MANAGING AND MAXIMISING THE USE OF SEWAGE IN TAMALE

Treated water is used for bathing, fl;ushing toilets, drinking, cooking, washing, recreation, building, construction and gardening in Tamale resulting in high generation of sewage. Reuse of sewage at homes will supplement the national water budget especially in towns and cities.  This will promote income generation, socio-economic equity and urban food security (Shaat 1998). The treatment ponds in Tamale during the research was basic (pH range 8-10) and was unaffected by seasonal variations. Turbidity values ranged from 32 to 480 NTU. Electrical conductivity varied between 1128-5035 µS/cm. The concentration of DO in sewage ranged from 3.3mg/l in the discharge pond to 10.7mg/l in the aerobic pond. The mean total coliforms of sewage ranged between 1136 and 1880 CFU while faecal coliforms ranged between 336-739 CFU. The proportion of those who pay for water use (69%) coincided with those who use tap water. About 47% of the people in Tamale who use piped water do not get regular supply of water. Willingness to pay for water use was negatively related (?= -0.01) to education

FARMING, EXCRETA AND HEALTH IN TAMALE METROPLITAN AREA-AN ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE

Poverty and the rising cost of synthetic fertilizer have compelled backyard gardeners to resort to wastewater irrigation and excreta fertilization in Tamale. Research has indicated that soil texture and nutrients are improved greatly if sludge and wastewater are used for crop production because excreta contain all the nutrients needed for plant growth but may be supplemented for potassium. Infectious organisms such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa and parasites (worms) are found in sludge. Three methods were used by the farmers: Surface spreading method-55%; Pit method-17%; and Spot method-28%. Those who apply four trips of excreta per acre acquired more yield (15 bags/acre of maize) than those who applied less than four trips of faecal sludge. Keywords: Pathogens, Excreta, Hazardous, Bacteria, Compost, Plough, Cespit tank

PESTICIDE POISONING MONITORING OF CLIENTS AT KEDI HEALTH CARE CENTER IN NAVRONGO

Fruits and vegetables are highly nutritious and form a key food commodity in the human consumption.  They are highly perishable due to their low shelf life.  These food commodities are reported to be contaminated with toxic and health hazardous chemicals like calcium carbide, ethephon and oxytocin which are used for artificial ripening of fruits and for increasing the size of fruits and vegetables respectively. The indiscriminate use of chemicals has led to pesticide residues in humans due to crop contamination with natural occurring toxic substances and heavy metallic substances. Out of a sample of 70, 63% were males and 37% were females. The low number of females was due to financial constraints. Sixty seven percent of those who were interviewed were single, widowed or divorced. This indicates that those who were single took independent decisions as far as health care was concern. Ninety percent of the respondents had ever been to school and 81% could read so illiteracy was not the cause of pesticide poisoning. Forty nine percent of the respondents had no income and 99% eats vegetables. Of those who eat vegetables 57% occasionally eat vegetables while 43% eat vegetables frequently. Analysis indicated that, 54% of respondents obtained vegetables from their farms and 36% from the market. The 10% obtained vegetables from friends or relatives. Sixty eight percent female and 58% men had abnormal concentration of pesticides in their blood because the female eat a lot more vegetables than males. There was no much difference between the married (58%) and single (60%) in the concentration of pesticide in their blood and indicated that pesticide poisoning does not depend on ones marital status. Concentration of pesticide in the blood is a cumulative effect resulting from the consumption of other vegetables, fruits and grains which have been treated during production and storage. Vegetables and other food stuff should be properly cleaned before use. Those who use vegetables without washing had more abnormalities (67%) in their blood than those who washed (59%). Keywords: Abnormal, Concentration, Pesticide, Cumulative, Organophosphate, Organochlorid

Climate variability and sustainable food production: Insights from north-eastern Ghana

The past two decades have seen invigorated debates on the causal link between climate variability and food crop production. This study[1] extends the debate further by investigating how climate variability has affected the production of four specific food crops: maize, millet, rice, and groundnuts in north-eastern Ghana. The results are based on temperature and rainfall data obtained from the Ghana Meteorological Agency and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and are supported with in-depth interviews with selected staff from other allied institutions. While an inverse relationship between climate variability and food crop production was established, the effects were not homogenous, as climate variables (rainfall and temperature) did not all exert the same effect across all crops. This suggests that the generalized interpretation of the relationship between climate variability and food crop production should be undertaken with caution and that each variable must be examined on its own merit. We argue that the negative relationship between climate variability and food crop production has the potential to erode the gains made by the state-sponsored development authority SADA in their poverty reduction drive in north-eastern Ghana.[1] *This article was curled from a PhD thesis of the corresponding author which is entitled “Climate variability: Implications for Water Resource and Food Security in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The thesis was successfully submitted at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana in 2017.

