Food Security Survey: Phase I, Agricultural Production and Land Use Season 2000A

REPUBLIC OF RWANDA, MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, ANIMAL RESOURCES, AND FORESTRY, Food Security Research Project (FSRP) and Division of Agricultural Statistics (DSA)food security, food policy, Rwanda, agricultural production, land use, Food Security and Poverty, Q18,

Amphibians, Pesticides, and the Amphibian Chytrid Fungus in Restored Wetlands in Agricultural Landscapes

Information on interactions between pesticide exposure and disease prevalence in amphibian populations is limited, especially from field data. Exposure to certain herbicides and insecticides has the potential to decrease the immune response in frogs, which can potentially lead to increased abundance of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) zoospores on individuals and in the wetlands. In contrast, exposure to certain fungicides can decrease Bd abundance on frog skin. We examined the relationships between the abundance of Bd on the skin of individual Boreal Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris maculata) and the concentrations of pesticides in the water and in frog tissue at six agriculturally dominated wetlands in Iowa, USA. We collected frogs from each wetland, swabbed them for Bd, and analyzed their tissues for a suite of fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides. We collected surface water from the wetlands and we analyzed it for the same suite of pesticides. We observed no relationship between Bd zoospores on the skin of individual frogs and the concentrations of total pesticides, total herbicides/insecticides and total fungicides in frog tissue. Similarly, we observed no relationship between Bd zoospore abundance in water and the concentration of total pesticides or total herbicides in water. However, we observed a negative relationship between Bd zoospore abundance in water and neonicotinoid concentrations in surface water. Negative results are seldom reported but can be important contributors to a more complete understanding of the complex and potentially synergistic relationships between disease and pesticides. Data from field studies on these relationships are particularly scarce. As our laboratory understanding of these relationships expands, the need for field based, or applied, studies grow

Addressing Walkability to Improve the Neighborhood and Built Environment to Better Quality of Life in Fayetteville, North Carolina

Research shows that approximately 80% of a person’s overall health is driven by social and environmental factors and the behavior influenced by them, also known as the social determinants of health. Our work focuses on addressing walkability which falls under the scope of the neighborhood and built environment, which is the intersection of the places where people live, work, pray, and play and their health and well-being. Fayetteville North Carolina has a walkability score of 21 out of 100, which is among the lowest in the country. Walkability is defined by how easily residents can walk to and from places in the community such as from their home, work, and entertainment. There is not an adequate walking infrastructure to support the people who walk as a primary mode of transportation or exercise. The Cumberland County Community Health Needs Assessment documented that 40.1% of the community members do not engage in any physical activity or exercise during the week. Heart disease, diabetes, and other weight-related diseases are among the leading causes of death in the county. We will focus our efforts in Fayetteville, NC and within low-income areas of the city. Fayetteville is the large city within Cumberland County and is an ideal location to create an accountable care community. We would like to build on existing infrastructure and systems in an equitable way to ensure low-income communities are experiencing the benefits of walkability. Our proposed policy is to switch to SmartCode Zoning which creates new guidelines for where types of buildings can be placed in the city limits while discouraging suburban sprawl. The goal of this policy is to bring the residents' daily needs closer to where they live so that they can either walk or bike to their destination over driving a car. We must include structures to ensure that we also keep the current residents from being pushed out of their communities due to these changes. Our intended impact from this policy is to reduce the negative health outcomes that are associated with walkability which are weight-related diseases.Master of Public Healt

Determinants of Farm Productivity in Africa: A Synthesis of Four Case Studies

Productivity Analysis, Downloads July 2008 - July 2009: 20,

Pesticide concentrations in frog tissue and wetland habitats in a landscape dominated by agriculture

