Indigenous Agricultural Practices and Adaptation Strategies Among Rural Farmers to Climate Change Incidence in Southwest, Nigeria

The prediction of climatic changes has the potential to severely affect rural farmers’ livelihoods, resulting in food insecurity, among other consequences. This study aimed to assess the indigenous agricultural practices and adaptation strategies among rural farmers to climate change incidence in Southwest, Nigeria. Primary data on the socio-economic characteristics, farming activities of rural farmers that contribute to climate changes, indigenous adaptation practices and factors influencing the adoption of these adaptation strategies in the study area. Multistage sampling techniques were used for the study. Two (Oyo and Ogun) of the six states in southwest Nigeria was selected purposively for the study Structured interview guide was used to elicit information from the rural farmers. Data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results revealed that above half (51.4%) of the respondents were between 41-60years age range. The mean age of rural farmers was 53.5years. 69.2% were married, 75.6% were Yoruba, 72.3% had formal education, and 63.2% of the rural farmers had between 11 - 25years of farming experience with the mean farming experience of 22years. The main farming activities that contribute to climate changes were bush burning, continuous farming activities, overgrazing and use of fertilizer application. Majority (85.7%) of the respondents utilize multiple/intercropping farming, 82.3% utilize resistant varieties and 81.1% utilize mulching as indigenous adaptation strategies. Factors influencing the adoption of these adaptation strategies were shifting in planting date, access to extension service and training and indigenous knowledge practice. Regression result reveals that age, sex, household size and educational level were factors influencing the adoption of these adaptation strategies at 1%, 5% and 10% in the study area. The study concludes that various adaptation strategies were used by the rural farmers in response to altered farming resulting from experienced environmental degradation due to or similarly situated to events associated with climate change. It is therefore recommended that most of the strategies/practices currently used by rural farmers should be improved upon to ensure appropriate sustainable agricultural development in the country. Keywords: Indigenous, Agriculture, Practices, Adaptation, Strategies, Climate Change, Southwest; DOI: 10.7176/JEES/10-7-03 Publication date:July 31st 202

Contribution of palm oil processing enterprise to household welfare in Odigbo Local Government Area Ondo State Nigeria

This study was carried out in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo state to assess the contribution of palm oil processing enterprise to household welfare. A multistage sampling procedure was used for sample selection with a 30% purposive selection of wards from 11 wards in Odigbo LGA. Random sampling wasused to select 50% of palm oil processors from 240 processors from 10 communities in the 3 selected wards respectively making a total of 120 respondents. A well-structured questionnaire was used for data collection and data was analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings of the study revealed that most of the respondents (66.7%) were male, majority of respondents (38.3%) within the age range of 31 and 40, and 82.5% were married. Based on the findings, the result revealed that respondents’ involvement in palm oil enterprise does not correlate with household welfare (r = 0.390, p>0.05). The result further revealed that other livelihood activities have correlation with household welfare (r = 0.263, p<0.05). In conclusion, most of the respondents diversified into other livelihood activities which are invariably responsible for their household welfare. Also paucity of funds and credit facility were major challenges encountered by the processors. Therefore, the input of extension services is needed to motivate and encourage the palm oil entrepreneurs to visit relevant research institutes for latest innovation on processing methods and they should also be assisted in sourcing credits facility from relevant agencies to improve their production for better welfare system.Keywords: Contribution, Palm-oil, Enterprise, Household, Welfar

Compliance to agrochemical safety practices among arable crop farmers in Ola-Oluwa Local Government Area OF Osun State, Nigeria

The study examined the compliance to agrochemical safety practices among arable crop farmers in Ola-Oluwa local government area of Osun state. Random sampling was used to select 127 farmers from the list of 254 registered farmers provided by the Arable Crop Farmers Association, 110 were retrieved in the study area. Data was obtained using structured interview schedule and described statistically with PPMC for the hypotheses. The study revealed that most (65%) respondents were male, 43.6% in the age of 41-49 years. Majority (65.5%) of the respondents was married and had primary education (26.4%). Most of the respondents accessed information safety practices through Farmers association (146), Radio (117) and Television (109). Also, majority of the respondents indicated their low compliance to agrochemical safety practice before application (57.0%), during application (63.5%) and after application (52.6%). Major constraints to safety practices identified by respondents in the study area were poor reading attitude of farmers (129), lack of technical knowhow on safety practices (120) and farmers’ poor literacy level (120). PPMC analysis used for the hypotheses revealed that there was significant relationship between the respondents’ income generated and their compliance to agrochemical safety practices (r=21.256, p=0.019). Also, there was significant relationship between respondents’ sources of information and their compliance to safety practices (r=10.231, p=0.012). It is therefore recommended that information on agrochemical safety practices should be simplified to avoid ambiguity and easy interpretation due to their literacy level. Keywords: Agrochemical, Safety Practices, Arable Crop Farmer

Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017

A double burden of malnutrition occurs when individuals, household members or communities experience both undernutrition and overweight. Here, we show geospatial estimates of overweight and wasting prevalence among children under 5 years of age in 105 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2017 and aggregate these to policy-relevant administrative units. Wasting decreased overall across LMICs between 2000 and 2017, from 8.4 (62.3 (55.1�70.8) million) to 6.4 (58.3 (47.6�70.7) million), but is predicted to remain above the World Health Organization�s Global Nutrition Target of <5 in over half of LMICs by 2025. Prevalence of overweight increased from 5.2 (30 (22.8�38.5) million) in 2000 to 6.0 (55.5 (44.8�67.9) million) children aged under 5 years in 2017. Areas most affected by double burden of malnutrition were located in Indonesia, Thailand, southeastern China, Botswana, Cameroon and central Nigeria. Our estimates provide a new perspective to researchers, policy makers and public health agencies in their efforts to address this global childhood syndemic. © 2020, The Author(s)

Global age-sex-specific fertility, mortality, healthy life expectancy (HALE), and population estimates in 204 countries and territories, 1950–2019: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: Accurate and up-to-date assessment of demographic metrics is crucial for understanding a wide range of social, economic, and public health issues that affect populations worldwide. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 produced updated and comprehensive demographic assessments of the key indicators of fertility, mortality, migration, and population for 204 countries and territories and selected subnational locations from 1950 to 2019. Methods: 8078 country-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 938 surveys, 349 censuses, and 238 other sources were identified and used to estimate age-specific fertility. Spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression (ST-GPR) was used to generate age-specific fertility rates for 5-year age groups between ages 15 and 49 years. With extensions to age groups 10–14 and 50–54 years, the total fertility rate (TFR) was then aggregated using the estimated age-specific fertility between ages 10 and 54 years. 7417 sources were used for under-5 mortality estimation and 7355 for adult mortality. ST-GPR was used to synthesise data sources after correction for known biases. Adult mortality was measured as the probability of death between ages 15 and 60 years based on vital registration, sample registration, and sibling histories, and was also estimated using ST-GPR. HIV-free life tables were then estimated using estimates of under-5 and adult mortality rates using a relational model life table system created for GBD, which closely tracks observed age-specific mortality rates from complete vital registration when available. Independent estimates of HIV-specific mortality generated by an epidemiological analysis of HIV prevalence surveys and antenatal clinic serosurveillance and other sources were incorporated into the estimates in countries with large epidemics. Annual and single-year age estimates of net migration and population for each country and territory were generated using a Bayesian hierarchical cohort component model that analysed estimated age-specific fertility and mortality rates along with 1250 censuses and 747 population registry years. We classified location-years into seven categories on the basis of the natural rate of increase in population (calculated by subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate) and the net migration rate. We computed healthy life expectancy (HALE) using years lived with disability (YLDs) per capita, life tables, and standard demographic methods. Uncertainty was propagated throughout the demographic estimation process, including fertility, mortality, and population, with 1000 draw-level estimates produced for each metric. Findings: The global TFR decreased from 2•72 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 2•66–2•79) in 2000 to 2•31 (2•17–2•46) in 2019. Global annual livebirths increased from 134•5 million (131•5–137•8) in 2000 to a peak of 139•6 million (133•0–146•9) in 2016. Global livebirths then declined to 135•3 million (127•2–144•1) in 2019. Of the 204 countries and territories included in this study, in 2019, 102 had a TFR lower than 2•1, which is considered a good approximation of replacement-level fertility. All countries in sub-Saharan Africa had TFRs above replacement level in 2019 and accounted for 27•1% (95% UI 26•4–27•8) of global livebirths. Global life expectancy at birth increased from 67•2 years (95% UI 66•8–67•6) in 2000 to 73•5 years (72•8–74•3) in 2019. The total number of deaths increased from 50•7 million (49•5–51•9) in 2000 to 56•5 million (53•7–59•2) in 2019. Under-5 deaths declined from 9•6 million (9•1–10•3) in 2000 to 5•0 million (4•3–6•0) in 2019. Global population increased by 25•7%, from 6•2 billion (6•0–6•3) in 2000 to 7•7 billion (7•5–8•0) in 2019. In 2019, 34 countries had negative natural rates of increase; in 17 of these, the population declined because immigration was not sufficient to counteract the negative rate of decline. Globally, HALE increased from 58•6 years (56•1–60•8) in 2000 to 63•5 years (60•8–66•1) in 2019. HALE increased in 202 of 204 countries and territories between 2000 and 2019. Interpretation: Over the past 20 years, fertility rates have been dropping steadily and life expectancy has been increasing, with few exceptions. Much of this change follows historical patterns linking social and economic determinants, such as those captured by the GBD Socio-demographic Index, with demographic outcomes. More recently, several countries have experienced a combination of low fertility and stagnating improvement in mortality rates, pushing more populations into the late stages of the demographic transition. Tracking demographic change and the emergence of new patterns will be essential for global health monitoring. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licens