Van Hiele Geometric Thinking Levels of Pre-Service Teachers’ of E.P. College of Education, Bimbilla-Ghana

The purpose of the study was to determine Pre- Service Teachers (PSTs) geometric thinking level in E.P. College of Education, Bimbilla using the Van Hiele’s Model. The study population was 473 level 200 PSTs comprising of science 82 (17.3%) and general programme 391 (82.7%). The sample for the study was level 200 General programme PSTs numbering 351(74.2%) of the population. The female sample was 133 (37.89%) while the male was 218 (62.11%)  Convenient and simple random sampling techniques were adopted in selecting the college and the general programme PSTs respectively. The research instruments used was the Van Hiele Geometry Test (VHGT). From the results, the lowest score of 3.0, highest score of 16.0 and a modal score of 8.0 were recorded. The mean and standard deviation scores were is 8.79 and 2.49 respectively. The analysis revealed that 131 (37.3%) did not reach any of the VHGT levels. Also, 114 (32.5 %), 73 (20.8%), 28 (8.0%) and 5 (1.4%) attained levels 1, 2 3 and 4 respectively. No PST reached level 5. The correct response percentage rate for the various VHGT levels are 56.5%, 48.9%, 36.2%, 21.7% and 15.7% for levels 1,2,3,4 and 5 respectively. Also, the overall correct response percentage rate for the entire 25 items is 35.8% It was recommended that tutors of colleges of education in Ghana should adopt practical approaches in teaching geometric concepts. Keywords: Geometry, Pre-Service Teachers  (PSTs),  Van Hiele Geometry Test (VHGT

Donkey-Cart Transport, a Source of Livelihood for Farmers in the Kassena Nankana Municipality in Upper East Region of Ghana

Even through donkeys have been extensively used by people in many areas in the world, their use has been synonymous with backwardness, underdevelopment and low status. In a qualitative and quantitative study of 120 households located within the Kassena-Nankana district, this study sought to provide an overview of the consequences of ‘development’ for donkey use and management. The study also tried to show how the use of donkeys had enabled these people to withstand some of the threats to their lives and livelihoods.   The paper provides several examples of how these different uses ensured the survival of women and men in hostile environments and enables them to integrate into the social and economic processes from which they are often excluded. Both primary and secondary data sources were used to gather relevant information for analysis and discussions. Purposive sampling was used to select four communities in the Kasena-Nankana East District. A hybrid sampling method was used to arrive at the sample population. Close and open ended questionnaire were used to collect data from the interviewees. In addition to the questionnaire, empirical verification was done via observation on attitudes and behaviors of farmers. Focused group discussions were held involving opinion leaders, farmer-group organizations, agric extension officers, and the 31st December Women’s Movement (DWM) chiefs. Data obtained was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Scientist (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel. The results of the study revealed that majority of the respondents were in 32- 50 year group. Most of the respondents, 93 (58 %) had no formal education. Majority (75.5 %, 124), were married with 47% (74) having household sizes between six and ten. The study revealed that, donkeys were used in agricultural production, mainly to transport manure to the fields and the harvest from the fields to the homes and to the market centres; the youth in agriculture production had realized the importance of donkey transportation and farm traction, which had a very significant impact on food security development. Keywords: Attitude, Donkey-Cart, Farmers, Gender, Households, Livelihood, Transpor

Welfare implications of participating in agri‐value chains among vegetable farmers in Northern Ghana

