Achille E Assogbadjo

University of Abomey-Calavi | UAC · Faculty of Agronomic Sciences (FSA)

Blighia sapida est une espèce très domestiquée au Bénin et dont les fruits riches sur le plan nutritionnel sont utilisés pour des raisons alimentaire, phytothérapeute et cosmétique. Malgré son niveau de domestication, l’espèce se trouve aujourd’hui dans une situation de régression progressive dans les agro-forêts. Les causes majeures pourraient êtr...

Demographic pressure and human activities are having significant impacts on biodiversity conservation. As traditional farmlands have challenges of coupling crop production and conservation of biodiversity, this study assessed traditional farmlands in regard to their typology and impacts on conservation of tree species. A line tran-sect of 26 km was...

Picralima nitida is an important African medicinal plant species used in pharmaceutical industries and traditional medicine to treat several diseases. Despite its importance, the species faces conservation problem. This study evaluated the effect of climate and habitat on morphological characteristics and fruit production of P. nitida. A total of 1...

Balanites aegyptiaca is a key agroforestry tree species widely distributed across the African drylands, and with a high socioeconomic potential for rural communities. Previous research studies have revealed the importance of this multipurpose fruit tree species from an ecological perspective, however, there is still little documentation of the curr...

Ricinodendron heudelotii (Baill.) Heckel is an important nutraceutical reservoir. Its Sustainable exploitation requires information on its potential distribution in the current context of rapid population growth and climate change threats. This study aimed to map the suitable areas for its domestication and conservation under current and future cli...

Mangroves are precious ecosystems that provide vital socio-economic, environ- mental and cultural benefits to humanity. However, they are declining alarmingly due to human activities and natural hazards. Assessment of their spatio-tem- poral dynamics is essential to monitor these ecosystems and guide their mana- gement to ensure their sustaina...

Co-management has been widely promoted in protected area management on the premise that it may simultaneously enhance biodiversity conservation outcomes and improve the livelihoods of the park-border communities. However, the success of this management approach remains a growing debate raising the question of its effectiveness. To contribute to thi...

Background Understanding morpho-genetic diversity and differentiation of species with relatively large distributions is crucial for the conservation and sustainable management of their genetic resources. The present study focused on Annona senegalensis Pers., an important multipurpose wild plant, distributed exclusively in natural ecosystems but fa...

Annona senegalensis Pers is a multipurpose tree species valued for food and medicinal uses in Africa. Although there have been attempts to document the proximate composition of fruits and leaves, little is known about the relative role of soil, climate, and genotype on the nutritional quality. The present study evaluated the variation of the proxim...

Aims : Land cover change in inselbergs and adjacent areas was studied from 2003 to 2018 in a region facing anthropogenic pressures to assess dynamics and preserve rare endemic species. Study area: Inselbergs and their adjacent areas in the Sudano-Guinean zone of Benin are included in this study. Methods: Land cover classes of inselbergs and adjacen...

Background Vegetables and fruits are highly recommended in diets because of their nutritional importance. Among those, leguminous vegetables are more important, for low-income countries, because of their protein, mineral contents and potential to increase food security and income. In Benin, snap beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris L. ) are the most consumed...

The digital transformation of agriculture can support economic growth and food and nutrition security in Africa. The objectives of this study were to provide an overview of the status of digital agriculture in five West African countries, analyze their efforts in developing the enabling environment and innovations, and formulate recommendations bas...

This study focuses on agriculture, which is the main source of economic growth in many West African countries. In recent years, conventional agriculture has undergone a remarkable evolution and digital technologies are widely used for different purposes. While the world is rapidly using advanced digital technologies to grow their agriculture, Afric...

Climate change presents scenarios of extreme temperature variations that will limit agricultural productivity further when the need for efficient production systems cannot be over emphasized. Aside breeding for tolerance, the development of new varieties of crops such as Cowpea, it is important to evaluate the temperature tolerance of new varieties...

Effectiveness of Balanites aegyptiaca conservation and sustainable exploitation requires a better knowledge of the intrinsic environmental factors linked with its current and future geographic distribution. This study aimed to map suitable areas for the conservation and domestication of B. aegyptiaca under present-day and future climate conditions...

