The Role of Regulatory and Customary Institutions to Access Farmland by Rural Youth in Rural Sidama and Gedeo: The Case of Dara and Wenago Weredas, SNNPR, Ethiopia

The right to use and/or control over land is central to the lives of rural populations where the main sources of livelihoods are derived from land. Access to land may not be easily understood outside of institutional settings as they are influential factors and land is also a natural asset in which its access is filtered through institutions. This article, therefore, explores the role of customary and statutory institutions and their contributions to ensure access of rural youth to farmland in the context of Gedeo and Sidama. Qualitative and quantitative data were triangulated by taking both youth and key informants as the main sources of information. The findings of the study show a somewhat ‘pessimistic’ picture to shed light on the hitherto neglected role of informal institutions to support the formal ones in land and related matters. Customary and regulatory institutions were observed ‘conflicting’ as they deal with the already scarce land, both of them have their own conditions, as the former is negotiated  and the latter commanded through the rules of the game. It is the  contention of this paper that both customary and statuary institutions should work in harmony and show a certain level of flexibility to reap the benefits of formal laws and the advantage of informal institutions that are already embedded in the society. Thus, identifying some sort of common interest in between seems essential to avert role confusion between customary and statutory institutions to own, manage and use land as well as to look for non-farm options for the youth as land is getting scarce.Key words: Rural youth, Access to land, Customary/regulatory institutions,Sidama, Gede

Food Safety Practice and Associated Factors of Food Handlers Working in Substandard Food Establishments in Gondar Town, Northwest Ethiopia, 2013/14

Introduction: Food borne illnesses comprise a broad spectrum of diseases and are responsible for substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide. The global incidence of food borne disease is difficult to estimate, but it has been reported that 2.1 million people died each year from diarrheal diseases and contaminated food contributes to 1.5 billion cases of diarrhea in children each year, resulting in more than three million premature deaths. In developing countries, up to an estimated 70% of cases of diarrheal diseases are associated with the consumption of contaminated foods. Approximately 10 to 20% of food-borne disease outbreaks are due to contamination by the food handler. Objective: This study was conducted to assess food safety practices and associated factors of food handlers working in substandard food establishments of Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia, 2013/14. Methods: Institution based cross sectional study design was conducted to assess food safety practices and associated factors of food handlers. Four hundred three food handlers were taken randomly as study subjects and data were collected by observation by using standardized questionnaire and observational check lists. Ordinal logistic regression model was fitted to analyze the predictor variables. Results: The overall level of food safety practices (good – 30.30%, fair- 47.60% and poor – 22.10%) was reported. Of a number of predictor variables analyzed age, marital status, service year, monthly income, food hygiene and safety training, attitude, knowledge and depth of knowledge were identified as factors affecting food safety practices. Conclusion and recommendations: Compared to other similar studies, Low level of food safety practice (good – 30.30%, fair- 47.60% and poor – 22.10%) was reported. Therefore, Environmental health practitioners, the local Medias and the managers should do a lot to improve food safety practices of the food handlers. They should also design and implement food safety awareness creation programs

Control of aquatic leeches (Lymnatis nilotica) using Phytolacca dodecandra (Endod) in Sodo District, Gurage Zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, Ethiopia

Infestation of cattle by leeches and occasional attack of humans is becoming serious problem in some parts of the country. The objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence of leech in selected streams in Sodo district, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region and to evaluate the efficacy of endod on leech in field condition and its impact on other non-target aquatic fauna following the request of the district craving for intervention. Estimation of prevalence of leech was assessed before application; 24 hrs, 10 days and 30 days post application of endod based on the number of leeches collected per person per 5 minutes. Findings from interview of the local communities revealed that 95% of the respondents rated leech as the major animal health problem in the district and 65% of them have seen human infested by leech at least once in their life. The mean leech count per person per 5 minutes before application of endod ranged from 16.8-38 in different streams. Stock solution of endod berries suspended in water for 16 hrs was continuously applied to various streams so as to maintain concentration of 20 g/m3 of water for 6 hrs. Application of endod caused mortality of most of the leech population resulting in 97-100% reduction which persisted for minimum of 30 days post application in most of the streams. Most of the local communities witnessed that endod rendered the treated water bodies free of leech for 2-3 months. It has also caused mortality of tadpoles, frogs and round worms found in streams while it doesn’t cause any visible toxicity to different water insects. Moreover, no livestock toxicity due to endod was recorded post application. In conclusion, endod can be used to control leech without causing serious toxicity to most of the aquatic fauna, human and livestock with continuous application for 6 hrs at concentration of 20 g/m3. However, care should be taken in using appropriate concentration and it should not be used in water bodies that contain fish because it is toxic to fish at the dose required to control leeches. Keywords: Aquatic Leech/Lymnatis nilotica; Cattle; Phytolacca dodecandra/Endod; Stream; Sodo distric

Mobile technology for improved governance, resilience and sustainability of water supplies in Ethiopia

