Understanding Households’ Residential Location Choice in Kumasi’s Peri-Urban Settlements and the Implications for Sustainable Urban Growth

This study was conducted against the backdrop of the rapid physical expansion of Kumasi and the concomitant growth of peri-urban settlements of mainly residential land use around the city’s main built-up area. Adopting the case study approach and selecting Abrepo and Esreso as study areas, it sought to understand the factors that inform households’ decisions to live in Kumasi’s peri-urban settlements. Based on households’ likelihood of change of residence in the future and their stated residential location preferences, the implications for sustainable urban growth were examined. The study found that family relations, relatively low land price and house rents as well as work-place proximity were the most significant reasons underpinning households’ choice of the urban periphery. In view of the aggregate cost reducing advantages associated with the urban periphery therefore, the study concludes that rapid expansion of the city into peripheral areas due mainly to residential development will continue to occur. It therefore suggests that urban development policies that aim at securing liveable conditions and promoting mixed-use development in the dominantly commercial central areas of the city will be crucial to managing growth and averting unsustainable urban expansion. Key words: location choice, peri-urban, sustainable urban growth, urban plannin

PROFITABILITY ADJUSTMENT PATTERNS IN INTERNATIONAL FOOD AND CONSUMER PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES

The study encompasses an analysis of the variation in speeds of profitability adjustment and accounting bias by developed country and firm size for two important agribusiness industries. Evidence of speeds of profitability adjustment and accounting bias varying by firm size was found in the beverage and tobacco industry and by country in the food and consumer products industry. This suggests that the competitive pressures of integrated international markets are less of a factor in the food and consumer products industry.Agribusiness, International Relations/Trade,

Climate information needs and services for climate change mitigation and adaptation in Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Tunisia

Poor access and use of accurate, timely and appropriate climate information consistently to inform decision making in African countries pose a huge dilemma for sustainable development. The existing climate data observations networks coverage are sparsely distributed. Development strategies and plans are not adequately informed by climate science due to the limited reliable and useable climate data and information produced by National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and other relevant institutions. This paper describes the climate information needs of Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Tunisia, the status of the climate information systems (CISs), gaps and recommends improvement in the generation, processing and use of climate information. A study involving in-depth desk studies, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and policy dialogue was conducted. Results revealed that the CISs in the target countries have weak forecasting and alert systems for weather events and low capacities of stakeholders in climate prediction, development of climate products and information to support long-term planning, climate adaptation and resilience. The quality and appropriateness of data collected needs to be improved through networking, development and use of innovative technologies and capacity building. Institutionalizing climate data management training within climate data collection stations, creating modern real-time CISs by strengthening the capacities of national and regional institutions to use and disseminate climate information, is paramount. The capacity of the ministries involved in climate data management to deploy appropriate climate information and best practices to effectively implement climate-proof policies and practices should be enhanced to increase climate resilience and productivity. Key words: climate information needs, climate service, adaptation, mitigation, capacit

INVESTIGATION OF HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL CONTROLS ON KNUST CAMPUS

Controls are coordinated horizontal or vertical positional data for land and geographic information systems forming a framework to which surveys are started, referenced and adjusted. Controls on KNUST campus were established over three decades ago with new ones being added as and when t h e y a r e required. Conventional survey methods like trilateration, triangulation and traversing were used and are still being used for densification of controls. These approaches involve the use of low precision instruments such as analogue/optical theodolites and leveling equipment. Since the establishment of these controls, t h e y have not been investigated but t h e y are being used for p r o j e c t development. A modern method that uses satellite positioning techniques such as GPS is currently in operation and has numerous advantages in the establishmentof control networks. GPS control surveys were carried-out on seven controls and ellipsoidal coordinates were obtained in the World Geodetic System 84 reference frame. The Cartesian coordinates were projected onto the Universal Transverse Mercator frame. A two dimensional conformal transformation was done using existing KNUST boundary coordinatesto Ghana National coordinates based on the War Office ellipsoid. Precise Level routines were carried out on the seven controls for the computations of orthometric heights. The method of least squares adjustment, root mean square errors (RMSE), standard errors (SE) and residuals derived were used to analyse the differences in horizontal positions and heights of the controls.The linear displacement between the computed and the existing coordinates were within the range of 0.015m to 0.014m. The RMSE were 0.048 and 0.106, whiles the SE were also 0.057 and 0.125 for the northings and eastings respectively. The computed and existing heights differed between -0.075m and -0.004m with a mean downward movement of 0.011m.Keywords: Surveying; coordinates; control points; GPS; precise leve

Precipitable Water Comparisons Over Ghana using PPP Techniques and Reanalysis Data