Habitat loss and exposure to pesticides are likely primary factors contributing to amphibian decline in agricultural landscapes. Conservation efforts have attempted to restore wetlands lost through landscape modifications to reduce contaminant loads in surface waters and providing quality habitat to wildlife. The benefits of this increased wetland area, perhaps especially for amphibians, may be negated if habitat quality is insufficient to support persistent populations. We examined the presence of pesticides and nutrients in water and sediment as indicators of habitat quality and assessed the bioaccumulation of pesticides in the tissue of twonative amphibian species Pseudacris maculata (chorus frogs) and Lithobates pipiens (leopard frogs) at six wetlands (3 restored and 3 reference) in Iowa, USA. Restored wetlands are positioned on the landscape to receive subsurface tile drainage water while referencewetlands receive water fromoverland run-off and shallow groundwater sources. Concentrations of the pesticides frequently detected inwater and sediment samples were not different between wetland types. The median concentration of atrazine in surface water was 0.2 μg/L. Reproductive abnormalities in leopard frogs have been observed in other studies at these concentrations. Nutrient concentrations were higher in the restored wetlands but lower than concentrations thought lethal to frogs. Complex mixtures of pesticides including up to 8 fungicides, some previously unreported in tissue, were detected with concentrations ranging from 0.08 to 1500 μg/kg wet weight. No significant differences in pesticide concentrations were observed between species, although concentrations tended to be higher in leopard frogs compared to chorus frogs, possibly because of differences in life histories. Our results provide information on habitat quality in restored wetlands that will assist state and federal agencies, landowners, and resource managers in identifying and implementing conservation and management actions for these and similar wetlands in agriculturally dominated landscapes

Placement of Intracoelomic Radiotransmitters and Silicone Passive Sampling Devices in Northern Leopard Frogs (Lithobates pipiens)

Historically, wetland toxin exposure studies have relied on single time point samples from stationary sampling devices. Development of passive sampling devices (PSDs) that can be attached to individual animals within wetland habitats has greatly improved in recent years, presenting an innovative sampling technology that can potentially yield individual-specific, quantifiable data about chemical exposure. In this study, silicone based PSDs were attached to the ventral skin of 20 northern leopard frogs (Lithobates pipiens) with polypropylene sutures after radiotransmitters had been surgically implanted into the coleomic cavity. After a short recovery period, frogs were released back into the wetland habitat where they were acquired. The animals were located daily using radiotelemetry to assess how long PSDs would remain attached in the frogs\u27 natural habitat. After one week, PSDs remained on 18 of the original 20 frogs. At two weeks, 17 frogs were recovered and no PSDs remained attached. Although valuable data can be obtained over a short time period, more research will be necessary to demonstrate the effectiveness of externally attaching silicone PSDs to northern leopard frogs for time periods longer than 1–2 weeks

Adjuvant Immunotherapy Is Dependent on Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase

Rodents immunized with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) are resistant to subsequent attempts to induce autoimmune disease, while animals immunized with incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA) remain susceptible. Mycobacterial extracts can stimulate inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) gene transcription. Robust expression of NOS2 has been linked to suppression of T cell proliferation and alterations in immune responses. Our studies investigated the hypothesis that the immunoprotective effect of CFA before immunization requires functional NOS2. NOS2 gene expression is chronically elevated in lymph nodes and spleens of CFA-immunized mice. Maximal expression of NOS2 after CFA immunization requires the presence of functional type I tumor necrosis factor α receptor (TNFR1) and interferon γ. Groups of nontreated and CFA-preimmunized male C57BL/6J or C57BL/6NOS2−/− mice were immunized with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) peptide 35–55 in CFA to induce experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). Wild-type C57BL/6J mice were protected from the development of symptoms of EAE, while the NOS2−/− mice failed to be protected. NOS2-dependent effects of CFA included an augmentation of the MOG-specific IgG1 response, a decrease in interleukin 6 production by MOG-reactive lymphocytes, and a marked decrease in mononuclear cell infiltrates in the central nervous system. These studies support the hypothesis that CFA immunization modulates immune responses through a nitric oxide–dependent mechanism