Sahel Region Of Africa Research Articles

Mycorrhizal inoculation and fertilizer microdosing interactions in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) under greenhouse conditions.

Soil fertility is a major constraint to agricultural development in the Sahel region of Africa. One alternative to reducing the use of mineral fertilizers is to partially replace them with microbes that promote nutrition and growth, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Mineral fertilizer microdosing is a technique developed to enhance fertilizer efficiency and encourage smallholder farmers to adopt higher mineral fertilizer applications. A pot experiment was set up to study the effects of AMF inoculation on the mineral nutrition of pearl millet under mineral fertilizer microdosing conditions. The experimental setup followed a randomized complete block design with five replicates. The treatments tested on millet were an absolute control and eight microdoses derived from the combination of three doses of 15- 10-10 [nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK)] mineral fertilizer (2 g, 3 g, and 5 g per pot), three doses of urea (1 g, 2 g, and 3 g per pot), and three doses of organic manure (OM) (200 g, 400 g, and 600 g), combined with and without AMF (Rhizophagus irregularis and Rhizophagus aggregatum). The parameters studied were growth, root colonization by AMF, and mineral nutrition. Plant height, stem diameter, root dry biomass, and percentage of root mycorrhization were measured. The results revealed a significant effect of the fertilizers on the growth of pearl millet compared to the control. AMF and OM treatments resulted in the highest biomass production. AMF combined with microdoses of NPK improved N and calcium (Ca) concentrations, while their combination with organic matter mainly improved the K concentration. Combining AMF with microdosed NPK and compost enhanced zinc (Zn) and nickel (Ni) concentrations. Root colonization varied from 0.55 to 56.4%. This investigation highlights the positive effects of AMF inoculation on nutrient uptake efficiency when combined with microdosing fertilization.

Modeling and Multi-objective Optimal Control of Thedynamics of Counterterrorism in the Sahel Region in Africa

Terrorist activity in the Sahel region has been on the increase for almost a decade. Groups advocating extremist ideologies with a political or religious base are carrying out attacks against states with the aim of imposing a totalitarian ideology, sometimes against a backdrop of political crisis and famine. In this state of crisis and sometimes communal conflict, it is questionable whether ideological terrorism can really be eradicated in the Sahel. In this study, we develop a model of the dynamics of ideological terrorism based on the terrorism situation in the Sahel. In particular, this model incorporates popular resistance to terrorism through the class of volunteers for the defense of the homeland, but we also take into account the indoctrination of certain sections of the population vulnerable to fanatical ideology. We estimate $\mathcal{R}_0$ , the number of elementary replications of extremist behavior, which enables us to predict the evolution of extremism. We also identify four thresholds $\mathcal{R}_1$, $\mathcal{R}_2$, $\mathcal{R}_3$ and $\mathcal{R}_4$ of sufficient conditions for the eradication of ideological terrorism and brigandage. A multi-objective optimal control of a counter-terrorism strategy is also presented. Finally, we perform a numerical simulation of the analysis and control results to test our hypotheses.

Groundwater vulnerability to pollution in Africa’s Sahel region

Protection of groundwater resources is essential to ensure quality and sustainable use. However, predicting vulnerability to anthropogenic pollution can be difficult where data are limited. This is particularly true in the Sahel region of Africa, which has a rapidly growing population and increasing water demands. Here we use groundwater measurements of tritium (3H) with machine learning to create an aquifer vulnerability map (of the western Sahel), which forms an important basis for sustainable groundwater management. Modelling shows that arid areas with greater precipitation seasonality, higher permeability and deeper wells or water table generally have older groundwater and less vulnerability to pollution. About half of the modelled area was classified as vulnerable. Groundwater vulnerability is based on recent recharge, implying a sensitivity also to a changing climate, for example, through altered precipitation or evapotranspiration. This study showcases the efficacy of using tritium to assess aquifer vulnerability and the value of tritium analyses in groundwater, particularly towards improving the spatial and temporal resolution.

