The Role of universities in the fight against corruption

The recent increase in the number of reports on anti-graft activities in the various sectors of Kenyan society reveals a greater determination on the part of the government and of international and local bodies to curb corruption in the country. After taking power in December 2002, the NARC government under the leadership of President Kibaki carried out a series of legal and institutional reforms among which was the enactment of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act of 2003 through which the Kenya Anti- Corruption Commission was established. However in spite of these efforts, ratings from Transparency International continued to show Kenya as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. In its 2006 Corruptions Perceptions Index Kenya was ranked 142nd out of 163 countries, with a score of 2.2 – based on a scale from zero to ten- indicating high levels of perceived corruption in the country. Transparency International Kenyan Chapter also conducted a survey in the same year which showed that corruption cases increased in 2005 and that bribery continues to form part of the Kenyans’ way of life. In 2006 the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission published its first National Corruption Perception Survey with the aim of educating the public about the nature, levels and extent of corruption and where it occurs. It also launched the Kenya National Anti-Corruption Plan which contains the national strategy to fight corruption. Its main objective is to seek the collaboration of the various stakeholders to progressively and systematically reduce, to the extent possible, the causes and destructive effects of corruption in Kenya.1 The Plan proposes a number of measures to fight corruption, namely, the creation of enabling environments, the building and strengthening of institutions, the establishment and adoption of ethical standards in Kenyan organizations, and the creation of public awareness on the evils of corruption. Insofar as education is concerned, it specifically proposed the inclusion of an anti-corruption module in the curricula of all training and educational institutions. The aim of this paper is to examine the role of educational institutions, in particular the universities, in the fight against corruption.The recent increase in the number of reports on anti-graft activities in the various sectors of Kenyan society reveals a greater determination on the part of the government and of international and local bodies to curb corruption in the country. After taking power in December 2002, the NARC government under the leadership of President Kibaki carried out a series of legal and institutional reforms among which was the enactment of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act of 2003 through which the Kenya Anti- Corruption Commission was established. However in spite of these efforts, ratings from Transparency International continued to show Kenya as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. In its 2006 Corruptions Perceptions Index Kenya was ranked 142nd out of 163 countries, with a score of 2.2 – based on a scale from zero to ten- indicating high levels of perceived corruption in the country. Transparency International Kenyan Chapter also conducted a survey in the same year which showed that corruption cases increased in 2005 and that bribery continues to form part of the Kenyans’ way of life. In 2006 the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission published its first National Corruption Perception Survey with the aim of educating the public about the nature, levels and extent of corruption and where it occurs. It also launched the Kenya National Anti-Corruption Plan which contains the national strategy to fight corruption. Its main objective is to seek the collaboration of the various stakeholders to progressively and systematically reduce, to the extent possible, the causes and destructive effects of corruption in Kenya.1 The Plan proposes a number of measures to fight corruption, namely, the creation of enabling environments, the building and strengthening of institutions, the establishment and adoption of ethical standards in Kenyan organizations, and the creation of public awareness on the evils of corruption. Insofar as education is concerned, it specifically proposed the inclusion of an anti-corruption module in the curricula of all training and educational institutions. The aim of this paper is to examine the role of educational institutions, in particular the universities, in the fight against corruption

Fluctuating fortunes of a collective entreprise: The case of the Agroforestry Tree Seeds Association of Lantapan (ATSAL) in the Philippines

"The Agroforestry Tree Seeds Association of Lantapan (ATSAL) in Bukidnon province, southern Philippines was organized in 1998, facilitated by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). Farmers were trained on germplasm collection, processing and marketing of agroforestry tree seeds and seedlings. ATSAL has been marketing various tree seeds and seedlings with apparent success, and has provided training on seed collection and nursery management to farmers, government technicians, and workers from non-government organizations (NGOs). This paper reports on the initial results of an on-going study to assess the effectiveness of ATSAL's marketing strategy, including group dynamics, and the issues and challenges the group faces. It was found that during the first two years, ATSAL's market share of greatly demanded timber tree species increased significantly, thus helping to disseminate widely these important species among farmers. ICRAF's technical back-up was an advantage, increasing the Association's market credibility. Subsequently, ATSAL extended its market to the central Philippines, but failed to meet the demand for seeds due to organizational limitations. Market competition exists, where a nonmember was able to take a larger market share than was the group. Nonetheless, ATSAL has established its name as a viable community-based seed and seedling producer, maintaining a stronghold in local and regional markets. Collective action is important for smallholders to break in, and gain market access, but is unlikely to sustain without effective leadership and some facilitation (in some cases even ongoing), thus requiring expenditures on repairs and maintenance through continuous technical and leadership training for the collective, and technical back-up and facilitation by an intermediary. Finally, facilitating smallholder collective action is essentially an arduous task, requiring the supporting agency to hold a firm grasp of market realities, to invest in the maintenance of collective action, to provide continuous technical back-up, and to ascertain the conditions that make collective action succeed." authors' abstractCollective action, Niche marketing, Agroforestry seeds, Community-based entreprise,

