was 60% similar among farmers, final consumers, and processors. The key breeding traits desired by these end-users included in descending order of importance big fruit size, early fruiting, high fruit yielding (for farmers); big fruit size, high fruit miraculin content, fruit freshness (for final consumers); and high fruit miraculin content, big fruit size, high fruit edible ratio (for processing companies). Conclusion This study revealed stronger variations in current management practices across ecological zones than across sociolinguistic groups. A high similarity was shown in end-users’ preferences for breeding traits across the study area. Top key traits to consider in breeding varieties of S. dulcificum to meet various end-users’ expectations in West Africa include fruit size and fruit miraculin content. These results constitute a strong signal for a region-wide promotion of the resource.

This study was designed and carried out to ascertain the situation and perceptions of end users of cassava flash drying equipment in Nigeria with the aim of giving suggestions to policies and approaches for improved technology. Forty-one processing firms were selected and interviewed. Descriptive analyses were used and a logistic regression model was estimated. The results revealed that 49% of the firms stopped using their flash dryers due to the low demand for high-quality cassava flour (HQCF) resulting from the high cost of processing occasioned by an inefficient heat-generating component. The estimated model provides evidence that cost effectiveness (p < 0.05) and energy cost (p < 0.10) are the two major determinants of the continuous usage of flash dryers in the study area. Forty-one percent of the firms indicated willingness to pay for any technical adjustment of their flash dryers, supposing such adjustment would improve on drying and the energy efficiency of the equipment up to 40%. The study recommends that machine fabricators in Nigeria and other African countries should be trained on the production of energy- and cost-efficient small-scale flash dryers. Again, the design and commercialization of flash dryers that can be mounted on mobile trucks for farm-gate processing should be encouraged to facilitate farm-gate processing, thereby reducing postharvest losses resulting from transporting perishable and bulky roots over a long distance.

This data paper presents a survey conducted in a participatory manner in the territory of Santarém, in the Brazilian Amazon. The aim is to understand how global changes are affecting family farmers. In the study area, family farming has been confronted over the past 20 years with the rapid expansion of large-scale monocultures, especially soybean. As part of the Odyssea socio-environmental observatory, academic researchers and family farming organizations entered into a partnership to co-produce data that could be strategically useful for these organizations. A process of co-construction of the expectations allowed priorities to be established and the data collection strategy to be defined. Three levels of analysis were chosen in order to allow an integrated understanding of the dynamics of change: the Santarem Plateau territory, the rural community level (living place recognized by the farmers) and the farmers’ households. Twenty-one farmers, called community researchers, organized in 3 teams, applied a questionnaire through the KoboCollect smartphone application to 544 families in the municipalities of Santarém, Mojuí dos Campos and Belterra. Meetings were previously held in the rural communities and questionnaires were applied with representatives of 32 communities. Data was collected between April and June 2019. The community researchers and academic researchers then came together for two collective sessions of data analysis and interpretation in July and October 2019. Data was standardized and cleaned using SPSS software, between September and December 2019. The metadata and databases are available on the CIRAD dataverse.

