Science, Technology, Development

STD - ISSN 2752-6879 - © ISTE Ltd

Journal issues

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Recent articles

The Niger River facing the test of plastic pollution and its impacts on agriculture in Faranah (Republic of Guinea)

Plastics pose a very worrying environmental problem in Faranah, because their production is increasing day after day and solutions to manage them remain insufficient. They continue to invade the streets and public spaces to congregate around sanitation routes, or to be transported by the wind and carried by the runoff of water from the gutters towards the Niger rRiver. This study presents an inventory of plastic pollution in the Niger River and the impacts on water quality, aquatic ecosystems and agricultural activities. To achieve this we have surveys, direct observation and experimental tests. The 8,374 households in Faranah produce a total quantity of 36,500 Tons/year of household waste of which plastics represent 20%, i.e. 7,300 Tons/year or approximately 20 Tons/day or 0.4Kg/day/inhabitant. Plastic bags from the drinking water production and sale industries represent 55% and packaging 23%. This plastic waste is very poorly managed: 75% is thrown into illegal dumps, 40% of which ends up on the banks and in the bed of the Niger River. This results in potential pollution of the Niger River’s water with the presence of heavy metals, bacteria, parasites, and fungi; a high content of suspended solids (MES) on average 4140.33 mg/l; a PH which varies between the extremes 7.5 to 8.2. This plastic pollution leads to the loss of biodiversity, the filling of the river bed, the considerable reduction in flow, and persistent flooding. In agriculture we have observed the reduction in agricultural areas, germination difficulties, inhibition of photosynthesis, prevention of infiltration and drop in yield.

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Integration of endogenous construction techniques and materials into knowledge institutions in French-speaking West Africa

This study investigates the integration of indigenous knowledge and practices within the curricula of educational institutions in Francophone West Africa, focusing on architecture and building materials. Acknowledging a duality between modernity and tradition, our research employs a qualitative approach, combining literature analysis, interviews with domain professionals, and case studies. We highlight the wealth of traditional knowledge and its potential to enrich the sciences of contemporary architecture and construction techniques while recognizing the obstacles to their integration linked to educational structures, perceptions of science, development, and a notion of modernity largely inherited from the West. These barriers also appear as inflexible educational policies, undervaluation of local knowledge, and a certain resistance to change within academic institutions. There is a growing awareness of the need to integrate indigenous knowledge in this sector to promote sustainable development and innovation. This suggests a re-evaluation of programs and curricula by fully associating indigenous knowledge with contemporary challenges. It is crucial that knowledge institutions recognize the complementarity between indigenous approaches and contemporary technologies. This would allow the shaping of a generation that is technically competent but also culturally sensitive, ready to draw on this indigenous knowledge to devise solutions tailored to local realities. Ultimately, the implementation of reformed programs will enrich architectural discourse and encourage the creation of spaces that reflect a commitment to sustainability and cultural relevance. Our discussion offers insights into these dynamics and suggests avenues for the effective integration of indigenous knowledge into education and professional practice, aiming to promote an architectural development that is culturally rich, ecologically sustainable, and economically viable.

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Test of the culture of spiruline biologic Arthrospira platensis in the firm Masoandro of Amborovy in the urban township of Mahajanga Madagascar

The conception of the biologic culture of the spirulina of the species Arthrospira platensis is based truly on the survey and the use of inputs. The objective of this survey is to raise the topic utopian on the biologic spirulina, while using a contribution of inputs organic majority on the one hand an ethical agriculture responsible for the rigorous environmental norms and on the other hand a systemic and ethical approach in algo-ecological positive. For the methodology of the experimentation, two basins of 4m3 of every have been used of which one for the conventional culture while using the chemical inputs and the other for the biologic spirulina culture while using the manure of plant castor oil plant and the brewing of the banana skin. According to the results, 688 g and 348 g have been harvested respectively for the conventional culture and the biologic culture of the spirulina at the time of a first harvest. At the time of a microscopic observation, the conventional culture has a fast growth that presents a tight structure spirulina. While the one of biologic is slow with a baffled structure. The physico-chemical parameters different not meaningfully. While comparing the two surroundings, the conventional culture is richer in inputs that the biologic culture while observing the lack of carbon, a nourishing source for the development of the spirulina. In short, the biologic spirulina culture is a better complete food source of antioxidants, rich in plant origin protein. He/it provides a medical profit including the prevention and the treatment of the illnesses. She/it also participates in the sequestration of the atmospheric carbon and a source of motto.

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Cartography: Historical review and contribution of African know-how

Cartography dates back millennia, when the first civilizations began to draw rudimentary maps to navigate, establish borders, manage territories and represent natural phenomena. Over time, cartography has become more and more sophisticated thanks to technological and scientific advances. This article will present the main stages of the evolution of cartography and highlight the trends, key factors and significant changes that have taken place over the years. Given that African cartography has often been marginalized in the dominant historical narratives, we will highlight the importance of recognizing the geographical knowledge existing since prehistory within African civilizations in the representation of their territory. In doing so, our work will provide a critical analysis of the past in order to illuminate the present and guide future research and actions in the field, taking into account the practices of the African population.

