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The history of human evolution has been marked by the possibilities of adapting to the nourishing offers of nature since the primitive societies of hunter-gatherers until the advent of agriculture in the Neolithic and its transmission to contemporary populations. Thus, the anthropization of environments by human populations contributes to the development of various agricultural practices according to the subsistence needs. In particular, the African continent constitutes a geographical space of bushy expression of this existential continuum that sets in motion the co-evolution of farming methods with societal dynamics. The present study addresses in this context, the question of the impact factors related to a reconfiguration of the ecosystem of agricultural and food practices among "Tchoyasso" people in the South forest of Côte d'Ivoire. Empirical observations made in the field reveal that rubber cultivation has grown on the traditional cocoa cultivation with collateral effects of reduction of arable land for food crops. This causes community tensions related to rural land holdings. Diachronic analysis of the data following an ethnobiological approach, demonstrates an ecosystem mutation in agricultural practices resulting correlatively, an adaptive process of food transition in peasant populations. Thus, a dynamic of intensification of cassava production with new cultivation techniques and the marketing of edible derivatives appear as an alternative to food self-sufficiency and social economy.

Le tourisme rural intégré est un type de tourisme alternatif qui place la population locale au cœur des initiatives favorisant ainsi son développement et permettant de bénéficier des retombées économiques du secteur. Lancé dans les années 1970 en Basse Casamance, il offre diverses richesses naturelles et culturelles. L’objectif est de créer des coopératives autour des campements villageois afin de réduire la pauvreté. Cette étude analyse l’apport du tourisme rural intégré dans le village d’Affiniam, longtemps enclavé et difficile d’accès. Elle s’appuie sur une approche quantitative (enquête) et qualitative (entretien et observation) pour évaluer la perception de la population. Les résultats montrent un bilan satisfaisant dans la mesure où l’installation du campement villageois a permis à la population locale de bénéficier des retombées du tourisme et de porter le développement de sa localité. Cent pourcent des enquêtés affirment que le campement a permis le développement du village, et 94 % indiquent participer aux activités du campement. Cependant, 92 % des enquêtés notent également des effets négatifs. Parmi ceux-ci, 53 % mentionnent la dégradation des mœurs, 28 % parlent de la prostitution déguisée, 13 % évoquent la perversion sociale et 6 % citent d’autres effets (risque de maladie, marchandisation de la culture). Malgré ces effets négatifs, 83 % des enquêtés jugent le bilan positif, 16 % le trouvent moyen et 1 % le considèrent faible.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, rural spa establishments developed in Basse-Auvergne while spas in the area were proliferating. In these spa villages, doctors attempted to impose a medical vision of care on patients who had previously enjoyed free, independent access to the springs. Local patients set up somewhat organized strategies to maintain their access to the waters. Other locals took advantage of the situation, finding a new source of income: spa establishments required a large number of staff to act as a link between medical inspectors and patients.

Copyright of VertigO is the property of La Revue Electronique en Sciences de l'Environnement VertigO 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.)

The forest-savannah mosaics are an ecological and heterogenous formation, where landscape structure and composition vary substantially. This study investigates the spatial organization of human activities at the scale of village terroirs of the North Batéké Chiefdom, Democratic Republic of Congo. How are human activities organized on the periphery of the villages? Is there local variability in the spatiality of these activities and what factors account for such variability? Finally, what are the consequences on the landscape, particularly in terms of deforestation? These questions were addressed by crossing data from georeferenced field surveys and socio-economic surveys, all of which were triangulated with analyses from geomatics (GIS and remote sensing). A theoretical model of the village terroir was produced for all villages, consisting of a concentric organization of activities on the periphery of villages, based on the maximum distances walked for each activity. A variation in these distances was observed, notably concerning agriculture, because of demography, availability of woodlands, the presence of community forests and the intensity of economic agriculture. This inter-village variability made it possible to highlight a village typology directly linked to the landscape composition of the terroirs, and thus to highlight different socio-ecological situations within a small area. This has made it possible to identify certain deforestation hotspots, and, conversely, areas where there is little degradation of forest cover. Ultimately, this study aims to support local policies in terms of development and conservation by enabling them to act in an integrated approach at the village level. By relying on the concept of village terroir, this research highlights the relevance of carrying out local, or even micro-local, studies in order to gain a better understanding of the complexity of human-environment relations, which are directly visible on the landscape.

