Climate information services available to farming households in Northern Region, Ghana

Climate information services can build the resilience of African farmers to address the increasing threats associated with climate change. This study used household surveys with 200 farmers and focus group discussions to identify the types of climate information services available to farming households in two selected districts (Tolon and Nanton) in the Northern Region of Ghana. The study also identified the dissemination channels and the barriers faced by farmers in their access and use of climate information services for building climate resilience in Ghanaian farming systems. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the determinants of farmers’ access to climate information services. Results show that 70% of the surveyed farmers had access to varied forms of climate information services. The most prevalent meteorological variables accessible to them were rainfall, temperature, and windstorms in the form of daily and weekly weather forecasts, with only very limited availability and use of seasonal climate forecasts. Radio, television, and advice from extension agents were reported as the major dissemination channels by study respondents. A majority of the farmers reported lack of communication devices, mistrust in weather and climate forecasts, and lack of visual representations in the forecasts as major barriers to access and use of climate information services. The results highlight the importance of timely and reliable access to climate information services in enhancing farmers’ decision-making capacities and the need for training and recruitment of more extension agents to work with farmers on linking climate information services to targeted actions on crop and land management

Effect of climate variability on yields of selected staple food crops in northern Ghana

Agriculture in Ghana is vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate variability. This poses a challenge to food security across the country. Despite this vulnerability, limited research has been conducted to understand the effect of climate variability on the yields of staple food crops in Ghana. This study assessed the effect of climate variability on the yields of selected staple food crops (millet, sorghum, rice, groundnut and maize). The study used the Mann-Kendall trend test and multiple regression analysis to assess how climate variability (in annual rainfall, onset, cessation, number of dry days and temperature) has affected the yields of selected food crops in five districts in northern Ghana (Bole, Nanton, Tolon, Kassena Nankana East and Wa) over a 21-year period (1995–2016). Results suggested a marginal decrease in annual rainfall (p > 0.05) and a significant increase in temperature (p < 0.05) over the period of study in the districts. Variability in the onset, cessation, length of rainy days and number of dry days was statistically significant from year to year, and also across the districts (p < 0.05). Results indicated substantial variability in the yields of the selected staple food crops. Temperature, number of dry days, onset, annual rainfall and cessation explained about 43%, 32%, 30%, 25% and 14%, respectively of the variations in the yields of groundnut, sorghum, millet, maize and rice. Our results generally suggest that the changing climate substantially affects food production in the study districts, highlighting the need for adaptations including the use of agricultural diversification and the greater use of drought tolerant varieties of these staple crops, as well as the continuing investment in crop breeding programmes to enhance drought tolerance

Knowledge of organ and corneal transplants and attitudes toward organ and corneal donation among non-health students in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi-Ghana

Organ transplantation is a surgical procedure where a failing or damaged organ is removed and replaced with a new one from a donor. According to World Health Organization, the global prevalence of blindness in 2010 was 39 million people, among which 4% were due to corneal opacities. The main aim of the study was to determine the knowledge of organ and corneal transplant and attitude towards organ donation among non-health students at KNUST, Ghana. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among non-health students from the College of Engineering, College of Arts and Built Environment, College of Humanities and Social Sciences and, College of Agriculture and Natural Resource in KNUST. Self-administered questionnaires were used for data collection where 250 participants were sampled using multistage and convenience sampling methods. Out of the study sample, 56.4% were males. The mean ± SD age of participants was 22.13± 2.983years. Digital media (76%) was the main source of information.&nbsp; Out of the respondents, 88.8% were aware of organ transplant whilst 17.2% were aware of corneal transplant. The organ transplant type mostly heard of by participants was kidney transplant (81.2%). Majority (54.8%) of the respondents were willing to donate their organs, out of which 67.6% were willing to donate after death whilst 32.4% were willing to donate whilst living. Love for humanity (34.0%) was the main reason for donating. Lack of information (47.6%) and complications after surgery (46.4%) constituted the main reason for unwillingness to donate. Digital media and healthcare professionals could be utilized to further the awareness of organ and corneal transplantation and donation. Educating and carrying out awareness programs and campaigns will help in clarifying misconceptions and myths and also increase the understanding of organ and corneal transplantations and donations. &nbsp

The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator: development and validation of a tool for identifying African surgical patients at risk of severe postoperative complications

Background: The African Surgical Outcomes Study (ASOS) showed that surgical patients in Africa have a mortality twice the global average. Existing risk assessment tools are not valid for use in this population because the pattern of risk for poor outcomes differs from high-income countries. The objective of this study was to derive and validate a simple, preoperative risk stratification tool to identify African surgical patients at risk for in-hospital postoperative mortality and severe complications. Methods: ASOS was a 7-day prospective cohort study of adult patients undergoing surgery in Africa. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator was constructed with a multivariable logistic regression model for the outcome of in-hospital mortality and severe postoperative complications. The following preoperative risk factors were entered into the model; age, sex, smoking status, ASA physical status, preoperative chronic comorbid conditions, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. Results: The model was derived from 8799 patients from 168 African hospitals. The composite outcome of severe postoperative complications and death occurred in 423/8799 (4.8%) patients. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator includes the following risk factors: age, ASA physical status, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. The model showed good discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.805 and good calibration with c-statistic corrected for optimism of 0.784. Conclusions: This simple preoperative risk calculator could be used to identify high-risk surgical patients in African hospitals and facilitate increased postoperative surveillance. © 2018 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Medical Research Council of South Africa gran