Dietary practices and xenophthalmia in under-fives in Jimma town, Southwest Ethiopia

Objectives: To assess parent’s knowledge about children’s need for plant sources of vitamin A; to determine the dietary practice with regard to vitamin A intake; to estimate the prevalence of xerophthalmia and; to forward appropriate recommendations.Design: A cross-sectional study.Setting: The study was conducted in Jimma town, southwest Ethiopia, with a total population of about 88,867 from February to April 1995.Participants: Eight hundred and thirty one randomly selected children between the ages of six and 59 months formed the study population.Main outcome measures: The dietary intake of cheap and easily available vitamin A rich foods is assessed and prevalence of xerophthalmlia determined.Results: Only eighty per cent of the children were getting green vegetables, fruits or carrots once weekly or more. The major reasons given for not including vegetables, fruits and carrots in the diet were “cannot afford” (39%), “not available” (33%), and “child too young” (16%). Out of 628 children examined, four (0.6%) were found to have xerophthalmia; three (0.48%) classified as XlB and one (0.16%) as X2.Conclusion: The dietary intake of plant sources of vitamin A in the studied community is far from adequate. Moreover, vitamin A deficiency is found to be a significant public health problem in young children in Jimma town. Periodic vitamin A supplementation, preferablycombined with immunisation, should be a priority action, and parents need to be educated about vitamin A deficiency and its prevention

Seed quality and mycoflora associated with chickpea (Cicer arientinum L.) seed in Ethiopia

The study was conducted at Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Haramaya University and Jimma University, Ethiopia. Crop yield is directly associated with the physical and biological quality of planting material or seed. Ninety-nine (99) chickpea seed lot samples were collected for physical purity, seed health and germination tests from major chickpea growing areas in Ethiopia in the 2016/17 cropping season to assess the status of chickpea seed health and quality among subsistence farmers, research stations and seed growers. The seed lots were grouped as researcher saved, farmers saved and seed growers’ saved seed. The maximum physical purity of 97.5% was recorded for the researcher saved seed lots, 90.8% for the seed growers and 87.4 % for the farmers saved seeds. Foreign matters and broken seeds were the most contaminants found in the seed lots. The seed germination percentages were in the range of 96.3% to 98.5% for all seed sources and there were no significant differences among the seed lot samples. A total of seventeen (17) fungi species were isolated from all seed sources with different frequency and amount. These are Fusarium spp., Aspergillus sp., A. niger, A. flavus, A. nidulans, A. candidus, A. fumigatus, Penicillium sp., Rhizopus sp., Verticillium sp., Rhizoctonia sp., Pythium sp., Alternaria sp., Helminthosporium sp. Phylostica sp., Cladosporium sp., Negrospora sp. Aspergillus flavus was found the most dominant  with recovery (Relative Density=21.53%, Infection rate=10.36%, and Infection Frequency=25.59 %) from all seed lots. There were high variations in relative density, Infection rate, and Infection frequency among isolated fungi. Ascochyta rabiei the most important  chickpea disease was not found in this study. This might relate to the incidence and prevalence of sample collection season/cropping year which was low in expected areas. The current study concluded that there are seed qualities and seed health management issues with regards to different seed sources (farmers, research and private sectors); this entails strong seed quality control and growers’ awareness creation on storage sanitation, seed health test before sowing, and production of healthy crops. To keep the seed health in a better condition, seed growers should keep a wider interval of rotation, develop use of the healthy improved seed, after some  generation (4-5), seed grading to avoid loss of physical purity, use of appropriate storage container (ventilated and clean), seed dressing with safe pesticides, and appropriate moisture level for storage (about 14%) should have to keep. Longer storage also gives a chance to contaminate the whole seed and can expose to decay. Key words: Chickpea, fungi, germination, mycoflora, purity, seed health, seed source

Impact of small-scale irrigation schemes on household income and the likelihood of poverty in the Lake Tana basin of Ethiopia

This study uses Tobit and Logit models to examine the impacts of selected small-scale irrigation schemes in the Lake Tana basin of Ethiopia on household income and the likelihood of poverty, respectively. Data for these analyses were collected from a sample of 180 households. Households using any of the four irrigation systems had statistically significantly higher mean total gross household income than households not using irrigation. The marginal impact of small-scale irrigation on gross household income indicated that each small scale-irrigation user increased mean annual household income by ETB 3353 per year, a 27% increase over income for non-irrigating households. A Logit regression model indicated that access to irrigation significantly reduced the odds that a household would be in the lowest quartile of household income, the poverty threshold used in this study. Households using concrete canal river diversion had higher mean cropping income per household than those using other irrigation types. Key challenges to further enhancing the benefits of irrigation in the region include water seepage, equity of water distribution, availability of irrigation equipment, marketing of irrigated crops and crop diseases facilitated by irrigation practices

Long-duration laboratory experiment of slow development of steady alternate bars

River morphodynamics and sediment transportRiver morphology and morphodynamic

Optimization and cost-benefit assessment of hybrid power systems for off-grid rural electrification in Ethiopia.

