Background: Bushmeat represents an important animal protein source for populations in rural areas of Côte d'Ivoire; consequently, the exploitation of the bushmeat reserves has contributed to food security in these areas for long time. However, emergence of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa in 2014 has led to a ban and stigmatization of this essential food source in rural zones. The present study analyses the influence of the decision to ban bushmeat consumption due to EVD on the patterns of consumption of proteins sources and food security. It aims to characterize the different protein sources consumed in rural areas in the Toumodi region before and after the EVD outbreak in order to identify alternatives to bushmeat. Results:The results demonstrated that fish remains the principal animal protein source (92.1% of households) even outside the EVD crisis. Among protein sources, only bushmeat and fish consumptions have been modified with the Ebola threat. The proportion of households that regularly consume bushmeat decreased to 19.8%, however, this reduction in consumption has been driving by sensitization and repression. Fish consumption frequency increased from 4 to 7 times per week in the EVD crisis period. Picking up in the bush is a main mode of supply of some protein sources such as snail or shellfish but their seasonal character limits their use in the households. Vegetable protein sources seem to play a minor role in the diet of the households assessed, whereas edible mushrooms are consumed frequently to complement or substitute animal protein sources. Conclusion:The ban on bushmeat has led to a reduction in its consumption while fish and edible mushrooms seem to have filled related protein deficits in the households assessed. However, constraints in availability and utilization of these alternative sources build an inconsistent basis to fulfil the nutritional needs. To counteract potentially arising protein deficiencies among the population, the development and implementation of fish farming and livestock at short cycle are suggested in order to improve access to protein sources other than bushmeat.

Despite considerable improvement of food security in low- and middle-income countries over the last decades, food shortages remain persistent in sub-Saharan Africa. The driving forces are often related not only to climate change and other environmental hazards but also to socioeconomic and political factors. In Africa, food security has also assumed a strong urban dimension, raising new issues of physical and financial access to food. However, beyond the conjunctural rhetoric around unregulated food policies, social unrest, socio-economic difficulties, and environmental stresses, an emphasis should be put on socio-cultural aspects of food security. This would be possible through an analysis of “connectivities” between various stages and actors, i.e., food exchange practices between various socio-ecological spaces, and governance coordination in food security strategies. Based on a study on cassava shortage in Cote d’Ivoire in 2015-2016, this paper explores socio-cultural factors associated with food shortage in urban settings. Findings from a qualitative research approach comprising key-informant interviews and focus group discussion with various stakeholders in the cassava value chain revealed that food shortage cannot always be explained by supply/demand narratives. The study shows that cassava supply mechanisms in the Abidjan area are not sustainable as the main producers of cassava for sale are migrant workers employed in rubber plantations and whose stability in the region depends on prices of this cash crop on the international market. Regions at the vicinity of Abidjan are supplying the city with cassava but the offer does not meet the requirements of cassava-based food processors who need specific types of the product. Moreover, strategies from the municipal and government authorities to circumvent the shortage often face resistance of populations if local norms and values are not considered. In food strategies, sociocultural dynamics should be considered alongside the complex socioeconomic and environmental factors shaping the social geography of food supply in African cities.

Résumé : Les spécialistes de méthodologie reconnaissent que l’hypothèse est un élément déterminant dans toutes études en sciences sociales. Cependant ces derniers ne s’accordent pas sur son statut et rôle dans ces études. Pour certains son statut et son rôle consistent à la vérification de la véracité des hypothèses ou théories identifiées préalablement par le chercheur, d’autres soutiennent que l’hypothèse dans une étude qualitative se construit tout au long du processus de recherche en fonction des directions et ouvertures induites par la collecte des données. Cet article illustre à partir d’un cas, le processus de construction de l’hypothèse dans une démarche qualitative de type Grounded theory.  Ainsi il démontre que la construction de l’hypothèse de cette recherche est partie d’une hypothèse (H1) qui a émergée d’une analyse de données, puis s’est progressivement construit dans un processus itératif et circulaire au gré des orientations du couple collecte et analyse des données. Abstract : Methodologists agree that hypothesis is a determining element in all social science studies. However, they do not agree on its status and role in these studies. For some, its status and role consists in verifying the veracity of the hypothesis or theories previously identified by the researcher, others argue that the hypothesis in a qualitative study is constructed throughout the research process according to the directions and openings induced by data collection. This article illustrates, from a case, the process of constructing the hypothesis in a qualitative approach of Grounded theory type. Thus, he demonstrates that the construction of the hypothesis of this research is start of a hypothesis (H1) that emerged from a data analysis, then gradually built into an iterative and circular process according to the orientations of data collection and analysis. Keywords :