Global burden of 87 risk factors in 204 countries and territories, 1990�2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: Rigorous analysis of levels and trends in exposure to leading risk factors and quantification of their effect on human health are important to identify where public health is making progress and in which cases current efforts are inadequate. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 provides a standardised and comprehensive assessment of the magnitude of risk factor exposure, relative risk, and attributable burden of disease. Methods: GBD 2019 estimated attributable mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years of life lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 87 risk factors and combinations of risk factors, at the global level, regionally, and for 204 countries and territories. GBD uses a hierarchical list of risk factors so that specific risk factors (eg, sodium intake), and related aggregates (eg, diet quality), are both evaluated. This method has six analytical steps. (1) We included 560 risk�outcome pairs that met criteria for convincing or probable evidence on the basis of research studies. 12 risk�outcome pairs included in GBD 2017 no longer met inclusion criteria and 47 risk�outcome pairs for risks already included in GBD 2017 were added based on new evidence. (2) Relative risks were estimated as a function of exposure based on published systematic reviews, 81 systematic reviews done for GBD 2019, and meta-regression. (3) Levels of exposure in each age-sex-location-year included in the study were estimated based on all available data sources using spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression, DisMod-MR 2.1, a Bayesian meta-regression method, or alternative methods. (4) We determined, from published trials or cohort studies, the level of exposure associated with minimum risk, called the theoretical minimum risk exposure level. (5) Attributable deaths, YLLs, YLDs, and DALYs were computed by multiplying population attributable fractions (PAFs) by the relevant outcome quantity for each age-sex-location-year. (6) PAFs and attributable burden for combinations of risk factors were estimated taking into account mediation of different risk factors through other risk factors. Across all six analytical steps, 30 652 distinct data sources were used in the analysis. Uncertainty in each step of the analysis was propagated into the final estimates of attributable burden. Exposure levels for dichotomous, polytomous, and continuous risk factors were summarised with use of the summary exposure value to facilitate comparisons over time, across location, and across risks. Because the entire time series from 1990 to 2019 has been re-estimated with use of consistent data and methods, these results supersede previously published GBD estimates of attributable burden. Findings: The largest declines in risk exposure from 2010 to 2019 were among a set of risks that are strongly linked to social and economic development, including household air pollution; unsafe water, sanitation, and handwashing; and child growth failure. Global declines also occurred for tobacco smoking and lead exposure. The largest increases in risk exposure were for ambient particulate matter pollution, drug use, high fasting plasma glucose, and high body-mass index. In 2019, the leading Level 2 risk factor globally for attributable deaths was high systolic blood pressure, which accounted for 10·8 million (95 uncertainty interval UI 9·51�12·1) deaths (19·2% 16·9�21·3 of all deaths in 2019), followed by tobacco (smoked, second-hand, and chewing), which accounted for 8·71 million (8·12�9·31) deaths (15·4% 14·6�16·2 of all deaths in 2019). The leading Level 2 risk factor for attributable DALYs globally in 2019 was child and maternal malnutrition, which largely affects health in the youngest age groups and accounted for 295 million (253�350) DALYs (11·6% 10·3�13·1 of all global DALYs that year). The risk factor burden varied considerably in 2019 between age groups and locations. Among children aged 0�9 years, the three leading detailed risk factors for attributable DALYs were all related to malnutrition. Iron deficiency was the leading risk factor for those aged 10�24 years, alcohol use for those aged 25�49 years, and high systolic blood pressure for those aged 50�74 years and 75 years and older. Interpretation: Overall, the record for reducing exposure to harmful risks over the past three decades is poor. Success with reducing smoking and lead exposure through regulatory policy might point the way for a stronger role for public policy on other risks in addition to continued efforts to provide information on risk factor harm to the general public. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licens

