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The integrated assessment of agricultural value chains through economic, social and environmental analyses is aimed at providing the necessary and sufficient information to guide or support investment decisions in the context of sustainable development. These assessments are based on data collection and analyses of the organisation of these value chains, as well as on their stakeholders' strategies. Access to information, the reliability of this information, and the general context in which these value chains evolve are key dimensions. The context can be an obstacle to investment decisions and the implementation of sectoral agricultural policies. Indeed, investing requires confidence in the future, since it implies debt, and therefore risk-taking and accountability. In order to mitigate this risk, investors require information and must be able to access it. In low-income countries, difficulties in applying regulatory texts and the lack of reliable information hamper the development of sustainable agricultural value chains, as well as the processes to assess them. We show how mango value chains in Burkina Faso are concerned.

International audience; In the face of growing demand for local products, farmers are developing direct sales. Our research examines the impact of this strategy on farms' sustainability. Focusing on the market gardening sector, we compare metropolitan France and its overseas departments: Martinique, Guadeloupe and Reunion. These insular economies must meet national and European requirements for healthy and local production while complying with specific organizational and geographic conditions. If direct selling is considered an innovation, we first identify the factors, such as characteristics of farmers and their farm, determining its adoption. While establishing the link between such an innovation and performance, we study the impact of direct sales on farms' sustainability, inspired by the IDEA method. We use representative farm data from 2010 and 2016 and perform a propensity score matching coupled with a difference-indifference analysis. While the impact of direct sales on sustainability is effective in metropolitan France, more nuanced results are observed in insular economies. Whatever the location, direct sales provide a response to consumers' expectations in terms of product diversification. While direct sales are initially associated with product processing and tourism, these activities are gradually abandoned, in particular because of the skills necessary to their realization. In metropolitan France, direct selling modifies the relationship with certifications by developing organic production to the detriment of other types of certification. It is also accompanied by output and employment growth. Our results question the role that the environment in which farmers evolve plays in the sustainability dynamics of farms in island economies.

The respective contribution of conservation agriculture (CA) principles (no-tillage, permanent soil cover/mulch and crop rotations) on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is still unclear. This study was conducted at two long-term experimental sites established in 2013 in Zimbabwe, on an abruptic Lixisol at Domboshava Training Center (DTC) and on a xanthic Ferralsol at the University of Zimbabwe Farm (UZF). The purpose of the study was to unravel the individual and combined effects of tillage, mulching and rotation on N2O and CH4 emissions in low nitrogen (N) input maize-based cropping systems (< 60 kg N ha−1) and to compare emissions within maize rows and between maize rows. We hypothesised that integrating no tillage, mulch and cereal-legume rotation would enhance N2O emissions. Six treatments, replicated four times were investigated: conventional tillage, conventional tillage with rotation, no-tillage, no-tillage with mulch, no-tillage with rotation, no-tillage with mulch and rotation. The main crop was maize (Zea mays L.) and treatments with rotation included cowpea (Vigna unguiculate L. Walp.). Gas samples were regularly collected using the static chamber method in the maize row and inter-row spaces during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 cropping seasons and during the 2020/21 dry season. Soil moisture and mineral N were measured in the 0–20 cm soil depth. In 2019/20, cumulative total N2O emissions were significantly higher in mulch treatments at DTC, while at UZF N2O emissions were higher with cowpea rotation. Cumulative total N2O emissions ranged from 215 to 496 g N2O-N ha−1 yr−1 and from 226 to 395 g N2O-N ha−1 yr−1, at DTC and UZF, respectively. In 2020/21, N2O emissions were much lower and no differences were found between treatments on both sites (145 to 179 g N2O-N ha−1 yr−1 and 83 to 136 g N2O-N ha−1 yr−1 at DTC and UZF, respectively). A significant relationship was found between soil nitrate and daily N2O emissions. At UZF, highest N2O emissions were observed at a water-filled pore space of 60–70%. There were no significant differences in yield-scaled N2O emissions between treatments at both sites for the two seasons. DTC was a net source of CH4 (694 g CH4-C ha−1 yr−1 on average), while UZF was a net sink of CH4 (−494 g CH4-C ha−1 yr−1 on average). No evidence was found for in situ CH4 production at DTC, and an external source is most likely. Our study indicates that for low N input cropping systems in the sub-humid tropics, N loss through N2O is low.

International audience; A major programme of irrigated rice extension in the Middle Senegal River Valley has further limited the river’s natural flooding in the floodplain (Waalo), initially reduced by drought. We conducted a transdisciplinary (TD) and gendered study in the region to explore links between agricultural biodiversity and family diets using a social analysis of women’s practices. The results showed how rice expansion impacts local agrobiodiversity, diet quality and the cultural way of life. Disappearance of the singular agropastoral and fishing system of the Senegal River Valley is profoundly modifying the landscape, limiting wooded riverine settings, and is undermining the traditional diversified flood-recession cropping system in the Waalo. This is causing an overconsumption of rice by reducing alternative food sources, such as sorghum, vegetables and animal products (fish, milk and meat). In particular, flood-recession sorghums are in danger of disappearing, yet they are more nutritious than rice and now sell for twice as much, or more. The way of life is being disrupted, notably sociabilities previously based on territorial complementarities, and women are disadvantaged in terms of recognition and added workload. Women’s groups have launched collective irrigated gardens, organic or not, only supported by the local NGO, but any surplus is hardly ever sold on the weekly markets in the neighbourhood. Moreover, this diet imbalance increases nutritional risk factors for health, such as vitamin and iron deficiencies, especially for women, hypertension and diabetes. We argue that, firstly, gendered TD experiences are relevant for documenting women’s activities in order for them to gain political support and, secondly, that targeting women’s care tasks gives more value and impact to TD research results.

