Relationship between Socio Demographic Status and Risk Factors for Micronutrient Utilization among Mothers in Mwea West Sub County, Kenya

The purpose of the study was to determine the Risk Factors for Micronutrient Utilization among the Mothers in the Sub County and in particular water sources and waste disposal. The sampling frame included all the mothers with at least one child aged 2 to 5 years. The survey design was employed and was cross sectional in nature. The sample size was 401. It was established that canal water was used by majority of the Households. Other sources included piped water, river borehole and roof catchment. The household water source was significantly correlated to Occupation, House construction type, Income level and Size of land owned by the households. These variables contributed up to 60.1% of the variations in household water sourcing in the Sub County.  Majority of the respondents, disposed of their waste through burning the refuse, compost pit, or fed it to livestock. The waste disposal methods were not significantly correlated to household socio-demographics. Key Words: Malnutrition, Micronutrient Status, Micronutrient utilization, Food Security, Micronutrient risk factor

Mothers’ and Households’ Food Security Status in Kangai and Mutithi Locations of Mwea West Sub County, Kenya

The purpose of this study was to investigate household’s food security status.  The study was carried out in dry harvesting and wet planting seasons in the two locations of Mwea West Sub County, Kenya, namely, Kangai and Mutithi.  The study design was comparative cross sectional survey while the data instrument was a structured researcher administered household questionnaire. Sampling techniques  included probability proportionate to population, The data were analyzed by the use of Health Canada’s, Household Food Security Survey Model (HFSSM), On the whole, the findings were that 39% of the households were food secure, 21 % were moderately insecure, while 40 % were severely food insecure. The general conclusion was that in as much as the households in the two locations were significantly different in terms of households’ and mothers’ food security status, they both experienced chronic food insecurity which did not change with the season. The study recommends food intervention for the 40 % of households that are severely food insecure. Keywords: Food Security Status, Households’ Food Security, Mothers’ Food Security, Health Canada

Dietary Micronutrient Intake amongst Mothers in Kangai and Mutithi locations of Mwea West Sub County, Kenya

The purpose of this study was to determine the Dietary Micronutrient Intake amongst Mothers in Kangai and Mutithi locations of Mwea West Sub County, Kenya. The study design was cross sectional survey while data collecting instruments included a structured questionnaire and a meal preparation observation guide.  Data were collected on the dietary intake of Vitamin A, iron, and zinc through the four weeks food frequency recall technique, and through observation of Meal preparation in the households.  A sample of 399 mothers participated in the structure questionnaire while a sub sample of 63 mothers participated in the meals preparation.  The data were processed by the use of the SPSS software. Food Consumption Score tool were used to compute acceptable, borderline and poor categories of dietary intake of micronutrients while National Nutrient Data base for Standard Reference, Release 26 Software v.1.4, to compute nutrient content in foods. The t-tests were used to test hypotheses. It was established that food consumption behaviors and the dietary intake of micronutrients were significantly different in the two locations (p < 0.05). The mothers did not meet the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for Vitamin A, iron and zinc, while Food Consumption Score ( FCS ) tool categorized  33% of the mothers in Kangai and 51% in Mutithi under poor dietary micronutrient intake.  The study concluded that mothers in the two studied locations experienced micronutrient deficiency. Further research is recommended using serum biochemical analysis of Vitamin A, iron and zinc in order to get the actual status of these micronutrients in the community. Key Words: Malnutrition, Micronutrient Status, Food Security Status, dietary intake, Povert

Relationship between Mothers’ Socio Demographic Characteristics and Food Security Status in Kangai and Mutithi Locations of Mwea West Sub County, Kenya

The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between mothers’ socio demographic characteristics and food security status in Kangai and Mutithi Locations of Mwea West Sub County, Kenya. The design was cross sectional survey while the data instrument was a structured researcher administered household questionnaire. Sampling techniques  included probability proportionate to population, The Socio Demographic data were analyzed by the use of proportions and t-tests  while food security status data were analyzed by the use of Health Canada’s, Household Food Security Survey Model (Health Canada, 2012). Logistical regression model was used to determine the relationship between Socio Demographics and Food Security Status.   It was found out that the socio demographics of the mothers in the two locations were significantly different. The house hold food security status for the Sub County was that 39% of households were food secure, 21% were moderately food insecure while 40% were severely food insecure. Gender of the household head, marital status, religion, age, occupation, education, income sources, expenditure on food and land size were the most pronounced proxy indicators for food security status in the Sub County and they underscore the poverty levels in the area. Further research is suggested on possible interventions for food insecurity in the sub county. Keywords: Food Security Status, Socio Demographic Characteristics, Socio Economic Characteristics, Povert

