Social Cash Transfers in Zambia: What Is Their Impact?

Social cash transfers (SCTs) have become increasingly popular in Sub-Saharan Africa, because growth-centred development policies have failed to reduce poverty. SCTs support the consumption of the poorest, and allow them to invest in human and other forms of capital that reduce the intergenerational transmission of poverty. (...)Social Cash Transfers in Zambia: What Is Their Impact?

Conservation farming in Zambia:

Since 1996, a growing coalition of stakeholders from the private sector, government and donor communities has promoted a new package of agronomic practices for smallholders in Zambia. The conservation farming (CF) system they advocate involves: dry-season land preparation using minimum tillage methods (either ox-drawn rip lines or hand-hoe basins laid out in a precise grid of 15,850 basins per hectare); no burning but rather retention of crop residue from the prior harvest; planting and input application in fixed planting stations; and nitrogen-fixing crop rotations. The CF system enables farmers to plant with the first rains when seeds will benefit from the initial nitrogen flush in the soil. By breaking pre-existing plow-pan barriers, the CF basins and rip lines improve water infiltration, water retention and plant root development. The precise layout of grids and planting lines enables farmers to locate fertilizer and organic material in close proximity to the plants, where they will provide greatest benefits. Evidence from similar technologies in other parts of Africa suggests that the effectiveness of conservation farming will vary not only across regions but also across crops and over time, due to variations in weather and rainfall. In addition, many of the benefits of CF including improved soil structure, gains from nitrogen-fixing crop rotations and reduced field preparation labor occur gradually and over time. Therefore, it will be important to establish long-term monitoring efforts for conservation farming and control plots across a broad range of geographic settings, crops and seasons. Results and their interpretation are from a survey of 125 farms in Central and Southern provinces during the 2001/2 cropping season.Southern Africa, africa south of sahara,

Household Level Financial Incentives to Adoption of Conservation Agricultural Technologies in Africa

Although several studies have been conducted to determine the viability of conservation agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa, almost all such studies are fragmented – often country specific – and with undue emphasis on output effects. However, assessment of the attractiveness of these technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa requires a detailed case-by-case comparison of changes in output and input costs and benefits. This paper reviews a set of responses known collectively as “conservation” or “sustainable” agriculture. Though definitions vary, these technologies typically involve agricultural management practices that prevent degradation of soil and water resources and thereby permit sustainable farm productivity without environmental degradation.food security, food policy, conservation, sustainable agriculture, Crop Production/Industries, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Q18,

Household welfare and natural resource management around national parks in Zambia

Game management areas in Zambia aim to combine nature conservation with economic empowerment of rural households. By looking at households inside and outside game management areas, this study advances the knowledge of the impact of community based natural resource management on household welfare. The paper focuses on the economic welfare of households living inside game management areas. It tries to answer the question: Do the households in game management areas enjoy higher levels of welfare relative to the conditions they would have been in had the area not been designated as a game management area? Within the game management area, the paper tries to determine the factors that influence household participation in natural resource management, and whether the participating households get any extra benefits. Also of interest is whether such benefits of living in a game management area, and, once in such an area, those of participating accrue more to the poorer segments of the communities. The study finds that the gains from living in a game management area and from active participation in natural resource management are large but unevenly distributed. Only game management areas near Kasanka, Lavushi, Isangano, and South Luangwa national parks in the sample show significant benefits to general and participating households. And in those areas, the poor do not seem to gain even when they participate actively. More even distribution of gains from game management areas across households near different park systems and across the poor and the non-poor should be a continuing goal of national policy makers.Housing&Human Habitats,Access to Finance,Small Area Estimation Poverty Mapping,Poverty Lines,Community Development and Empowerment

Gato doméstico: futuro desafio para controle da raiva em áreas urbanas?

O objetivo deste artigo foi introduzir debate a respeito da presente e, possivelmente, da futura relevância crescente do gato doméstico, no que se refere à saúde pública, com ênfase para a raiva (animal/urbana). A literatura científica que trata do papel específico do gato em relação às zoonoses ainda é reduzida. Essa espécie está se tornando o mais popular animal de companhia no mundo ocidental urbano, particularmente devido ao estilo de vida adotado pelas pessoas, com reduzido espaço residencial e pouco tempo disponível para se dedicarem aos animais de companhia, o que prejudica especialmente o cão, animal, até então, preferencial. A predominância do gato ainda não é observada no Brasil, contudo, se, em breve, ela for aqui reproduzida ter-se-á que rever as estratégias adotadas, particularmente nas campanhas de vacinação antirrábica. E as características etológicas do felino doméstico deverão ser consideradas para se estabelecer estratégias mais adequadas para que se vacine o número de animais recomendado.This article aims to promote a debate over the actual and (possibly) future increasing relevance of the domestic cat concerning public health, with emphasis on rabies (animal/urban) control. Scientific literature on the specific role played by cats, especially with respect to zoonoses is scarce. This species is becoming the most popular pet in the western urban context. This is particularly because of the lifestyle adopted by the population, who live in smaller houses and have little time available for pet care, relegating dogs to a less preferential position. Cats do not predominate as domestic animals in Brazil yet, but if these animals soon become the preferential pets in our country, strategies adopted during anti-rabies vaccination campaigns will need to be reviewed. Furthermore, the ethological features of the domestic felid will have to be considered, so that a more suitable approach for the vaccination of the recommended number of animals can be established

Transferências Monetárias Sociais em Zâmbia: Qual é o seu impacto?

