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La culture de l'igname est tres importante en Cote d'Ivoire en termes de production et de consommation. C'est la premiere culture vivriere en termes de tonnage produit par an. Cependant, les contraintes a sa production sont nombreuses et imposent de rechercher des ameliorations. Ainsi, le Centre suisse de recherches scientifiques (CSRS) a-t-il introduit en 1998 en Cote d'Ivoire, treize varietes ameliorees de l’International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) afin de satisfaire aux besoins de securite alimentaire des populations. Cette etude se propose de determiner les conditions d'acceptation de nouvelles varietes d'igname par les acteurs dans le processus de leur diffusion. Les paysans pilotes ont ete retenus avec la collaboration de l'Agence nationale d'appui au developpement rural (Anader). A la suite de tests sur la productivite, des degustations sont realisees pour etablir les criteres organoleptiques d'acceptation des varietes. Les varietes introduites ont ete agronomiquement plus performantes que les varietes locales. Deux principaux criteres de decision ont guide la diffusion : la qualite et la production. Quatre varietes ont ete retenues. Leur distribution a d'abord ete soutenue par une structure de vulgarisation avant d'etre spontanee grâce a la participation des paysans. La courbe de distribution des meilleures varietes est sigmoidale quelle que soit l'espece. Trente-huit pour cent du total des producteurs (n = 1 283) ont accepte les varietes nouvelles.

Agricultural activities, among other factors, can influence the transmission of malaria. In two villages of central Cote d'Ivoire (Tiemelekro and Zatta) with distinctively different agro-ecological characteristics, we assessed Plasmodium prevalence rates, fever and clinically confirmed malaria episodes among children aged 15 years and below by means of repeated cross-sectional surveys. Additionally, presumptive malaria cases were monitored in dispensaries for a 4-year period. In Tiemelekro, we observed a decrease in malaria prevalence rates from 2002 to 2005, which might be partially explained by changes in agricultural activities from subsistence farming to cash crop production. In Zatta, where an irrigated rice perimeter is located in close proximity to human habitations, malaria prevalence rates in 2003 were significantly lower than in 2002 and 2005, which coincided with the interruption of irrigated rice farming in 2003/2004. Although malaria transmission differed by an order of magnitude in the two villages in 2003, there was no statistically significant difference between the proportions of severe malaria episodes (i.e. axillary temperature>37.5 degrees C plus parasitaemia>5000 parasites/microl blood). Our study underscores the complex relationship between malaria transmission, prevalence rate and the dynamics of malaria episodes. A better understanding of local contextual determinants, including the effect of agricultural activities, will help to improve the local epidemiology and control of malaria.

Poverty reduction policies guide development strategies. In economies that depend heavily on agriculture, in the face of rapid population growth, innovative approaches are required to satisfy food needs, increase household welfare and alleviate poverty. Irrigated agriculture is an important strategy to enhance crop production, but it must be well tailored to specific socio-ecological settings, as otherwise, it might increase the burden of water-related parasitic diseases and delay economic advance. The purpose of this study is to assess and quantify the effect of ill health, particularly malaria, on the performance of farm activity, with an emphasis on drip-irrigated vegetable farming in rural Côte d'Ivoire. Vegetable yields and revenues were monitored among 12 farmers and linked with longitudinal medical and entomological surveys. Over the course of 10 months, farmers were classified as sick, on average, for 14-15 days, with malaria accounting for 8-9 days (58%), confirming that malaria is the most important disease in this setting. There was a large heterogeneity among farmers, with malaria-related work losses ranging between 0 and 26 days. Work absenteeism correlated with overall yields and revenues. During a single cabbage production cycle, those farmers who were prescribed sick because of malaria for more than 2 days (mean: 4.2 days) had 47% lower yields and 53% lower revenues than farmers who missed a maximum of 2 days (mean: 0.3 days). This is consequential in an intensive cropping system, where substitutes for qualified workers are not readily available. We conclude that mitigating the burden of malaria is an important step towards reducing the vulnerability of people engaged in intensive agricultural production. This calls for targeted interventions to facilitate agriculture-based rural development that might spur social and economic development and reduce inequities in sub-Saharan Africa.

