Livestock Value Chain Development in Nigeria: Institutional Framework and Opportunities for Chain Actors

Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) as a key driver of the National Economic Transformation Agenda has aided in creating jobs and increased non-oil sector contribution to GDP.  However, the livestock subsector contribution is under represented largely because of the under development of the livestock value chain among other factors. This paper attempts to review the livestock value chain development in Nigeria. It focused on the existing livestock value chain implementation strategy, its constraints, and opportunities for chain actors. An overview the Nigerian livestock value chains and their institutional framework, evaluation of achievements and challenges were highlighted. It is recommended that Nigerian Livestock value chain development programmes and initiatives are expected to make concrete contributions towards achieving market-led and knowledge-based transformation of the industry in line with the agenda of the Federal Government. Therefore, strengthening capacities of the chain actors to cooperate and operate optimally within a focused institutional framework deserves due policy attention. The relevant departments in the FMARD and major chain actors (NIAS, NVMA and NALHSATON) who have direct bearing on the governance structure of the livestock value chain must proactively form a common front on the revalidation of Livestock underrepresented GDP estimates for Nigeria and other African nations, and value chain mapping for each of the selected livestock value chain as a way of attracting attention of National and International development financing institutions. Keywords: Livestock, Value Chain, Institutional framework, Chain actors, Nigeria

Variability in size and shape in muscovy duck with age: Principal component analysis

Body weight and six linear body measurements, body length (BL), breast circumference (BCC), thigh length (TL), shank length (SL), total leg length (TLL) and wing length were recorded on 150 male and female muscovy ducklings and evaluated at 3, 5, 10, 15 and 20 weeks of age. Principal component analysis was used to study the dependence structure among the body measurements and to quantify sex differences in morphometric size and shape variations during growth. The first principal components at each of the five ages in both sexes accounted between 71.54 to 92.95% of the variation in the seven measurements and provided a linear function of size with nearly equal emphasis on all traits. The second principal components in all cases also accounted for between 6.7 to 16.17% of the variations in the dependence structure of the system in the variables as shape, the coefficient for the PCs at various ages were sex dependent with males showing higher variability because of spontaneous increase in size and shape than females. Contribution of the general size factor to the total variance increase with age in both male and female ducklings, while shape factor tend to be stable in males and inconsistent in females

The role of women in the fishing community of Doma Dam, Nasarawa State

The study was carried out to assess the role of women in the fishing activities around the Doma dam fishing community in Nigeria. The study reveals that women participate in all fishing activities and play significant role in family income generation from gear construction, fish catch, transportation, processing to marketing of the fish and fish products. Some limitations were identified in women participation such as some cultural practices, denial to participate in decision making, poor infrastructure and lack of organised markets. Women should be encouraged to freely participate and make decision so as to enhance their finances as it will translate to enhancing the family income

Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality and life expectancy, 1950–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

BACKGROUND: Assessments of age-specific mortality and life expectancy have been done by the UN Population Division, Department of Economics and Social Affairs (UNPOP), the United States Census Bureau, WHO, and as part of previous iterations of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD). Previous iterations of the GBD used population estimates from UNPOP, which were not derived in a way that was internally consistent with the estimates of the numbers of deaths in the GBD. The present iteration of the GBD, GBD 2017, improves on previous assessments and provides timely estimates of the mortality experience of populations globally. METHODS: The GBD uses all available data to produce estimates of mortality rates between 1950 and 2017 for 23 age groups, both sexes, and 918 locations, including 195 countries and territories and subnational locations for 16 countries. Data used include vital registration systems, sample registration systems, household surveys (complete birth histories, summary birth histories, sibling histories), censuses (summary birth histories, household deaths), and Demographic Surveillance Sites. In total, this analysis used 8259 data sources. Estimates of the probability of death between birth and the age of 5 years and between ages 15 and 60 years are generated and then input into a model life table system to produce complete life tables for all locations and years. Fatal discontinuities and mortality due to HIV/AIDS are analysed separately and then incorporated into the estimation. We analyse the relationship between age-specific mortality and development status using the Socio-demographic Index, a composite measure based on fertility under the age of 25 years, education, and income. There are four main methodological improvements in GBD 2017 compared with GBD 2016: 622 additional data sources have been incorporated; new estimates of population, generated by the GBD study, are used; statistical methods used in different components of the analysis have been further standardised and improved; and the analysis has been extended backwards in time by two decades to start in 1950. FINDINGS: Globally, 18·7% (95% uncertainty interval 18·4–19·0) of deaths were registered in 1950 and that proportion has been steadily increasing since, with 58·8% (58·2–59·3) of all deaths being registered in 2015. At the global level, between 1950 and 2017, life expectancy increased from 48·1 years (46·5–49·6) to 70·5 years (70·1–70·8) for men and from 52·9 years (51·7–54·0) to 75·6 years (75·3–75·9) for women. Despite this overall progress, there remains substantial variation in life expectancy at birth in 2017, which ranges from 49·1 years (46·5–51·7) for men in the Central African Republic to 87·6 years (86·9–88·1) among women in Singapore. The greatest progress across age groups was for children younger than 5 years; under-5 mortality dropped from 216·0 deaths (196·3–238·1) per 1000 livebirths in 1950 to 38·9 deaths (35·6–42·83) per 1000 livebirths in 2017, with huge reductions across countries. Nevertheless, there were still 5·4 million (5·2–5·6) deaths among children younger than 5 years in the world in 2017. Progress has been less pronounced and more variable for adults, especially for adult males, who had stagnant or increasing mortality rates in several countries. The gap between male and female life expectancy between 1950 and 2017, while relatively stable at the global level, shows distinctive patterns across super-regions and has consistently been the largest in central Europe, eastern Europe, and central Asia, and smallest in south Asia. Performance was also variable across countries and time in observed mortality rates compared with those expected on the basis of development. INTERPRETATION: This analysis of age-sex-specific mortality shows that there are remarkably complex patterns in population mortality across countries. The findings of this study highlight global successes, such as the large decline in under-5 mortality, which reflects significant local, national, and global commitment and investment over several decades. However, they also bring attention to mortality patterns that are a cause for concern, particularly among adult men and, to a lesser extent, women, whose mortality rates have stagnated in many countries over the time period of this study, and in some cases are increasing