Standalone solar photovoltaic systems are increasingly being distributed in Ethiopia, but these systems are sub-optimal due to their intermittent power supply. A hybrid system that integrates and optimizes across solar photovoltaic and complementary energy sources, such as wind and diesel generation, can improve reliability, and reduce the unit cost of power production. This study assesses the potential of a hybrid system to electrify a remote rural village in Ethiopia. The Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Electric Renewables model is used to assess primary data, develop a load profile and identify the optimal least-cost system option for the village. A sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the effect of variations in solar radiation, wind speed, and diesel price on optimal system configurations. The results show that a hybrid system with a combination of photovoltaic array, wind turbine, battery and diesel generator is the best option from an economic point of view. To meet the village's daily peak demand of 19.6 kW, energy generation cost is estimated at 0.207 dollars per kilowatt hour and net present cost at 82,734 dollars. The optimal system allows for a reduction of 37.3 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year compared with diesel-only electricity generation

Arresting gully formation in the Ethiopian highlands

Over the past five decades, gullying has been widespread and has become more severe in the Ethiopian highlands. Only in very few cases, rehabilitation of gullies has been successful in Ethiopia due to the high costs. The objective of this paper is to introduce cost effective measures to arrest gully formation. The research was conducted in the Debre-Mewi watershed located at 30 km south of Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. Gullying started in the 1980s following the clearance of indigenous vegetation and intensive agricultural cultivation, leading to an increase of surface and subsurface runoff from the hillside to the valley bottoms. Gully erosion rates were 10–20 times the measured upland soil losses. Water levels, measured with piezometers, showed that in the actively eroding sections, the water table was in general above the gully bottom and below it in the stabilized sections. In order to develop effective gully stabilizing measures, we tested and then applied the BSTEM and CONCEPT models for their applicability for Ethiopian conditions where active gully formation has been occurring. We found that the model predicted the location of slips and slumps well with the observed groundwater depth and vegetation characteristics. The validated models indicated that any gully rehabilitation project should first stabilize the head cuts. This can be achieved by regrading these head cuts to slope of 40 degrees and armoring it with rock. Head cuts will otherwise move uphill in time and destroy any improvements. To stabilize side walls in areas with seeps, grass will be effective in shallow gullies, while deeper gullies require reshaping of the gullies walls, then planting the gully with grasses, eucalyptus or fruit trees that can be used for income generation. Only then there is an incentive for local farmers to maintain the structures

Targeting drought-tolerant maize varieties in southern Africa: a geospatial crop modeling approach using big data

Maize is a major staple food crop in southern Africa and stress tolerant improved varieties have the potential to increase productivity, enhance livelihoods and reduce food insecurity. This study uses big data in refining the geospatial targeting of new drought-tolerant (DT) maize varieties in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Results indicate that more than 1.0 million hectares (Mha) of maize in the study countries is exposed to a seasonal drought frequency exceeding 20% while an additional 1.6 Mha experience a drought occurrence of 10–20%. Spatial modeling indicates that new DT varieties could give a yield advantage of 5–40% over the commercial check variety across drought environments while crop management and input costs are kept equal. Results indicate a huge potential for DT maize seed production and marketing in the study countries. The study demonstrates how big data and analytical tools enhance the targeting and uptake of new agricultural technologies for boosting rural livelihoods, agribusiness development and food security in developing countries

Overcoming Recruitment Challenges: A Pilot Study in Arab Americans

While diabetes prevalence and cardiovascular risk factors have been increasing among Arab populations worldwide, few studies of Arab Americans have been conducted because of the difficulty in recruiting Arab American participants. Cultural sensitivity and social awareness of different immigrant groups could ensure successful recruitment and retention in clinical studies. While the primary objective of our overall research project was to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Arab Americans, the focus of this article is to describe the methodology used to overcome challenges in recruiting and enrolling Arab Americans for a community-based study. We used novel methods, including open houses, religious-based venues, and engagement of community leaders, to encourage participation in this clinical and epidemiological study. A community-based approach involving community leaders and educators was useful in recruiting and encouraging participation in this study. As a result, we were able to collect clinical and anthropometric data from 136 Arab American men and women living in the Washington, DC, area and obtain information regarding their chronic diseases, mental health, and acculturation into U.S. culture and lifestyle. Our sampling methodology may serve as a model of a successful recruitment and enrollment strategy, and may assist other researchers to ensure sufficient power in future studies. Engagement of minority participants in clinical studies will enable the creation of targeted clinical intervention and prevention programs for underrepresented and understudied populations