Global surgery hackathons: A case study from Pakistan

Background: Hackathons aim to solve problems in a selected field by bringing together people from multiple domains and combining their expertise. Global surgery is an emerging field with a huge burden of disease and massive implications for bettering health care. In this study, we describe the first Global Surgery Hackathon held in Pakistan and analyze the impacts of the hack and post-hack incubation. Methods: This research study used data collected from a Hackathon held at the Aga Khan University (AKU) in Karachi, Pakistan, and progress from the post-hack incubation teams. Data were collected from applications, from sign-in attendance, via evaluation forms, and milestone tracking of the incubation teams. A list of factors such as sectors addressed by winning projects and grants received was made. Results: The evaluations provided by the participants were positive, with mean scores of 4.00 (SD = .78) out of 5 on a Likert scale. Pitches made (n = 69, 68%) by the 109 participants were sorted into 5 categories: workplace, access, quality, safety, and design. Fifteen teams were formed, out of which 5 were accepted for incubation. All teams had a minimum viable product at the one-year mark. Conclusion: Hackathons are a reliable way to come up with effective solutions for targeted problems in various areas of health care and using the methodology of a Hackathon, a pool of low-cost, innovative solutions can be generated. These solutions can definitely impact health outcomes, especially for the field of global surgery. Further statistics should be collected to affirm the incubated solutions’ impact

Road improvement enhances smallholder productivity and reduces forest encroachment in Ghana

Agriculture employs about 70% of the active labour force, yet contributes only 30% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Sub-Saharan Africa. About 60% of African farmers cultivate mainly for household consumption on 2–2.5 ha of land and depend upon roads to access local and regional markets. Forest encroachment by smallholder farmers is a major cause of deforestation in Africa. We used regression analysis to determine the degree to which road improvement influenced farm size, forest encroachment and market participation in rural Ghana. We obtained data on household size and characteristics and farm plot size from 300 farmers in 10 communities. Farms accessible by improved roads had stable or slightly declining areas under cultivation. Improved roads led to better market integration, more use of farm inputs and higher yields. Farmers in areas with unpaved roads used fewer inputs, had less market penetration and were forced to encroach on forests for additional farmland to increase production. Our evidence suggests that linking rural people more efficiently to markets by improving roads will encourage commercial farming and reduce farm expansion into forests. Improved agriculture alone will not limit forest encroachment. Enforcement of forest protection regulations will also be needed to restrict encroachment