Introduction Cocoa is one of the main crops grown in Ecuador. The agricultural area dedicated to cocoa represents the largest area dedicated to a permanent crop the country. Dry bean production has grown at an average annual rate of 15% since 2014, mainly due to yield improvements and replacement of other crops. Several varieties of cocoa are grown, but production is dominated by two main varieties: “Cacao Fino y de Aroma” and clonal varieties (dominated by CCN-51). Cocoa, mainly in monocrop systems, is mainly produced on the Ecuadorian Coast (but also in the Highlands and Amazonia). This study presents a statistics-based LCA of the Ecuadorian cocoa value chain. Material and methods LCIs representing the various types of systems in each link of the value chain—i.e. the various types of farming systems, processing and distribution—were constructed in terms of representative production units. Sub-chains centred on different cocoa varieties and value-adding strategies were identified. Primary and secondary data were collected for the most representative system types, as defined in the actor typologies. Primary data were obtained via field visits and surveys, while secondary data were obtained mainly from statistical datasets of the National Institute of Statistics and Census. Impacts were computed following the European Commission's Product Environmental Footprint, while soil carbon turnover was modelled using RothC. Results and discussion Identified types of producers are subsistence and entrepreneurial small, medium, and large. Two post-harvest strategies were modelled: a volume-oriented one and a quality-oriented one. The main sub-chains identified are the volume/commodity-oriented one (which is dominantly based on cocoa which either does not undergo post-harvest, or which undergoes volume-oriented post-harvest activities) and the quality-oriented one. Across producer types, irrigation and negative direct field emissions are the most important factors, followed in importance by total energy consumption. Post-harvest and processing activities are dominated by energy expenditures. Sub-chains feature significantly different intensity of impacts, with the volume-oriented sub-chain (i.e. those privileging quantity over quality) featuring lower impacts than the quality-oriented ones. Conclusions The impacts of the value chain are comparatively lower, at least regarding climate change, than in other producing countries. Its agricultural phase generally exhibits low input pressure, contributes to climate change mitigation through high C sequestration in biomass that exceeds C losses due to land use change (e.g. deforestation), and does not seem to pose an immediate threat to biodiversity. Improvement initiatives do not necessarily imply intensification of production.

15 páginas.- 11 figuras.-. 7 tablas.- referencias, Sustainability and functioning of silvopastoral ecosystems are being threatened by the forecasted warmer and drier environments in the Mediterranean region. Scattered trees of these ecosystems could potentially mitigate the impact of climate change on herbaceous plant community but this issue has not yet tested experimentally. We carried out a field manipulative experiment of increased temperature (+2–3 °C) using Open Top Chambers and rainfall reduction (30%) through rain-exclusion shelters to evaluate how net primary productivity and digestibility respond to climate change over three consecutive years, and to test whether scattered trees could buffer the effects of higher aridity in Mediterranean dehesas. First, we observed that herbaceous communities located beneath tree canopy were less productive (351 g/m2) than in open grassland (493 g/m2) but had a higher digestibility (44% and 41%, respectively), likely promoted by tree shade and the higher soil fertility of this habitat. Second, both habitats responded similarly to climate change in terms of net primary productivity, with a 33% increase under warming and a 13% decrease under reduced rainfall. In contrast, biomass digestibility decreased under increased temperatures (−7.5%), since warming enhanced the fiber and lignin content and decreased the crude protein content of aerial biomass. This warming-induced effect on biomass digestibility only occurred in open grasslands, suggesting a buffering role of trees in mitigating the impact of climate change. Third, warming did not only affect these ecosystem processes in a direct way but also indirectly via changes in plant functional composition. Our findings suggest that climate change will alter both the quantity and quality of pasture production, with expected warmer conditions increasing net primary productivity but at the expense of reducing digestibility. This negative effect of warming on digestibility might be mitigated by scattered trees, highlighting the importance of implementing strategies and suitable management to control tree density in these ecosystems., Este trabajo fue apoyado por el proyecto MICINN DECAFUN ( CGL2015-70123-R ) y la Asociación de Amistad Hispano-Francesa (AVENIR-DIALOGO). MD Hidalgo-Galvez fue financiado por un contrato de ' Formación de Investigador Personal (FPI)' ( BES-2016-078248 ).

International audience; Conservation agriculture (CA) has been promoted to mitigate climate change, reduce soil erosion, and provide a variety of ecosystem services. Yet, its impacts on crop yields remains controversial. To gain further insight, we mapped the probability of yield gain when switching from conventional tillage systems (CT) to CA worldwide. Relative yield changes were estimated with machine learning algorithms trained by 4403 paired yield observations on 8 crop species extracted from 413 publications. CA has better productive performance than no-till system (NT), and it stands a more than 50% chance to outperform CT in dryer regions of the world, especially with proper agricultural management practices. Residue retention has the largest positive impact on CA productivity comparing to other management practices. The variations in the productivity of CA and NT across geographical and climatical regions were illustrated on global maps. CA appears as a sustainable agricultural practice if targeted at specific climatic regions and crop species.

Background Ticks are obligate blood feeders transmitting major pathogens worldwide. Over the past few years, considerable research efforts have focused on the diversity, distribution and impact of gut and intracellular bacterial symbionts on tick development and tick-borne pathogen transmission. The study of this internal microbiome requires the use of a sterilization method to remove external (i.e. cuticular) microbes present on the tick’s surface and to avoid any further contamination. Several sterilization methods exist, including ethanol- or bleach-based treatments that are both effective in killing microbes but with different potential effects on DNA denaturation. Methods We examined how these different sterilization methods impact the measure of internal microbial diversity hosted by the Cayenne tick Amblyomma cajennense (sensu stricto). Bacterial barcoding investigations based on 16S rRNA gene sequences were conducted on two batches of 50 individuals each: Ticks of the first batch were sterilized with bleach diluted at 1% and the second batch with 70% ethanol. Tick external microbiome was also determined from cuticle smearing and water samples used for tick washing. Results Bacterial barcoding investigations showed major differences between ethanol- and bleach-treated specimens. Both methods led to the detection of major intracellular bacteria associated with A. cajennense (s.s.) but ethanol-treated ticks always harbored a higher bacterial diversity than bleach-treated ticks. Further examinations of tick gut and tick external microbiome revealed that ethanol-based surface sterilization method is inefficient to eliminate the DNA of external bacteria. Conclusions We herein provide evidence that studies investigating the internal microbiome of ticks should consider bleach as the gold standard to efficiently remove cuticular bacterial DNA. Indeed, this method does not impact the internal bacterial diversity hosted by ticks and is thus a better method than the ethanol-based one for studying the internal microbiome. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-019-3517-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Ecological theory suggests that biodiversity has a positive and stabilizing effect on the delivery of ecosystem services. Yet, the impacts of increasing the diversity of cultivated crop species or varieties in agroecosystems are still under scrutiny. The empirical evidence available is scattered in scope, agronomic and geographical contexts and impacts on ecosystem services may depend on the type of diversification strategy used. To robustly assess the effects of crop diversification in agroecosystems, we compiled the results of 95 meta-analyses integrating 5,156 experiments conducted over 84 experimental years and representing more than 54,500 paired observations on 120 crop species in 85 countries. Overall, our synthesis of experimental data from across the globe shows that crop diversification enhances not only crop production (median effect +14%), but also the associated biodiversity (+24%, i.e. the biodiversity of non-cultivated plants and animals), and several supporting and regulating ecosystem services including water quality (+51%), pest and disease control (+63%) and soil quality (+11%). However, there was substantial variability in the results for each individual ecosystem service between different diversification strategies like agroforestry, intercropping, cover-crops, crop rotation or variety mixtures. Agroforestry is particularly effective in delivering multiple ecosystem services, i.e. water use and quality, pest and diseases regulation, associated biodiversity, long-term soil productivity and quality. Variety mixtures, instead, provide the lowest benefits, while the other strategies show intermediate results. Our results highlight that while increasing the diversity of cultivated crop species or varieties in agroecosystems represents a very promising strategy for more sustainable land management, contributing to enhanced yields, enhanced biodiversity and ecosystem services, some crop diversification strategies are more effective than others in supporting key ecosystem services.