Atmospheric Water vapor is an important greenhouse gas and contributes greatly in maintaining the Earth’s energy balance. This critical meteorological parameter is not being sensed by any of the 22 synoptic weather stations in Ghana. This study presents a highly precise tool for water vapor sensing based on the concept Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) meteorology and tests the computed results against global reanalysis data. Conventional approaches used to sense the atmospheric water vapor or Precipitable Water (PW) such as radiosondes, hygrometers, microwave radiometers or sun photometers are expensive and have coverage and temporal limitations. Whereas GNSS meteorological concept offers an easier, inexpensive and all-weather technique to retrieve PW or Integrated Water Vapor (IWV) from zenith tropospheric delays (ZTD) over a reference station. This study employed precise point positioning (PPP) techniques to quantify the extend of delays on the signal due to the troposphere and stratosphere where atmospheric water vapor resides. Stringent processing criteria were set using an elevation cut-off of 5 degrees, precise orbital and clock products were used as well as nominal tropospheric corrections and mapping functions implemented. The delays which are originally slanted are mapped unto the zenith direction and integrated with surface meteorological parameters to retrieve PW or IWV. The gLAB software, Canadian Spatial Reference System (CSRS) and Automatic Precise Positioning Service (APPS) online PPP services were the approaches used to compute ZTD. PW values obtained were compared with Japanese Metro Agency Reanalysis (JRA), European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis (ERA-interim) and National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) global reanalysis data. Correlation analysis were run on the logged station data using the three approaches and global reanalysis data. The obtained results show stronger correlation between the retrieved PW values and those provided by the ERA-interim. Finally, the study results indicate that with a more densified network of GNSS base stations the retrieved PW or IWV will greatly improve numerical weather predictions in Ghana.Keywords: GNSS Signals, PPP, Integrated Water vapour, Precipitable Water, Reanalysis Model

Quantifying the spatio-temporal patterns of settlement growth in a metropolitan region of Ghana

This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10708-016-9719-xRetrospective understanding of the magnitude and pace of urban expansion is necessary for effective growth management in metropolitan regions. The objective of this paper is to quantify the spatial– temporal patterns of urban expansion in the Greater Kumasi Sub-Region (GKSR)—a functional region comprising eight administrative districts in Ghana, West Africa. The analysis is based on Landsat remote sensing images from 1986, 2001 and 2014 which were classified using supervised maximum likelihood algorithm in ERDAS IMAGINE. We computed three complementary growth indexes namely; Average Annual Urban Expansion Rate, Urban Expansion Intensity Index (UEII) and Urban Expansion Differentiation Index to estimate the amount and intensity of expansion over the 28-year period. Overall, urban expansion in the GKSR has been occurring at an average annual rate of 5.6 %. Consequently, the sub-region’s built-up land increased by 313 km^2 from 88 km^2 in 1986 to 400 km^2 in 2014. The analysis further show that about 72 % of the total built-up land increase occurred in the last 13 years alone, with UEII value of 0.605 indicating a moderate intensity of urban expansion. Moreover, the metropolitan-core of the sub-region, being the focal point of urban development and the historical origins of expansion, accounted for more than half of the total built-up land increase over the 28-year period. Over the last decade and half however, urban expansion has spilled into the neighbouring peripheral districts, with the highest intensity and fastest rate of expansion occurring in districts located north and north east of the sub-regional core. We recommend a comprehensive regional growth management strategy grounded in effective strategic partnerships among the respective administrative districts to curb unsustainable urban expansion

The influence of shade and organic fertilizer treatments on the physiology and establishment of Theobroma cacao clones

Aims: This experiment aimed to determine whether the soil application of organic fertilizers can help the establishment of cacao and whether shade alters its response to fertilizers. Study Design: The 1.6 ha experiment was conducted over a period of one crop year (between April 2007 and March 2008) at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana. It involved four cacao genotypes (T 79/501, PA 150, P 30 [POS] and SCA 6), three shade levels (‘light’, ‘medium’ and ‘heavy’) and two fertilizer treatments (‘no fertilizer’, and ‘140 kg/ha of cacao pod husk ash (CPHA) plus poultry manure at 1,800 kg/ha). The experiment was designed as a split-plot with the cacao genotypes as the main plot factor and shade x fertilizer combinations as the sub-plots. Methodology: Gliricidia sepium and plantains (Musa sapientum) were planted in different arrangements to create the three temporary shade regimes for the cacao. Data were collected on temperature and relative humidity of the shade environments, initial soil nutrients, soil moisture, leaf N, P and K+ contents, survival, photo synthesis and growth of test plants. Results: The genotypes P 30 [POS] and SCA 6 showed lower stomatal conductance under non-limiting conditions. In the rainy seasons, plants under light shade had the highest CO2 assimilation rates. However, in the dry season, plants under increased shade recorded greater photosynthetic rates (P = .03). A significant shade x fertilizer interaction (P = .001) on photosynthesis in the dry season showed that heavier shade increases the benefits that young cacao gets from fertilizer application in that season. Conversely, shade should be reduced during the wet seasons to minimize light limitation to assimilation. Conclusion: Under ideal weather conditions young cacao exhibits genetic variability on stomatal conductance. Also, to optimize plant response to fertilizer application shade must be adjusted taking the prevailing weather condition into account