Le Brésil est parmi les plus gros consommateurs mondiaux de pesticides, pourtant leur impact sur les populations locales peine à émerger en tant que problème public, en raison d’un contexte politique particulièrement favorable à l’agriculture industrielle. Dans cet article, nous investiguons comment les connaissances produites sur l’impact des pesticides contribuent (ou non) à faire émerger ce problème public. Notre réflexion s’appuie sur un processus de science citoyenne mené dans la région de Santarém, en Amazonie Brésilienne, où le soja connaît une importante expansion depuis 20 ans. Nous y avons construit depuis 2017 un observatoire en partenariat avec les syndicats paysans, pour rendre visible l’impact des pesticides utilisés dans les cultures de soja sur l’agriculture familiale. Des jeunes agriculteurs, formés à être « chercheurs communautaires », ont administré 544 questionnaires auprès d’agriculteurs familiaux pour connaître leurs pratiques et évaluer les changements occasionnés depuis l’arrivée du soja. Nous menons une analyse à trois niveaux : au niveau national, nous suivons l’émergence des pesticides comme problème public, sa consolidation au cours du gouvernement travailliste (2003-2016), puis son démantèlement ; au niveau local, l’enquête montre à quel point les agriculteurs familiaux sont fortement impactés par les pesticides et dans le même temps peu conscients d’être des « victimes » ; enfin, au niveau territorial, nous nous interrogerons sur la fragilisation du débat entre science et politique, notamment au sein du Forum régional de lutte contre l’impact des pesticides mis en place à Santarém., Although Brazil is among the world's largest consumers of pesticides, their impacts on local populations have struggled to emerge as a public problem due to a political context that is particularly favourable to industrial agriculture. In this article, we investigate how the knowledge produced on the impact of pesticides contributes (or not) to the emergence of this public problem. We conduct a reflection based on a citizen science process we conducted in the region of Santarem, in the Brazilian Amazon, where soybean has been expanding significantly for the past 20 years. Since 2017, we have built an observatory in partnership with peasant unions to make visible the impact of pesticides used in soy crops on family farmers. Young farmers, trained to become "community researchers", have administered 544 questionnaires to family farmers to learn about their practices and assess the changes caused since the arrival of soy. We conduct an analysis at three levels: at the national level, we follow the emergence of pesticides as a public issue, its consolidation during the Labor government (2003-2016), and then its dismantling; at a local level, the survey reveals how the family farmers are impacted by soy pesticides and at the same time, not so aware of being "victims"; finally, at the territorial level, we question the weakening of the debate between science and politics, particularly within the Regional Forum for the fight against the impact of pesticides set up in Santarém., Embora o Brasil esteja entre os maiores consumidores mundiais de agrotóxicos, seus impactos na população raramente são tratados como problema público, devido a um contexto político particularmente favorável à agricultura industrial. Neste artigo, investigamos como o conhecimento produzido sobre os impactos dos agrotóxicos contribui (ou não) para torná-los problema público. Conduzimos uma reflexão ancorada num processo de pesquisa baseado na ciência cidadã, na região de Santarém, na Amazônia brasileira, onde plantios de soja aumentaram significativamente ao longo dos últimos 20 anos. Desde 2017, construímos um observatório das dinâmicas socioambientais em parceria com sindicatos ligados à agricultura familiar, para, entre outros propósitos, tornar visível o impacto dos agrotóxicos utilizados nas culturas de soja sobre os agricultores familiares. Jovens agricultores, formados para se tornarem "pesquisadores comunitários", aplicaram 544 questionários junto a agricultores familiares para conhecer as suas práticas e avaliar as mudanças causadas desde a chegada da soja. Conduzimos uma análise em três esferas : na esfera nacional, acompanhamos a emergência dos agrotóxicos como uma questão pública, a sua consolidação durante o governo Trabalhista (2003-2016), e depois o seu desmantelamento após esse período; na esfera local, nossa pesquisa mostra que os agricultores familiares estão sendo bastante impactados pela intensa pulverização de pesticidas nos plantios de soja mas nem sempre estavam conscientes de serem atingidos; finalmente, na esfera territorial, questionamos o enfraquecimento do debate entre ciência e política, particularmente no âmbito do Fórum Regional para a luta contra o impacto dos agrotóxicos criado em Santarém.

L’autosuffisance en riz poursuivie par l’État du Sénégal depuis l’Indépendance a motivé des investissements colossaux dans le Delta du fleuve Sénégal, au nord du pays. Cet article évalue la contribution du Projet de promotion du partenariat rizicole dans le Delta (3PRD) aux dynamiques organisationnelles et techniques. L’importance de ce projet repose sur le partenariat public-privé, un paradigme récent dans le monde du développement de l’agriculture irriguée. Notre démarche est basée sur un travail de synthèse bibliographique, des visites de terrain, des entretiens avec les responsables du projet et des enquêtes auprès des agriculteurs. Les résultats suggèrent deux progrès majeurs réalisés par le 3PRD : l’autonomisation des producteurs privés dans un grand aménagement collectif impliquant la participation de la société de développement SAED et l’introduction d’un nouveau matériel pour l’irrigation, l’électropompe. Ils montrent aussi que des efforts restent à réaliser en matière d’intensité culturale et de rendement agricole pour permettre aux producteurs de mieux rentabiliser les investissements qu’ils ont réalisés dans leurs périmètres.

International audience; In a climate change context, changing temperature and precipitation patterns are expected to have strong impacts on Brazilian eucalypt plantations. Implementing adaptive water-efficient management practices is thus becoming necessary to maintain high levels of productivity while preserving the water resources. This paper investigates the ability of eucalypt farmers to modify their current silvicultural practices in order to adapt to drought in the near future. We ran a choice experiment in the state of Minas Gerais, among 80 eucalypt tree farmers, who were asked to choose from several management options associated with various financial supports. The results show that adaptation by reducing the length of the eucalypt rotation proves to be by far the preferred option, despite the associated costs. On the contrary, reducing density appears to be the least chosen option by the respondents, which may suggest that they underestimate the benefits of this strategy. We moreover find a clear and relevant segmentation of farmers' choice behavior, the general preference for reducing the length of the eucalypt rotation being driven by the most vulnerable farmers of the sample

