Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is a viral disease affecting domestic and small wild ruminants. Endemic in large parts of the world, PPR causes severe damages to animal production and household economies. In 2015, FAO and OIE launched a global eradication program (GCSE) based on vaccination campaigns. The success of GCSE shall depend on the implementation of vaccination campaigns, accounting for husbandry practices, mobility and the periodicity of small ruminants' population renewal. In Mauritania, PPR outbreaks occur annually despite ongoing annual vaccination campaigns since 2008. Here, we developed a mathematical model to assess the impact of four vaccination strategies (including the GSCE one), the importance of their timing of implementation and the usefulness of individual animal identification on the reduction of PPR burden. The model was calibrated on data collected through ad-hoc surveys about demographic dynamics, disease impact, and national seroprevalence using Monte Carlo Markov Chain procedure. Numerical simulations were used to estimate the number of averted deaths over the next 12 years. The model results showed that the GSCE strategy prevented the largest number of deaths (9.2 million vs. 6.2 for random strategy) and provided one of the highest economic returns among all strategies (Benefit-Cost Ratio around 16 vs. 7 for random strategy). According to its current cost, identification would be a viable investment that could reduce the number of vaccine doses to distribute by 20–60%. Whilst the implementation of the identification system is crucial for PPR control, its success depends also on a coordinated approach at the regional level.

Socio-economic constraints like gender, education, age, and income significantly affect the adoption of improved agricultural technologies. The objective of this study was to determine socio-economic factors that affect the adoption of improved cowpea varieties in the Senegalese peanut basin. The study was conducted in three (Bambey, Kebemer, and Kaffrine) of six regions of the peanut basin based on regional importance of cowpea production and rainfall gradient. In each study region, ten villages were selected, and random sampling was used to select eight heads of agricultural households within each village. The questionnaires were administered to 240 randomly selected farmers across the three study regions, 7 communes, and 30 villages. Results showed most heads of households were middle-aged (52–54 years old), married (95–100%), illiterate (84%), and men (95–100%). Households were mostly agriculture dependent (87%), low literacy rates (26% least primary school), and large family sizes (average of 15 members). The median cowpea yields across the study area varied from 35–100 kg ha−1, well below the ~300–400 kg ha−1 average yields reported for Senegal and Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of farmers (67%) in the study regions did not use improved varieties, and the main reasons were low seed availability (78.8%) and limited access to technical knowledge and information (76.3%), but only 5.8% indicated seed price as a barrier to improved variety adoption. Major uses of cowpea in the study area were for marketing, livestock feed, and human consumption. In Kaffrine, fodder production was the major (85%) criterion for cowpea variety selection, whereas in the north (Bambey and Kebemer), taste, maturity date, and grain yield were major selection criteria. Factors that had positive effect on the likelihood of using improved cowpea varieties include; access to extension services, membership in farmers’ organization, cowpea being the main crop of production, organic farming, market, and livestock-oriented production systems, access to farmland and credit, dependence on agriculture as the main source of household income, and education of head of household. We conclude that there is a critical need for training, access to improved seeds, awareness, and financial support to producers to increase the adoption of new improved cowpea varieties, yields, profitability, and nutritional security among smallholder farmers in the Senegalese peanut basin.

The CENTER FOR DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH (ZEF) was established in 1995 as an international, interdisciplinary research institute at the University of Bonn. Research and teaching at ZEF address political, economic and ecological development problems. ZEF closely cooperates with national and international partners in research and development organizations. For information, see: www.zef.de. ZEF-Discussion Papers on Development Policy are intended to stimulate discussion among researchers, practitioners and policy makers on current and emerging development issues. Each paper has been exposed to an internal discussion within the Center for Development Research (ZEF) and an external review. The papers mostly reflect work in progress. The Editorial Committee of the ZEF-DISCUSSION PAPERS ON DEVELOPMENT POLICY includes Joachim von Braun (Chair), Christian Borgemeister, and Eva Youkhana. Alisher Mirzabaev is the Managing Editor of the series. Assane Beye and Komarek M. Adam, Quantification and benefits of reducing post-harvest losses: evidence for vegetables in Senegal, ZEF-Discussion Papers on Development Policy No. 300, Center for Development Research, Bonn, October 2020, pp. 24.

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IntroductionAgroforestry plays a vital role in maintaining and developing the resilience and productivity of farms and landscapes. Scientific evidence from the Sahel region suggests that integration of trees and shrubs has the potential to improve temperature and moisture levels whilst providing bio-based fertilizer that contributes to increased yields of annual crops. However, little is known about the factors that influence the diffusion of agroforestry. This study examines joint decisions on the use of agroforestry alongside other complementary agricultural practices and disentangles agroforestry awareness from adoption and disadoption decisions.MethodsOur analysis is based on a comprehensive farm-level dataset covering almost 3,000 farm households in Mali and Senegal. A large number of adoption determinants are utilized, with a special focus on information access, information flows and social groups.ResultsThe findings suggest that extension access and training participation boost awareness of agroforestry-based soil fertility management, while information provided by public extension, NGOs and community members is strongly associated with higher adoption intensity. In the analysis of disadoption, farmer-to-farmers exchange in the community was found to be a key factor in the decision to maintain agroforestry use. Membership in cooperatives and youth groups appear to have a favorable effect on awareness and adoption in Mali, but less so in the Senegalese case. Similarly, only results from Mali show that adoption of agroforestry is accompanied by the adoption of other sustainable intensification practices and lower use of synthetic pesticides.DiscussionWe conclude that in order to support the transition to more widespread agroforestry-based soil fertility management, it is essential to strengthen public and NGO-based advisory systems that fully engage with local knowledge networks.