Embedding Participatory Governance

This symposium examines the challenges and opportunities of recent efforts at embedding participatory governance. It draws together original research that engages theoretically and empirically with some fundamental questions: •What are the challenges of embedding participatory governance in policy-making? •What happens when social movements have opportunities to shape the institutionalization of PG processes? Can they reanimate the radical potential of citizen participation for social transformation? •How can the tensions between the different demands of lay citizens, organized civil society, political parties, and public officials be managed? In this introductory article, we provide a definition of embeddedness, outlining its spatial, temporal, and practices dimensions, in so doing distinguishing embeddedness from institutionalization, with which it has often been used interchangeably. Our aim is to delineate the breadth of the concept, drawing together its many uses into a systematic framework that can both guide future research and practical experimentation. In particular, our hope is to turn more attention to the informal practices that are essential for embedding. The contributions to the symposium shift attention from institutional design to embedding dynamics and how these work to open or close spaces for meaningful citizen input

Progress in cassava technology transfer in Uganda

This publication contains the full text of papers presented at a Workshop held in Masindi, Uganda, 9-12 January 1996, and sponsored by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation. During the Workshop the need became evident for additional statistics on the multiplication, distribution and uptake of improved varieties of cassava in the six districts where activities are supported by The Gatsby Charitable Foundation and also elsewhere. The results of a subsequent survey in selected sub-counties of each of the six Gatsby districts are also presented here, together with estimates of the amount of improved material that has been distributed and the area now grown. These latest figures (Appendix 1) represent the best available estimates and in some instances differ substantially from those compiled and presented in the earlier district reports

Farm-Level Adaptive Capacity to Climate Variability in Rice Production, Northern Uganda

Rice is Uganda’s second major cereal crop however; its productivity has been considerably low and stagnant between 1.3 to 2.4 tons per hectare over the last 15 years. One of the underlying factors of low productivity is the current growing conditions which are not optimal for production due to climate variability. Adaptation is therefore pivotal in countering climatic challenges in production. Empirical evidence however, point to limited adaptive ability of farmers. This paper assessed farm-level adaptive capacity and its contribution to rice yield enhancement in Northern Uganda. The study was conducted on a sample of 240 rice producers in northern Uganda during 2010 - 2014 growing seasons. Adaptation capacity was measured quantitatively using indicator of access, use, knowledge and consultation levels. The study results revealed that the average farm-level adaptive capacity was 0.64 which falls in the range of moderate adapters. The study drew the following conclusions: adaptive capacity regarding use of local coping strategies was high contrary to the conventional strategies such as improved variety and herbicide. The moderate to high adaptive capacity was due farmer’s ability to access and use coping strategies than knowledge and consultation on the strategies. There was a considerable difference in yield between the low and high adapters. In order to improved farmer adaptive capacity, there is need for: early weather information sharing on specific crops and locality, research on rice production technologies, validating, strengthening and out-scaling of relevant local coping strategies, improving adoption of conventional coping strategies and access to quality seeds. Keywords: Coping strategies, Adaptive capacity, Climate variability, Rice

Analisis Minat Membaca Permulaan dengan Cerita Bergambar di Kelas I Sekolah Dasar

Interest in reading the beginning of elementary school students is very important to support the achievement of a lesson. Based on the researchers tried to assess in an objective study. The purpose of this study to describe the interest in reading beginning with a picture story in the first grade SDN Purwantoro 6 Malang. This research method using descriptive method with qualitative approach. The subjects were students of class I, amounting to 3 students. The results of this study concluded that students\u27 interest in reading beginning with picture stories are very helpful in the learning process. Response and enthusiasm of the students look good, the students enjoy learning, so that students gain meaningful learning experiences.Minat membaca permulaan siswa sekolah dasar sangat penting untuk menunjang tercapainya suatu pembelajaran. Berdasarkan hal tersebut peneliti mencoba untuk mengkaji dalam suatu tujuan penelitian. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mendeskripsikan minat membaca permulaan dengan cerita bergambar di kelas I SDN Purwantoro 6 Kota Malang. Metode penelitian ini menggunakan metode deskriptifdengan pendekatan kualitatif. Subjek penelitian ini adalah siswa kelas I yang berjumlah 3 siswa. Hasil penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa minat membaca permulaan siswa dengan cerita bergambar sangat membantu dalam proses pembelajaran. Respon dan antusiasme siswa terlihat baik, siswa lebih senang dalam belajar, sehingga siswa memperoleh pengalaman belajar yang bermakna

Effects of Climate Variability on Technical Efficiency of Rice in Acholi and Lango Sub-regions, Uganda