International audience; The assessment of the impacts of land management on soil quality is crucial in the current environmental context. Among the many approaches available to assess soil quality, most of studies or monitoring programs consist in the measurement of stocks using an additive approach of physical, chemical and biological, parameters. More recently, functional methods have been developed to provide tools which better account the abioticbiotic interactions. The objective of our study was to evaluate and compare the capacity of physico-chemical, biological and functional parameters to assess the effect of land management on soil quality over a gradient of disturbance based on rubber tree plantations in Chachoengsao province, Thailand. Three sets of indicators were applied based on i. soil physico-chemical analyses, ii. biological analyses, based on soil free-living nematode indices iii. functional analyses, with Biofunctool (R) indicators linked to three main soil functions (carbon transformation, nutrient cycling, soil structure maintenance). A soil quality index resulting from the aggregation of each set of indicators into a single score showed that functional assessment was the most sensitive to the gradient of disturbance. Co-inertia analysis between sets revealed a significant relationship between functional analysis and both physico-chemical and biological sets of indicators, whereas the two latter were not related. Our results validated the ability of the functional method to better reflect the complexity of the abiotic-biotic interactions of the soil system.Highlights:• Three sets of soil quality indicators were compared.• Functional indicators were the most sensitive to the gradient of disturbance.• Functional set of indicators was significantly linked to physico-chemical and biological sets.• The functional method Biofunctool® integrate both soil biotic and abiotic components.

Purpose: Assessment of agricultural advisory services is crucial to improve their quality and effectiveness. Farmer Field Schools (FFS) have been adapted to meet context specific needs in crop or farm management. This article investigates whether the diversity of FFS interventions is reflected in the assessment methods used to evaluate them. Design/Methodology/Approach: Through a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature we identified 180 articles and selected 34 that assessed FFS. Implementation was characterised based on farmers' participation and FFS topics. Assessment methods were analysed using a causal chain of inputs, outputs, outcomes, and impacts. Findings: Our results showed three types of FFS: (1) technology transfer; (2) consultative participation at cropping system level; and, (3) consultative or collaborative participation at farm level. Fifteen studies did not describe FFS implementation at all. Out of the 34 assessments, 23 focused on inputs (knowledge) and outputs (changes in practices, agricultural or economic performance) for farmers. Only six studies assessed long-term impacts of FFS. Theoretical implications: We found a paradox between the shift from a technology transfer to a participatory advisory services paradigm, and the implementation and assessment of FFS, which do not mirror this shift. Assessment methods remain based on assumed technology transfer, which is not suitable for the evaluation of participatory approaches and their results, including in terms of capacity to innovate. Practical implications: Assessing FFS as a collective and farmer-centered experiential learning approach requires appropriate evaluation methods that account for the diversity of contexts, FFS implementation, and the changes they generate. Originality/Value: The diversity of FFS has rarely been analysed to date. This article proposes a typology to go beyond FFS as a catch-all term and to guide their assessment.

The increasing incidence and intensity of extreme climate events are a major threat to global crop production. Sugarcane represents the main source of sugar and ethanol in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Here, we assessed the impacts of climatic variability and extreme events on sugarcane yield gaps in Reunion Island which is characterised by extreme spatial contrasts in climate, and is regularly subjected to cyclones or drought. We combined a process-based crop model with spatial databases of soil, climate and management data, to predict the annual sugarcane yield in each field over the whole island from 1998 to 2018. Simulated yields were compared to actual sugarcane yields from sugar producers in five agro-climatic zones. Extreme climate indices were calculated for extreme daily rainfall, temperature and drought, and their influence on yield gap was assessed using a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The average total yield gap (YGT, i.e. the difference between potential sugarcane yield and actual yield, Mg ha-1) over Reunion Island was 96 Mg ha-1, explained by 34% throw crop management and hazards. YG due to crop management reached 65 Mg ha-1 with increasing rainfall and nitrogen mineralization rate and up to 88 Mg ha-1 with increasing temperature and radiation. Yield gap was correlated with the first axis of the PCA, highlighting how extreme rainfall induced increase in YGT. The actual yield loss was defined as the difference between the actual yield from sugarcane producers in a given year and the highest yield obtained during the whole studied period in the same zone. The annual actual yield loss increased by 0.6 Mg ha-1 per rainfall days higher than 29 mm d-1 along the annual crop cycle. Using this approximation, average actual yield loss due to heavy rain was estimated as 5.5 Mg ha-1 but it was higher than 10 Mg ha-1 for 25% of years in the East coast region. Our results highlight the need for improving sugarcane crop yield response to extreme rain in process-based crop models, in order to better assess climate change impacts in future.