아프리카 사헬지역 테러양상 변화에 따른 재외국민 보호 발전방안 연구

The purpose of this study is to examine the factors behind the change in terrorism in the Sahel region of Africa since COVID-19. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Global Terrorism Index and the number of deaths due to terrorism have decreased globally. However, the Sahel region in Africa has seen a sharp increase in terrorist attacks and deaths. Over the past few years, the focus of international terrorist organizations has shifted from the Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa to the Sahel, which includes border areas that are relatively difficult for governments to control. The Sahel region has complex security challenges, which have been exacerbated by COVID-19 and are thought to have contributed to the rise in terrorism. Political instability, the decline of democracy, the rise of international terrorist organizations, and new means of attack, such as drones, are some of the factors that have contributed to the rise of terrorism in the Sahel since COVID-19. In order to respond to these threats, the report suggests ways to develop an expatriate protection response system, such as supplementing the expatriate protection crisis management manual, utilizing private security guard capabilities, and establishing anti-drone systems for missions and key facilities.

Charcoal Trade in Niger—Product Flows and Business Models

Charcoal is used in Africa for household energy, and the sector involves different actors with specific business strategies. Based on theories on sustainable business models and livelihoods, charcoal traders in five cities in Niger were surveyed about supply chains and strategies. Most charcoal is imported from Nigeria, and smaller quantities come from Benin and Burkina Faso or domestically. Men dominate the trade. Customers value charcoal quality, tree species, packaging, and low prices. Three groups of traders and their business models were identified: small-scale retailers, large-scale retailers, and wholesalers. The charcoal trade is typically combined with trade in other products and is frequently conducted with family members or friends; laborers are employed for loading and unloading. The charcoal business provides a complementary income for the traders’ livelihoods. Most respondents believed that trade would increase in the future; wholesalers expected promising future business opportunities. This study concludes that improvements should focus on quality, better marketing skills, and more sustainable charcoal sourcing. Charcoal use in the Sahel region of Africa should also be studied further to enable the development of effective policies in the West African bioenergy sector. The cross-border charcoal trade creates a need for coordinated policies for a sustainable charcoal sector in the Sahel region.

How Can Girls’ Education and Family Planning Improve Community Resilience to Climate Change in the Sahel?

Population growth and climate change are currently the two greatest threats to food security in the Sahel region of Africa. The population of the countries that make up the Sahel is projected to nearly double by 2050, from 506 million to 912 million. Paired with the expected rise in temperature and increased frequency of extreme climatic events, these numbers could quickly overwhelm relief efforts. Strengthening human capital and economic stability are critical to prevent catastrophic suffering. This article recommends two evidence-based approaches that expand women’s autonomy and support their income-earning potential while building resilience to climate change. The first recommendation, would be greater investments in adolescent girls’ education and autonomy, including efforts to delay marriage and childbearing. The second calls for an improvement in the availability and quality of reproductive health services, with a special focus on voluntary family planning. These interventions can increase incomes, reproductive autonomy and gender equity which build community resilience and adaptability to climate change.

Terrorism and Regional Security: The Challenges of Insurgency in the Sahel

This paper examines the incidences of terrorism in the Sahel region of Africa and its impact on regional security. The study suggests that terrorism festering in the Sahel is a product of bad governance and the inability of the states within the sphere of influence to exert the needed political will and corresponding action to nip in the bud the slip further down of insecurity. The study also posits that terrorism is a major hindrance to development. Using the Regional Security Complex Theory as a theoretical framework for analysis, the paper tries to explain how despondency results when regional intervention are not implemented. The paper recommends an overhaul of broader regional intervention as a matter of urgency, especially where state cannot tackle the security implications. The data used for this paper were gathered through secondary sources. These sources are textbooks, journal publications, newspapers, magazines and internet sources.