Buruli ulcer is one of the 17 neglected tropical infectious diseases in the world. It is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium ulcerans and its symptoms are necrotizing cutaneous lesions that can reach bones. Buruli ulcer affects populations (mainly women and children) living in rural areas of west and central Africa. Nowadays, early diagnosis combined with antibiotic treatment and appropriate wound care can keep the infection under control and prevent permanent lesions such as amputations or disabling retractions of one or several limbs. However, this care strategy is often ineffective in the endemic areas because the formulation of an appropriate and effective preventive strategy also requires the precise identification of what makes an aquatic environment favourable to M. ulcerans. To date, only open surface stagnant waters or slow running waters have been identified at risk. Therefore, we propose to observe and characterize water points that are used by villagers for domestic uses. The main goal of this study is to investigate if the variations in the use of unprotected water sources can be related with variations of the incidence of Buruli ulcer in two districts located in the southeast of Benin.

The irrigation process is old and its dynamic has moved towards the promotion of small village irrigated areas where the involvement of producer’s production is more important. The establishment of business management and supervision entities has been a success. But their sustainable operation has not lived up to expectations by the low capitalization of local competence. The study addresses the question of sustainability of agricultural development in the Sahel. The aim is to contribute to the integrated water resources management process though an understanding the implication of the collective management of these infrastructures. The work was based on a situational diagnosis (physical and social) though open survey and interviews as well as documentary data on the structure developed. Management difficulties have affected equipment maintenance as well as the organization of the actors. However, this experience remains to be capitalized.

Copyright of Revue du Monde Musulman et de la Méditerrannée is the property of Edisud 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.)

Companion Modelling (ComMod) is a support method for natural resource management that emerged in response to top-down approaches. Used by practitioners to support stakeholders in conflict resolution, it is also used by researchers to generate with stakeholders’ involvement, knowledge about complex socio-ecological systems (SES). The approach is well suited to the modelling of systems at the heart of which lies the decision making process of human agents. This study shows how Companion Modelling made it possible to create a research and scenario development tool for the exploration of how a pioneer front operates in a dense forest setting in eastern Cameroon. For three years, a ComMod process was conducted with farmers and hunter-gatherers ; it culminated in the co-construction of the AgriForEst model (Agriculture and Forests in East Cameroon), which was then translated into a board and roleplaying game. Gaming with stakeholders other than those involved in the design served as validation. We present here how the participants took ownership of the tool, and in so doing developed their ability to anticipate future states of their system. Finally, we discuss the signification of the results obtained : the knowledge produced is of a demonstrative nature, and not explanatory. A game session shows how women and men change their strategies, and create new norms, in response to changes, change the forest in the process and are changed in return. AgriForEst shows how a landscape is shaped. One has to play it or see it played to realize it.

Copyright of VertigO is the property of La Revue Electronique en Sciences de l'Environnement VertigO 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.)

