Community participation and ecological criteria for selecting species and restoring natural capital with native species in the Sahel

Combining community needs and preferences with dryland plant expertise in order to select suitable native species for large‐scale natural capital restoration is the approach that has been successful in the Sahel as part of Africa's Great Green Wall program. In order to increase plant diversity and restore degraded land, we investigated four cross‐border regions of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, all located in dryland ecosystems of the Sahel. In 120 beneficiary village communities, with a total population of over 50,000 farmers, including 51% women, participatory diagnostic meetings were conducted, leading to the selection of 193 plant species, most of which were mainly used for food, medicine, fodder, and fuel. Of these, 170 were native and considered suitable for enriching and restoring those village lands. The most environmentally well‐adapted and economically relevant species were prioritized, quality seeds were collected, and nursery seedlings produced under technical supervision of villages. From 2013 to 2015, 55 woody and herbaceous species were planted to initiate restoration of 2,235 ha of degraded land. On average, 60% of seedlings survived and grew well in the field after three rainy seasons. Due to its multiple uses, including gum arabic production, Acacia senegal was preferred by local people in most cases, accounting for 30% of seedlings planted. Such promising results, in an effort to restore degraded land for and with the help of thousands of farmers, could not have been achieved without the combination of scientific plant expertise and efficient rural capacity development, underpinned by high levels of community engagement.     

Prenatal fortified balanced energy-protein supplementation and birth outcomes in rural Burkina Faso: A randomized controlled efficacy trial

BackgroundProviding balanced energy–protein (BEP) supplements is a promising intervention to improve birth outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs); however, evidence is limited. We aimed to assess the efficacy of fortified BEP supplementation during pregnancy to improve birth outcomes, as compared to iron–folic acid (IFA) tablets, the standard of care.Methods and findingsWe conducted an individually randomized controlled efficacy trial (MIcronutriments pour la SAnté de la Mère et de l’Enfant [MISAME]-III) in 6 health center catchment areas in rural Burkina Faso. Pregnant women, aged 15 to 40 years with gestational age (GA) <21 completed weeks, were randomly assigned to receive either fortified BEP supplements and IFA (intervention) or IFA (control). Supplements were provided during home visits, and intake was supervised on a daily basis by trained village-based project workers. The primary outcome was prevalence of small-for-gestational age (SGA) and secondary outcomes included large-for-gestational age (LGA), low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth (PTB), gestational duration, birth weight, birth length, Rohrer’s ponderal index, head circumference, thoracic circumference, arm circumference, fetal loss, and stillbirth. Statistical analyses followed the intention-to-treat (ITT) principle. From October 2019 to December 2020, 1,897 pregnant women were randomized (960 control and 937 intervention). The last child was born in August 2021, and birth anthropometry was analyzed from 1,708 pregnancies (872 control and 836 intervention). A total of 22 women were lost to follow-up in the control group and 27 women in the intervention group. BEP supplementation led to a mean 3.1 percentage points (pp) reduction in SGA with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of −7.39 to 1.16 (P = 0.151), indicating a wide range of plausible true treatment efficacy. Adjusting for prognostic factors of SGA, and conducting complete cases (1,659/1,708, 97%) and per-protocol analysis among women with an observed BEP adherence ≥75% (1,481/1,708, 87%), did not change the results. The intervention significantly improved the duration of gestation (+0.20 weeks, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.36, P = 0.010), birth weight (50.1 g, 8.11 to 92.0, P = 0.019), birth length (0.20 cm, 0.01 to 0.40, P = 0.044), thoracic circumference (0.20 cm, 0.04 to 0.37, P = 0.016), arm circumference (0.86 mm, 0.11 to 1.62, P = 0.025), and decreased LBW prevalence (−3.95 pp, −6.83 to −1.06, P = 0.007) as secondary outcomes measures. No differences in serious adverse events [SAEs; fetal loss (21 control and 26 intervention) and stillbirth (16 control and 17 intervention)] between the study groups were found. Key limitations are the nonblinded administration of supplements and the lack of information on other prognostic factors (e.g., infection, inflammation, stress, and physical activity) to determine to which extent these might have influenced the effect on nutrient availability and birth outcomes.ConclusionsThe MISAME-III trial did not provide evidence that fortified BEP supplementation is efficacious in reducing SGA prevalence. However, the intervention had a small positive effect on other birth outcomes. Additional maternal and biochemical outcomes need to be investigated to provide further evidence on the overall clinical relevance of BEP supplementation.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT03533712","term_id":"NCT03533712"}}NCT03533712.