This study investigates the welfare implications of agri‐value chain participation utilizing data collected from 423 smallholder vegetable farmers in northern Ghana. The endogenous switching regression (ESR) model estimates the determinants of agri‐value chain participation and their associated impacts on farmers' welfare, measured by household income and consumption expenditure. The ESR model accounts for selectivity bias associated with observed and unobserved factors. We find that agri‐value chain participation improves vegetable farmers' welfare. Participation significantly increases household income and consumption expenditure by about 22% and 40%, respectively. Our results also reveal that agri‐value chain participation is significantly determined by education, household size, mobile phone ownership, irrigation, farm size, farmer group membership, and extension visits. Variables such as education, access to irrigation, farm size, access to credit, farmer group membership, and extension are the significant determinants of farmers' welfare

Agrifood system participation and production efficiency among smallholder vegetable farmers in Northern Ghana

Formalized marketing arrangements between smallholder farmers and produce buyers are gradually replacing spot market transactions in developing countries due to the rapid structural transformation of agrifood systems. This study examines the impact of agrifood system participation on the total value of vegetable production and technical efficiency (TE), using a sample of 423 vegetable farmers from Northern Ghana. We employ propensity score matching and W. Greene's selection bias-corrected stochastic production frontier methods to correct for observable and unobservable selection bias issues, respectively. We further use a metafrontier model to derive technology gap ratios (TGRs) and meta-TE for agrifood system participants and nonparticipants. The results reveal that agrifood system participants are about 50% more productive than nonparticipants. In addition, participants have higher meta-TE (58% vs. 55%) and TGR (98% vs. 94%) than nonparticipants. Variables such as farmer group membership, extension visits, mobile phone ownership, irrigation and road access are the notable correlates of smallholder farmers' participation in agrifood systems. The total value of vegetable production is significantly influenced by fertilizer, agrochemicals, seeds, irrigation, soil fertility, and location-fixed effects

Consumption risk assessment of pesticides residues in yam

Chemical pesticides have contributed significantly to agriculture production throughout the world. However, human exposure topesticides remains a critical concern. One important source of human exposure to pesticides is through food consumption. The potential negative effects of pesticides have resulted in stringent regulation in the production and use of the products, especially in the developed countries. To limit the potential negatives effects of pesticides, risk assessments are usually conducted by scientific experts to establish the risk levels and to offer risk management strategies. Yam is a food commodity widely consumed by Africans both home and bythe diaspora. Yam farmers have been using pesticides in yam production over years. The public is concerned about the health impacts that may result from exposure to residues.Thisstudy was designed to assess the risk of dietary intake of 12 pesticides, including five insecticides (cadusafos, fenitrothion, imidacloprid, profenofos and propoxur), four fungicides (carbendazim, fenpropimorph, metalaxyl, propiconazole) and three herbicides (bentazone, glyphosate and pendimethalin) in yamcroppedby farmers in the Nanumba traditional area of Ghana. Residue and consumption data were collected and combined to derive Estimated Daily Intake (EDI). Three approacheswere adopted in the calculation of EDI(deterministic, simple distribution and probabilistic) andthe EDI values were compared with Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI)values. The study revealed thatfarmers’EDI to the twelve pesticides, according to the deterministic and the simple distribution approacheswere lower than their respective ADIset by the EU Commission. However, the EDI of about 10% of the farmers to fenpropimorph and fenitrothion were higher than their ADI

Assessment of the Acceptability of Sewage-cultured Fish Using Bacteriology and Social Responses at Gbalahi

This study focused on the suitability of using sewage treatment ponds at Gbalahi, a suburb of Tamale in the northern region of Ghana, to convert residual organic nutrients into quality animal protein through pisciculture. Two tilapia species O. niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) and S. galilaeus (Linne, 1758) was evaluated and compared under identical conditions in hapas installed in five sewage treatments ponds. The microbiological enumeration showed that, total coliform bacteria were in higher levels (600-42000 cfu) than faecal coliform bacteria (64-8400 cfu) in all the ponds. The levels of faecal coliforms compared to the safe level (5000 cfu) set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Ghana, showed that fish from the ponds are safe for human consumption. However many people (44% of a total of 400) rejected sewage cultured fish because of high bacterial presence which could pose health hazards. Majority (60%) of the 1000 respondents would eat fish from sewage ponds even though about 80% of those who would eat sewage cultured fish were poor. The 40% who would not eat sewage-cultured fish were the rich