Author Correction: Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017 (Nature Medicine, (2020), 26, 5, (750-759), 10.1038/s41591-020-0807-6)

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper. © 2020, The Author(s)

Author Correction: Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017 (Nature Medicine, (2020), 26, 5, (750-759), 10.1038/s41591-020-0807-6)

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper. © 2020, The Author(s)

Chemical composition of snail meat species (Archachatina maringata and Achatina achatina) in Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria

The cost of procuring meat as an animal protein source inNigeria is on the increase. There is therefore the need to source for alternative cheap source of animal protein that can serve the populace the nutritive value needed in the body system. The study was carried out to assess the proximate composition and mineral analysis of the two species of snail meat (Archachatina marginata and Achatina achatina) in Odeda LocalGovernmentArea of Ogun State Nigeria. The result revealed that snail meat (Archachatina marginata and Achatina achatina) were found to contain; 0.16g/100g and 0.18g/100g of Crude fibre, 1.43g/100g and 0.79g/100g of Ash content, 1.53g/100g and 0.88g/100g of Ether extract, 22.75g/100g and 11.92g/100g of Crude Protein, 0.09g/100g and 0.19g/100g of NFE (Nitrogen Free Extract), 74.06g/100g and 86.1g/100g of moisture content respectively while the mineral content of snailmeat (Archachatina marginata and Achatina achatina) was found to be 1.216mg/g and 1.343mg/g of Phosphorus, 0.426mg/g and 0.438mg/g of Magnesium, 0.084mg/g and 0.093mg/g of Iron, 2.011mg/g and 2.046mg/g of Calcium, 1.934mg/g and 1.967mg/g of Potassium, 0.795mg/g and 1.000mg/g of Chlorine. The overall nutritional potential of the two species was quite good. These results show that these species of snail are highly nutritive. The findings were discussed in line with the importance and implication of the uses of edible land snail meat to man. It is therefore recommended that there is need to increase animal protein production in Nigeria and other developing countries of the world as a panacea to imminent problem of malnutrition

Rural Households’ Attitude towards Potential Use of Jatropha for Environmental Restoration in Saki West Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria

The study examined rural households’ attitude towards potential use of Jatropha for environmental restoration in Saki-West Local Government Area. A purposive sampling procedure was used in selecting due to deforestation for charcoal production, while 120 respondents were sampled with a simple random technique from the study area. The data were collected through a well-structured questionnaire with interview section, and were analyzed with frequencies, percentages, mean scores, and Pearson product moment correlation. There was correlation between rural households’ awareness on use of Jatropha and use of Jatropha for environmental restoration (r = 0.399**, p &lt; 0.05). The respondents’ attitude was significantly related to their behavior in utilization of Jatropha for environmental restoration (r = - 0.182*, p &lt; 0.05). The study showed that&nbsp; awareness and attitude of rural households strongly influenced use of Jatropha for environmental restoration. The implication of this study is to ensure that the environment becomes free of hazards and degradation which affect survival of the ecosystem and biodiversity. Hence, government should join in the advocacy to open continuous channels of communication on the importance of Jatropha, and to also motivate the people to having right attitude towards the use of Jatropha as a measure to restoring the environment. Keywords: Attitude, Rural Households, Jatropha, Environment, Restoratio