Factors that transformed maize productivity in Ethiopia

Published online: 26 July 2015Maize became increasingly important in the food security of Ethiopia following the major drought and famine that occurred in 1984. More than 9 million smallholder house- holds, more than for any other crop in the country, grow maize in Ethiopia at present. Ethiopia has doubled its maize produc- tivity and production in less than two decades. The yield, currently estimated at >3 metric tons/ha, is the second highest in Sub-Saharan Africa, after South Africa; yield gains for Ethiopia grew at an annual rate of 68 kg/ha between 1990 and 2013, only second to South Africa and greater than Mexico, China, or India. The maize area covered by improved varieties in Ethiopia grew from 14 % in 2004 to 40 % in 2013, and the application rate of mineral fertilizers from 16 to 34 kg/ ha during the same period. Ethiopia ’ s extension worker to farmer ratio is 1:476, compared to 1:1000 for Kenya, 1:1603 for Malawi and 1:2500 for Tanzania. Increased use of im- proved maize varieties and mineral fertilizers, coupled with increased extension services and the absence of devastating droughts are the key factors promoting the accelerated growth in maize productivity in Ethiopia. Ethiopia took a homegrown solutions approach to the research and development of its maize and other commodities. The lesson from Ethiopia ’ s experience with maize is that sustained investment in agricul- tural research and development and policy support by the national government are crucial for continued growth of agricultur

L'agriculture en Ethiopie

Huffnagel H. P. L'agriculture en Ethiopie. In: Annales de Géographie, t. 72, n°393, 1963. p. 622

Life unexpected: Unraveling the natural history of adrenoleukodystrophy

X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is a truly puzzling inborn error of metabolism. Although all patients have ABCD1 mutations, the clinical course is variable and unpredictable in individual patients. In this thesis we continue the effort to unravel the natural history of ALD by delineating the clinical spectrum, improving diagnostics, working towards clinical trial readiness and searching for surrogate outcome measures. Key elements of the clinical spectrum of ALD include primary adrenal insufficiency, cerebral inflammatory demyelination and myelopathy. We retrospectively describe lifetime prevalence of adrenal insufficiency and propose age-dependent follow-up recommendations for the adrenal function. In addition, we evaluate cognitive function in the absence of cerebral disease, and, in a case series, we are the first to describe patients with reactivation of spontaneously arrested cerebral lesions. Timely diagnosis of key manifestations of ALD can prevent severe morbidity and mortality and therefore, implementation of newborn screening has been initiated. We compare C26:0-carnitine to C26:0-lysoPC for the diagnosis of ALD in newborns. Moreover, we evaluate if C26:0-lysoPC and C26:0-carnitine are superior in comparison to routine measurements for the diagnosis of ALD in women. Besides adrenal insufficiency and brain involvement, myelopathy is the key manifestation of ALD in adulthood. We evaluate the rate of progression of myelopathy in both women and men. Moreover, we evaluate the potential of diffusion MRI and optical coherence tomography as surrogate outcome measures for myelopathy. This thesis provides new quantitative data on natural history and will hopefully make life a little less unexpected for ALD patients

Hoboken, New Jersey 1856

North oriented to the right.; "Entered according to an act of congress ... 1856 ... .";Color;Scale approximately 1:2,000.