Appraisal of Local Farmers' Practices on Land Management for a Guideline of Agricultural Development in the Sahel Zone of Niger, West Africa

Hayashi, Keiichi; Abdoulaye, Tahirou; Matsunaga, Ryoichi; Tobita, Satoshi

doi:10.6090/jarq.43.63

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…To improve the spots where S. cordifolia did not grow well, most local farmers stated that they applied farmyard manure or household waste during the dry season. Their responses sounded rational and this was confirmed through a recent survey by Hayashi et al 17 . Despite limited organic resources, local farmers prioritized the allocation of household waste and farmyard manure to restore low-productive areas of farmland where plant growth including S. cordifolia was inadequate.…”

Section: 5supporting

confidence: 50%

“…The second survey was done by applying a questionnaire focusing on farmers' recognition of S. cordifolia in relation to soil fertility. The concept of soil fertility in this study was based on the local recognition by indigenous knowledge 17 . Scientific names of wild plants were identified by locally available nomenclature 23 .…”

Section: Local Information Gathering In Relation To Soil Fertility Mamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluation of the Indigenous Use of the Weed Sida cordifolia L. in the Sahelian Zone of West Africa

Hayashi¹,

Hayashi²,

Fatondji³

2013

JARQ

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Most farmers in Niger live below the poverty line and require low-capital intensification to improve agricultural production. The purpose of this study was to evaluate local knowledge on less beneficial weed for future use in managing the soil fertility of the Sahel region. Sida cordifolia was utilized in a scientific procedure to verify how local farmers utilize this species and the nature of the important roles behind this wild plant in terms of soil fertility management. The results of a questionnaire showed that S. cordifolia was less frequently used than other wild plants found in the same area, but that local farmers recognized this plant as one of the indicators of soil fertility in millet fields. The results of soil analysis also revealed a significant coefficient of variance in certain parameters such as total acidity and aluminum saturation of the soil, while multiple regression analysis showed the high influence of total acidity and soil pH on plant height and dry matter weight, respectively. These results indicate that the significant difference in plant growth of S. cordifolia was mainly due to soil acidity rather than soil fertility. The application of organic matter is one effective approach to resolve this problem and it was shown that the poor growth of S. cordifolia is a particularly useful marker to identify patches where organic matter should be applied. Despite its simplicity, this technique is considered particularly beneficial to allocate limited resources efficiently for sustainable, improved production.

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Section: 5supporting

confidence: 50%

Section: Local Information Gathering In Relation To Soil Fertility Mamentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the Indigenous Use of the Weed Sida cordifolia L. in the Sahelian Zone of West Africa

Hayashi¹,

Hayashi²,

Fatondji³

2013

JARQ

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“…Therefore, it is imperative to enhance information collection through long-term research activities. Several investigations of soil fertility management have been carried out for the development of appropriate agricultural techniques for Niger (Schlecht et al 2004;Bationo et al 1998;Hayashi et al 2009). However, the sustainability of these technical options should be verified before encouraging farmers to implement them.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validation of soil organic carbon dynamics model in the semi-arid tropics in Niger, West Africa

Nakamura

Hayashi

Omae

et al. 2010

Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst

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The fertility of sandy soils in the Sahelian zone (SZ) is extremely low. This poor soil fertility is one of the limiting factors of crop production in the SZ. Therefore, it is imperative to improve or to maintain soil fertility through various agricultural management methods. Further, it is well known that soil organic matter plays an important role in improving the physicochemical properties of these sandy infertile soils. Therefore, it is essential to develop a suitable tool for the appropriate evaluation of soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in the SZ. Therefore, the Rothamsted carbon model (Roth-C) was verified in 32 treatments of two long-term field experiments with and without crop residue application. These experiments were performed by ICRISAT. The performance of the model was evaluated by statistical methods using four indices (RMSE: root mean square error, LOFIT: lack of fit, r: correlation coefficient, and M: mean difference). As a result, the predicted SOC values in the case without crop residue management decreased with time in approximately 10 cultivated years. In contrast, in the case with crop residue application, the predicted SOC remained roughly equal to the initial SOC value during the term observed. Mostly, the Roth-C-modelled values agreed well with the actual value. RMSE and LOFIT, the statistical indicators of agreement between predicted and observed values, showed a significant conformity between the predicted and observed SOC values in all the 32 treatments. This fact means that Roth-C can estimate long-term SOC dynamics of several technical options that developed with short-term trials. Moreover the annual carbon requirement for SOC maintaining can be calculate if enough number of cases was estimated. And also analysis of regional carbon dynamics was made possible with using Roth-C model. It will contribute to show the sustainable development in SZ against global warming and other climatic changes.

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“…High prices at local retailers in West Africa are one of the reasons for this. In Niger, the price of urea was US$22 for one 50-kg bag (Hayashi et al 2009). As such, urea is generally not affordable to farmers, most of whom live below the poverty line.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimation of nitrogen flow within a village-farm model in Fakara region in Niger, Sahelian zone of West Africa

Hayashi

Matsumoto

Hayashi³

et al. 2012

Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst

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To determine the efficiency of utilization of organic matter in agricultural production, nitrogen flow was estimated within a village-farm model in the west of Niger, West Africa. Nitrogen was focused on in this study as it is known to be a major nutrient component of organic matter and one of the limiting nutrients in Sahelian soil. Local practices regarding the use of organic matter and pertinent information on traditional practices for soil fertility management were determined by interviews with local farmers. To estimate nitrogen flow in farmlands and consumption in the village through various activities, quantitative measurements of crop yield and organic amendment were carried out. Data on human and livestock excreta were taken from published reports. The size and classification of farmlands were as follows: 0.5 ha adjacent farmland, 1.6 ha threshing farmland, 6.0 ha transported-manure farmland, 5.5 ha corralling farmland, and 86.5 ha extensively managed farmland (EMF). Levels of nitrogen flow from these farmlands to the studied villages were 0.9, 2.9, 9.6, 15.2, and 94.2 Mg, while the flows to these farmlands were 14.6, 6.3, 13.7, 17.5, and 26.3 Mg, respectively. Upon calculation of nitrogen balance -8 kg ha -1 year -1 was estimated in EMF, but there was a positive balance in other types of farmland, which ranged from 4 to 262 kg ha -1 year -1 , indicating inefficient use of nitrogen in the study area for crop production. The results indicated that nutrient flow in the study site was unequally distributed and nitrogen was not recycled. Therefore, efforts should be made to establish efficient utilization of available nutrients by reducing the loss from livestock feed and human consumption. At the

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Appraisal of Local Farmers' Practices on Land Management for a Guideline of Agricultural Development in the Sahel Zone of Niger, West Africa

Cited by 6 publications

References 12 publications

Evaluation of the Indigenous Use of the Weed Sida cordifolia L. in the Sahelian Zone of West Africa

Evaluation of the Indigenous Use of the Weed Sida cordifolia L. in the Sahelian Zone of West Africa

Validation of soil organic carbon dynamics model in the semi-arid tropics in Niger, West Africa

Estimation of nitrogen flow within a village-farm model in Fakara region in Niger, Sahelian zone of West Africa

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