Les politiques de conservation, dans leur conception traditionnelle voire spirituelle d’une nature sauvage coupée et préservée du monde des hommes créent parfois des disjonctions spatiales entre les éléments « naturels » et les éléments anthropisés. Après le constat d’échec des politiques autoritaires de protection de la nature, plusieurs conférences internationales, en reconnaissant leurs savoirs traditionnels, ont mis l’accent sur la nécessité d’associer les populations humaines à la conservation des espaces naturels et des espèces sauvages. Notre objectif est d’étudier cette stratégie, à travers le concept géographique de territoire, comme système complexe dont la dynamique résulte de boucles de rétroaction qui lient un ensemble d’acteurs et l’espace géographique qu’ils utilisent, aménagent et gèrent en fonction de leurs représentations, passées, présentes et projetées. La zone d’étude de Sebitoli, située à l’extrémité nord du parc national de Kibale (Ouganda) est circonscrite dans une poche de forêt de 25 km² où une communauté de chimpanzés est en cours d’habituation depuis 2008 par l’équipe du Sebitoli Chimpanzee Project (SCP). Autour du territoire des chimpanzés, les territoires des hommes - dont la densité peut atteindre 335 habitants/km² - encerclent la forêt. Les hommes, interdits de pénétrer en forêt par une législation stricte, prélèvent pourtant certaines de ses ressources. Les animaux sauvages, dont les chimpanzés, vont occasionnellement piller les ressources agricoles des hommes. Chaque espèce sort donc de son territoire habituel pour s’introduire dans celui de l’autre, ce qui engendre des superpositions pouvant occasionner des conflits. Nous nous sommes intéressés aux usages et pratiques de 31 villageois dans trois territoires agricoles (Sebitoli, Nyakabingo, Kihingami) entre novembre 2012 et janvier 2013. Nous avons combiné des entretiens semi-directifs et des observations participantes (N = 42 villageois et agriculteurs, gestionnaires, employés des usines de thé) avec des relevés floristiques en lisière de forêt (N = 8 transects soit 32 relevés situés entre 0 et 150 mètres de part et d’autre de la lisière de la forêt – janvier à avril 2013) dans un Système d’Information Géographique (SIG) pour spatialiser les rapports entre les hommes que nous avons interrogés et les chimpanzés que nous étudions. Ce travail permet d’identifier des lieux de rencontre entre les acteurs de notre zone d’étude (champs, bord de route, lisière de la forêt). Une ethnoécologie géographique de la rencontre entre les hommes et les chimpanzés permet de montrer la diversité des connaissances des 31 villageois que nous avons interrogés et de les valoriser. La description de particularités physiques (animal sans queue, qui ressemble à l’homme) et comportementales (peur de l’homme, protection des dépendants) ou de la temporalité de rencontre (la nuit, moins fréquent que par le passé) témoignent de la curiosité des hommes pour les chimpanzés et permet de montrer que la frontière entre leurs territoires est relativement poreuse. La confrontation des discours des villageois et des gestionnaires de la biodiversité dégage une vision complexe de la gestion de la faune sauvage ou certaines espèces peuvent être « remarquables » ou « ordinaires » en fonction de territoires qui ne sont ni perçus, ni vécus de la même manière par leurs différents utilisateurs. Mieux comprendre le discours de chacun fait partie d’une démarche plus éthique de la recherche scientifique.

Copyright of L'Homme: Revue Française d'Anthropologie is the property of Editions EHESS 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.)

Copyright of Histoire et Societes Rurales is the property of Association Histoire et Societes Rurales 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.)

The Characteristics of Rural Guinea Fowl Numida meleagris Breeding System in the Centre of Burkina Faso. The characteristics of rural guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) breeding system in the centre of Burkina Faso are presented through a formal investigation. This activity is exclusively practised by men 32 or more years old. For reproduction and sale, 40.2% and 39.2% of the flock are respectively used. For gifts, 11.4% are used and for self-consumption 9.2%. The male reaches his sexual maturity at 6.2 ± 0.6 months and the female at 7.1 ± 1.8 months. The female lays 103.8 ± 9.6 eggs per year. Her laying career duration is 3.0 ± 0.6 years. The numerical productivity is about 5.3 ± 1.2 adults per female per year. The sex-ratio in the livestock farming is 2.3 ± 1.1 females per 1 male. The hatchery rates of 75.0% and 90.0% are observed respectively during the dry and rainy seasons. The incubation is made with 25 to 30 eggs per hen per hatchery. The keets leave the hen around 2.6 ± 0.5 months. The breeder holds traditional knows-how in several fields. The major constraints remain the mortality of the keets, the weak aptitude for the incubation, and the lack of technical knowledge on guinea fowl breeding. The proposals for a sustainable development of this activity will be focussed on the lifting of the identified constraints.