A HYDROLOGICAL MODELLING APPROACH IN IDENTIFYING RAINWATER POTENTIAL FOR LONG-TERM WATER AND FOOD RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN SEVERE CLIMATIC SCENARIOS: A CASE STUDY OF SOUTHERN KADUNA

The unavailability of freshwater in the Sahel region of Africa is one of the hindrances to meeting sustainable development goals. This, coupled with an increasing population, makes irrigation demand unmet. The SWAT hydrological model was used alongside the Water Evaluation and Planning Tool (WEAP) to analyse the current and future conditions under different climatic scenarios. The study found the impact due to urban expansion and climatic change to be severe in the irrigation sector, with an unmet demand of 258 Mm3. The unmet total future demand due to climate variation between 2006 to 2030 is observed to be 30 Mm3,273Mm3,370Mm3,368Mm3 for the climatic scenarios as considered in the study. The SWAT hydrological model produced a Nash-Sutcliffe of 0.837 and 0.75 during calibration and validation, respectively. studies considering water quality are recommended for future studies with also an evaluation of the sustainability of aquatic organisms within the catchment.

Interrogating the Commoditization of Force in the Sahel Region: A Case Study of Mali

Intra-state conflicts are on the rise in many parts of Africa where armed non-state actors strive to take over political power from legitimate authority. In an attempt to overcome such armed confrontations and restore peace, weak nations would seek external assistance and sometimes make secret deals with private military companies that specialize in intelligence gathering, training of fighters, and supply of state-of-the-art weaponry. Using Mali as a case study, this desk study relies on secondary data available online and in print. It attempts to address the question as to how the French-led multinational forces in the Sahel region of Africa has become an endless conflict since 2013. In the light of the Game Theory, the study has found that the commoditization of force that transforms well-equipped fighters into profit-making contractors is instrumental to the trending nature of war against Islamism. The military takeover in Mali translates the determination of the commander-in-chief to occupy the driver’ seat but no one knows when the fighting will end, given that both multinational forces and insurgents are rational players in the game. The paper recommends a strict adherence to the Geneva antimercenary legislation to curtail the influence of private military companies in conflict zones.

Assessment of the diets and food security of households hosting and not hosting internally displaced persons in the Kora, Burkina Faso

Introduction. Terrorism is escalating in the Sahel region of Africa, forcing massive population displacement and worsening food insecurity. Aim. The objective of the present study was to assess the level of food insecurity within households hosting internally displaced persons (IDP), known as host households, compared to households not hosting internally displaced persons, known as non-host households in the Kora area in Burkina Faso. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2020 at the Kora area and included 70 host households and 73 non-host households. Results. Most of the households had smallholding and were living from subsistence farming. Host households had better quality diets in terms of diet diversification compared to non-host households. In addition, the non-host household were the most vulnerable in terms of food insecurity. Factors associated with household food insecurity were household status (i.e. host or non-host household) and the occupation (i.e. function) of the head of the households. Conclusion. Food assistance received by IDPs improved the quality of food for their host families but did not protect them from food insecurity with all its consequences. Recommendation. The Burkinabe state, in collaboration with the concerned stakeholders should promote good dietary diversity practices, improve food availability and access and monitor host households and provide them with substantial food aid without forget the non-host households which are also exposed.

Spatiotemporal Evolution of West Africa’s Urban Landscape Characteristics Applying Harmonized DMSP-OLS and NPP-VIIRS Nighttime Light (NTL) Data