With the aim of reducing the cost and time needed to treat yam tubers with gibberellic acid (GA3), this study compared several new methods of application with the established dipping procedure (150 mg kg −1 for 1 h). Both GA3-containing soil paste (25 mg kg −1 ) and gelatinized starch (860 mg kg −1 ) were applied to tuber heads of Dioscorea alata and D cayenensis-rotundata in the Ivory Coast. Soil paste, gelatinized starch and dipping consistently prolonged dormancy and reduced fresh matter losses by 23-39% in D cayenensis-rotundata 3-year means. Although dipping reduced the storage losses most efficiently, soil paste and gelatinized starch used considerably less GA3. Both new treatments were easily prepared and quickly applied. Soil paste was most effective when the treatment was repeated before the end of dormancy. The third new method, spraying the tubers with a GA3 solution (150 mg kg −1 ), was not effective. In general, the optimal time of application was immediately post-harvest. For Da lata ,t reatment only 1 month after harvest was particularly ineffective, whereas D cayenensis-rotundata tubers could be treated with some effect up to the end of dormancy. To achieve extended storage periods of healthy tubers of D cayenensis-rotundata ,G A 3 application may be recommended as post-harvest practice.  2003 Society of Chemical Industry

In the Ivory Coast, palm wine is the preferred beverage of the rural population. It is extracted from various species of palm tree. Palm wine is part of the staple diet of the population. Although seen as a marginal activity, the sale of palm wine provides significant income for its producers.

Bassirou Bonfoh and others offer lessons from a West African institute that has survived ten years of conflict.

The annual vegetative cycle of the yam (Dioscorea spp) necessitates a long period of storage. Losses during this period are high and are mainly due to germination. Trials on the effectiveness of gibberellic acid (GA3) for controlling storage losses were carried out on the two main species of yam (D cayenensis rotundata and D alata) grown in the Ivory Coast. Methods of application at the apex adapted to the rural environment were tested. Treatment with GA3 prolonged the dormancy period and thus reduced losses. This substance was effective at low concentration with a long soaking duration (75 mg litre−1 for 2 h) and during a soaking of short duration with a higher concentration (0·5 h at 150 mg litre−1). Because of its stability at ambient temperature, the solution was still active 3 days after being prepared and after reuse of the same dip six times. © 1998 SCI.

Fertilization is an important management strategy of yams (Dioscorea spp.) especially when grown in degraded soils. A field study evaluated the leaf numbers, leaf area indices, crop growth, yields, and nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) use efficiencies of D. alata and D. rotundata in Côte d'Ivoire when grown in two contrasting soils with and without fertilizer. D. alata had a lower number of leaves per vine, although leaf area indices were higher, and the leaves were retained for a longer period than in D. rotundata. In all situations, the yields of D. alata were significantly higher, and fertilizers promoted growth of shoots, roots, tubers, and, thus, final yields especially in the low fertile savanna soil. The beneficial impact of fertilizer on yields was significantly lower in the fertile forest soils. The nutrient use agronomic efficiencies indicated the impact of both N and K in promoting yields especially under nonfertilized conditions., International Journal of Agronomy, 2011, ISSN:1687-8167, ISSN:1687-8159