A study commissioned by the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA); This study modelled the responsiveness of small-scale farmers in France to two types of producer subsidies available under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP): the small farmers scheme and voluntary coupled support. The potential impacts of subsidies on production and consumption were estimated for three product categories: fruit, vegetables, and pulses. Four scenarios with different levels of financial incentives were used for each of the two schemes. The total social cost of each intervention was estimated. The impacts were presented in light of recommended levels of consumption in national dietary guidelines. Both voluntary coupled payments and the small farmers’ scheme, showed a positive correlation between subsidy increase and agriculture production growth. The strongest scenario with a subsidy of 4.000 €/ha for farms below 10 ha was shown to fill more than 40% of the gap between the current situation and what would be required to fulfill the nutritional requirements for vegetables from national production. The consequent impact on consumption (assessed as availability of food for consumption) from a production subsidy is particularly significant for vegetables, while for pulses consumption it remains low. Product-based subsidies can make an important contribution to increasing the supply of food products recommended in national dietary guidelines. Significant impacts on consumption are observed on products that are already largely consumed (vegetables) and that are not concerned by competing interests for their utilization (such as feed for pulses). Production support measures need to be combined with interventions aimed at balancing feed and food supply and market for pulses. Furthermore, beyond production measures for fruits and vegetables, other parallel supply chain and demand-creation interventions can be envisaged for small farmers, such as public procurement and local markets. Producer subsidies for small-scale farmers can alter dynamics in supply chains, improve their position and bargaining power, and create new opportunities for value addition.

The Gambian and Malian fisheries and fish processing value chains are predominantly artisanal and represent a key source of protein and livelihoods, yet their eco-efficiency has not been studied to date. A Life Cycle Assessment was used to estimate the associated environmental impacts of those value chains and provide information on the eco-efficiency indicators, which relate technical efficiencies to environmental impacts. The results showed that industrial Gambian fleets' fuel use efficiency is rather low as compared with the global mean fuel use intensity (landed fish/consumed fuel) for both small pelagics and demersal fish. In Mali, the fuel use intensity of motorised artisanal fisheries is lower than the mean values for artisanal inland fisheries in developing countries, but the important increase of frozen imported fish from fish farming multiplies the estimated impacts by four. The least energy-intensive fisheries (cast nets and stow nets in Gambia and opportunistic fishers in Mali) feature better eco-efficiency scores. Based on the identified sources of inefficiencies, we suggest improvements in the landing/processing infrastructure and fishing units' engines, coupled with technical and business training and improved processing methods, to ameliorate seafood eco-efficiency and a stronger recognition of the importance of the artisanal fisheries subsector to overcome challenges and improving resource management.

International audience; Beyond the observation of climatic variations and their impact on livelihoods, farmers' knowledge about climate change can help to understand how rural populations respond to environmental changes and what factors should be considered when planning rural adaptation. This study documents Sereer farmers' observations of local environmental changes in the Fatick region of Senegal and explores how the farmers use crop diversity to adapt to those changes. Their observations of environmental changes were documented through focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. Variations in crop diversity, as well as farmers' explanations for these variations, were assessed through surveys in two villages (n = 126 households). Sereer farmers identify four distinct periods of similar climate trends and reported how they managed crop diversity in response to the climate variations between periods. Three management responses stand out: 1) abandonment of long-cycle varieties during drought periods, 2) adoption of short-cycle varieties during periods with shorter rainy seasons, and 3) reinstating of long-cycle varieties with the return of rains. Sereer farmers consider that climate variations are important reasons to modify their crop varieties, although variety selection is also affected by other socio-economic and cultural reasons. This study illustrates the contributions that local knowledge can bring to understanding the local impact of climate change on smallholder farmers. Understanding how they use crop diversity to adapt to climate variations can be the basis of climate change adaptation policies that address local needs and constraints.

Purpose: The goal of this work is to analyse the environmental impacts across the productive continuum of market gardening in southern Benin, to determine whether significant differences exist amongst the types of production, and to highlight their hotpots suitable to improvement. Moreover, the relative nutritional quality of products from different production system types were compared to determine whether there were differences and to assess them in relation to the associated environmental impacts. Methods: LCA and laboratory analyses were performed on a representative sample of systems and products (carrot, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, watermelon). The resulting scores (single scores for LCA and Nutrient Rich Food scores for nutritional quality) were statistically treated to identify the representativeness of their differences across production sites and production types (featuring distinctive production strategies: Conventional — synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, Organic — organic fertilisers and pesticides and “Lean” — limited inputs). Results and discussion: Statistically significant differences across environmental scores were found amongst production sites (for carrot, lettuce and all crops) and types (for carrot and all crops). For tomato, produced on all sites, under all production types, the natural and management-driven variability is large enough that no significant differences were found. Impacts are dominated by direct emissions from (over-)fertilisation and by fuel consumption for water pumping. Despite the absence of significant differences amongst production system types regarding the contents of both β-carotene and polyphenols, the nutritional indices suggest at least marginal differences across types regarding the overall nutritional value of carrot and tomato across types. Based on the limited data available, it cannot be stated that such differences are statistically significant. For carrot, there seems to be a correlation between nutritional quality and environmental impacts, with higher nutritional scores associated with lower environmental impacts. For tomato, it does not seem to exist a correlation. Conclusions: Significant differences in environmental scores exist amongst the types of production, with the larger impact associated with organic production, whilst that no statistically significant differences on nutritional quality can be demonstrated across types. Overall improvement of these systems would be achieved by less energy-intensive irrigation, organic waste processing platforms to reduce volatilisation losses, knowledge on the fertilising value of organic waste, and agricultural extension services or technical guides on good agricultural practices to reduce over-fertilisation and other negative environmental impacts.

In the West African Sahel, climate variability and climate change pose huge challenges to food security and health, particularly for poor and marginalised population groups. Co-production of actionable climate information between scientists and users has been advocated to increase its use in adaptation to climate change. Consequently, Weather and Climate Services (WCS) co-production models have been expanding, but there have been few evaluations of their effects, and those that exist mostly focus on the end user. The empirical contribution of this paper is an evidence based evaluation of the scaling of WSC co-production models and its enabling factors. The methodological contribution is a systemic and iterative evaluation method involving multiple analytical tools. The scaling of WCS in Senegal involved at least 161 actors and resulted in five axes of transformation: 1) continuous improvement of WCS, 2) emergence and consolidation of WCS facilitators, 3) inclusion of WCS in action planning, 4) active mobilisation to sustain WCS scaling, and 5) empowerment of actors. New users and uses emerged beyond agriculture, involving the fisheries, water and energy sectors, producing changes in institutional communication strategies, operational planning, and in coordination between actors. Enabling factors for scaling included capacity strengthening, knowledge-sharing and action platforms, interaction opportunities, and financial and political support. However, reduced precision of forecasts over time is perceived. New challenges are emerging including improving delivery and finer grain information, getting the private sector involved, and building capacity and trust at a large scale, to keep pace with the increase in uses and users.