Investigating urban expansion patterns aids in the management of urbanization and in ameliorating the socioeconomic and environmental issues associated with economic transformation and sustainable development. Applying Harmonized Defense Meteorological Satellite Program-Operational Line-scan System (DMSP-OLS) and the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership-Visible Infrared Imagery Radiometer Suite (NPP-VIIRS) Nighttime Light (NTL) data, this paper investigated the characteristics of urban landscape in West Africa. Using the harmonized NTL data, spatial comparison and empirical threshold methods were employed to detect urban changes from 1993 to 2018. We examined the rate of urban change and calculated the direction of the urban expansion of West Africa using the center-of-gravity method for urban areas. In addition, we used the landscape expansion index method to assess the processes and stages of urban growth in West Africa. The accuracy of urban area extraction based on NTL data were R 2 = 0.8314 in 2000, R 2 = 0.8809 in 2006, R 2 = 0.9051 in 2012 for the DMSP-OLS and the simulated NPP-VIIRS was R 2 = 0.8426 in 2018, by using Google Earth images as validation. The results indicated that there was a high rate and acceleration of urban landscapes in West Africa, with rates of 0.016 0, 0.017 3, 0.018 9, and 0.068 6, and accelerations of 0.31, 0.42, 0.54, and 0.90 for the periods of 1998-2003, 2003-2008, 2008-2013, and 2013-2018, respectively. The expansion direction of urban agglomeration in West Africa during 1993-2018 was mainly from the coast to inland. However, cities located in the Sahel Region of Africa and in the middle zone expanded from north to south. Finally, the results showed that the urban landscape of West Africa was mainly in a scattered and disordered 'diffusion' process, whereas only a few cities located in coastal areas experiencing the process of 'coalescence' according to urban growth phase theory. This study provides urban planners with relevant insights for the urban expansion characteristics of West Africa.

Aflatoxin Contamination of Maize, Groundnut, and Sorghum Grown in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger and Aflatoxin Exposure Assessment.

Aflatoxin contamination of staple crops by Aspergillus flavus and closely related fungi is common across the Sahel region of Africa. Aflatoxins in maize, groundnut, and sorghum collected at harvest or from farmers’ stores within two weeks of harvest from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger were quantified. Thereafter, aflatoxin exposure values were assessed using per capita consumption rates of those crops. Mean aflatoxin concentrations in maize were high, 128, 517, and 659 µg/kg in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, respectively. The estimated probable daily intake (PDI) of aflatoxins from maize ranged from 6 to 69, 29 to 432, and 310 to 2100 ng/kg bw/day in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, respectively. Similarly, mean aflatoxin concentrations in sorghum were high, 76 and 259 µg/kg in Mali and Niger, respectively, with an estimated PDI of 2–133 and 706–2221. For groundnut, mean aflatoxin concentrations were 115, 277, and 628 µg/kg in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, respectively. Aflatoxin exposure values were high with an estimated 9, 28, and 126 liver cancer cases/100,000 persons/year in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, respectively. Several samples were extremely unsafe, exceeding manyfold regulatory levels of diverse countries (up to 2000 times more). Urgent attention is needed across the Sahel for integrated aflatoxin management for public health protection, food and nutrition security, and access to trade opportunities.

Accelerate the Mobilization of African and International Scientific Expertise to Boost Interdisciplinary Research for the Success of the Sahelian Great Green Wall by 2030

The Sahelian Great Green Wall (SGGW) is an influential project to combat desertification and promote sustainable land management on a large scale, involving 11 countries in the Sahel region of Africa. The UNCCD’s 2020 progress report showed a mixed picture concerning the meeting of the initial targets. At the One Planet Summit in 2021, announcements were made to consolidate the implementation of the SGGW, most notably with the creation of the Great Green Wall Accelerator. In this context, our paper sets out to review the scientific work conducted with regard to the SGGW. We have thus carried out a bibliometric analysis of the literature on SGGW. Although the initiative involves 11 countries and covers a large spectrum of scientific disciplines, our results show the predominance of ecological studies in the SGGW literature and a concentration of studies in certain geographies of interest, such as northern Senegal. Moreover, based on a secondary analysis of publications on land restoration and sustainable ecosystem management in Sahelian countries, we show that the literature relevant to SGGW topics is richer and fills in the information gaps we have identified at thematic and geographical levels. By showing that SGGW studies are overly focused on certain topics and geographical areas, our paper argues for a better interdisciplinary mobilization of researchers working on GGW-related topics. The scientific and operational success of the project depends on stronger networking between the different research teams and themes, both in Africa and internationally.