International audience; Despite their crucial importance for food product quality, harvest management practices remain understudied. Harvest is particularly challenging in the fresh fruit sector, due to the fruit’s perishable, variable, and seasonal nature. In this study, we seek to better understand the agronomic, organizational, and institutional drivers influencing fruit harvest management, using the Corsican clementine harvest as a case study. In that production area, the standard “Clémentine de Corse” protected geographical indication is used by local actors to define and enforce appropriate harvest practices. The data were gathered through interviews with the farmers, packing station managers, and shippers who form the first link in the production chain. We show that harvest practices are shaped by the interactions between three management levels: (i) the plot, where picking teams select the fruit to be picked from those to be left on the tree for the next pass; (ii) the farm level, at which growers synchronize the harvesting dynamics with the ripening process of a set of plots with heterogeneous degrees of maturity; and (iii) the marketing level, where shippers and packers must match up the harvesting dynamics of all their suppliers with the demands of their buyers’ market. According to this multi-level perspective, we analyzed the agronomic, organizational, and institutional drivers influencing the diversity of harvest management practices among farmers, and the influence of the protected geographical indication on the harvest process. Our study is the first to highlight how harvest practices are constructed and how various hierarchical levels of agricultural systems act together to shape them. Based on these results, we draw generic lessons and perspectives with a view to improving fresh fruit harvest management.

International audience; The research aimed at identifying livestock performance indicators used by farmers in Malipati community, Zimbabwe, and use them in developing a monitoring and evaluation framework for livestock interventions. Mixed methods research was used in the study. A questionnaire was administered to identify performance indicators of preference by farmers. Focus group discussions were done to rank performance indicators. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 25, and data were analysed using the ranking matrix. Scientific validity of performance indicators was determined through literature review. The study concluded that performance indicators of importance in poultry, cattle, goats/sheep, and donkeys were egg production, milk yield, kidding/lambing interval, and animal power, respectively. All performance indicators identified by farmers in Malipati are scientifically valid and were used in the development of the monitoring and evaluation framework.

International audience; Highlights:• Spontaneous service plants strategies present a high spatial and temporal diversity.• Strategies can be measured by calculating the Coverage Index (CI) for each vineyard.• Higher CI was linked to quality labels, organic crop protection and low target yields.• No link was found between CI and water and soil resources in vineyards.• Target services by winegrowers are consistent with the CI and period coverage.Abstract: 'Service plants' include spontaneous vegetation or sown species of cover crops associated with perennial crops in the rows or inter-rows with a high potential to provide ecosystem functions and services. In vineyards, service plants target specific services depending on the management strategy implemented by the winegrower, including the plant species, the surface covered, the plant growth control and destruction date. Understanding the management strategies linked to their associated target services at the regional scale is necessary to better help winegrowers, advisers and policy makers regarding an adapted use of service plants. To do this, we conducted a survey in 2016 among 334 winegrowers in Languedoc-Roussillon region in France, enquiring about their service plant management practices during the season 2014-2015. Given the diversity of the strategies of service plant management, we proposed a typology analyzing their spatial and temporal dimensions. Further, we present a Coverage Index (CI), which combines both temporal and spatial dimensions of the service plant management strategies. We conducted a multiple components analysis and clustering to create a vineyard typology and applied linear models to find correlations between the CI and specific vineyard characteristics. Three quarters of interviewed winegrowers sowed or maintained service plants in their vineyards; 41 % used a winter service plant strategy; 8.4 % a semi-permanent and 27.3 % a permanent service plant strategy. The preferred surface coverage strategy was full surface during grapevine dormancy and its reduction to half of the inter-rows after grapevine budburst. However, the diversity of surface coverage strategies during the grapevine vegetative period was remarkable. Lower water resources and specific soil characteristics were not linked to the service plant management strategies. Higher CI was associated with vineyards presenting quality labels (PDO and Organic), independent wine-making and lower target yields, showing that the added value of producing high quality wine plays an important role when implementing service plants in vineyards. Overall, our study showed: i) the popularity of spontaneous service plant strategies; ii) the spatial and temporal diversity of service plant management strategies and iii) the utility of the CI to study the implementation of service plants and to understand the motivations and constraints of their use.

Une typologie descriptive des systèmes d'élevage camelins a été réalisée sur l'ensemble du territoire mauritanien dans le but d'en connaître la diversité. Au total, 187 élevages camelins des quatre régions du pays (Sud, Centre, Est, Nord) ont été enquêtés. Les 49 variables retenues portaient sur six thèmes : l'éleveur, le troupeau, la santé animale, l'alimentation, les pratiques de traite et les pratiques commerciales. La stratégie statistique s'est appuyée sur une analyse séparée des sous-tableaux regroupant les variables par thème afin de déterminer des types d'éleveurs, de troupeaux, de pratiques alimentaires, de statut sanitaire, de pratiques de traite et de flux commerciaux. Les descriptions de ces types ont été suivies d'une analyse globale permettant d'identifier sept types d'élevage fortement différenciés sur le plan géographique, un effet régional hautement significatif ayant été observé : moyens engraisseurs (n=36), petits mixtes marchands (n=32), moyens peu marchands (n=21), moyens mobiles marchands (n=23), petits peu marchands (n=22), grands marchands (n=15) et grands naisseurs (n=38). Les types sont interprétés au regard du contexte géographique et climatique de chacune des régions.