In West Africa, Harmattan-induced atmospheric and soil droughts represent seasonally recurring hazards for Theobroma cacao L. agro-ecosystems. Under the influence of the Harmattan winds, precipitation is impaired and air humidity and temperature reach stressful levels. Climate change is causing an increase in temperature that will drive up the evaporative power of the atmosphere, risking to harshen both the soil and atmospheric stress. This would further threaten the viability of cacao cultivation in this region. To characterize the response of cacao trees to atmospheric and soil drought, we monitored two sub-plots, with and without irrigation, throughout one Harmattan season (November 2019 - March 2020) in the Eastern region in Ghana. For both treatments we recorded: sap flow velocity, photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) above and below the canopy, soil moisture, temperature, air humidity and daily precipitation. Leaf area index (LAI) was estimated from PAR measurements. To characterize drought responses of mature cocoa trees during the day and at the seasonal scale, we developed two boosted regression trees models (BRT) with the environmental variables measured. The atmospheric component of Harmattan-induced drought was found to affect the canopy to a similar extent as soil water stress, both causing a decline in LAI of 33%. This study confirmed the importance of soil drought but highlighted as well the crucial role of atmospheric drought for this species’ transpiration control. Soil and atmospheric water stresses did not have a synergistic effect on transpiration under the studied conditions. The BRT models identified LAI as one of the most influential drivers for sap velocity, which, in turn was sensitive to the interactive effect of both atmospheric and soil drought. Our results highlight that not only reduced precipitation but also increasing atmospheric drought is likely to negatively impact on cacao production in West Africa under increasingly dry conditions imposed by the influence of the Harmattan winds.

International audience; Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data are the backbone of Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). They reflectmodelling choices made by the LCA practitioner that can strongly influence the results ofenvironmental impact calculations. The high sensitivity of these data are the reason why theymust be accurately documented and tend to the highest possible quality. High quality, welldocumented LCI data can also be shared between LCA practitioners, allowing productivitygains and better research reproducibility, in particular between practitioners who do not workon the same life cycle inventory database. Unfortunately, SimaPro (PRé Sustainability B.V.,2020), one of the most used LCA software solutions, has only limited features to document,review and exchange LCI data.ELDAMhas been developed to fill this gap

Selective logging in tropical forests is often perceived as a source of forest degradation and carbon emissions. Improved practices, such as reduced-impact logging (RIL), and alternative timber production strategies (e.g. plantations) can drastically change the overall carbon impact of the wood production sector. Assessing the carbon balance of timber production is crucial but highly dependent on methodological approaches, especially regarding system boundaries and temporality. We developed a temporally-explicit and territory scale model of carbon balance calibrated with long-term local data using Bayesian inference. The model accounts for carbon fluxes from selective logging in natural forest, timber plantation, first transformation and avoided emissions through energy substitution. We used it to compare prospective scenarios of development for the wood sector in French Guiana. Results show that intensification of practices, through increased logging intensity conducted with RIL and establishment of timber plantations, are promising development strategies to reduce the carbon emissions of the French-Guianese wood sector, as well as the area needed for wood production and hence the pressure on natural forests. By reducing logging damage by nearly 50%, RIL allows increasing logging intensity in natural forest from 20 m3 ha−1 to 30 m3 ha−1 without affecting the carbon balance. The use of logging byproducts as fuelwood also improved the carbon balance of selective logging, when substituted to fossil fuel. Allocating less than 30 000 ha to plantation would allow producing 200 000 m3 of timber annually, while the same production in natural forest would imply logging more than 400 000 ha over 60 years. Timber plantation should be preferentially established on non-forested lands, as converting natural forests to plantation leads to high carbon emission peak over the first three decades. We recommend a mixed-strategy combining selective logging in natural forests and plantations as a way to improve long-term carbon balance while reducing short-term emissions. This strategy can reduce the pressure on natural forests while mitigating the risks of changing practices and allowing a diversified source of timber for a diversity of uses. It requires adaptation of the wood sector and development of technical guidelines. Research and monitoring efforts are also needed to assess the impacts of changing practices on other ecosystem services, especially biodiversity conservation.

This work focuses on the assessment of the potential environmental benefits associated with the diversity of organic fertilisers available in the AGRIBALYSE database. Under the eco-design perspective, the shift from mineral to organic fertilisation regimes must not be over simplified, as fertilisation of each crop has an effect on the whole crop rotation. This work contrasts the environmental impacts of conventional crop rotations with equivalent eco-designed ones, featuring partial substitution of mineral by organic fertilisers at a level that the current yield is maintained. Two eco-design strategies involving AGRIBALYSE were devised. The first consists of retrofitting existing single crop processes by replacing conventional fertiliser inputs with newly available residual organic fertiliser processes. The second consists of eco-designing agricultural systems (i.e. technical itineraries representing crop rotations or crop sequences) by partially substituting mineral with newly available residues-based organic fertilisers. In both cases, it is necessary to adjust the fertiliser-related direct field emissions accordingly. In the second strategy, large amounts of organic fertilisers are input to replace mineral ones (tonnes vs. kg), and therefore overall impacts (i.e. impacts across impact categories) increase considerably, yet this effect is minimised when considering the alternative waste disposal pathways associated with the mineral fertilisation strategy (i.e. mineral fertilisation + disposal of the amount of organic residues necessary to deliver an equivalent level of fertilisation). The expanded functionality of a cropping system consuming organic waste-derived fertilisers (i.e. fertilisation + organic waste disposal) should be considered in comparative LCAs.

The maintenance of infectious diseases requires a sufficient number of susceptible hosts. Host culling is a potential control strategy for animal diseases. However, the reduction in biodiversity and increasing public concerns regarding the involved ethical issues have progressively challenged the use of wildlife culling. Here, we assess the potential of wildlife culling as an epidemiologically sound management tool, by examining the host ecology, pathogen characteristics, eco-sociological contexts, and field work constraints. We also discuss alternative solutions and make recommendations for the appropriate implementation of culling for disease control., Eve Miguel et al. discuss the potential and practice of wildlife culling to control infectious disease both in the wildlife population and in transmission to humans. They identify several factors that must be considered when using culling, including host and pathogen ecology and eco-sociological contexts.