Pharmacovigilance reporting during seasonal malaria chemoprevention campaign: Findings from northern Nigeria

BackgroundSeasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) campaign is known to reduce malaria-related morbidity and mortality among children aged 3 -59 months in the Sahel regions of Africa. However, the success of the intervention may be adversely affected by the absence of a robust pharmacovigilance system to monitor safety. This paper aims to describe our pharmacovigilance reporting experience during the campaigns conducted across seven states in Nigeria in 2020. MethodsThe SMC campaigns were held over four cycles from July to November 2020, with nearly 12 million eligible children reached by trained community drug distributors. Suspected adverse drug reactions were reported routinely through the national pharmacovigilance (PV) system. Completed PV forms submitted to the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control were retrieved and analyzed. ResultsThe adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting across the seven states was low, with no ADR reports from five states. The ADRs reported included abdominal pain, weakness, diarrhea, fever, rash, and vomiting. Vomiting was the most reported ADR, accounting for almost half (28/57) of all reported cases. Children aged 12–59 months accounted for most (∼86%, 49/57) of the ADR reports, with over 70% (40/57) of these reports completed by community health extension workers. The system organ classification of ADRs showed that the gastrointestinal system was mainly affected (65%, 37/57). ConclusionOur experience suggests gaps with the pharmacovigilance surveillance system, highlighting the need to consider an active surveillance system, address behavioural factors, and explore the use of a digital reporting system.

Social Work Interventions: A Socio-Ecological Analysis of Climate Change and Conflict Refugees in the Sahel

The UN Refugee Agency, the UNHCR, has stated that climate change will disproportionally impact the displaced as it becomes more unpredictable, intense, frequent, and dangerous (Gaynor, 2020). The UNHCR reported that in 2019, weather-related hazards resulted in almost 25 million displacements in 140 countries. This paper will examine the effects of climate change and ensuing conflict on refugees in the Sahel Region of Africa. This paper will first look at the effects from a social-ecological systems perspective, analyzing the interrelating contexts. This paper will then examine the harmful effects of climate change and ensuing conflict on humans, other species, and the environment. This paper will follow this examination with an analysis of which actors benefit from the systems that initiate these detrimental effects, and how they can be held accountable. The general media narratives of refugees will be examined, establishing barriers for humanitarian aid and public support to reach those in need. Then, this paper will examine three leverage points through which the profession of social work and other helping professions could intervene to address the problem, followed by the identification of one specifically poignant leverage point from the three – community organizing, providing a blueprint to effectively address the harmful effects climate change and conflict are having on refugees in the Sahel.

Evolving Sahel Rainfall Response to Anthropogenic Aerosols Driven by Shifting Regional Oceanic and Emission Influences

Abstract Sahel summertime precipitation declined from the 1950s to 1970s and recovered from the 1970s to 2000s. Anthropogenic aerosol contributions to this evolution are typically attributed to interhemispheric gradient changes of Atlantic Ocean sea surface temperature (SST). However recent work by Hirasawa et al. indicates a more complex picture, with the response being a combination of “fast” direct atmospheric (DA) processes and “slow” ocean-mediated (OM) processes. Here, we extend this understanding using the Community Atmosphere Model 5 to determine the role of regional ocean-basin perturbations and regional aerosol emission changes in the overall aerosol-driven OM and DA responses, respectively. From the 1950s to 1970s, there was an OM Sahel wetting response due to Pacific Ocean cooling that was offset by drying due to Atlantic cooling. By contrast, from the 1970s to 2000s, Atlantic trends reversed and amplified the Pacific cooling-induced wetting. This wetting was partially offset by drying driven by Indian Ocean cooling. Thus, the OM Sahel precipitation response to aerosol crucially depends on the balance of responses to Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean SST anomalies. From the 1950s to 1970s, there is DA Sahel drying that was principally due to North American aerosol emissions, with negligible effect from European emissions. DA drying from the 1970s to 2000s was mainly due to African aerosol emissions. Thus, the shifting roles of regional OM and DA effects reveal a complex interplay of direct driving and remote teleconnections in determining the time evolution of Sahel precipitation due to aerosol forcing in the late twentieth century. Significance Statement Studies of global climate models consistently indicate that anthropogenic aerosol emissions were a significant contributor to a severe drought that occurred in the Sahel region of Africa in the late twentieth century. The drying influence of aerosol forcing is the combined result of rapid atmospheric responses directly due to the forcing and slower responses due to forced ocean temperature changes. Using a set of simulations targeted at determining the influences from different ocean basins and different emission regions for two periods in the late twentieth century, we find there is a surprising range of mechanisms through which aerosol emissions affect the Sahel. This results in a complex interplay of at times competing and at times complementary regional influences.

