The study examined the functioning of the smallholder-produced teak poles value chain in Southern Benin from an analytical perspective combining the governance structure, the institutional environment, and the distribution of consumer price among chain actors. The objective was to identify bottlenecks militating against improved functioning of the farm-grown timber value chains. A fieldwork was carried from August 2008 to September 2010, to identify the agents and the organisations involved in the value chain. Data were collected on the functions performed, the costs borne and the income received by each category of agent, the marketing channels within the value chain, the interactions among agents, the consumption of the product, and the role of the organisations connected to the value chain. This was done by combining semi-structured interviews, focus group meetings, and structured interviews. In addition, data were collected on the institutional environment from both primary and secondary sources. The following agents were involved in the value chain: nurserymen, planters, local intermediaries, brokers, traders, and consumers. The forest service was the main governmental organisation involved in the functioning of the value chain. The governance structure in the value chain was driven by a mixture of government and the market. Various weaknesses were found in the forest policy, the forest regulation and their implementation. Planters' share of consumer price was lower than traders' return. The relevant policy options to address these issues were discussed.
Objectives:The aim was to identify the different production technologies, the hygiene of the producers and the microbiological and physico-chemical qualities of curdled milks produced in Benin. Methodology and Results: Thirty-two curdled milk samples were collected from five municipalities and microbiological analyses were carried for the detection of Salmonella sp. . The enumeration of total microbial flora, total and faecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, lactic flora, sulfito-reducing anaerobic germs, Staphylococcus aureus, as well as yeasts and moulds using normalized methods was carried out. The pH and the titratable acidity of the samples were determined by the AOAC method (1990). Results showed that majority of curdled milk producers of Benin are Peulh women. Two types of milks (fresh cow milk and powdered milk) were used for the preparation of these curds with two different technologies (technology using powdered milk in their preparation with old curdled milk as a starter and that using fresh cow milk with endogenous starter) were used. Microbiological and physico-chemical analyses revealed that the average total microbial flora was 255±126.10 6 cfu/ml. The lactic flora, as well as yeasts and moulds flora were respectively 8.29±6.56 x10 6 cfu/ml, 12.431±20.706 x10 3 cfu/ml and 13±23 cfu/ml. Coliforms count varied from 11.313±13 x10 3 cfu/ml at 30°C to 0.983±1.228 x10 3 cfu/ml at 44°C, while the average Escherichia coli count was 0.34±0.89 cfu/ml. The average pH and titratable acidity of the samples were respectively 3.77±0.17 and 156.36±30.22 degree Dornic. All analysed curds were exempt of Salmonella sp, Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium spp. Conclusion and application of findings: The poor quality of the studied curdled milk samples poses serious health risks to consumers. Therefore, this study calls for producers' sensitisation and training on good hygienic practices for safer curdled milk production with less public health risk.
Background and Objectives: The recent use of Structure-from-Motion with Multi-View Stereo photogrammetry (SfM-MVS) in forestry has underscored its robustness in tree mensuration. This study evaluated the differences in tree metrics resulting from various related SfM-MVS photogrammetric image acquisition scenarios. Materials and Methods: Scaled tri-dimensional models of 30 savanna trees belonging to five species were built from photographs acquired in a factorial design with shooting distance (d = 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 m away from tree) and angular shift (α = 15°, 30°, 45° and 60°; nested in d). Tree stem circumference at 1.3 m and bole volume were estimated using models resulting from each of the 20 scenarios/tree. Mean absolute percent error (MAPE) was computed for both metrics in order to compare the performance of each scenario in relation to reference data collected using a measuring tape. Results: An assessment of the effect of species identity (s), shooting distance and angular shift showed that photographic point cloud density was dependent on α and s, and optimal for 15° and 30°. MAPEs calculated on stem circumferences and volumes significantly differed with d and α, respectively. There was a significant interaction between α and s for both circumference and volume MAPEs, which varied widely (1.6 ± 0.4%–20.8 ± 23.7% and 2.0 ± 0.6%–36.5 ± 48.7% respectively), and were consistently lower for smaller values of d and α. Conclusion: The accuracy of photogrammetric estimation of individual tree attributes depended on image-capture approach. Acquiring images 2 m away and with 30° intervals around trees produced reliable estimates of stem circumference and bole volume. Research Highlights: This study indicates that the accuracy of photogrammetric estimations of individual tree attributes is species-dependent. Camera positions in relation to the subject substantially influence the level of uncertainty in measurements.
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