International audience; A growing concern on the deleterious effects of chemical inputs to the environment has been on the rise from the excessive use of chemical inputs leading to soil and water pollution, destruction to fauna and microbial communities, reduced soil fertility and increased crop disease susceptibility. In the Great Mekong Region (GMR), a large majority of the population relies on agriculture and faces severe challenges including decline in soil fertility, increased pests and diseases, leading to lower ecosystem productivity. In this region, over-dependence on chemical fertilizers also continues to impact negatively on soil health and the wider ecosystem. Agroecological practices, and beneficial microorganisms in particular, offer an affordable and sustainable alternative to mineral inputs for improved plant nutrition and soil health for optimal crop performance and sustainable production. Biofertilizers are a key component in integrated nutrient management as well as for increased economic benefits from reduced expenditure on chemical fertilizers, holistically leading to sustainable agriculture. To cope with the need for biofertilizer adoption for sustainable agricultural production, the countries in the GMR are putting efforts in promoting development and use of biofertilizers and making them available to farmers at affordable costs. Despite these efforts, farmers continue to use chemical fertilizers at high rates with the hope of increased yields instead of taking advantage of microbial products capable of providing plant nutrients while restoring or improving soil health. This study explored the current agricultural practices in the six countries in the GMR (China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Lao PDR), the critical need for sustainable agroecological practices with a special emphasis on biofertilizers. We highlighted the current status, distribution, adoption and gaps of biofertilizer production in the GMR, in order to obtain an insight on the nature of biofertilizers, efficacy and production standards, adoption or lack of biofertilizers in the GMR.

Résumé Arrière-Plan Le Ghana a introduit ce que nous appelons aujourd’hui Politique de Soins Médicaux Maternels ‘Gratuits’ (Free Maternal Health Policy (FMHCP)) en 2008 à travers l’inscriptions des femmes enceintes au projet national d’assurance santé afin de leur permettre d’avoir accès aux services médicaux ‘gratuits’. Selon ce projet, chaque femme enceinte au Ghana doit bénéficier d’une manière complète des services médicaux maternels. Objectif Cette étude a pour objectif, d’évaluer la contribution de la Politique de Services Médicaux Maternels ‘Gratuits’, aux services de consultations prénatales et les accouchements à l’hôpital ainsi que déterminer l’impact de la politique sur l’enfant mort-né, périnatal et les décès néonatals en employant des interventions quasi-expérimentales. L’étude contextualisera également les résultats en tenant compte des contraintes de financement et les difficultés d’opération du projet qui portent sur le fonctionnement du projet dans la Région de Haut-Est. Méthodologies de recherche Cette étude suit un plan de méthodologie variée afin d’évaluer l’efficacité du traitement en employant des variables produites à partir des données historiques du Ghana et des données démographiques de santé du Kenya(DHS) de 2008/2014, comme traitement et la comparaison des groupes, respectivement. Le DHS emploie un plan complexe, des données différentes seront évaluées afin de s’occuper des groupes divers et aux stratifications à tous les niveaux de l’analyse en mettant les données en STATA et préfixer les commandes du Stata avec ‘svy’. Ainsi, l’impact du projet sera évalué en utilisant des plans quasi-expérimentaux, la mise des scores dans le bon endroit, et la différenciation de méthode, la prédominance, la différence dans les moyennes et le test d’association entre le résultat final et les divergences dans les résultats seront tous obtenus en utilisant le Rao Scot Chi-square. Les variables déconcertantes seront ajustées après avoir employé Poisson et multiples modèles de régression logistiques. Les résultats obtenus sous forme de compte rendu statistiques seront présentés en pourcentages, en coefficients régressifs et en proportion de risques. Cette étude emploie, donc, la technique d’étude de cas intrinsèques afin d’explorer les opérations courantes du Projet ‘gratuit’ au Ghana en utilisant des méthodes qualitatives afin de produire des données primaires dans la Région du Haut-Est. Pour une analyse approfondie. Discussions L’étude révèlera les contributions du Projet aux services médicaux maternels et sa performance en ce qui concerne l’élimination du phénomène des enfants mort-nés, périnatals et les résultats de services médicaux maternels et néonatals. Les discussions se concentreront sur le plan du projet et sa réalisation tout en tenant compte des contraintes de ressources en montrant si l’Objectif de Développement Durable (Objectif 3) sera atteint ou non. L’efficacité du Projet ainsi que ses succès en ce qui concerne l’assurance santé sociale dans le contexte de la santé publique et les difficultés économiques seront également discutées. Approbation protocolaire Cette étude a été approuvée pour mise en exécution par le Comité de Vérification Ethique du Service de la santé publique du Ghana: GHS-ERC 002/04/19.

The increased use of legumes is viewed as a promising option to mitigate climate change, as they are a source of proteins and provide nitrogen to the soil. In this paper, we evaluate a strategy for the increased use of legumes in Europe until 2050 by integrating a large array of food and natural system processes into a consistent modeling framework. Three contrasting scenarios are studied: a supply-side scenario entailing a change in the animal feed mix, a demand-side scenario entailing a shift in human diet, and a combination of the shift in human diet with a reforestation in Europe. We find that mitigated emissions are much higher in the two diet shift scenarios (-231 and -259 MtCO2eq, respectively) than in the supply-side scenario (-10 MtCO2eq). Therefore, the main environmental benefit of legumes is to provide proteins as a substitute for animal products rather than enabling a lower consumption of synthetic fertilizer through increased leguminous nitrogen fixation. Diet shift scenarios require a lower use of lands that can then be used to either reduce intensification or reforest. In the former case, the reduction in emissions concerns almost exclusively non-CO2 emissions, mainly through enteric fermentation and manure management, and occurs largely outside Europe. In the latter case, the livestock sector still represents a substantial share of the emission reduction but is outpaced by CO2 emissions through carbon sequestration. An increase in legume production substantially reduces greenhouse gas emissions from the AFOLU sector only when combined with a change in diet, and its combination with reforestation allows the emission reduction to be relocated to Europe through carbon sequestration. Our study concludes that an increase in legume production accompanied by appropriate measures on both the supply and demand side can be effective in reducing emissions. These results can be used to design the European Commission’s “Farm to Fork” strategy for sustainable food and to support climate-friendly farming practices of the post-2020 European common agricultural policy.