Transferências Monetárias Sociais em Zâmbia: Qual é o seu impacto?

Integrative Investment Appraisal of a Lignocellulosic Biomass-to-Ethanol Industry

While theoretically more efficient than starch-based ethanol production systems, conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol is not without major challenges. A multi-region, multi-period, mixed integer mathematical programming model encompassing alternative feedstocks, feedstock production, delivery, and processing is developed. The model is used to identify key cost components and potential bottlenecks, and to reveal opportunities for reducing costs and prioritizing research. The research objective was to determine for specific regions in Oklahoma the most economical source of lignocellulosic biomass, timing of harvest and storage, inventory management, biorefinery size, and biorefinery location, as well as the breakeven price of ethanol, for a gasification-fermentation process. Given base assumptions, gasification-fermentation of lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol may be more economical than fermentation of corn grain. However, relative to conventional fermentation processes, gasification-fermentation technology is in its infancy. It remains to be seen if the technology will be technically feasible on a commercial scale.biomass, biorefinery location, ethanol, integrative investment appraisal, logistics, mixed integer programming, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

The Impacts of Wildlife Conservation Policies on Rural Household Welfare in Zambia

KEY POLICY POINTS • Tourism is increasingly important in Zambia as a vehicle for economic growth, and has been identified as a key sector for poverty reduction due to its potential to generate off-farm income and employment in rural areas. Growth in arrivals and receipts in Zambia has outpaced average growth rates for developing countries. • Tourism in Zambia relies mostly on the stock of natural resources, including the protected area system which includes national parks and game management areas (GMAs). Co-management agreements between Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) and rural communities present opportunities and threats for households living in GMAs. • Households living in GMAs have lower average income than households in other rural areas. Yet we find that, for prime GMAs (those well stocked with wildlife), the GMA designation leads to higher incomes than households would otherwise be expected to achieve, based on their own characteristics and those of the areas in which they reside. • We further find that the benefits of living in a prime GMA accrue mostly to the wealthier segments of the population. • Though overall effects on households are positive, losses from crop damage by wildlife are a threat to this success: we find that such losses are statistically significant, large enough to be meaningful to households, and greatest in prime GMAswildlife conservation, rural households, zambia, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Environmental Economics and Policy, Food Security and Poverty, International Development, q57,

Flagellin induces β-defensin 2 in human colonic ex vivo infection with enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli

Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) is an important foodborne pathogen in the developed world and can cause life-threatening disease particularly in children. EHEC persists in the human gut by adhering intimately to colonic epithelium and forming characteristic attaching/effacing lesions. In this study, we investigated the innate immune response to EHEC infection with particular focus on antimicrobial peptide and protein expression by colonic epithelium. Using a novel human colonic biopsy model and polarized T84 colon carcinoma cells, we found that EHEC infection induced expression of human β-defensin 2 (hBD2), whereas hBD1, hBD3, LL-37 and lysozyme remained unchanged. Infection with specific EHEC deletion mutants demonstrated that this was dependent on flagellin, and apical exposure to purified flagellin was sufficient to stimulate hBD2 and also interleukin (IL)-8 expression ex vivo and in vitro. Flagellin-mediated hBD2 induction was significantly reduced by inhibitors of NF-κB, MAP kinase p38 and JNK but not ERK1/2. Interestingly, IL-8 secretion by polarized T84 cells was vectorial depending on the side of stimulation, and apical exposure to EHEC or flagellin resulted in apical IL-8 release. Our results demonstrate that EHEC only induces a modest immune response in human colonic epithelium characterized by flagellin-dependent induction of hBD2 and low levels of IL-8

Impact of Natural Resource Conservation Policies on Household Consumption Around Zambian National Parks

Key Policy Points - Game Management Areas (GMAs) in Zambia aim to combine nature conservation with economic empowerment of rural households and communities. - We find evidence of consumption gains from living in GMAs and from participating in natural resource management through Community-Resource Boards (CRBs) and Village Action Groups (VAGs). - However, these benefits are unevenly distributed. Only GMAs with limited alternative livelihoods (Bangweulu and South Luangwa) exhibit significant consumption benefits. Also, the benefits accrue mainly to the relatively well off while the poor do not gain even if they participate. - Resources from ZAWA to CRBs seldom reach the VAGs. Richer, more educated community members participate at CRB or higher level while poorer households participate at VAG level. There is need to address impediments to effective participation by the majority of the community members. - Infrastructure development, which is more evident in Kafue and Lower Zambezi park systems, does not necessarily translate into household level consumption gains in the short run. Moreover, the observed infrastructure development in these areas cannot be attributed to the GMA institution.zambia, food security, policy, natural resources, conservation, Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Food Security and Poverty, International Development, q18, q56,