Preference traits for Bunaji cattle of nomads along Benue trough in Central Nigeria

No Abstract

Productivity and Egg Quality Characteristics of Free Range Naked Neck and Normal Feathered Nigerian Indigenous Chickens

U radu je prikazana definicija hidrograma otjecanja s najvažnijim parametrima koji najviše utječu na njegov oblik i definicija i osnovni principi teorije jediničnog hidrograma kao i statističke obrade podataka mjerenja oborina i protoka. Prema zadanim podacima na temelju izmjerenih vrijednosti dnevnih protoka izvora Rumin Veliki i Rumin Mali te njihovog zbroja u vremenskom razdoblju od 2000. do 2014. godine izvršena je hidrološka analiza odnosno izrada krivulje trajanja, te statistička obrada prosječnih vrijednosti srednjih, minimalnih i maksimalnih mjesečnih protoka.In this work is presented the definition of runoff hydrograms with the most important parameters which affect its shape. Also it is presented definition and basic principles of unit hydrogram theory and statistical processing of precipitation and flow measurement data. According to the given data, on the basis of the measured values of daily flows of the Rumin Veliki and Rumin Mali sources and their sum in the period from 2000 to 2014, a hydrological analysis was carried out and a duration curve was developed. Therefore, this work present statistical processing of average values of mean, minimum and maximum monthly flows

Practice patterns and outcomes after stroke across countries at different economic levels (INTERSTROKE):an international observational study

Background: Stroke disproportionately affects people in low-income and middle-income countries. Although improvements in stroke care and outcomes have been reported in high-income countries, little is known about practice and outcomes in low and middle-income countries. We aimed to compare patterns of care available and their association with patient outcomes across countries at different economic levels. Methods: We studied the patterns and effect of practice variations (ie, treatments used and access to services) among participants in the INTERSTROKE study, an international observational study that enrolled 13 447 stroke patients from 142 clinical sites in 32 countries between Jan 11, 2007, and Aug 8, 2015. We supplemented patient data with a questionnaire about health-care and stroke service facilities at all participating hospitals. Using univariate and multivariate regression analyses to account for patient casemix and service clustering, we estimated the association between services available, treatments given, and patient outcomes (death or dependency) at 1 month. Findings: We obtained full information for 12 342 (92%) of 13 447 INTERSTROKE patients, from 108 hospitals in 28 countries; 2576 from 38 hospitals in ten high-income countries and 9766 from 70 hospitals in 18 low and middle-income countries. Patients in low-income and middle-income countries more often had severe strokes, intracerebral haemorrhage, poorer access to services, and used fewer investigations and treatments (p<0·0001) than those in high-income countries, although only differences in patient characteristics explained the poorer clinical outcomes in low and middle-income countries. However across all countries, irrespective of economic level, access to a stroke unit was associated with improved use of investigations and treatments, access to other rehabilitation services, and improved survival without severe dependency (odds ratio [OR] 1·29; 95% CI 1·14–1·44; all p<0·0001), which was independent of patient casemix characteristics and other measures of care. Use of acute antiplatelet treatment was associated with improved survival (1·39; 1·12–1·72) irrespective of other patient and service characteristics. Interpretation: Evidence-based treatments, diagnostics, and stroke units were less commonly available or used in low and middle-income countries. Access to stroke units and appropriate use of antiplatelet treatment were associated with improved recovery. Improved care and facilities in low-income and middle-income countries are essential to improve outcomes