Over the last decade, societal pressure has increased on public research agencies to provide evidence that their research contributes to achieve development goals. To address this challenge, the French Agricultural Research Center for International Development (Cirad), developed an ex-post impact assessment method based on the impact pathway approach, called Impact of Research in the South (ImpresS). The reconstruction of the impact pathway identifies and assesses research outputs, outcomes, and impacts on development over long-time spans, taking into account the contribution of other stakeholders, projects, and contextual factors. By applying mixed methods and participatory approaches, ImpresS involves key actors in assessing the contribution of research to impacts in innovation processes. Such a participatory approach raises, however, questions about the advantages and disadvantages of participation in impact assessment. This article examines whether and how participation affects the results of an evaluation and the methodological challenges this poses. The analysis is based on 13 case studies covering different innovation processes, countries, and time spans. The main results show that participation, combined with triangulation of information including quantitative and qualitative data, strengthens the explanation of the causal relationships among outputs, outcomes, and impacts. It helps reveal a large and diversified list of impacts based on the perception of actors, especially uncovering positive and negative impacts unexpected by researchers. However, participation may render other impacts less visible, especially those related to environmental and political issues. Furthermore, participatory evaluation entangles challenges linked to expectations, divergent perceptions, power dynamics, and social inequality, which must be carefully addressed to provide robust and transparent evaluation results.

International audience; Methane (CH4) emission estimations for cattle in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) reflect limited production levels and diets that are high in cellulose forage. However, data on these livestock systems is lacking for their accurate evaluation. To provide guidance for climate change mitigation strategies in Senegal, it is necessary to obtain reliable estimates of CH4 emissions from Ndama cattle reared in grazing systems, which is the predominant cattle system in the country. The objective of this study was to determine the annual methane emission factor (MEF) for enteric fermentation of Ndama cattle following the IPCC Tier 2 procedure. Our estimated annual MEF at the herd scale was 30.8kg CH4/TLU (30.7kg CH4/head/yr for lactating cows and 15.1kg CH4/head/yr for other cattle). These values are well below the default IPCC emission factor (46 and 31kg CH4/head/yr for dairy and other cattle, respectively) proposed in the Tier 1 method for Africa. Our study showed that feed digestibility values differ with season (from 46 to 64%). We also showed that cattle lose weight and adapt to lower feed requirements during the long dry season, with a resulting major reduction in methane emissions. The results of this work provide a new framework to re-estimate the contribution of grazing systems to methane emissions in Africa.

This paper examines how Impact Investment (II) becomes part and transforms structured accumulation regimes and circuits, with a particular emphasis on South Africa's agricultural sector. Through the joint implementation of a macro study of the South African II circuits, and a micro study of a particular II fund’s practices and impacts, the paper develops an in-depth political economy assessment of II circuits in order to historicize these circuits, to map the South African II community, and to characterize the power balances presently structuring it. Rather than highlighting ruptures, it draws the attention to the historical continuities and path-dependencies as II related tools are rooted into older financial practices, shaping today's II development and practice - hence questioning II as a tool for empowerment.

In Africa, COVID-19 has created a perfect storm of reduced funding, restrictions on the operations of conservation agencies, and elevated human threats to nature. This Perspective discusses solutions to move beyond this immediate crisis.The SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19 illness are driving a global crisis. Governments have responded by restricting human movement, which has reduced economic activity. These changes may benefit biodiversity conservation in some ways, but in Africa, we contend that the net conservation impacts of COVID-19 will be strongly negative. Here, we describe how the crisis creates a perfect storm of reduced funding, restrictions on the operations of conservation agencies, and elevated human threats to nature. We identify the immediate steps necessary to address these challenges and support ongoing conservation efforts. We then highlight systemic flaws in contemporary conservation and identify opportunities to restructure for greater resilience. Finally, we emphasize the critical importance of conserving habitat and regulating unsafe wildlife trade practices to reduce the risk of future pandemics.

In life cycle assessment (LCA), temporal considerations are usually lost during the life cycle inventory calculation, resulting in an aggregated “snapshot” of potential impacts. Disregarding such temporal considerations has previously been underlined as an important source of uncertainty, but a growing number of approaches have been developed to tackle this issue. Nevertheless, their adoption by LCA practitioners is still uncommon, which raises concerns about the representativeness of current LCA results. Furthermore, a lack of consistency can be observed in the used terms for discussions on temporal considerations. The purpose of this review is thus to search for common ground and to identify the current implementation challenges while also proposing development pathways.This paper introduces a glossary of the most frequently used terms related to temporal considerations in LCA to build a common understanding of key concepts and to facilitate discussions. A review is also performed on current solutions for temporal considerations in different LCA phases (goal and scope definition, life cycle inventory analysis and life cycle impact assessment), analysing each temporal consideration for its relevant conceptual developments in LCA and its level of operationalisation.We then present a potential stepwise approach and development pathways to address the current challenges of implementation for dynamic LCA (DLCA). Three key focal areas for integrating temporal considerations within the LCA framework are discussed: i) define the temporal scope over which temporal distributions of emissions are occurring, ii) use calendar-specific information to model systems and associated impacts, and iii) select the appropriate level of temporal resolution to describe the variations of flows and characterisation factors.Addressing more temporal considerations within a DLCA framework is expected to reduce uncertainties and increase the representativeness of results, but possible trade-offs between additional data collection efforts and the increased value of results from DLCAs should be kept in mind.