L\'etude a ete conduite,de janvier a juin 2003, au Centre de la Cote d\'Ivoire. Elle a eu pour but d\'evaluer au champ, le comportement de 13 varietes de tomate contre la pression de Bemisia tabaci (Gen), une mouche vecteur du virus de la jaunisse en cuillere des feuilles de tomate («Tomato yellow leaf curl virus» : TYLCV). Le niveau d\'infestation des varietes par les populations de mouches blanches (oeufs, larves, et adultes) a ete evalue par comptage. Les symptomes du TYLCV et les rendements ont ete determines pour chaque variete de tomate a la recolte. Les resultats montrent que les formes mobiles et les formes fixes du vecteur ont ete plus frequentes autour du 57e jour apres repiquage. Les taux les plus importants des oeufs et des larves de l\'insecte ont ete observes sur les faces inferieures des folioles basales des plantes pendant la meme periode. Des varietes en provenance d\'Israel (HAZERA) et de Taiwan (AVRDC), se sont revelees tres productives malgre la presence d\'une importante population de mouches blanches. This study was carried out, from January to June 2003, in the Central part of Cote d\'Ivoire. The objective was to make an on-farm evaluation of the reaction of 13 tomatoe varieties faced with Bemisia tabaci (Gen), a white fly responsible for yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). Infestation of the varieties by the white flies (eggs, larvae, and adults) was evaluated by counting. Diseases symptoms and tomatoe productivity were determined for each variety at the end of the experiment. Results show that mobile adults and fixed forms (larvae, eggs) of the vector were more predominant around 57 days after planting. The most important quantities of eggs and larvae were observed on the lower faces of the basal leaves of the plants during the same period. Some varieties from Israel (HAZERA) and Taiwan (AVRDC) proved to be highly productive despite important populations of white flies. Keywords : Bemisia tabaci, virus de la jaunisse en cuillere, varietes de tomate. Agronomie Africaine Vol. 19 (3) 2007: pp. 241-249

La tomate est largement produite en Cote d\'Ivoire. Malgre cette importance, sa production est soumise a de nombreuses contraintes dont les principales sont entre autres : la jaunisse en cuillere des feuilles, le fletrissement bacterien et les nematodes a galles. En vue d\'identifier des cultivars performants, une etude portant sur six cultivars ameliores de tomate a ete conduite dans la region de Toumodi (Cote d\'Ivoire). Elle s\'est deroulee sur deux cycles de production, l\'un en saison seche et l\'autre en saison des pluies. Les blocs de Fischer completement randomises ont ete adoptes. De maniere specifique, il s\'est agit, a partir de comptages simples, de determiner sur la parcelle apres apport d\'insecticides, les incidences du TYLCV, du fletrissement bacteriens et des nematodes a galles sur six cultivars de tomate d\'une part, et de mesurer le rendement potentiel de ces varietes comparativement a la variete Petomech cultivee en Cote d\'Ivoire d\'autre part. La meilleure variete a produit 18 t.ha-1 contre 7 t.ha-1 en saison seche et 51 t.ha-1 contre 24 t.ha-1 respectivement pour les varietes testees et Petomech en saison des pluies. Les resultats obtenus ont permis la classification hierarchisee des differentes varietes, en fonction de leur origine, sur les deux cycles de production. Ainsi, les varietes d\'Israel sont plus performantes que celles de Taiwan qui elles-memes sont plus performantes que la variete Petomech. Tomato is widely produced in Cote d\'Ivoire. Nonetheless, tomato production faces several constraints then whose principal ones are among others diseases: the yellow leaf curl, bacterial wilt and root knot nematodes. In order to identify performants cultivars, six improved cultivars of tomato were tested in the Toumodi region (Cote d\'Ivoire). The trial was conducted over two production cycles; one in the dry season and the other one in the rainy season. The experimental design was based on the Fisher completely Randomized Blocks. Basically, we had to determine after using pesticides, the incidence of TYLCV, bacterial wilt and root knot nematodes on the six cultivars of tomato. We compared the potential yield of those varieties to that of the Petomech one. The best yield obtained is 18 t.ha-1 against 7 t.ha-1 in dry season and then, 51 t.ha-1 against 24 t.ha-1 in rainy season for the tested varieties and Petomech respectively. The results obtained allowed us to make a hierarchical classification of the cultivars according to their origin over the two cycles of production. We concluded that, the varieties of Israel are more productive than those of Taiwan, which are in turn more preferment than the Petomech one. Keywords : Performance, tomate, jaunisse en cuillere, fletrissement bacterien, nematodes, Cote d\'Ivoire. Sciences & Nature Vol. 4 (2) 2007: pp. 123-130