Brenda de Kok and colleagues investigate the efficacy of fortified BEP supplementation during pregnancy to improve birth outcomes, as compared to iron-folic acid (IFA) tablets, among pregnant women in rural Burkina Faso.     

Understanding biological and ecological factors affecting seed germination of the multipurpose tree Anogeissus leiocarpa

• Anogeissus leiocarpa (DC.) Guill. & Perr. (Combretaceae) has important economic and cultural value in West Africa as source of wood, dye and medicine. Although this tree is in high demand by local communities, its planting remains limited due to its very low propagation via seed.
• In this study, X‐rays were used to select filled fruits in order to characterise their morphology and seed germination responses to treatment with sulphuric acid and different incubation temperatures.
• Morphological observations highlighted a straight orthotropous seed structure. The increase in mass detected for both intact and scarified fruits through imbibition tests, as well as morphological observations of fruits soaked in methylene blue solution, confirmed that they are water‐permeable, although acid‐scarified fruits reached significantly higher mass increment values than intact ones. Acid scarification (10 min soaking in 98% H₂SO₄) positively affected seed germination rate but not final germination proportions. When intact fruits where incubated at a range of temperatures, no seeds germinated at 10 °C, while maximum seed germination (ca. 80%) was reached at 20 °C. T₅₀ values ranged from a minimum of ca. 12 days at 25 °C to a maximum of ca. 34 days at 15 and 35 °C. A theoretical base temperature for germination (T_b) of ca. 10 °C and a thermal requirement for 50% germination (S) of ca. 195 °Cd were also identified for intact fruits.
• The results of this study revealed the seed germination characteristics driven by fruit and seed morphology of this species, which will help in its wider propagation in plantations.

     

Herders’ Perceptions on Ruminant Livestock Breeds and Breeding Management in Southwestern Niger

This study documents indigenous knowledge of breeds of cattle, sheep and goats in southwestern Niger, and includes both pastoralists and agropastoralists. Our study included sheep and goats in view of the increasing importance of small ruminants in livestock production systems in the Sahel since the drought of the 1970s and 1980s. This study was carried out under the Desert Margins Program (DMP) project on arresting land degradation and the conservation of biodiversity in desert margins of sub-Saharan Africa, partly funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).     

Comparative morphometric study of the invasive pearl oyster <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinctada radiata</Emphasis> along the Tunisian coastline

In order to study the relative growth of the pearl oyster Pinctada radiata in Tunisia, a total of 330 individuals of this species were collected from six sites along the Tunisian coastline. Quantitative measurements of collected oysters were conducted for shell height, shell length, shell width, hinge length, height and width of the nacreous part and wet weight. The size structure of the sampled populations was described and the relative growth between different morphometric characteristics was estimated as allometric growth lines for the six P. radiata samples. It appeared that the majority of examined samples were dominated by large individuals that exceed a shell height of 42 mm. The maximum size (100.5 mm), recorded in Bizerta lagoon, is bigger than that recorded elsewhere in particular in the Red Sea. Size distribution analysis also showed that the majority of P. radiata samples were dominated by two or more size groups. Differences of allometric regression were found between the examined samples for the tested relationships. Moreover, the Factorial Discriminant Analysis, coupled with Ascending Hierarchic Classification, classified the sub-populations according to geographic locations.     

Influence of freezable/non-freezable water and sucrose on the viability of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Theobroma cacao</Emphasis> somatic embryos following desiccation and freezing

Encapsulated cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) somatic embryos subjected to 0.08–1.25 M sucrose treatments were analyzed for embryo soluble sugar content, non-freezable water content, moisture level after desiccation and viability after desiccation and freezing. Results indicated that the higher the sucrose concentration in the treatment medium, the greater was the extent of sucrose accumulation in the embryos. Sucrose treatment greatly assisted embryo post-desiccation recovery since only 40% of the control embryos survived desiccation, whereas a survival rate of 60–95% was recorded for embryos exposed to 0.5–1.25 M sucrose. The non-freezable water content of the embryos was estimated at between 0.26 and 0.61 g H₂O g⁻¹dw depending on the sucrose treatment, and no obvious relationship could be found between the endogenous sucrose level and the amount of non-freezable water in the embryos. Cocoa somatic embryos could withstand the loss of a fraction of their non-freezable water without losing viability following desiccation. Nevertheless, the complete removal of potentially freezable water was not sufficient for most embryos to survive freezing.