Purpose: Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a key role in soil functioning and in greenhouse gas exchange with the atmosphere. Land use and land use changes can critically affect SOC. However, despite various methodological developments, there is still no scientific consensus on the best method to assess the holistic impact of land use and land use change within LCA. The SOCLE project aimed to review how SOC contribution to climate change is accounted for in LCA and to test the feasibility and sensitivity of best methodological options. Methods: In total, five crop products (annual/perennial, temperate/tropical) and two livestock products were investigated through 22 scenarios of land use changes (LUC) and agricultural land management changes (LMC). Three methods were applied: IPCC Tier 1-2 (2006), Müller-Wenk and Brandaõ (2010) and Levasseur et al. (2012). We also carried out a sensitivity analysis on key variables, notably carbon stocks, reference states, and regeneration times. Results and discussion: The accounting for LUC and LMC influenced greatly the results on the climate change impact. Compared to the impact of other GHG emissions, (i) LUC impacts ranged from − 23 to + 1702% with the IPCC method and from − 5 to + 336% with the Müller-Wenk and Brandaõ method, and (ii) LMC impacts from − 130 to + 54% and from − 31 to + 11%, respectively. The sensitivity analyses stressed the critical influence of all methodological and data choices on final results. Conclusions: Based on the project results, we recommend accounting systematically for the impact of LULUC on climate change by applying, a minima, the comprehensive IPCC Tier 1 approach (2006), which provides default factors for SOC accounting. Where available, case-specific data should be used (e.g., Tier 2) for SOC stocks but also C:N ratio in order to model the degressive impact over 90% of the time period needed to reach equilibrium.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne viral infection mostly encountered in Africa. In its acute form, it severely affects domestic and wild ruminants, dromedaries, and humans. It is considered as an emerging disease, with increased frequency in several regions, and a spread potential to many areas under the influence of two main drivers: environmental (including climatic) changes and animal mobility (livestock trade, transhumance). In this chapter, we discuss the peculiarities of RVF epidemiology in Sahelian Africa and we show how the joint influence of these two drivers may trigger RVF epidemics. The public health impact of RVF can be severe, with tens of thousands of human cases and hundreds of fatalities recorded during large epidemics. Beyond its direct, negative effects on public and animal health, RVF has large economic consequences related to bans on livestock importation from infected countries. Solutions are available to improve surveillance and control of RVF in Sahelian Africa according to well-defined, risk-based strategies. The implementation of coordinated actions between Public Health and Animal Health authorities would represent an important advance in the One Health joint approach of RVF for better prevention, early detection, and reaction.

Donor human milk (DHM) represents the best alternative when mother’s own milk is not available,a common occurrence in Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Heat treatment of DHM is mandatory forsafety reasons. Holder pasteurization (HoP, 62.5°C-30’) is recommended by all human milk bankguidelines. Recent studies have demonstrated that HoP affects the digestion profile and behavior ofseveral human milk components. High Temperature-Short Time pasteurization (HTST, 71°C-15’’)is currently under evaluation as a promising alternative technology to limit the denaturation of somebiological compounds of raw human milk.ObjectiveThe aim of the present work was to assess whether the different types of pasteurization (HoP,HTST) impacted the digestive kinetics of human milk during in vitro dynamic digestion.MethodologyPooled raw HM (RHM) was collected and processed by using the two pasteurization techniques.The pasteurized samples and RHM were digested in vitro using preterm gastrointestinal conditions.Samples were collected at different digestion times. Undigested and digested milks samples werecharacterized for their particle size distribution (PSD), triglyceride content, protein and amino acid(AA) profiles.Main findingsDuring gastric digestion, both pasteurization methods modified PSD, as compared to RHM. Caseinswere rapidly hydrolyzed in the gastric phase unlike that for the whey proteins. Lactoferrin was hydrolyzedfaster in the pasteurized samples in comparison to RHM, in which lactoferrin was resistantto gastro-intestinal digestion. Heat-treatments, consequently, affected the intestinal release of someAA, and a higher bioaccessibility of AA was found for HTST, as compared to HoP. Concerning lipolysis,at any time of the intestinal digestion phase, the lipolysis of HoP samples was significantlylower (p < 0.05) than in both RHM and HTST samples.ConclusionThis work provides the first evidences about the differential impact of HoP and HTST pasteurizationtechniques on bioaccessibility of DHM nutrients and biological compounds, for preterm newborns.

IntroductionIn order to minimize the denaturation of bioactive compounds, which is known to affect donor humanmilk (HM) after the mandatory heat treatment (Holder pasteurization at 62.5°C, 30min – HoP), anumber of alternative processing techniques are currently being investigated. Recently, High Temperature-Short Time pasteurization (HTST, 72°C-15s) was found to limit the denaturation of somebioactive components of human milk.ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to investigate whether different types of pasteurization (HoP and HTST)may differently affect peptide release from human milk during preterm infant gastrointestinal digestion,by using a dynamic in vitro systemMethodologyPooled raw HM (RHM) from 5 donors was collected and processed in triplicate according to HoP andHTST. The pasteurized milks and RHM were digested in triplicate using a dynamic in vitro digestionsystem, mimicking the preterm physiology conditions. Samples were collected at different digestiontimes. Peptides from undigested and digested samples were analysed using a Q-Exactive massspectrometer and peptide abundance was subjected to multivariate statistics to unravel specificprofile trends.Main findingsPre-proteolysis occurred mostly on β-casein, from which originated more than 82% of the peptidesfound in undigested milk. During digestion, a differential behaviour between gastric and intestinalpeptide release was found by multivariate statistics. In particular, whereas in the gastric phase thepeptide pattern was more similar for HTST and RHM with respect to HoP, the opposite was found atthe beginning of the intestinal phase, while at the end of digestion no difference was found. Thesedifferences were mostly due to peptides released from β-casein, especially in the gastric phase.Some bioactive peptides from bile salt-stimulated lipase, caseins and lactoferrin presented significantlydifferent abundances between the different samples during intestinal digestion.ConclusionThe results indicate possible consequences of the different pasteurizations on the biological activityof donor’s human milk.

The objective of the study was to understand the practices of Malagasy dairy farmers after the 2009 economic (and political) crisis, and to assess its impact on farm incomes. The analysis focused on the coping strategies of dairy farmers to maintain the income of their farms in the face of this crisis. It was based on surveys conducted between 2008 and 2010. The data covered three areas representing the diversity of the dairy triangle in the highlands, main milk producing region of Madagascar. A typology was firstly carried out on a sample of 59 farms to understand the rationality of farming practices, in particular animal feeding. Secondly, the economic modeling of 21 of them was performed with Olympe software to estimate the impact of the crisis on the income of dairy farmers. Prospective scenarios reflecting the efficiency and risk of technical choices by the farmers served to explore the evolution of the situation before and after the crisis, and to show some resilience of farms.