CONTEXT During crises, adaptation or recovery measures or plans at local or national scales may not necessarily address longer-term or structural problems such as climate change mitigation. OBJECTIVE This article describes farmers and policymakers' responses to mitigate the adverse effects of Covid-19 on the agricultural sector. We then assess the responses' possible effects on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. METHODS The study is based on surveys conducted with farmers, traders, and extension staff in Burkina Faso, Colombia, and France, and literature. We used the Cool Farm Tool calculator to assess GHG emissions associated with fertilizer production, crop production and produce transportation to international markets for the three main cash crops in the three countries. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS We identified contrasting responses by the agricultural sector mostly driven by changes in the consumption patterns at local or international levels. We also identified contrasting state responses to mitigate Covid-19. These responses at farm and policy scales led to similar trends in decreasing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions across the studied countries. However, none of the studied countries linked Covid-19 response measures to long-term climate change mitigation actions. Therefore, an opportunity to sustain Covid-19 induced short-term decreases in GHG emissions was overlooked. SIGNIFICANCE Analyzing the impacts that Covid-19 had on agricultural systems and the decision taken by policymakers to handle its direct and indirect effects can help society draw lessons on how to improve climate action.

International audience; This paper investigates the perceptions of a diversity of stakeholders supporting smallholders in the eastern Brazilian Amazon about ecosystem services and agricultural practices. Our results come from 30 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders in two contrasting municipalities in this region (Paragominas and Irituia). We identified 17 different ecosystem services and 15 agricultural practices. Using a multidimensional scaling (MDS), we differentiated the stakeholders’ perceptions of co-production of ecosystem services. The most mentioned ecosystem services are food supply, regulation of water cycles, soil fertility and erosion prevention. Overall, there is a positive perception that agricultural practices are providing ecosystem services. Biodiversity-based practices are associated with the provision of a broad range of ecosystem services whereas mechanical-chemical practices are mainly linked to food supply. Use of fire, deforestation and use of chemical pesticides are perceived as having most negative effects on the provision of ecosystem services. The type of activity performed by the stakeholders and their municipality are the main factors influencing their perception of ecosystem services co-production. In conclusion, the concept of co-production of ecosystem services related to agroecosystems is relevant as local actors recognize a diversity of effects of agricultural practices on service provision.; Cette étude analyse les perceptions relatives aux services écosystémiques et aux pratiques agricoles, de différents acteurs venant en appui aux agriculteurs familiaux en Amazonie brésilienne orientale. Nos résultats se fondent sur 30 entretiens semi-directifs avec des acteurs clés de deux municipalités contrastées de cette région (Paragominas et Irituia). Dix-sept services écosystémiques différents et 15 pratiques agricoles ont été identifiés. Un positionnement multidimensionnel (MDS) a permis de différencier la perception des acteurs sur la coproduction de services écosystémiques. La production de nourriture, la régulation des cycles de l’eau, la fertilité des sols et la prévention de l’érosion, sont les services écosystémiques les plus mentionnés. Globalement, les pratiques agricoles sont perçues de manière positive en termes de fourniture de services écosystémiques. Les pratiques basées sur la biodiversité (principalement l’introduction de différentes plantes) sont associées à une grande diversité de services, tandis que les pratiques basées sur les intrants chimiques et l’énergie mécanique sont principalement associées à la production de nourriture. L’utilisation du feu, la déforestation et l’utilisation des pesticides chimiques sont considérées comme ayant principalement des effets négatifs sur la fourniture de services écosystémiques. Le type d’activité exercée par les acteurs et la municipalité sont les principaux facteurs influençant leur perception de la co-production de services écosystémiques. En conclusion, le concept de co-production lié aux agroécosystèmes est pertinent, car les acteurs locaux reconnaissent une diversité d’effets des pratiques agricoles sur la fourniture de services.