Agriculture is the primary source of economic growth in many countries in West Africa. It provides food and livelihoods for the population. The purpose of this study is to review the digital agriculture status in five countries, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Coˆte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria. The study consisted of a bibliometric analysis using a da...

Digital transformation of agriculture can support economic growth and food and nutri-tion security in Africa. This study provides an overview of the status of digital agriculture in five west African countries, analyzing their efforts in developing the enabling environment and inno-vations while formulating recommendations based on the identified g...

Kersting’s groundnut (Macrotyloma geocarpum, Harms) is a legume crop with nutritional potential in West Africa where it is widely consumed due to its palatability. The present study investigated the physical characteristics, nutritional composition, and organoleptic properties of five Kersting’s groundnut accessions selected based on their yield pe...

Different mechanisms have been proposed to explain species coexistence and maintenance of local species diversity in tree communities. Among the proposed mechanisms, negative density dependence theory (NDD) predicts that seedling growth rate declines at high conspecific densities. However, local environmental conditions and seasonality may also mod...

Published in Bulletin de la Recherche Agronomique du Bénin (BRAB) - ISSN électronique (ISSN : 1840-7099) // 33 (02): 39-55 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- La connaissance des usages locaux et de l'importance socio-économique d'une ressource est essentielle pour sa gestion durable....

Ecosystem services are fundamental to people and are undergoing many threats such as uncontrolled fire. Local knowledge has been widely used to guide management decisions for plant biodiversity. Therefore, we assessed the knowledge of the people of Pendjari Biosphere Reserve (PBR) on the impact of fire on ecosystem services (ES). A semi‐structured...

Pages (pp.) 44-82. Bulletin de la Recherche Agronomique du Bénin (BRAB)-Juin 2022-Volume 32-Numéro 01 Le BRAB est en ligne (on line) sur le site web http://www.slire.net et peut être aussi consulté sur le site web de l'Institut National des Recherches Agricoles du Bénin (INRAB) http://www.inrab.org

Bushmeat is one of the sources of protein in the urban areas around the Lama Classified Forest. However, knowledge of the extent of its consumption and the relative importance of socio-demographic and economic factors, social norms and reasons for the consumption of bushmeat in urban areas are rarely assessed. The study aims to contribute to the ra...

The objective of this paper is to point out the richness of proverbs dealing with ants. First, the age and the importance of "ants" are underlined. Next, the proverbs expressed in Africa are taken up in alphabetical order of the concerned languages. In total, 63 proverbs appear in the present paper; they are relevant to 19 different languages. Résu...

Uvaria chamae is a wild shrub species widely used as a source for traditional medicine, food and fuel in West Africa. The species is threatened by uncontrolled harvesting of its roots for pharmaceutical applications and by the extension of agricultural land. This study assessed the role of environmental variables for the current distribution and th...

Afzelia africana Sm. ex Pers. is an African endangered tree species whose natural populations are declining severely because of human pressure through logging, fodder, and fuel harvesting. Despite the importance of molecular ecology in these decades, no information regarding population genetics is available to motivate the conservation of this tree...

The report presents 29 scientific papers on the economics of small pelagics in West Africa published within the framework of the GREPPAO project between 2021 and 2022.

The diversity of forest resources is threatened in its current form of exploitation by rural communities. In order to contribute to the sustainable use of forest resources, this study aimed to assess the diversity of 'utilitarian' plant species (those that are useful to humans) among communities living in the 11 classified forests managed by the Na...

Uvaria chamae P. Beauv is known as a key shrub species providing several goods and services for sustaining livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite its great medicinal importance for local communities, little is known about its conservation status and sustainable management strategies regarding the current overexploitation of the species’ fruits...

We tackle the potential impact of bushmeat markets (BM) and traditional medicine markets (TMM) on the functional diversity of mammalian communities in southern Benin. A hybrid approach combining direct observations, DNA-typing and questionnaires allowed us to identify 94 species-level taxa across 11 mammalian orders, the greatest ever reported numb...

