Food

This chapter examines the principal domestic sources of food in Kenya, including crop production, livestock, fishing, and hunting-gathering. A detailed livelihood map gives an overview of how Kenyan households use natural resources, wage labor, and other urban employment to make a living. Maps of cropping intensities show that Kenya’s rainfed agriculture reflects the country’s rainfall patterns, with a significant proportion of farmers being exposed to the risks of unreliable rainfall or prolonged drought. A detailed view of central and western Kenya, where more than 90 percent of croplands are located shows that farmers dedicate large shares of their cropland to food crops in selected high-potential Districts such as Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Lugari, upper Nandi, and Nakuru (maize and other cereals), Narok (wheat), and lower Kirinyaga (rice). Food crop shares are also high in the more marginal cropping areas—but here agriculture is dominated by lower-yielding maize—for example, along Lake Victoria and large parts of Laikipia, Machakos, Mwingi, Kitui, Makueni, Taita Taveta, Kwale, Kilifi, and Malindi Districts. Livestock production in Kenya also displays distinct spatial patterns: high dairy output and surpluses primarily in central Kenya; milk deficits in large parts of Nyanza and Western Provinces; and pastoral and agropastoral livestock rearing in the arid and semi-arid lands. The chapter concludes with a set of maps on fishing and hunting-gathering of wild animals and plants

Influence of gender norms in relation to child’s quality of care: follow-up of families of children with SCD identified through NBS in Tanzania

Introducing newborn screening (NBS) services for sickle cell disease (SCD) in Africa has been proven to be one of the most cost-effective approach to reducing morbidity and mortality associated with this condition. In view of this evidence, efforts have been made by countries in Africa where SCD prevalence is high to pilot NBS programmes and to strengthen comprehensive care services for SCD. While it is important to reap the benefits of NBS for SCD in Africa in terms of overall quantitative measures, it is also important to understand how certain social and cultural conditions may disproportionately influence the outcomes of screening for some groups. The aim of this study was to analyse the role of gender norms before and after NBS for SCD in Tanzania, and to assess how they influence the quality of care of diagnosed children. Using qualitative methods, we did in-depth interviews with families of children with SCD identified through the NBS services and focus group sessions with nurses working in neonatal and postnatal sections of regional referral hospitals in Dar es Salaam. By analysing the experiences of both the families and nurses, we were able to provide evidence on, firstly, the gendered relations that undergird childcare and, secondly, how those relations influence the quality of care the child may potentially receive. The results emphasize the importance of studying the social implications of SCD in Africa, especially with regard to improving the quality of care for patients with SCD in the region. We propose simple interventions, including gender-conscious health education and genetic counselling, which can help to improve the community understanding of genetic diseases while also reducing gender-related inequalities related to SCD care in Africa

El poder de mercado en industrias minoristas de gas natural vehicular

La alta concentración del mercado minorista de Gas Natural Vehicular (GNV) en Colombia permite el ejercicio de poder de mercado