The Impact of Drought on Household Food Security in the Limpopo Basin of Semi Arid Southern Africa: The Case of Kgatleng District in Botswana

The Limpopo Basin is important to Botswana’s agriculture in terms of its land area of 80118 square kilometers. Climatic conditions in the Basin have ranged from droughts to floods in some years. The semi-arid nature of the Basin with the resultant low crop yields under rain-fed conditions has meant that communities in the area have adapted various strategies with regard to their access to food. These coping strategies are likely to undergo severe strains during periods of extreme weather patterns such as droughts. A household survey was conducted in two villages of Kgatleng District within the Basin in February 2005 with the objective of studying the coping strategies of selected households during drought in order to improve on coping mechanisms of communities in the Basin. The numbers of households selected by simple random sampling for study in the two villages were 61 and 45, respectively. The findings of the study indicated that during the drought in 2004 respondents’ sources of supplies were the shops, crop production and government provision. Coping mechanisms of households and differences in coping strategies in the two villages have been highlighted. The study recommends, among others, that the measures already in place to provide food security for households in drought prone areas in the Basin and in Botswana in general, need to be strengthened to ensure that households’ vulnerability to food insecurity during periods of climate change such as drought is minimized.Agricultural and Food Policy, Food Security and Poverty,

The Challenge of Agriculture, Environment and Sustainable Development in Botswana

One of the objectives of agricultural development in Botswana is the increase of agricultural productivity in both arable and livestock production in order to increase farm incomes and thus help to make agriculture a sustainable activity. This paper looks at the challenges that Botswana faces in meeting this objective while minimizing any land degradation that may accompany the process of increasing agricultural productivity. The prospects of achieving increases in agricultural productivity are also examined in the light of new opportunities in agriculture such as the National Master Plan for Arable Agriculture and Dairy Development (NAMPAADD) and the Revised National Policy for Rural Development. The selective use of existing technologies that minimize land degradation in the process of achieving sustainable increases in agricultural productivity and the relevance of socio-economic factors such as marketing and credit in facilitating sustainable increases in agricultural productivity with minimum degradation to the environment are highlighted.Environmental Economics and Policy,

The Impact of Foot and Mouth Disease on the Beef Industry in Botswana: The Case of Tonota Village

Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a communicable disease found in cloven-hoofed wild and domestic animals. It is one of the major livestock diseases which have a great economic impact on the livelihood of livestock farmers. This study looks at the impact of foot and mouth disease on Botswana's beef industry. The study used primary data collected through survey questionnaires and interviews. Impact studies were done to assess the impact of FMD on the weight of cattle, level of milk production, continued interest in farming after FMD and the control and prevention cost impact to the economy. The findings show that FMD results in loss of weight in cattle (13.2%), loss in milk production (23.1%), a decrease in draught power (27.5%), a decline in fertility (14.3%), the death of newborns and suckling calves (22%). Recommendations to curb this outbreak include public education, frequent vaccinations of cattle coupled with subsidies of medications for the vaccines and the use of restrictive grazing.

The Impact of Drought on Household Food Security in the Limpopo Basin of Semi Arid Southern Africa: The Case of Kgatleng District in Botswana

The Limpopo Basin is important to Botswana’s agriculture in terms of its land area of 80118 square kilometers. Climatic conditions in the Basin have ranged from droughts to floods in some years. The semi-arid nature of the Basin with the resultant low crop yields under rain-fed conditions has meant that communities in the area have adapted various strategies with regard to their access to food. These coping strategies are likely to undergo severe strains during periods of extreme weather patterns such as droughts. A household survey was conducted in two villages of Kgatleng District within the Basin in February 2005 with the objective of studying the coping strategies of selected households during drought in order to improve on coping mechanisms of communities in the Basin. The numbers of households selected by simple random sampling for study in the two villages were 61 and 45, respectively. The findings of the study indicated that during the drought in 2004 respondents’ sources of supplies were the shops, crop production and government provision. Coping mechanisms of households and differences in coping strategies in the two villages have been highlighted. The study recommends, among others, that the measures already in place to provide food security for households in drought prone areas in the Basin and in Botswana in general, need to be strengthened to ensure that households’ vulnerability to food insecurity during periods of climate change such as drought is minimized

The Challenge of Agriculture, Environment and Sustainable Development in Botswana

One of the objectives of agricultural development in Botswana is the increase of agricultural productivity in both arable and livestock production in order to increase farm incomes and thus help to make agriculture a sustainable activity. This paper looks at the challenges that Botswana faces in meeting this objective while minimizing any land degradation that may accompany the process of increasing agricultural productivity. The prospects of achieving increases in agricultural productivity are also examined in the light of new opportunities in agriculture such as the National Master Plan for Arable Agriculture and Dairy Development (NAMPAADD) and the Revised National Policy for Rural Development. The selective use of existing technologies that minimize land degradation in the process of achieving sustainable increases in agricultural productivity and the relevance of socio-economic factors such as marketing and credit in facilitating sustainable increases in agricultural productivity with minimum degradation to the environment are highlighted