International audience; Understanding the processes related to the adoption of best environmental practices is an important challenge to support the transition to more sustainable agriculture. Our paper aims to contribute to this issue by analyzing the relation between farm's organizational design and environmental performance. We used data of 47562 dairy farms from the 2010 French Agricultural Census and employed econometric analysis to study the correlation between farm's internal and external factors and environmental performance. The environmental performance is approached by a score based on the adoption of nine best management practices. The results show that while the internal, structural and managerial resources, through which farms can increase their absorptive capacity, play an important role, external factors, particularly the type of market environment in which farms operate, play a key role in environmental performance. The results also highlight the central role of farms' spatial environment and, more specifically, the strong correlation with the environmental performance of the neighboring dairy farms. Finally, policies to promote locally farmer's experience exchanges, to supporting diversification, high quality products and short circuits can bust the environmental performance of dairy sector.

Le conseil agricole occupe une place prépondérante dans l’appui aux processus d’innovation, particulièrement dans les pays du Sud. Or, l’accompagnement de l’innovation nécessite une diversité de formes d’appuis, appelés services support à l’innovation (SSI). À partir d’une analyse exploratoire à Madagascar, cet article questionne la place du conseil agricole vis-à-vis de la diversité des organisations et des activités d’accompagnement de l’innovation. Les principales organisations fournissant des SSI ont été étudiées dans quatre régions des Hautes Terres de Madagascar et leur offre de SSI caractérisée. Les résultats montrent que le conseil technique reste prépondérant dans l’éventail de l’offre de SSI, avec un fort pluralisme des fournisseurs de conseil et une diversité de combinaisons avec les autres SSI. Or, les porteurs d’innovation doivent bénéficier d’autres SSI, tels que le renforcement de capacité, la mise en réseau, des appuis institutionnels, un accès au financement, intrants et équipements nécessaires à l’innovation. Ces résultats appellent à renouveler les postures du conseiller agricole vers davantage d’appui au renforcement de capacité et interrogent la stratégie des organisations vis-à-vis de leur appui à l’innovation : la spécialisation dans le conseil, la combinaison à d’autres SSI ou la collaboration avec d’autres organisations. Ces éléments renouvellent le constat du pluralisme de l’offre de conseil qui, analysé par le prisme des SSI, ne s’applique pas seulement à l’échelon de l’agent-conseiller ou de l’organisation, mais également dans des réseaux d’organisations aux configurations variables. Les perspectives de cette analyse sont d’assurer la coordination des dispositifs de conseil avec les autres fournisseurs de SSI pour une plus grande efficacité dans l’accompagnement des porteurs d’innovation.

International audience; A lot of national and international effort has been made to promote sustainable agricultural production systems in drylands. However, success has been seriously limited due to lack of thorough characterization of the impact of the diversity of farm household types on productivity, resource-use efficiency and economic and nutritional status. This study applied hierarchical ascendant classification to a random sample of 286 cereal-producing farm households in Morocco and identified distinct household typologies. It also carried out an analysis of trade-offs between economic, nutritional and environmental factors induced by the production decisions of the different farm household typologies. Our analysis identified three dominant farm household typologies in the production system, namely: (i) intensive predominantly-vegetable farming households with high input intensities, (ii) semi-intensive cereal mono-crop farming households with moderate input intensities and (iii) extensive mixed cereal-legume farming households with low input intensities. Extensive mixed cereal-legume farming households exhibited the highest resource-use efficiency and high biodiversity. These benefits, however, came at the expense of a much lower farm income and limited food supplies relative to the other two systems. These results show that, as is the case for many dryland regions, all three farm types showed precarious conditions for one or more of the sustainability-related indicators.

In Africa, cocoa yields are low, partly due to soil fertility constraints and poor management. While peoples’ knowledge, aspirations, and abilities are key factors explaining their behaviour, little is known about the rationales that underpin soil fertility management practices (SFMPs) of cocoa farmers. To address this gap, we conducted an exploratory survey in two contrasting regions in Cameroon where cocoa is an important crop: the humid forest and the forest-savannah transition zone. Some 30% of farmers in the transition zone as opposed to 13% in the humid forest expressed concerns about soil fertility. The most relevant soil fertility indicators for farmers were high cocoa yield, dark soil colour, ease of tillage, and floral composition. To enhance and maintain soil fertility, farmers used residues from weeding (100%), planting of trees (42%), mineral fertilisers (33%), compost (16%), and manure (13%). More farmers in the transition zone than the humid forest implemented SFMPs. Our findings suggest that soil fertility perceptions, access to inputs, local practices, and experience influence farmers’ use of SFMPs. The limited use of mineral fertilisers was explained by poor access whereas the use of organic fertilisers and tree planting were mostly constrained by lack of labour and knowledge. Farmers prioritised practices to increase yield and viewed SFMPs to be the least important management practices, although they believe high cocoa yield is an important indicator of soil fertility. To foster sustainable cocoa intensification, it is necessary to enhance farmers’ knowledge on SFMPs, increase access to inputs, and ensure returns on investment while considering farmers’ priorities and practices.

