A Study on Sources, Availability and Accessibility of Potable Water in Imo State, Nigeria

Sources, availability and accessibility of potable water were studied in the three geopolitical zones; Okigwe, Owerri, Orlu zones of Imo State, Nigeria. A total of 800 pretested and randomly distributed questionnaires were used on adult respondents in the three zones. Results identified borehole water as the major (65.4%) source of drinking water among the respondents. More than half (53.8%) of the respondents have their water source located less than 50m from their houses, of which 33% have their boreholes located within their compounds. About half of the respondents visit water bodies daily. The highest total rating of supply of water by the respondents was on “poor” supply. The poor rating was more in Okigwe zone where 107 (64.7%) gave poor rating for supply of potable water. The study has shown that although there is availability and accessibility of water, there is need to monitor sitting of water sources and create awareness as well as lay emphasis on purification since what is available and accessible is not potable

Effects of Household Waste Generation, Disposal and Management on Farmers’ Health in Owerri Metropolis of IMO State, Nigeria

The study investigated the effects of household waste generation, disposal and management on farmers' health in Owerri metropolis. It specifically ascertained the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers, identified the types and sources of waste in the study area, examined the waste disposal and management methods in the study area examined the effects of inappropriate waste disposal and ascertained the appropriate waste disposal methods used in the study area. A multi stage sampling technique was used to select one hundred and eight farmers from the three Local Government Area in Owerri metropolis. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire and were analyzed using descriptive statistics tool such as mean, frequency, percentage, and mean scores. Results show that waste is majorly generated from markets and residential homes. Waste disposal methods were mainly burning, landfills and open dumping. Its effects includes destroys the beauty of the environment, blocks gutters and drainage system, pollutes the environment among others. Subsequently, appropriate waste disposal methods in the study area includes burning of waste (29.17%), placing of bins at appropriate places (16.07%). The study recommends amongst others that waste management environmental agency should make waste dumps or receptacles accessible to residents, public campaigns should be embarked upon to educate the citizens on ills of dirty environment

Proximate, Functional and Sensory Properties of Bread from Wheat - Plantain (Musa SPP) Flour Blends

The effect of blanching treatments on the functional properties of plantain flour and sensory characteristics of bread made from wheat (80%) and plantain (20%) flour was investigated

Perceived Role of Agricultural Extension Services in Promoting Cooperative Entrepreneurship among Farmers in Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area, IMO State

Cooperative entrepreneurship avails participating entrepreneurs the opportunity to combine different skills and competencies to set up an enterprise. This study assessed the perceived roles of agricultural extension services in promoting cooperative entrepreneurship among farmers in Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area, Imo State. Data was collected from 120 respondents with the aid of a well-structured questionnaire. Results revealed that farmers in the study area were engaged in different entrepreneurial activities. They perceived the roles of agricultural extension services as effective in promoting cooperative entrepreneurship with the provision of vocational/skill training; sanitation activities; provision of storage/processing facilities; procurement of agricultural input and information on credit sources. The perceived constraints militating against extension service delivery to the respondents were inadequate finding; lack of technical support and poor infrastructure in communities. It was recommended that government and non-governmental organizations should provide adequate funding and technical support to extension personnel to enable them deliver agricultural extension services geared at promoting cooperative entrepreneurship to farmers

Gender and Resource Productivity in Rice Production n Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Abstract: The inadequacy of information on resource productivity and their differentials by gender in rice production has prevented rice farmers from knowing the resources they are yet to realize their full potentials. This study analyzed resource productivity by gender in rice production in Ebonyi State of Nigeria. Multi-stage random sampling techniques were used to select a sample of 130 rice farmers comprised of 65 males and 65 females from the 13 Local government areas of Ebonyi State. Data were collected with structured and validated questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics and productivity model. Results showed that marginal productivity of labour, capital and land for male farmers were higher than those of female farmers, while the marginal productivity of fertilizer and seed for female farmers were higher than those of male farmers. Rice farmers should be encouraged to use more of the resource imputs since a unit change in their use increases rice output

Climate Data Empathy

In the era of climate services, which provide globally complete data products in a ready-to-use form, the context of climate data is in danger of being neglected or forgotten. However, the historical and present-day context imprinted on this climate data is important in its own right. The data depend on political, economic and technological factors, as we show with a range of data coverage maps. We term awareness of and sensitivity to this context-dependence “climate data empathy,” and argue that context should be seen as a source of information to be communicated along with the data. Such context not only provides additional information about the data products, but may help in designing communication strategies and contribute more generally to raising awareness of the contingency of environmental data. Decision making should thus make use of both climate data and its context

Kinetics and Mechanism of Electron Transfer Reaction of an Adipato Bridged Iron(III)-Salen Complex with Dithionite Ion in Perchloric Acid Medium

Redox kinetics of the reaction of an adipato bridged iron(III)-salen complex, [(Fe(salen))2adi] with dithionite ion, S2O42–, was investigated in perchloric acid at I = 0.05 mol dm–3 (NaClO4) and T = 29 ± 1 °C. Spectrophotometric titrations indicated consumption of one mole of S2O42– per mole of [(Fe(salen))2adi] reduced. Under pseudo-first order conditions of [S2O42–] above ten-fold excess of concentration of [(Fe(salen))2adi], observed rates increased with increase in [S2O42–] and second order rate constants were fairly constant (0.285 ± 0.01 dm3 mol–1 s–1) indicating first order dependence of the rate on [(Fe(salen))2adi]. A plot of logkobs versus log[S2O42–] was linear and gave a slope of 1.0 indicating first order dependence of the rate on [S2O42–]. The reaction rate increased with increase in [H+] within 3 × 10–3 mol dm–3 ≤ [H+] ≤ 14 × 10–3 mol dm–3. The reaction was unaffected by variation of ionic strength and dielectric constant of the medium. Addition of anion and cation did not catalyze the reaction. The reaction has been analyzed on the basis of an inner-sphere mechanism mediated by proton transfer

Reconciling safe planetary targets and planetary justice: Why should social scientists engage with planetary targets?

As human activity threatens to make the planet unsafe for humanity and other life forms, scholars are identifying planetary targets set at a safe distance from biophysical thresholds beyond which critical Earth systems may collapse. Yet despite the profound implications that both meeting and transgressing such targets may have for human wellbeing, including the potential for negative trade-offs, there is limited social science analysis that systematically considers the justice dimensions of such targets. Here we assess a range of views on planetary justice and present three arguments associated with why social scientists should engage with the scholarship on safe targets. We argue that complementing safe targets with just targets offers a fruitful approach for considering synergies and trade-offs between environmental and social aspirations and can inform inclusive deliberation on these important issues