Ecological and Economic Roles of Agrobiodiversity

Biodiversity is a complex, abstract concept. It can be associated with a wide range of benefits to human society, most of them still ill understood. In general terms, the value of biodiversity can be assessed in terms of its impact on the provision of inputs to production processes, in terms of its direct impact on human welfare, and in terms of its impact on the regulation of the nature-ecosystem-ecological functions relationships. The services that agricultural biodiversity provides are critical to the functioning of food support systems. They contribute to human welfare, both directly and indirectly, and therefore represent part of the total economic value of the planet. The main cause of the loss of biodiversity can be attributes to the influence of human beings on the world’s ecosystem, In fact human beings have deeply altered the environment, and have modified the territory, exploiting the species directly, for example by fishing and hunting, changing the biogeochemical cycles and transferring species from one area to another of the Planet. Conserving biodiversity has economic, social, and cultural values. Conservation of biodiversity is integral to the biological and cultural inheritance of many people and the critical components of healthy ecosystems that are used to support economic and social developments. For successful and sustainable conservation there needs to be local community involvement especially for agro ecosystem. Conservation can broadly be achieved into two ways: In-situ -Conservation of habitats, species and ecosystems where they naturally occur. This is in-situ conservation and the natural processes and interaction are conserved as well as the elements of biodiversity and Ex-situ: The conservation of elements of biodiversity out of the context of their natural habitats is referred to as ex-situ conservation. Zoos, botanical gardens and seed banks are all example of ex-situ conservation. Keywords: Biological diversity, Agrobiodiversity, diversit

Review Paper on Roles of Forests in Hydrological and Carbon Sequestration

The sustainable use of the biodiversity is very important for every life. Forests play a significant role in the global carbon cycle. The relationship among the forest rainfall and water yield, carbon sequestration and other watershed ecosystem services intensifies worldwide. Clearing of the forest decreases the evaporation and increases the stream and vice versa. To reduce the carbon emission the sustainable uses of the biodiversity is the crucial issue today. The governmental policy and the international convention like Kyoto protocol agreement implementation are very important to reduce the emission by minimizing deforestation and enhancing vegetation plantation. Keywords: carbon sequestration, forest, water, stream flo

Processes of Forest Fragmentation ant Its Impacts

Forest fragmentation is a widespread phenomenon and is recognized as one of the major threats to biological diversity. It  is a process by which  large expanses of forests are converted into smaller tracts of forest surrounded by a matrix of habitats unlike the original in ways that reduce or eliminate the ability of the forest to provide ecological, economic, and social benefits, causing a disruption in continuity of the natural landscape. Natural and anthropogenic factors can lead to forest fragementation. The natural causes include storms, fires and aging. Numerous anthropogenic factors can also account for forest fragementation. Among other things land use, infrastructure construction, urbanization, land tenure and socioeconomic factors can account for forest fragementation. Based on theoretical predictions and small scale empirical studies, forest fragementation is presumed to have a wide range of socio-economic and environmental effects. It can jeopardize goods and services from forests, pose health threat, promote invasive species and threaten biodiversity. Forest fragmentation is presumed to lead to biodiversity erosion via habitat loss, increased edge effects, and negative interactions with species from surrounding non forest patches, the effect of non-random sampling of the original forest, modifying species’ population dynamics, altered ecosystem inputs and outputs, increased isolation of forest populations, and invasion by exotic species. Fragmentation can also restrict pollinator movement, which may reduce gene flow and result in increased inbreeding. One of the major outcomes of forest fragementation is edge effect. Edge effects include decreasing humidity and increasing light and temperature which may ultimately affect plant recruitment and survival. In addition, adjacent ecosystems experience flows of energy, nutrients and species across their mutual boundary. As a result, the species composition, structure and ecological processes of an ecosystem near the line of contact with another ecosystem may be changed. Edge effect can also include elevated wind turbulence. Biotic effects can be extremely diverse and include the proliferation of secondary vegetation along forest margins, invasions of weedy or generalist plants and animals, alteration of ecological processes such as nutrient cycling and energy flow. Keywords forest, fragmentation, biodiversity, biological

Review on Application and Management of Medicinal Plants for the Livelihood of the Local Community

