Agricultural practices have constantly changed in West Africa, and understanding the factors that have driven the changes may help guide strategies to promote sustainable agriculture in the region. To contribute to such efforts, this paper analyzes drivers of change in farming practices in the region using data obtained from surveys of 700 farming households in five countries (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Senegal). The results showed that farmers have adopted various practices in response to the challenges they have faced during the last decade. A series of logit models showed that most changes farmers made to their practices are undertaken for multiple reasons. Land use and management changes including expanding farmed areas and using mineral fertilization and manure are positively related to perceived changes in the climate, such as more erratic rainfall. Planting new varieties, introducing new crops, crop rotation, expanding farmed area and using pesticides are positively associated with new market opportunities. Farm practices that require relatively high financial investment such as use of pesticides, droughttolerant varieties and improved seeds were positively associated with the provision of technical and financial support for farmers through development projects and Editor: Nicolas Dendoncker. Electronic supplementary material 123Reg Environ Change (2017) 17:437-449 DOI 10.1007/s10113-016-1029 policies. Changes in markets and climate are both helping to promote needed changes in farming practices in West Africa. Therefore, policies that foster the development of markets for agricultural products, and improved weatherand climate-related information linked to knowledge of appropriate agricultural innovations in different environments are needed.

Although farmers in the Malian Sahel depend on millet for survival, demand and supply constraints have impeded their use of certified seed. We use data collected from households, vendors and seed samples to test the way market purchases of grain and seed affect household food consumption and millet genetic diversity. Purchase of millet grain in markets contributes to food security, but reduces dietary diversity – suggesting that scarce cash was directed toward meeting staple food needs first. Farmers purchased millet grain for seed only in the site with riskier rainfall and smaller market fairs. Although they were more likely to purchase in markets where the genetic dissimilarity of seed was higher, purchasing seed in markets was negatively associated with on-farm diversity. Seed shortage rather than variety experimentation appears to be the motivation for seed purchase. Introducing certified seed in rural markets through small-scale traders will require the provision of market services and promotional efforts.

No abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of technical efficiency score and to analyze its determinants in the Office Niger area in Mali. The data used are a cross section of producers collected in April 2014. The final sample is made of 130 observations. A Cobb-Douglas model is used to fit the data using frontier 4.1 and Stata 14 software. Our investigations found out that the rice cultivation at the Office Niger evolves in a non-variable returns to scale framework. The average technical efficiency score is 0.66, implying that the level of technical efficiency can be improved by 0.34 at no additional cost. In addition, experience, equipment, being member of a farmer's organization and land rental are identified as statistically significant determinants of technical efficiency of rice farmers in the Office du Niger area. Policies to improve the level of technical efficiency and boost rice production in Mali should be based on these variables.

Analyse des incitations à la production de riz dans la zone de l'Office du Niger au Mali L e riz est produit au Mali depuis des siècles, en particulier dans la vallée du Niger. Première production céréalière du pays, le riz est perçu comme la principale denrée permettant à la fois d'atteindre la sécurité alimentaire, d'améliorer les revenus des producteurs, et de Résumé Au Mali, le riz est l'objet d'une attention particulière en termes de politiques publiques. Les autorités encouragent sa production pour apporter un revenu aux producteurs, satisfaire la consommation nationale et faire du pays un exportateur net. Cependant, le riz local reste fortement concurrencé par le riz importé. Depuis les années 2000, le gouvernement a pris des mesures répondant à deux objectifs : maintenir des prix abordables pour les consommateurs et soutenir les producteurs pour dynamiser la production. Le gouvernement ne semble pas avoir atteint ces deux objectifs simultanément, comme le montre notre analyse des prix au producteur et au grossiste. Les producteurs ont en effet été pénalisés à partir de 2006, recevant des prix bas malgré le soutien qu'a représenté l' « Initiative Riz » dès 2008. Cela est dû à une combinaison de facteurs incluant des mesures en faveur des importations lors de la crise alimentaire de 2008-2009, des rigidités structurelles entraînant des coûts de transport élevés et une surévaluation du franc CFA (F CFA). Le gouvernement, s'il veut faire du pays un exportateur net de riz, devra soutenir par des prix incitatifs une augmentation à long terme de la production.