Natural variation further increases resilience of sorghum bred for chronically drought-prone environments.

Drought stress is one of the major constraints for crop production in the Sahel region of Africa. Here, we explore the potential to use natural genetic variation to build on the inherent drought tolerance of an elite sorghum cultivar, Teshale, that has been bred for Ethiopian conditions including chronic drought. We evaluated a backcross nested-association mapping population using 12 diverse founder lines crossed with Teshale under three drought-prone environments in Ethiopia. All 12 populations averaged higher head exsertion and lower leaf senescence than the recurrent parent in the two most stressful environments, reflecting new drought resilience mechanisms from the donors. A total of 154 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were detected for eight drought-responsive traits, and their validity was supported by the fact that 113 (73.4%) overlapped with QTLs previously detected for the same traits, concentrated in regions previously associated with 'stay-green' traits. Allele effects showed that some favourable alleles are already present in the Ethiopian cultivar; however, the exotic donors offer rich scope for increasing drought resilience. Using model-selected SNPs associated with the eight traits identified in this study and three in a companion study, phenotypic prediction accuracies for grain yield were equivalent to genome-wide SNPs and were significantly better than random SNPs, indicating that the selected traits are predictive of sorghum grain yield.

Hermetic Bags Effectively Preserve Dried Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. Fruits in Niger

Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. (jujube) is a valuable commercial fruit crop that is delicious and an effective herbal remedy. In the Sahel region of Africa, the jujube fruits are harvested from the wild and eaten dry. Postharvest management poses challenges due to insects, which leads to the degradation of the quality of the fruits. We assessed the performance of the Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags for preserving dried jujube fruits from three regions of Niger. After four months of storage, we measured infestation levels, sugar content, and organoleptic parameters. Insect (Aubeus himalayanus Voss) population (though low at the beginning) and the number of fruits with holes increased in polypropylene (PP, control) bags by 100 to 212.50% and 7.58 to 12.96%, respectively. The fruit weight loss in PP treatments ranged from 4.64 to 9.94%. In PICS bags, however, pest infestations and damages were comparable to those observed at the initial stage. No significant differences were observed in sugar content of dried jujube fruits kept in PICS and PP bags after four months of storage. No changes were seen in the quality and organoleptic properties of jujube fruits stored in PICS bags; however, they appeared to decrease in PP bags. PICS bags can be effectively used to preserve the quality of dried jujube fruits in the Sahel.

Ecological environment quality evaluation of the Sahel region in Africa based on remote sensing ecological index

Ecological environment quality evaluation of the Sahel region in Africa based on remote sensing ecological index

Women of the Sahel: Portraits of women living through violence and conflict in the Sahel

AbstractArmed conflict, violence, climate shocks, displacement and the COVID-19 pandemic have all contributed to the extremely complex humanitarian situation in the Sahel region of Africa. Their impact is felt, first and foremost, by civilians. Common threads running through the narratives of many of the articles in this issue of the Review point to the particular challenges facing women in the Sahel region – owing to their vulnerable position – and the key role they play in their communities.These women have to cope on their own: their fathers, husbands and sons are either in detention or missing. The challenges they face include obtaining food and access to care, education and employment, as well as rebuilding their lives and homes. In their daily struggle for survival, they also remain prime targets for violent attacks.Two humanitarian issues arise here. The first and most obvious, that of protection, should not overshadow the increasingly significant issue of women's inclusion and participation. In fact, there has been a shift away from viewing women as vulnerable potential victims and towards recognizing them as effective – even key – agents of change in the region, thus highlighting the importance of investing in women, the driving force behind efforts to rebuild society.1The stories of the women from the Sahel region featured below2 reflect their desire to rebuild society and their capacity for resilience.