Despites government positive policies towards rice sector development, its productivity has remained low throughout its main growing areas. Several detrimental conditions that are climatic, biological and household specific are attributed to low and stagnant yield. The objective of this paper was to determine effects of climate variability on technical efficiency of rice production in Acholi and Lango sub-regions. Analysis of Cob-Douglas stochastic production function on 211 households showed that rice producers are operating in stage three of production function with respect to some inputs, production function exhibit decreasing return to scale and mean technical efficiency was 51%. Rainfall and temperatures improved technical efficiency in production while credit and labour reduced technical efficiency. The study concluded the following: More room exists for output improvement through expansion of acreage, inefficiencies characterize rice production in the sub-regions, the current rainfall amount and mean temperatures are adequate for attainment of efficiency while credit and labour constraints pose a serious challenge to attainment of efficiency in rice production. The study recommended: Promote of rice production in the upland areas, introduction of new rice variety suitable for the agro-ecological conditions and increase access to formal credit facilities.Keywords: Rice, Climate variability, Household characteristics, Technical efficiency, Uganda

Production of friable embryogenic callus and regeneration of Ugandan farmer-preferred cassava genotypes

Generation of embryogenic callus is a key step in genetic engineering of many crop species, including cassava. Protocols for generation of friable embryogenic callus (FEC) have been lacking for Ugandan cassava genotypes, thereby delaying their genetic engineering for agronomic and other desirable traits. The objective of this study was to determine conditions suitable for production and regeneration of FEC in the Ugandan cassava genotypes; Aladu, Bukalasa and Ebwanateraka, and control cultivar 60444. Immature leaf lobe explants were established on Murashige and Skoog (MS) based media for initiation of organized embryogenic callus (OES). To produce FEC, resulting OES were established on Gresshoff and Doy based callus induction media with varying levels of sucrose, maltose, tyrosine, tryptophan, naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) under light and dark conditions. Subsequently, FEC was subcultured to MS-based embryo maturation and embryo regeneration media. All genotypes produced OES. All genotypes produced FEC except Bukalasa. The amino acid tyrosine favoured production of FEC in Aladu and Ebwanatereka, but not in 60444, while 20 g/L of sucrose trigged production of FEC in Aladu and 60444, but 40 g/L of sucrose was superior for Ebwanatereka. Media supplemented with 1 ml/L naphthalene acetic acid NAA facilitated embryo regeneration in Ebwanatereka and 60444, while Aladu responded better to 5 ml/L NAA. Light, tyrosine and sucrose were essential for FEC production in Uganda cultivars while NAA was required for regeneration of somatic embryos. Ability to produce FEC in these genotypes lays a foundation for their improvement through genetic transformation for the desired and agronomic traits.Key words: Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), somatic embryogenesis, amino acids, carbon sources

'TaxTrack': Introducing a Democratic Innovation for Taxation

In this article we introduce an input-oriented democratic innovation – that we term ‘TaxTrack’ – which offers individual taxpayers the means to engage with their political economies in three ways. After joining the TaxTrack program, an individual can: (1) see and understand how much, and what types, of taxes they have contributed, (2) see and understand how their tax contributions are, or have been, used, and (3) control what their tax contributions can, or cannot, be spent on. We explain this democratic innovation in two ways. The first is through evocation to prefigure what the innovation could look like in future practise which raises the prospects for both good and problematic outcomes. The second is through formal theory to produce a detailed model of the innovation to assist theory building. We conclude by discussing three interactive outcomes of ‘TaxTrack’ through the democratic innovations literature to establish the beginnings of a theory for the model. This theory tells us that ‘TaxTrack’ can return benefits to its users and the democratic regimes in which they are located but it may also place restrictions on output-oriented innovations like Participatory Budgeting

Interferon-γ release assay in people infected with immunodeficiency virus

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A Comparative Study on User Satisfaction with the Management of Library Services in Three Academic Libraries in Benue State-Nigeria

This study sought to compare user-satisfaction with services in three academic libraries in Benue State, Nigeria. A sample of 500 registered library users was randomly selected for the study. Instrument for data collection was a 25 item questionnaire. A research question and hypothesis was tested using one-way analysis of variance and Fisher's protected t-test analysis at 0.05 alpha levels. The findings of the study revealed that; type of institutions was a function of user satisfaction with library service and those users of Federal University of Agriculture library Makurdi were significantly more satisfied with their library services than users of Benue State University and College of Education Katsina-Ala libraries. The study recommends that academic libraries should store information materials in the right quantity and quality and they should be properly organized to meet the needs of clientele