The non-functionality of water schemes remains a major factor preventing climate resilient development. Communities most at-risk to the effects of climate change often rely on deep groundwater sources during times of drought. These water schemes rely on complex technology to extract water from the deep groundwater sources. When the water schemes fail, support from external service providers, typically the Woreda, Zonal or Regional Water Officers, is necessary for repairs. This paper examines the multiple dimensions of sustainability in rural, drought-prone Ethiopia. It focusses in on the intersection of the institutional, social and economic sustainability dimensions and the information management system needed to ensure downward accountability of service providers towards communities. The innovative WaterReport technology is introduced as a mechanism for enhancing these three dimensions of sustainability

Smallholder dairy farming systems in the highlands of Ethiopia: System-specific constraints and intervention options

Global Affairs Canad

Oestrus synchronization for accelerated delivery of improved dairy genetics in Ethiopia: Results from action research and development interventions

Oestrous synchronization is the manipulation of the oestrous cycle or induction of oestrus to bring a large percentage of a group of females cattle into oestrus at a short, predetermined time. The first field trial on hormonal oestrous synchronization regime and mass artificial insemination was conducted by the Improving Productivity and Market Success (IPMS) project in Tigray and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNP) regions. The objective was to improve access to improved dairy genetics by smallholder farmers and to kick-start market-oriented smallholder dairy development in Ethiopia. Following the field trial, the synchronization technology was adopted and scaled up by the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and regional Bureaus of Agriculture (BoAs) in collaboration with the IPMS and Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) projects of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)) and the national research system. Performance of the scaled up project was inconsistent in the application of the technology and the results achieved. This working paper synthesizes results of action research activities and performance of the technology at larger scale, discuss implications of the results and draw recommendations for effective and sustained application of the technology in Ethiopia

A comparative analysis of the impact of hygiene promotion and sanitation marketing in rural Ethiopia

Access to good quality, safe-to-use sanitation in rural Ethiopia remains low. Implementation by WASH actors of sanitation marketing in rural Ethiopia is limited. Over four years, People In Need, in cooperation with government partners implemented a WASH project using a “local systemstrengthening” approach. This study compares two types of intervention to improve sanitation and hygiene behaviours: hygiene promotion and hygiene promotion in combination with sanitation marketing. The study found that the additional sanitation marketing component was associated with improved latrine quality and presence of a handwashing facility near to the latrine, compared to a hygiene promotion intervention alone. This demonstrates that sanitation marketing can add significant value to rural WASH programs

Diabetes mellitus in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: admissions, complications and outcomes in a large referral hospital.

SETTING: The Black Lion Referral Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. OBJECTIVE: To document indications for admission, complications and outcomes of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) admitted between 2010 and 2013. DESIGN: A descriptive retrospective study using medical files. RESULTS: Of 8048 admissions, 523 (6.5%) had DM; of these, 418 medical records were retrieved: 301 (72%) patients had type 2 and 104 (28%) type 1 disease, with male sex (62%) and older age (median age 60 years) being features of type 2 disease. Main admission diagnoses for type 2 disease were diabetic foot ulcer (39%) and cardiovascular disease (21%); for type 1 disease, it was diabetic ketoacidosis (62%). Hypertension, neuropathy, nephropathy, retinopathy and diabetic foot accounted for 85% of the 756 existing complications. Overall in-patient mortality was 21%. Of the 89 deaths, 77 occurred among patients with type 2 disease; the main indications for admission were diabetic foot ulcer/gangrene and cardiovascular disease. CONCLUSION: DM, especially type 2 DM, is an important cause of admission to Ethiopia's largest referral hospital. Many patients had already developed disease-related complications at admission, and mortality was high. There is a need to improve awareness about and care for DM in Ethiopia

Direct detection and characterization of foot-and-mouth disease virus in East Africa using a field-ready real-time PCR platform

Effective control and monitoring of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) relies upon rapid and accurate disease confirmation. Currently, clinical samples are usually tested in reference laboratories using standardized assays recommended by The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). However, the requirements for prompt and serotype-specific diagnosis during FMD outbreaks, and the need to establish robust laboratory testing capacity in FMD-endemic countries have motivated the development of simple diagnostic platforms to support local decision-making. Using a portable thermocycler, the T-COR™ 8, this study describes the laboratory and field evaluation of a commercially available, lyophilized pan-serotype-specific real-time RT-PCR (rRT-PCR) assay and a newly available FMD virus (FMDV) typing assay (East Africa-specific for serotypes: O, A, Southern African Territories [SAT] 1 and 2). Analytical sensitivity, diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the pan-serotype-specific lyophilized assay were comparable to that of an OIE-recommended laboratory-based rRT-PCR (determined using a panel of 57 FMDV-positive samples and six non-FMDV vesicular disease samples for differential diagnosis). The FMDV-typing assay was able to correctly identify the serotype of 33/36 FMDV-positive samples (no cross-reactivity between serotypes was evident). Furthermore, the assays were able to accurately detect and type FMDV RNA in multiple sample types, including epithelial tissue suspensions, serum, oesophageal–pharyngeal (OP) fluid and oral swabs, both with and without the use of nucleic acid extraction. When deployed in laboratory and field settings in Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia, both assays reliably detected and serotyped FMDV RNA in samples (n = 144) collected from pre-clinical, clinical and clinically recovered cattle. These data support the use of field-ready rRT-PCR platforms in endemic settings for simple, highly sensitive and rapid detection and/or characterization of FMDV