Access to Justice for Indigenous Peoples in Africa

In preparation for the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous community representatives from across Africa traveled to Nairobi for a conference in December 2012. The participants identified access to justice as a primary concern for Indigenous Peoples in Africa—whether political recognition and participation, criminal justice, or land rights, Indigenous representatives were clear that their communities struggle to access remedies for violations of their rights. This paper provides a broad overview of the situation for access to justice on the continent—from national legal frameworks, to judicial decisions, to regional human rights bodies, to transitional justice mechanisms. While African Indigenous Peoples’ access to justice concerns are similar to those of Indigenous Peoples around the globe, some specific issues emerge in the African context, such as how to understand the very existence of Indigenous Peoples on the continent. Ultimately, the paper makes clear that access to justice for Indigenous Peoples is more a political than legal issue, and that State political will to implement positive decisions in favor of Indigenous rights is one of the primary challenges for Indigenous Peoples

Head and Neck Cancers four year trend at the Nairobi Cancer Registry

Background: Data on head and neck cancers is scarce in the developing countries including Africa. These cancers are more common in the Western countries. In the USA for instance, over 50,000 new cases occur annually. Head and neck cancers subtypes include oral cancers, oral pharyngeal cancers, larynx and nasopharyngeal cancers. Some of the associated causes of head and neck cancers include oncogenic viruses, irradiation, dietary factors and genetic predisposition. These cancers present a major challenge in their management due to their occurrence near vital structures of the head and neck region. Diagnosis or screening is difficult in the early stages due to the hidden nature of the lesions often resulting in late clinical presentation. Treatment modalities include surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy alone or in combination. Study Design: This was a retrospective study. Materials and Methods: We reviewed data from the population based Nairobi Cancer Registry (NCR) for the occurrence of Head and Neck Cancers (HNC’s) in relation to the frequencies of all cancers registered within the period between 2000-2003. We also determined the demographical, clinical and the histological features of these cancers. Results: For the period 2000-2003, head and neck cancers comprised over 12.8% (697) of all the 5462 cancers reported from all cancer sites with a male to female ratio of 2:1. Among the head and neck sub-sites, oral cancers were the highest at 40.6%, followed by nasopharynx and laryngeal cancers with 20.8% and 13.8 % respectively. The commonest histology was squamous cell carcinoma. Conclusion: According to the cancer cases registered with the Nairobi Cancer Registry within the analysed period, Head and neck cancers comprised of a significant problem of all the cancers. They are characterised by high rates of oral and nasopharyngeal cancers

Redefining the expressed prototype SICAvar gene involved in Plasmodium knowlesi antigenic variation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The <it>SICAvar </it>gene family, expressed at the surface of infected erythrocytes, is critical for antigenic variation in <it>Plasmodium knowlesi</it>. When this family was discovered, a prototypic <it>SICAvar </it>gene was characterized and defined by a 10-exon structure. The predicted 205-kDa protein lacked a convincing signal peptide, but included a series of variable cysteine-rich modules, a transmembrane domain encoded by the penultimate exon, and a cytoplasmic domain encoded by the final highly conserved exon. The <it>205 SICAvar </it>gene and its family with up to 108 possible family members, was identified prior to the sequencing of the <it>P. knowlesi </it>genome. However, in the published <it>P. knowlesi </it>database this gene remains disjointed in five fragments. This study addresses a number of structural and functional questions that are critical for understanding <it>SICAvar </it>gene expression.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Database mining, bioinformatics, and traditional genomic and post-genomic experimental methods including proteomic technologies are used here to confirm the genomic context and expressed structure of the prototype <it>205 SICAvar </it>gene.</p> <p><b>Results</b></p> <p>This study reveals that the <it>205 SICAvar </it>gene reported previously to have a 10-exon expressed gene structure has, in fact, 12 exons, with an unusually large and repeat-laden intron separating two newly defined upstream exons and the <it>bona fide </it>5'UTR from the remainder of the gene sequence. The initial exon encodes a PEXEL motif, which may function to localize the SICA protein in the infected erythrocyte membrane. This newly defined start of the 205 <it>SICAvar </it>sequence is positioned on chromosome 5, over 340 kb upstream from the rest of the telomerically positioned <it>SICAvar </it>gene sequence in the published genome assembly. This study, however, verifies the continuity of these sequences, a 9.5 kb transcript, and provides evidence that the 205 <it>SICAvar </it>gene is located centrally on chromosome 5.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The prototype <it>205 SICAvar </it>gene has been redefined to have a 12-exon structure. These data are important because they 1) address questions raised in the <it>P. knowlesi </it>genome database regarding <it>SICAvar </it>gene fragments, numbers and structures, 2) show that this prototype gene encodes a PEXEL motif, 3) emphasize the need for further refinement of the <it>P. knowlesi </it>genome data, and 4) retrospectively, provide evidence for recombination within centrally located <it>SICAvar </it>sequences.</p