Coping with quality assurance challenges faced by secondary schools head teachers

Since independence, the Kenyan government has demonstrated its commitment to the provision of quality secondary school education through allocation of financial resources, provision of trained teachers and establishment of quality assurance department. However, despite the substantial allocation of resources, secondary schools still face major challenges. Some of these challenges are: financial constraints, shortage of teachers, lack of basic facilities, community interferences and irregular visits by quality assurance officers. The purpose of the current study was to examine ways on how head teachers can cope with these challenges in order to provide quality education. The study also investigated possible opportunities at the disposal of head-teachers which could be utilized for the improvement of quality education. The research design used was descriptive survey. The study population consisted of 120 public secondary schools with a total of 120 head-teachers and 120 curriculum masters. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select a sample of the study, whereby five girls' and four boys' schools were selected through saturated sampling technique and 37 co-educational schools were selected by using simple random sampling. Questionnaire, interview schedule and observations were used to obtain data. The findings of the study showed that head teachers employed untrained teachers to cover up for teachers' shortages, devised school income generating projects to improve on financial problems and improvised science facilities. The researchers concluded that ways of coping with the challenges faced by head-teachers were inadequate and insufficient for provision of quality education. The researchers recommended that school headteachers should step-up/ improve fee collection so that they do not involve themselves in borrowing of finance and purchasing items on credit. They should also provide adequate and comprehensive information to financial sources, for example constituency development fund (CDF) and government bursaries so that the needy cases are adequately covered. Given the expansive and productive land in most schools, the study recommends that head-teachers should embark on horticultural farming where fast maturing farm products are produced to generate cumulatively more money and ensure selfsustenance of the schools in farm produce needs. Head-teachers needed support in form of finance, equipment, and facilities from the government and other stakeholders in order to improve the quality of education in their schools

Assessing the Impact of Pumpkins Plantation, Harvest and Storage Decisions on a Collaborative Supply Chain with Data Analysis Tools

[EN] Successful pumpkins production requires the use of varieties that jointly with other factors yield well and produce pumpkins of the size, shape, color, and quality demanded by the market. But not only these issues are important. The perishable nature of pumpkins makes other issues such as how to prevent deterioration after harvest to become also relevant. In this paper the pumpkins plantation, harvest and storage (PHS) process is described and how some decisions affect certain goals, such as yield or conservation time. Additionally, some decision-making insights in a supply chain collaborative scenario made up of two stages: plantation/harvest and storage are given, where yield and conservation time trade-offs are outlined to develop win-win strategies. A real case using data analysis tools is analyzed. Results provide guidelines not only to make decisions independently on each stage but also to collaboratively work.The authors acknowledge the support of the project 691249, RUCAPS: "Enhancing and implementing knowledge based ICT solutions within high risk and uncertain conditions for agriculture production systems", funded by the European Union's research and innovation programme under the H2020 Marie Skodowska-Curie Actions.Pérez Perales, D.; Rodríguez-Sánchez, MDLÁ.; Ortiz Bas, Á.; Guyon, C. (2020). Assessing the Impact of Pumpkins Plantation, Harvest and Storage Decisions on a Collaborative Supply Chain with Data Analysis Tools. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology. 598:511-523. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62412-5_42S511523598Prima, W.A., Xing, K., Amer, Y.: Collaboration and sustainable agri-food supply chain: a literature review. 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IMPROVING STUDENT TEACHING FOR QUALITY TEACHER PREPARATION: A KENYAN UNIVERSITY CASE

This study on teaching practice experience was conducted at a Kenyan University by researchers from both the USA and Kenya through a partnership project to build capacity through quality teacher preparation. The portion of this study presented here used survey techniques and specifically addressed the student teachers’ perspectives on the preparation processes, and ability to plan, instruct and use feedback to improve instruction in teaching practice. Stratified sampling of student teachers (n=360) and supervisor (n=240) was used. The student teacher questionnaire covered several educational components such, as professionalism, lesson material preparation, content knowledge, teaching performance skills, and reflection based on classroom observation feedback. The major findings were student teachers inability to integrate Information Communication Technology (ICT) in teaching, a gap in the teacher education curriculum on the role of ICT in teacher education, and lack of supportive supervisory feedback to the teacher candidates during teaching practice. The study recommends mapping of teacher education courses to ensure that ICT and expert feedback are covered before teaching practice by offering coursework on modern accessible ICT and facilitating rigorous microteaching experiences. Also, programs should train enough teaching practice supervisors, strategically plan school placements, and ensure timely posting of student teachers