The study focuses on the assessment of the contribution of sheep and goats to reduce poverty and vulnerability in rural farming systems of three agroecologi¬cal areas in Egypt: the pastoral area of the Northwestern coast (Matruh governo¬rate), the irrigated areas of the Nile Valley (Sohag governorate) and the oasis area of the West Desert (New Valley governorate). An empirical study on 90 farms in the three agroecological areas on different social and economic indicators related to poverty gave indicators on the roles of sheep and goats in different farm types according to resource endowment (e.g. land, livestock, capital) and human resources. The results showed that sheep and goats provided the main source of income to landless and very small land owners to escape the poverty trap. Moreover, the livestock asset generated other sources of wealth that were not taken into account in the monetary poverty approach.

Au début de la crise sanitaire due à la Covid-19, certains observateurs ont alerté les décideurs d’une possible crise alimentaire dans les mois à venir en Afrique de l’Ouest. En vue d’alimenter ce débat, nous avons mené une étude en nous entretenant avec 75 acteurs du secteur agricole dans deux régions du Burkina Faso − le Yatenga et les Hauts-Bassins. Dans les deux situations, les agriculteurs et les éleveurs ont pu continuer leurs activités mais certains ont eu des difficultés de commercialisation. Les maraîchers et les arboriculteurs ont été les plus touchés par cette crise du fait des difficultés à écouler leurs produits périssables sur les marchés ouest-africains. Les éleveurs ont été moins concernés par la baisse des prix mais les commerçants de bétail sur pied ont aussi rencontré des difficultés à exporter vers les pays côtiers. Enfin, les sociétés cotonnières ont dû faire face à une baisse du prix international du coton-fibre et les producteurs de coton ont dû faire face à une baisse du prix d’achat du coton-graine à la fin de 2020. Malgré cette crise, l’agriculture burkinabè a continué à jouer pleinement son rôle nourricier grâce à la mobilisation des agriculteurs, des commerçants et des transporteurs, même si elle montre des fragilités dues à sa forte dépendance aux marchés extérieurs pour entre autres les légumes, le bétail, le coton, les mangues, l’anacarde et les intrants agricoles et d’élevage. Cette crise permet de réfléchir à des axes d’intervention afin de rendre l’agriculture burkinabè moins dépendante des marchés extérieurs et des facteurs de production importés. Cela implique la substitution des produits alimentaires importés par des produits locaux et une transition agroécologique permettant de réduire l’importation d’intrants de synthèse.

Pendant des siècles, combinés avec le travail de migrants, la forêt et la rente forêt ont été les principaux facteurs de production du cacao. C’est le modèle universel du cacao, qui a fait de la Côte d’Ivoire le premier producteur mondial. Mais le niveau de déforestation est tel qu’une partie des planteurs doivent trouver des alternatives à la rente forêt, notamment l’engrais minéral. Cet intrant chimique est de fait un facteur d’amélioration des rendements et a priori des revenus. Cependant, si la consommation d’engrais chimique est poussée par le « système », composé des Transnational Corporations (TNC) du cacao, des coopératives, des agences de crédit, des organisations non gouvernementales internationales et des labels de cacao dit « durables », n’y a-t-il pas danger d’effets inverses : contribution à l’excès d’offre de cacao, baisse du cours mondial, endettement et appauvrissement des planteurs ? À partir de trois enquêtes auprès de 150 à 250 planteurs entre 2013 et 2017, d’une enquête auprès de 41 coopératives en 2017 et d’un suivi des prix du cacao et de l’engrais sur 30 ans, l’étude aborde le rôle du prix relatif cacao/engrais et du crédit sur la consommation d’engrais, et leur impact sur la chute du cours du cacao en 2016–2017. L’impact est certain, même si le processus d’expansion cacaoyère par le binôme migration-déforestation reste le facteur essentiel de la hausse de l’offre et de la chute du cours. Le discours selon lequel les gains de rendement vont créer un « cacao durable » et dissuader les planteurs de défricher les forêts reste un mythe. Les migrations continuent aux dépens des toutes dernières forêts classées du pays, à l’est vers Abengourou, à l’ouest vers Blolequin, Man et Touba. Là encore, en dépit de leur communication sur la durabilité, les certifications ont totalement échoué : le cacao de Côte d’Ivoire dépend encore beaucoup de la déforestation. Enfin, de l’autre côté du fleuve Cavally, la grande forêt dense du Libéria disparaît à son tour, sur la voie d’un nouveau boom du cacao. Même si les responsabilités sont partagées avec les politiques publiques, que reste-t-il de « durable » dans la certification et les actions de la majorité des TNC ? Le fossé entre leur communication virtuelle et la réalité n’a jamais été aussi grand.