The dynamics of malaria transmission was studied comparatively in the villages of Zatta and Tiemelekro, central Cote d'Ivoire, from February 2002 to August 2003. Prominent agroecosystems in these villages are irrigated rice growing and vegetable farming, respectively. Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) were collected on human bait at night and by pyrethrum knock-down spray sheet collections at four randomly selected sentinel sites in each village. In 2002, for a total of 96 man-nights per village, 7716 mosquitoes were collected in Zatta and 3308 in Tiemelekro. In 2003, with half the sampling effort, 859 and 2056 mosquitoes were collected in Zatta and Tiemelekro, respectively. Anopheles gambiae Giles s.l. was the predominant mosquito and the key malaria vector throughout, followed by An. funestus Giles. Anthropophily among adult female Anopheles exceeded 95% in both villages. Comparison between years revealed that the biting rate of An. gambiae s.l. in Zatta decreased several-fold from 49.3 bites per person per night (b/p/n) in 2002 to 7.9 b/p/n in 2003 (likelihood ratio test (LRT) = 1072.66; P

Background Current conceptual frameworks on the interrelationship between armed conflict and poverty are based primarily on aggregated macro-level data and/or qualitative evidence and usually focus on adherents of warring factions. In contrast, there is a paucity of quantitative studies about the socioeconomic consequences of armed conflict at the micro-level, i.e., noncommitted local households and civilians. Methods We conducted a secondary analysis of data pertaining to risk factors for malaria and neglected tropical diseases. Standardized questionnaires were administered to 182 households in a rural part of western Côte d'Ivoire in August 2002 and again in early 2004. Between the two surveys, the area was subject to intensive fighting in the Ivorian civil war. Principal component analysis was applied at the two time points for constructing an asset-based wealth-index and categorizing the households in wealth quintiles. Based on quintile changes, the households were labeled as 'worse-off', 'even' or 'better-off'. Statistical analysis tested for significant associations between the socioeconomic fates of households and head of household characteristics, household composition, village characteristics and self-reported events associated with the armed conflict. Most-poor/least-poor ratios and concentration indices were calculated to assess equity changes in households' asset possession. Results Of 203 households initially included in the first survey, 21 were lost to follow-up. The population in the remaining 182 households shrunk from 1,749 to 1,625 persons due to migration and natural population changes. However, only weak socioeconomic dynamics were observed; every seventh household was defined as 'worse-off' or 'better-off' despite the war-time circumstances. Analysis of other reported demographic and economic characteristics did not clearly identify more or less resilient households, and only subtle equity shifts were noted. However, the results indicate significant changes in livelihood strategies with a significant return to agricultural production and a decrease in the diversity of socioeconomic activities. Conclusion Situational constraints and methodological obstacles are inherent in conflict settings and hamper conflict-related socioeconomic research. Furthermore, sensitive methods to assess and meaningfully interpret longitudinal micro-level wealth data from low-income countries are lacking. Despite compelling evidence of socioeconomic dynamics triggered by armed conflicts at the macro-level, we could not identify similar effects at the micro-level. A deeper understanding of household profiles that are more resilient to armed conflict could help to better prevent and/or alleviate adverse conflict-related and increasingly civilian-borne socioeconomic effects.

Background A sound local understanding of preventive measures and health-seeking behaviour is important for the effective control of malaria. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, practices and beliefs of 'malaria' and its control in two rural communities of central Côte d'Ivoire, and to examine associations between 'malaria' and the households' socioeconomic status. Methods A cross-sectional household survey was carried out, using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. People's socioeconomic status was estimated, employing a household asset-based approach. Results Malaria was identified as djèkouadjo, the local folk name of the disease. Although people were aware of malaria-related symptoms and their association with mosquitoes, folk perceptions were common. In terms of treatment, a wide array of modern and traditional remedies was employed, often in combination. Individuals with a sound knowledge of the causes and symptoms of malaria continued to use traditional treatments and only a few people sleep under bed nets, whereas folk beliefs did not necessarily translate into refusal of modern treatments. Perceived causes of malaria were linked to the household's socioeconomic status with wealthier individuals reporting mosquitoes more frequently than poorer households. Bed nets were more frequently used in wealthier social strata, whereas other protective measures – perceived to be cheaper – were more prominent among the poorest. Conclusion Equitable access to resources at household, community and health system levels are essential in order to enable community members to prevent and treat malaria. There is a need for community-based approaches that match health care services with poor people's needs and resources.