We tackle the potential impact of bushmeat markets (BM) and traditional medicine markets (TMM) on the functional diversity of mammalian communities in southern Benin, West Africa. A hybrid approach combining direct observations, DNA-typing and questionnaires allowed us to identify 94 species-level taxa across 11 mammalian orders, the greatest ever...

Edamame has many nutritional and human health benefits and has the potential to overcome malnutrition, a common scourge among West African populations. This study aims to identify sensory preference criteria in order to select edamame varieties that meet the organoleptic needs of potential consumers in Benin. Ten soybean varieties were selected on...

Small pelagic fish species contribute substantially to the food security and livelihoods of local communities in developing countries. In West Africa, and particularly in Benin, small pelagic fisheries attract many migrant fishers who are key actors in the sector. This study assessed the characteristics and sociocultural impacts of the small pelagi...

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) is an important food and nutrition security crop in Benin, though its production is constrained by absence of information necessary for strategic planning. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diversity of preferred traits and production constraints of cowpea in southern Benin. A survey was conducted i...

Agroforestry systems are the last refuge habitats for many large old trees. This study assessed the management and the protection of Milicia excelsa (Iroko) trees in agricultural landscape of Dogbo district in southern Benin. A socio-economic survey with 288 respondents combined with an inventory of M. excelsa trees in agricultural lands were carri...

The mature seeds of Khaya senegalensis are from 2 to 2.5 cm long and weigh 289 g per 1000 seeds. These seeds contain about 67% oil by weight. This oil, which is fairly rich in oleic acid (66%), is used in West Africa for cooking, for cosmetics, as an insecticide and in traditional medicine. Prospecting to enhance the development of this oil in Chad...

Vegetable soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) is a highly nutritious crop in Africa whose attributes make it a product of choice to formulate diets with numerous human health benefits. The crop is still novel in West Africa, but is making inroads in many countries of the region. The objective of this study was to evaluate selected vegetable soybean vari...

Despite the ethical issues concerning the continued use of Human Landing Catches (HLC) to monitor the Simulium damnosum complex for epidemiological monitoring of onchoceri-casis, few attempts to develop alternatives have been reported. In studies on a wild population of S. damnosum in Burkina Faso, we tested visual targets (different sizes and shap...

Baobab is a multipurpose tree, with nutritional importance to African rural populations, and several products are derived from its fruit. The dehulled fruit delivers a pulp used for food processing. The present study aimed to characterize the baobab pulp derived products encountered in food outlets in Benin. Pulp based foods were inventoried and ch...

Sustainable conservation of crop wild relatives is one of the pathways to securing global food security amid climate change threats to biodiversity. However, their conservation is partly limited by spatio-temporal distribution knowledge gaps mostly because they are not morphologically charismatic species to attract conservation attention. Therefore...

Sustainable conservation of crop wild relatives is one of the pathways to securing global food security amid climate change threats to biodiversity. However, their conservation is partly limited by spatio-temporal distribution knowledge gaps mostly because they are not morphologically charismatic species to attract conservation attention. Therefore...

Key Message Strychnos spinosa growth was less responsive than its fruit production, to tree size, protection status and climate; its fruit production increased with tree size, and more so on protected sites. Abstract Abiotic and biotic mechanisms (e.g. climate, human perturbations) are presumed to shape tree growth and reproductive performances. U...

Balanites aegyptiaca, a key agroforestry species, is being overexploited in the Sahel due to increasing market demand for its derived products. The present study aims to model the potential current distribution of B. aegyptiaca and to assess the potential impact of the future climate (at 2055 and 2085 time horizons) on the species distribution in C...

Socio-demographic factors are often responsible for the persistent neglect of orphan crops such as Kersting’s groundnut (Macrotyloma geocarpum) in sub-Saharan Africa.The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of socio-demographic factors on production of Kersting’s groundnut (KG), as a basis for informing policy and development ef...