Effects of 2-phenoxy ethanol and MS-222 on milkfish fingerlings (Chanos chanos) as anaesthetic agents

An experiment was undertaken in order to determine an adequate anaesthetic and optimum concentrations for use in the handling of fingerling milkfish (Chanos chanos). The compounds 2-phenoxy ethanol and MS-222 were investigated. Results show the latter to be adequate with optimum concentrations between 100 and 200 ppm

Landcare in Bukidnon

This report is one of four presenting the results of an evaluation study of the Landcare Program in the Southern Philippines. The study was funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) through the project "Enhancing Farmer Adoption of Simple Conservation Practices: Landcare in the Philippines and Australia" (ASEM/1998/052)

Important findings and recommendations on chemical use in aquaculture in Southeast Asia

Under the program of Fisheries Consultative Group of the ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) - SEAFDEC (Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center) Strategic Partnership Mechanism, a research project entitled “Food Safety of Aquaculture Products in Southeast Asia” was implemented by SEAFDEC/AQD (Aquaculture Department of SEAFDEC) from 2010 to 2014 with the financial support of the Government of Japan Trust Fund V (GOJ-TF5). The objectives of the project were to 1) contribute to the establishment of guidelines on the production of safe aquaculture products; 2) determine the presence and levels of commonly used chemicals in aquaculture in aquaculture products; 3) compile and disseminate SEAFDEC guidelines on the use of antibiotics and chemicals in aquaculture; and 4) implement training course/workshop to promote food safety awareness in the ASEAN region. Along with the said objectives, research activities, particularly focusing both on withdrawal periods of antibiotics often used in aquaculture and on surveillance of chemical contaminants in aquaculture products and feeds, were implemented (in 2010-2014). In addition, knowledge and technologies on food safety of aquaculture products were disseminated to local and national government staff, practitioners, stakeholders, etc. through an international seminar (in January 2011) and an international training course (in November 2013). Furthermore, AQD organized The International Workshop on Food Safety of Aquaculture Products in the Southeast Asia – Challenges in Sustaining the Food Safety of Aquaculture Products in May 2013 to promote and influence the regional initiatives in securing wholesome and safe aquaculture commodities in the ASEAN region. The publication of this volume consolidates the activities of the project which AQD has pursued during the period of the GOJ-TF5. Although the title of this volume does not include the word “guideline,” this volume surely includes and refers to the ASEAN guidelines recently published with the title of Guidelines for the Use of Chemicals in Aquaculture and Measures to Eliminate the Use of Harmful Chemicals courtesy of the ASEAN secretariat based on the understanding of the collaboration between ASEAN-SEAFDEC, as well as the basic and new findings of AQD scientists accomplished through the research activities, which were not covered by the ASEAN guidelines. Although the food safety of aquaculture products would be strictly required in the ASEAN region in the future, this volume will make a great contribution to the requirement

Survey of antibiotic and pesticide residues in aquaculture products in the Philippines

A survey in the Philippines in the early and mid-1990s (Lacierda et al.,2008) revealed that more than 100 chemicals and biological products are used in aquaculture production starting from pond preparation until harvest including chemicals for disease prevention and control. The survey comprises groups of chemicals and some are namely, soil and water conditioners, fertilizers, pesticides, probiotics and feed additives. A probable increase in the usage (volume) and number of chemicals throughout the years could be inferred since world aquaculture production and the number of species for culture also increased (Tacon & Metian, 2008). For health reasons of consumers and the safety regulations imposed by importing countries on aquaculture products, there is a pressing need to survey the chemicals used in aquaculture at present. In line with the promotion of food safety awareness in the region with regards to fish, the objective of this survey was to determine levels of commonly used antibiotics and pesticides in aquaculture that maybe present in aquaculture products such as fish and shrimps

Withdrawal periods of antibiotics, oxytetracycline, and oxolinic acid, in fish species cultured in the tropics

Food safety is one of the major concerns of products derived from aquaculture. Farm inputs, e.g. drugs and agrochemicals, introduced whether intentionally or unintentionally during culture, may contaminate and remain in the product and become a hazard to the consumers. Chemical hazards in aquaculture products, among them drugs used for the chemotherapy of bacterial infection in fish and other cultured aquatic animals present a negative impact in aquaculture. Fish farmers often result to this treatment in order to save their cultured stock when threatened with infection, although a general conception nowadays is the discouragement of its use, being considered only as the “last recourse.” Drugs, specifically antibiotics, have a long history of successful use in aquaculture (Alderman, 1980)