The beginnings of the medicinal plants’ use were instinctive, as is the case with animals. In time, the reasons for the usage of specific medicinal plants for treatment of certain diseases were being discovered; thus, the medicinal plants’ usage gradually abandoned the empiric framework and became founded on explicatory facts. Plants have provided man with all his needs in terms of shelter, clothing, food, flavours and fragrances as not the least, medicines. The beneficial medicinal effects of plant materials typically result from the combinations of secondary products present in the plant. Many countries use the plant as medicinal value for primary healthcare. A great amount of traditional knowledge about the use of medicinal plant species is still carried and orally transmitted by indigenous peoples. Currently, approximately 25% of allopathic drugs are derived from plant based compounds, and many others are synthetic analogues built on prototype compounds isolated from plant species. Plants represent a constant interest as sources of novel foods and medicines. Fruit and leaves of different tree species (both wild and cultivated) are essential to alleviate human health problems and food insecurity especially in the developing world. Medicinal plants, since times immemorial, have been used virtually in all cultures as a source of medicine. Medicinal plants are accessible, affordable and culturally appropriate sources of primary health care for more than 80 percent of population. Most of the countries special developing lives in rural area which are considered poor depend on medicinal plants. The medicinal plants play a significant role in providing their own nutrient composition. In addition to these benefits also it has potential of antimicrobial and antioxidant agents. These medicinal plants are faced to challenge as the reason of population increasing, human encroachments and others. Many stalk holders play a great role to conserve and managing the medicinal plants by different approaches. Keywords: Conservation, Indigenous knowledge, Livelihoods, Medicinal Plant

Study on gastro intestinal parasite of cattle at Horoguduru Animal Production and Research Center of Wollega University, Oromia, Ethiopia

Cross sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of gastro intestinal parasite and protozoan emeria, to determine the common risk factor and to identify the commonly existing parasitic eggs at Horoguduru animal production and research center of Wollega University. To determine the sample size, an expected prevalence of 50% was taken into consideration since there was no research work on gastro intestinal parasitic eggs at the center. 384 animals’ fecal samples were collected directly from the rectum of cattle into a universal bottle containing 10% formalin and transported to the laboratory for examination. Carpological examination was done at Wollega University Shambu campus animal science and, food and nutrition department. Coprological examinations were made within 12 hours after sample collection. Eggs of nematode, cestode and trimatodes were identified. In this study egg of paramphistomum, fasciola, haemonchus, strongylus and monezia are the commonly identified eggs by floatation and sedimentation techniques. Sedimentation technique was used to detect the presence of fluke eggs in the fecal samples. The result showed that the overall prevalence of gastro intestinal parasite is 133/384 (34.6%).The result showed that the prevalence were 27.8% in young age group, 40% in adult age group and 35.4% in old age group. The result also reported that the prevalence of the parasite was 48/86(55.81%) in cross breed and 85/298(28.5%) in local breed. The study depicted that the prevalence of the parasitic egg are 88/219(40.18%) in female animals and 45/165 (27.27%) in male animals. In this study from the total of 134 infected animals 85/134(63%) were infected by single infection and49/134 (36.57%) were infected at least with two different genera of gastro intestinal and protozoan parasites. The prevalence of eggs of each single infection were Paramphistomum 27/85(31.76%), Fasciola 17/85(20%), Ascaris 15/85(17.95%), Monezia 9/85(10.59%), Tricuris 7/85(8.24%), Strongyloid types 6/85(7.06%), Haemonchus 2/85(2.53%), and 1/85(1.18%) of Nematodurous and Emeria It also showed that from the total of multiple infections 9/49(18.36%) was infected with three types of parasitic genera and 40/49 (81.63%) were infected with two different genera. In conclusion separate grazing land for young animals (calves), separate Water and feed trough for different age category and risk factors based strategic deworming were recommended.Keywords: Gastro intestinal parasite Carpological examination Prevalence Protozoan emeria Fecal sample

Prevalence of abomasal nematodes in sheep and goats slaughtered at Haramaya municipal abattoir, eastern Hararghe, Ethiopia

The study was conducted from November 2009 to March 2010 in Haramaya district, eastern Hararghe zone of Oromiya region, Ethiopia. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of abomasal nematodes of small ruminants slaughtered at Haramaya municipal abattoir. During the study period a total of 384 abomasums of small ruminants (181 sheep and 203 goats) were examined.  Three genera of nematodes were identified in both sheep and goats abomasa with overall prevalence of 95.8%.   The prevalence in sheep and goats were 94.5% and 97% respectively. The prevalence in both animal species was 85.7% Haemonchus contortus, 82.3% Trichostrongylus axei and 79.9% Teladorsagia. The specific prevalence observed were 90% for Haemonchus contortus, 75.7 % for Trichostrongylus axei, and 80.7 % for Teladorsagia spp. in sheep and 81.8 % for Haemonchus contortus, 88.2 % for Trichostrongylus axei and 79.3 % for Teladorsagia spp. in goats. Statistically significant differences (P<0.05) in nematode species except Teladorsagia species was observed. There was no statistically significant differences (P>0.05) among the risk factors of age and sex considered in relation to the prevalence of abomasal nematodes. Generally, a high infection rate of small ruminants with abomasal nematodes was observed during the study period. Keywords: Small ruminants, Abomasal nematodes, Prevalence, Haramaya, Abattoi