ProdInra 436333; In Indonesia, rapid economic growth and awareness to consume nutritious food boost animal source foods, consumption, including dairy. As consequence, GDP from livestock sub-sector shows an enhancement to more than 56 percent during five years (2011-2015). Even though, it remains relatively low compared to other South East Asian countries, the demand of dairy products could not be covered by national production. The national production accounted for only around 835.000 tons in 2015 which is produced mostly by smallholder farms.Smallholder farms represent the vast majority of dairy cattle farms in Indonesia. With only 4 cows and less than 1 ha of cultivated land per household on average, dairy activities play an important role in securing the livelihoods of those smallholder farms. However, those farms face several constraints that preclude their sustainability. In that context, we wanted to research “in what condition smallholder dairy farms are more sustainable”.Our approach aimed at evaluating the sustainability of smallholder farms and assessing the dynamics and changes in milk production systems, in West Java Province. The first phase of our study (2014) was to identify the role of a local dairy development project and the needs of the dairy farms. We collected data from 61 farms through formal survey and from milk cooperative The second phase (2015-2016) was to evaluate the sustainability of smallholder dairy farms. After an extensive literature review, we carried out in-depth interviews with experts and local stakeholders (researchers, lecturers, government, cooperative, NGO, farmers) in order to propose six main indicators of sustainability scoring from 0 to 100. We then conducted a formal survey of 355 farmers that allowed us to quantify those indicators. The third phase (2016-2017) was to understand the dynamics of dairy farming systems. Based on the results of the formal survey of 355 farmers, we built a farm typology and characterized each type of farm. We then selected 20 farms which represented each type of farm for in-depth interviews to understand their farm trajectories.From our study, we want to underline 3 main results. First, we show the importance of providing trainings and technical support for the development of farmers’ livelihoods. Second, we note that the level of capital and the diversification of the activities on farm both play important roles in the sustainability of the farms. Third, if mixed crop-livestock systems remain stable in terms of milk production, specialized farms with higher capital endowment increased their herd size rapidly.To conclude, farmers with diversified activity show better sustainability performances than specialized ones, but their contribution to national production increases more slowly. Specialized farm might play a key role to support national production due to rapid increase of the dairy herd. Nevertheless, in a dairy development policy to supply national market, to focus only on those specialized farms could not be relevant. Due to the high number, small-scale farms are important to reducing poverty, to opening job opportunity, to ensuring nutrition and to providing national market. In the future, dairy policies should give more emphasis to smallholders’ trainings and credit programs and to provide relevant strategies considering the farm type, the sustainability pattern, the farm trajectories in order to have sustainable development.; En Indonésie, la croissance économique rapide et la sensibilisation à la consommation d'aliments nutritifs sont des facteurs importants qui stimulent la consommation d'aliments d'origine animale, y compris laitiers.Le PIB de l'élevage a ainsi augmenté de plus de 56% entre 2011 et 2015. Même si elle reste relativement faible par rapport aux autres pays d'Asie du Sud-Est, la demande de produits laitiers n’est pas couverte par la production nationale. Celle-ci ne représentait qu'environ 835 000 tonnes en 2015, produites principalement par des petites exploitations familiales.Les petites exploitations représentent la grande majorité des fermes laitières en Indonésie. Avec seulement 4 vaches et moins de 1 ha de terres cultivées par ménage en moyenne, les activités laitières jouent un rôle important dans la sécurisation des moyens de subsistance de ces petites exploitations. Cependant, ces fermes font face à plusieurs contraintes qui empêchent leur durabilité. Dans ce contexte, nous souhaitions rechercher «dans quelle mesure les petites exploitations laitières peuvent-elles être plus durables ?».Notre approche visait à évaluer la durabilité des petites exploitations et à apprécier la dynamique et les changements dans les systèmes de production laitière dans la province de Java Ouest. La première phase (2014) consistait à identifier le rôle d'un projet de développement laitier local et les besoins des fermes laitières. Nous avons recueilli des données auprès de 61 fermes à travers une enquête formelle et auprès de la coopérative laitière. La deuxième phase (2015-2016) consistait à évaluer la durabilité des petites exploitations familiales. Après une revue de bibliographie, nous avons mené des entretiens avec des experts et des acteurs locaux (chercheurs, experts, gouvernement, coopérative, ONG, agriculteurs) afin de proposer six indicateurs de durabilité. Nous avons ensuite mené une enquête formelle auprès de 355 agriculteurs, ce qui nous a permis de quantifier ces indicateurs. La troisième phase (2016-2017) consistait à comprendre la dynamique des systèmes de production laitière. Sur la base des résultats de l'enquête formelle de 355 agriculteurs, nous avons construit une typologie agricole et caractérisé chaque type de fermes. Nous avons ensuite sélectionné 20 fermes qui représentaient chaque type de ferme pour des entretiens approfondis afin de comprendre leurs trajectoires.Nous voulons souligner 3 résultats principaux. Nous montrons l'importance de fournir des formations et un soutien technique pour le développement des moyens de subsistance des agriculteurs. Nous notons que le niveau de capital et la diversification des activités à la ferme jouent un rôle important dans la durabilité des exploitations agricoles. Enfin, si les systèmes mixtes agriculture-élevage restent stables en termes de production laitière, les exploitations spécialisées disposant d'une dotation en capital plus importante ont rapidement augmenté leur taille de troupeau.En conclusion, les agriculteurs ayant une activité diversifiée affichent de meilleures performances en matière de durabilité, mais leur contribution à la production nationale augmente plus lentement. Les fermes spécialisées pourraient jouer un rôle clé pour soutenir la production nationale en raison de l'augmentation rapide du cheptel laitier. Néanmoins, dans une politique de développement laitier il ne serait pas pertinent de se concentrer uniquement sur ces exploitations spécialisées. En raison de leur nombre élevé, les petites exploitations jouent un rôle important dans la réduction de la pauvreté, la création d'emploi, l'alimentation et la fourniture d'un marché national. À l'avenir, les politiques laitières devraient mettre davantage l'accent sur les formations et les programmes de crédit des petits exploitants et fournir des stratégies pertinentes tenant compte du type de ferme, du modèle de durabilité, des trajectoires agricoles afin d'assurer un développement durable.