Soil Carbon Accumulation under Perennial Forage Grasses in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania

Land degradation caused by the loss of SOC in continuously cultivated agricultural systems is a major problem in many sub-Saharan Africa countries. The integration on perennial forage grasses in cropping systems has the potential to enhance SOC sequestration. The main objective of this study is to compare soil organic carbon (SOC) under perennial forages with SOC under annual food crops, specifically maize (Zea mays). A survey was conducted in Njombe district in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania to identity farmers with planted forages that are more than five years old and with neighbouring maize plots. Survey results identified Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) as the currently dominating forage in the district. Soils from 55 sets of paired sites, Rhodes versus adjacent maize plot, were sampled at depths of 0-20 and 20-50 cm. Total SOC and soil texture were determined for the two depths, while the aggregate fractions and their SOC content were determined only for the 0-20 cm. Average SOC content in Rhodes was higher than maize at both depths, but the differences in the paired plots was not significant. Across all sites, the SOC stocks in the 0-20 cm averaged 47.10 ±10.04 for Rhodes and 47.66±9.83 Mg C ha-1 for adjacent maize plots. The average SOC content in the large macroaggregate fractions was higher in the Rhodes plots, which indicates an increase in the physical carbon protection in soils under perennial forages. The results in this study suggest that there is a slight improvement in soil quality in soils under Rhodes grass, but further analysis on other soil organic matter indicators, e.g. particulate organic matter (POM) would be needed to understand the differences in the two land uses

The Women’s Empowerment in Livestock Index

The empowerment of women in the livestock sector is fundamental to achieve gender equality. It also is instrumental for increased household productivity and improved household health and nutrition. Diverse strategies exist to empower women, yet these strategies are difficult to prioritize without a reliable and adapted means to measure women’s empowerment. One quantitative measure is the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI). Despite its reliability in certain agricultural contexts, the WEAI requires adaptation in settings where livestock farming is the dominant form of livelihood. Using the WEAI as a starting point, a multidisciplinary team of researchers developed the Women’s Empowerment in Livestock Index (WELI), a new index to assess the empowerment of women in the livestock sector. This paper presents the WELI and the dimensions of empowerment it includes: (1) decisions about agricultural production; (2) decisions related to nutrition; (3) access to and control over resources; (4) control and use of income; (5) access to and control of opportunities; and (6) workload and control over own time. The paper illustrates the use of the WELI by introducing pilot findings from dairy smallholders in four districts of northern Tanzania. The paper addresses considerations for the appropriate use and adaptation of the WELI to balance the needs for context specificity and cross-cultural comparisons; it also discusses its limitations. The paper recommends participatory and qualitative methods that are complementary to the WELI to provide context-specific insights on the processes of women’s empowerment in the livestock sector