Adaptation of the Wound Healing Questionnaire universal-reporter outcome measure for use in global surgery trials (TALON-1 study): mixed-methods study and Rasch analysis

BackgroundThe Bluebelle Wound Healing Questionnaire (WHQ) is a universal-reporter outcome measure developed in the UK for remote detection of surgical-site infection after abdominal surgery. This study aimed to explore cross-cultural equivalence, acceptability, and content validity of the WHQ for use across low- and middle-income countries, and to make recommendations for its adaptation.MethodsThis was a mixed-methods study within a trial (SWAT) embedded in an international randomized trial, conducted according to best practice guidelines, and co-produced with community and patient partners (TALON-1). Structured interviews and focus groups were used to gather data regarding cross-cultural, cross-contextual equivalence of the individual items and scale, and conduct a translatability assessment. Translation was completed into five languages in accordance with Mapi recommendations. Next, data from a prospective cohort (SWAT) were interpreted using Rasch analysis to explore scaling and measurement properties of the WHQ. Finally, qualitative and quantitative data were triangulated using a modified, exploratory, instrumental design model.ResultsIn the qualitative phase, 10 structured interviews and six focus groups took place with a total of 47 investigators across six countries. Themes related to comprehension, response mapping, retrieval, and judgement were identified with rich cross-cultural insights. In the quantitative phase, an exploratory Rasch model was fitted to data from 537 patients (369 excluding extremes). Owing to the number of extreme (floor) values, the overall level of power was low. The single WHQ scale satisfied tests of unidimensionality, indicating validity of the ordinal total WHQ score. There was significant overall model misfit of five items (5, 9, 14, 15, 16) and local dependency in 11 item pairs. The person separation index was estimated as 0.48 suggesting weak discrimination between classes, whereas Cronbach's α was high at 0.86. Triangulation of qualitative data with the Rasch analysis supported recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ items 1 (redness), 3 (clear fluid), 7 (deep wound opening), 10 (pain), 11 (fever), 15 (antibiotics), 16 (debridement), 18 (drainage), and 19 (reoperation). Changes to three item response categories (1, not at all; 2, a little; 3, a lot) were adopted for symptom items 1 to 10, and two categories (0, no; 1, yes) for item 11 (fever).ConclusionThis study made recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ for use in global surgical research and practice, using co-produced mixed-methods data from three continents. Translations are now available for implementation into remote wound assessment pathways

Characteristics of HIV-2 and HIV-1/HIV-2 Dually Seropositive Adults in West Africa Presenting for Care and Antiretroviral Therapy: The IeDEA-West Africa HIV-2 Cohort Study.

HIV-2 is endemic in West Africa. There is a lack of evidence-based guidelines on the diagnosis, management and antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV-2 or HIV-1/HIV-2 dual infections. Because of these issues, we designed a West African collaborative cohort for HIV-2 infection within the framework of the International epidemiological Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA).We collected data on all HIV-2 and HIV-1/HIV-2 dually seropositive patients (both ARV-naive and starting ART) and followed-up in clinical centres in the IeDEA-WA network including a total of 13 clinics in five countries: Benin, Burkina-Faso Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, and Senegal, in the West Africa region.Data was merged for 1,754 patients (56% female), including 1,021 HIV-2 infected patients (551 on ART) and 733 dually seropositive for both HIV-1 and HIV 2 (463 on ART). At ART initiation, the median age of HIV-2 patients was 45.3 years, IQR: (38.3-51.7) and 42.4 years, IQR (37.0-47.3) for dually seropositive patients (p = 0.048). Overall, 16.7% of HIV-2 patients on ART had an advanced clinical stage (WHO IV or CDC-C). The median CD4 count at the ART initiation is 166 cells/mm(3), IQR (83-247) among HIV-2 infected patients and 146 cells/mm(3), IQR (55-249) among dually seropositive patients. Overall, in ART-treated patients, the CD4 count increased 126 cells/mm(3) after 24 months on ART for HIV-2 patients and 169 cells/mm(3) for dually seropositive patients. Of 551 HIV-2 patients on ART, 5.8% died and 10.2% were lost to follow-up during the median time on ART of 2.4 years, IQR (0.7-4.3).This large multi-country study of HIV-2 and HIV-1/HIV-2 dual infection in West Africa suggests that routine clinical care is less than optimal and that management and treatment of HIV-2 could be further informed by ongoing studies and randomized clinical trials in this population