Improvements in agricultural land and labour productivity are needed to meet the growing food demand and reduce farmer poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. The objectives of this study were to (i) quantify variation in labour inputs, yield and labour productivity among rice fields; (ii) elicit factors associated with this variation; and (iii) identify opportunities for improving yield and labour productivity. The study was carried out in two contrasting Beninese villages: Zonmon in the south and Pelebina in the north-west. In Zonmon 82 irrigated rice fields were surveyed during the 2013 and 2014 dry seasons. In Pelebina 50 rainfed lowland rice fields were surveyed over three rainy seasons (2012–2014). Data on farmer field management practices and field conditions were recorded through interviews with farmers, on-farm observations and measurements. Stepwise regression analyses were used to identify variables associated with variation in yield, labour inputs and labour productivity. Average yields were 4.8 ± 2.0 t ha−1 in Zonmon and 2.3 ± 1.2 t ha−1 in Pelebina. Average labour productivity, however, was larger in Pelebina (17 kg of paddy rice person-day−1) than in Zonmon (8 kg of paddy rice person-day−1). Relative yield gaps (43–48%) and labour productivity gaps (59–63%) were similar in the villages. There was no trade-off between yield and labour or labour productivity within the villages, suggesting that in many cases rice yields can be increased without additional labour inputs. The major labour-demanding farming operations were bird scaring in Zonmon and harvesting and threshing in Pelebina. We identified opportunities to improve rice yield and labour productivity, given current farmer knowledge and resource endowment. Based on the statistical models fitted per village, increasing the average hill density would result in up to 1.2 t ha−1 more yield, and up to 4 kg person-day−1 greater labour productivity for Zonmon. Increasing the average field size and avoiding rice shading would result in up to 0.8 t ha−1 more yield, and up to 17.1 kg person-day−1 greater labour productivity for Pelebina. Further enhancing yield and labour productivity will require (i) introducing small-scale mechanisation and other labour-saving innovations, in particular for labour-demanding farming operations such as bird scaring in Zonmon and harvesting and threshing in Pelebina; and (ii) combining analyses of yields and labour productivities at field level with detailed analyses of labour use and labour productivity at farm level. We found that, on average, one hectare in Zonmon contributed twice as much to Beninese rice production than one hectare in Pelebina but with a two times smaller reward for farmer labour. This paradox of higher yields but lower labour productivity in such different rice growing environments and farming systems should be addressed in elaborating development policies.

International audience; This article discusses the perception of ecosystem services for French and Brazilian pond fish farming. Its aim is to study the extent to which the industry and its stakeholders are aware of the existence of such services in order to be able to prioritize them with respect to social well-being. This identification phase is seldom discussed. It requires that survey questionnaires be designed so as to improve understanding of these perceptions. The surveys undertaken combined both open questions where the interviewees expressed their perceptions spontaneously and closed questions where they were invited to rank a pre-established list of the relevant services. These surveys involved 133 fish farmers and 93 stakeholders. The results show that perceptions differ by question type, and confirm the significance of the questionnaire design and the importance of combining several kinds of approach.