Swift delivery of quality seeds to farming communities is a fundamental step in mainstreaming the value chain of orphan crops. The objective of this study was to characterise seed production and delivery systems of the orphan Kersting’s groundnut (KG) [Macrotyloma geocarpum (Harms) Maréchal & Baudet] and their influence on seed quality in Benin. A...

The fishery industry plays a paramount role in poverty alleviation, food security and job creation in Sub-Saharan Africa. Scientific attempts to characterize the sector are however limited. This study used primary and secondary data from 2014 to 2018 to characterize fishing fleets and the diversity of fish species landed in Benin. Primary data were...

Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile and Ricinodendron heudelotii (Bail.) Pierre are multipurpose wild oil plants (WOP) with high socio-economic and ethnoecological importance. Both WOP remained neglected and underutilized at the national or regional level. In this study, their geographic distribution and structural characteristics were assessed in Ben...

Increase in human population and activities are having signi cant impacts on the conservation of biodiversity. As traditional farmlands have challenges of coupling crop production and conservation of biodiversity, this study aims at assessing traditional farmlands in regard to their typology and impacts on conservation of tree species. A line trans...

Identification of genes associated with bruchid resistance variations in cowpea accessions would help breeders to generate new cowpea cultivars with improved resistance and quality. In this work, 107 cowpea collections from various areas in six countries were phenotyped for their responses to Callosobruchus maculatus and genotyped with Single Nucle...

The development and promotion of biofortified foods plants are a sustainable strategy for supplying essential micronutrients for human health and nutrition. We set out to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with carotenoid content in cowpea sprouts. The contents of carotenoids, including lutein, zeaxanthin, and β-carotene in sprouts o...

Abstract: Large old trees (LOTs) are emblematic elements of the cultural landscape and can live for hundreds of years. They represent an intermediate aspect of cultural heritage, linking spirits and humans. They can also provide a range of ecosystem services. In spite of their importance, declining numbers have been reported. This study examined th...

Objective: Blighia sapida is a species whose nutritional potential has been demonstrated by certain authors. Nevertheless, its valuation knows real constraints due to the lack of knowledge of the species by the community. The general objective of this study is to contribute to improving the levels of knowledge about B. sapida for its better use. Me...

Edamame , has many nutritional and human health benefits and is likely to overcome malnutrition, a common scourge among West African populations. This study aims to identify sensory preference criteria in order to select edamame varieties that meet the organoleptic needs of potential consumers in Benin. Ten soybean varieties were selected on the ba...

Background The growing interest for more natural products in food and health industries has led to increasing research on traditional knowledge related to plants. While theoretical knowledge (TK) on the uses of a species informs on the wide spectrum of potential uses of that species, actual uses (AU) highlight their potential being actually used. D...

Garcinia kola est une espèce à usage multiple dont la mauvaise gestion contribue à sa rareté. L’Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature (UICN) l’a déclarée « vulnérable ». L’objectif de cette étude est de déterminer l’influence du phytodistrict et de l’âge sur les phénophases de Garcinia kola au Bénin. Un échantillonnage stratifié a...

Illegal hunting of wildlife is one of the major issues in tropical ecosystems, especially when it occurs in highly degraded habitats with forest cover fragmentation. In this study, we assessed the impact of bushmeat hunting in a large forest patch (the Lama Natural Forest; LNF) and 11 nearby forest islands, using Traditional Ecological Knowledge fr...

African baobab (Adansonia digitata) is an agroforestry species used by local people for many purposes such as food, medicine, craft, etc. It is uncertain how climate change will impact the suitability of the habitat for the species in Benin. This study aimed to assess the present-day distribution and forecast the probable impact of future climate,...

The local cultivars of the Phaseolus genus present within the local communities constitute a considerable source of genes and consequently of genetic diversity which would lead to success of the varietal creation of beans. ¶Nevertheless, these resources suffer from a significant genetic erosion because of the climatic requirement but also of the di...

This paper follows the transition from ethnobotany to a deeper scientific understanding of the food and medicinal properties of African agroforestry tree products as inputs into the start of domestication activities. It progresses on to the integration of these indigenous trees as new crops within diversified farming systems for multiple social, ec...