Assessment on Dairy Production System and its Constraints in Horoguduru Wollega Zone, Western Ethiopia

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ACCESS TO LAND FOR WOMEN IN ETHIOPIA

Context and background Access to land and productive resources for women is low in many countries especially in the developing world where there are less secure property rights in general. .Though there is no clear indication as to which groups should be considered vulnerable in Ethiopia, the groups mentioned under section two are practically considered vulnerable. These groups in Ethiopia include women, orphan children, HIV/AIDS victims, pastoralists, poor peasants, persons with disabilities and the urban and rural poor. Moreover, no proclamation in the country has listed who vulnerable groups are. Only a single proclamation i.e proclamation number 916/2016 tries to highlight the presence of some fabric of society who are considered as vulnerable without further expalanation under its article 34/13/c. The main causes which affect the lives of the women and other vulnerable groups emanate from policy, legal, customary, social and political loopholes in the country. Goal and Objectives: The  overall objective of this study was to examine the land administration shortcomings that affect access to land for women in Ethiopia . Methodology: The researchers used a transcendental phenomenological approach to investigate the lived experiences of the women and other vulnerable groups in Ethiopia. By investigating literatures and approaching the participants in a manner where they should express the experiences they have been in and the systematic analysis of policy, legal and social realities with respect access to land.  Results: Ethiopia include women, orphan children, HIV/AIDS victims, pastoralists, poor peasants, persons with disabilities and the urban and rural poor are Highly Affected ground. Moreover, no proclamation in the country has listed who vulnerable groups are.  Elderly, HIV victims, disabled and unemployed are the groups of vulnerability.Inadequate legal and institutional regime, customary practices, lack of political will and land administration shortcomings are among the causes of vulnerability in Ethiopia. Therefore, addressing such main causes of vulnerability requires nothing beyond alleviating problems related to the legal shortcomings, the inadequacy of legal and land experts, corruption and political reluctance, patriarchal customary practices and bad system of land administration. The government should, therefore, give a serious emphasis in these respects

Review of Climate Change and Health in Ethiopia: Status and Gap Analysis

Background: This review assessed Ethiopia’s existing situation on issues related to the environment, climate change and health, and identifies gaps and needs that can be addressed through research, training, and capacity building.Methods: The research was conducted through a comprehensive review of available secondary data and interviewing key informants in various national organizations involved in climate change adaptation and mitigation activities.Results: Climate change-related health problems, such as mortality and morbidity due to floods and heat waves, vector-borne diseases, water-borne diseases, meningitis, and air pollution-related respiratory diseases are increasing in Ethiopia. Sensitive systems such as agriculture, health, and water have been affected, and the effects of climate change will continue to magnify without the right adaptation and mitigation measures. Currently, research on climate change and health is not adequately developed in Ethiopia. Research and other activities appear to be fragmented and uncoordinated. As a result, very few spatially detailed and methodologically consistent studies have been made to assess the impact of climate in the country. There has often been a lack of sufficient collaboration among organizations on the planning and execution of climate change and health activities, and the lack of trained professionals who can perform climate change and health-related research activities at various levels.Conclusion: Firstly, there is a lack of organized structure in the various organizations. Secondly, there is inadequate level of inter-sectoral collaboration and poor coordination and communication among different stakeholders. Thirdly, there are no reliable policy guidelines and programs among organizations, agencies and offices that target climate change and health. Fourth, the existing policies fail to consider the gender and community-related dimensions of climate change. Fifth, the monitoring and evaluation efforts exerted on climate change and health activities are not strong enough to address the climate change and health issues in the country

DESCRIPTION OF MENINGITIS EPIDEMIC IN HAIKOCH NA BUTAJIRA DISTRICT

ABSTRACT: A retrospective review of a recent meningitis epidemic in Haikoch na Butajira District for the months of February and March 1989 was conducted. The epidemic is described in terms of person, place and time. The relationship of the epidemic with weather changes (rainfall and temperature) is assessed. There were a total of 6968 reported cases of meningitis with 203 deaths. The case fatality rate was 2.9%. The male to female ratio was 1.05 to 1. The peak of the epidemic was found to be during the second half of the month of February. There were 864 cases from urban, 3321 from villagized and 2783 from non villagized areas giving period prevalence rates of 6%, 8% and 2%, respectively, during the two months. Based on this study, surveillance and control recommendations are made