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Environmental action to attenuate the threats of the forest resources of Ankilahila, farming township of Betsako and Boeny region of Madagascar

Madagascar is an extraordinary island due to its specific wealth whose specific endemic rate rises to 96%. However, some forest zones are again little known despite being threatened. Such is the case of the ecosystems of Ankilahila (coastal dry forest and mangrove swamp) in the farming township of Betsako. Our objective is to assess the anthropogenic pressures that weigh on it and to provide resolutions so that there is ecological resilience. As a result, An inventory followed by ecological summaries using the linear transect method of Duvigneaud and plots of Braun-blanquet over a surface of 500 m², as well as some investigations have been carried out. Thus, 62 species distributed in 42 families and 7 species distributed in 5 families have been inventoried respectively in the dry forest and the mangrove swamp of Ankilahila. On the subject of dry coastal forests, fires (30%), clearing (6%),cutting (19%), hunting and poaching of birds and lemurs (5%), the harvesting of secondary forest products (9%) (Raphia, tuber plants and honey) have been found. With regard to the mangrove swamp, the cutting of mangrove trees (11%), illicit fishing (5%); hunting of birds and the illicit fishing of crab Scylla serrata (7%) are the major pressures on mangrove swamps. The environmental actions already in place are the tatak’afo or firebreaks, surveillance by villagers and the application of Dina. Furthermore, it is important to maintain the relationship between the conservation of biodiversity and the economic, social, material and cultural well-being of the people.

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The protection of intellectual property rights and technology transfer through licensing in African countries: An empirical analysis of panel data

This paper examines the relationship between the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) and technology transfer through licensing in African countries. We ask the question: In these countries, does the introduction of IPR protection encourage technology transfers through licensing? We use panel data for a sample of 12 African countries, three from North Africa and nine from Sub-Saharan Africa over the period 1995 to 2020. The empirical results show that IPR protection has a positive impact on technology transfer through licensing in these countries. The enforcement of IPR protection laws in African countries increases the incentive for technology transfer. Furthermore, empirical results reveal that the level of economic development, remittances and the demographic size of the country are all key factors in this type of technology transfer. However, education has no impact on technology transfer in these countries.

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Psychosociological determinants of the innovative propensity of cashew producers in Benin

Several research studies have shown the importance of observable factors in triggering the propensity to innovate, but only a few in the agricultural sector consider the unobservable but determining factors in the innovation process. This article analyzes the effects of psychosociological factors on the propensity of cashew producers to innovate through capacity building. The theories of planned behavior and self-determination have mainly been mobilized. Thanks to a structured interview, we sent a questionnaire to 214 cashew producers and organized focus groups using an interview guide. Results obtained from an analysis of the data using the structural equation model suggest that capacity building influences cognitive capital and learning capacity. These variables, in turn, influence the producers’ propensity for innovation through opportunistic thinking, feelings of self-confidence, social autonomy and competence. Finally, in the decision-making process about whether or not to adopt an innovation, propensity is very important.

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Consequences of Economic Activities in the East Region of Madagascar

The extraction of wood for daily domestic use (mainly for coal and construction) is one of the pressures on forests, even if restoration is carried out. Its consequences are considerably increased in the eastern region of Madagascar, due to the unregulated and disproportionate economic activities that operate mainly due to unemployment. Our objective is to highlight the consequences of economic activities in the target sites. Socio-economic surveys were carried out, followed by data analysis using econometric models. Questionnaires queried the reasons for logging and/or forest conversion in relation to the activities of the inhabitants, the species of trees exploited in the forest restoration area for the manufacture of coal, the amount of trees felled, their diameter and the consequences on forest degradation. Variances and standard deviations were calculated for the results obtained. Thus, the consequences of economic activities are significant. The use of fast-growing indigenous species for forest restoration and the promotion of the use of efficient stoves or “fatana mitsitsy” have been recommended.

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Design of a vehicle speed control system for road surveillance: Applied to the city of Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo

This study proposes a system to reduce the number of accidents related to speeding, and aims to facilitate the apprehension of those not complying with speed limits within the city of Lubumbashi. The goal is to create a database and propose a management model for road surveillance by focusing on speeding, in order to significantly reduce the risk of traffic accidents. We limited ourselves to controlling the speed of vehicles within specific areas of Lubumbashi which were presented to us as the places where the highest amount of speed-related accidents occur. We created a database with MYSQL, using specifically the MYSQL Workbench tool, and realized a system management program with MATLAB. This management system allowed us to program the database and to manipulate the data with four functions: writing, display, addition and deletion. Thus, we have chosen a network for transmitting information to the control center via fiber optics. The detector allows us to compare the speed of vehicles to fixed thresholds, which vary from 30 to 70 km/h depending on the area’s speed limits, which are in compliance with the Democratic Republic of Congo’s road traffic laws. The control center would be located at the central office of the Lubumbashi traffic police, where speeding tickets would be generated, to which would be attached all evidence of the offence.

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Institutional governance of genome-edited plants: The case of rice in Madagascar

New breeding techniques (NBT) are today at the centre of a new governance of varietal innovation that is reigniting the debates around the technological promises of GMO varieties. Similar to GMOs, they are controversial due to their ecological, agronomic and socio-economic risks. By examining an experimental case study on genome editing techniques used to develop rice varieties in Madagascar, we explore how the interactions between the different societal stakeholders renew the governance of biotechnology-based varietal innovation. The results suggest that initial experimentation should be reconfigured by strengthening skills to detect genetic modifications in new varieties, as well as by considering societal risks. They highlight the inadequacy of institutional frameworks for biosafety risk assessment in low-income countries. The results also inform us on how to strengthen these frameworks through targeted stakeholder involvement. They suggest that more cooperative approaches will aid in defining the models and objectives of varietal innovations.