Tracing the Path of Technology Diffusion: The Case of Nturumenti, Narok, Kenya

An array of technologies; growing improved wheat varieties, bulking and collective marketing of wheat grains, sheep breed improvement, ram sharing, feedlot sheep fattening for market, strategic sheep deworming, pasture establishment and conservation practices; were introduced to members of a community based organization (CBO) in Nturumenti, anti-female genital mutilation and anti-poverty organization (AFAPO) in 2014. The CBO members, composed of youthful 19 men and 7 females, were intensively exposed and involved in the new skills both theoretically and practically in the farmers’ field school model. Even though the 8 farming technology options were suitable for the study environment, their adoption and diffusion varied. However, one of the introduced ideas, bulking and collective marketing of wheat grains, was not attempted for application by the farmers. Instead, the farmers felt that individual marketing of wheat grains immediately after harvesting was convenient and a quick way of recouping the invested funds particularly for the resource poor farmers in Nturumenti. In 2019, a follow-up study, conducted approximately 5 years after the exposure to determine the adoption and technology diffusion rate, it was observed that close to 80% of the agro-pastoral farming CBO members adopted more of the technologies associated with pasture establishment, production and conservation albeit the fact that they were lowly ranked in terms of awareness, at 13.3% for pasture establishment, synonymous to reseeding, and 16.7% for harvesting and conservation of cereal crop residues referred to as feeding of wheat straw during the ex-ante study. Indeed, the adopted ideas were practiced at commercial level and even diffused to non-CBO members. The findings indicate that even though, field demonstration exposed the farmers to a wide “menu” of technology options, the farmers, starting with the early innovators, adopted the technologies that mostly suited their needs and guaranteed to improve their livelihoods; and others farmers ‘imitated’ them

Distribution, characterization and the commercialization of elite Rhizobia strains in Africa

Grain legumes play a significant role in smallholder farming systems in Africa because of their contribution to nutrition and income security and their role in fixing nitrogen. Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) serves a critical role in improving soil fertility for legumes. Although much research has been conducted on rhizobia in nitrogen fixation and their contribution to soil fertility, much less is known about the distribution and diversity of the bacteria strains in different areas of the world and which of the strains achieve optimal benefits for the host plants under specific soil and environmental conditions. This paper reviews the distribution, characterization, and commercialization of elite rhizobia strains in Africa

Assessment of knowledge of malaria and its control practices in mining and sugarcane growing regions of Western Kenya highlands

Background: Despite upscaled control efforts, deaths and hospitalization due to malaria remained high in counties of western Kenya highlands. Objectives: This study assessed the knowledge of malaria in two rural communities, the control strategies they use, and their capacity to integrate the available control programs. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in two rural villages in November – December 2018. Focus group discussions and a questionnaire survey were carried out in 736 households. Frequencies and proportions were used for descriptive analysis while the Chi-square test was used to determine factors that were associated with knowledge of malaria at p ≤ 0.05 Results: Ninety-seven percent of the respondents had knowledge of malaria and this was associated with the level of education attained (χ2 = 30.108; p &gt; 0.0001). Bed net ownership was at 86% and 92% correctly identified its use. Draining stagnant water (53.9%) was the most cited environmental management practice. Conclusion: There was awareness of the risk factors of malaria transmission in the study sites. The local communities must be mobilized and empowered through EIC for the control practises to bear fruit against malaria transmission. However, more sensitization needs to be done to optimize the use of malaria control practices.Keywords: Malaria; control practices; Kenya highlands; Mining

Adoption of dairy technologies in smallholder dairy farms in Ethiopia

The adoption of modern agricultural technologies in Ethiopia’s dairy production system remains underutilized and under-researched yet it is a promising sector to aid in reducing poverty, improving the food security situation and the welfare of rural households, and in ensuring environmental sustainability. This paper uses the Negative Binomial regression model to examine determinants of multiple agricultural technology adoption in the Addis Ababa and Oromia regions of Ethiopia. Data was collected from 159 smallholder dairy farms in Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa and Oromia regions exploring 19 technologies used by the farmers during the study period. The findings show that farm location and herd size impact adoption decisions. Increasing herd size is associated with increased uptake of multiple technologies. Further, as farmer education level increases the more likely farmers are to adopt multiple technologies. The increase in the number of female workers is positively associated with the adoption of multiple dairy technologies. In terms of farmers’/workers’ years of experience, those with no years of work experience are less likely to have adopted multiple technologies than those with more than 5 years of experience. However, this could be due to a number of factors where experience stands as a proxy value. Trust in information from government agencies was associated with a higher propensity to adopt multiple dairy technology as was farmer perception of fellow farmers as peers compared to those who perceive them as competitors. This is an important finding as it may help policymakers or institutions explore knowledge exchange and diffusion of innovation strategies tailored to specific farming and community situations. Studies have shown that farmers within a social group learn from each other more fully about the benefits and usage of new technology. These findings are of value in future technology adoption studies, particularly which factors influence the intensity of adoption of multiple technologies by smallscale producers