Tracking Adaptation and Measuring Development in Kenya

Tracking Adaptation and Measuring Development (TAMD) is a twin-track framework that evaluates adaptation success as a combination of how widely and how well countries or institutions manage climate risks (Track 1) and how successful adaptation interventions are in reducing climate vulnerability and in keeping development on course (Track 2). With this twin-track approach, TAMD can be used to assess whether climate change adaptation leads to effective development, and also how development interventions can boost communities' capacity to adapt to climate change. Importantly, TAMD offers a flexible framework that can be used to generate bespoke frameworks for individual countries that can be tailored to specific contexts and used at different scales. This report compiles the results of TAMD feasibility testing phase in Kenya

A Midterm Evaluation of the Conservation & Sustainable Development Program

This report contains the findings and recommendations of the CSD Mid-Term Evaluation, following the successful completion of the Evaluation in late 2015.Our approach and methodology followed the plan we submitted to the Foundation dated May 8, 2015. All of our evaluation objectives and plans have been met.We conducted field work and carried out extensive interviews in CSD's priority regions of the Andes and the Great Lakes of East and Central Africa, and expanded the work conducted earlier in 2015 by a separate evaluation of the Greater Mekong region. We conducted desk reviews and interviews for CSD's Coastal and Marine, and Global portfolios. Our work also included discussions with Foundation Board members Jack Fuller and Paul Klingenstein, and with President Julia Stasch

Circulating vitamin D concentration and risk of seven cancers: Mendelian randomisation study

Objective To determine if circulating concentrations of vitamin D are causally associated with risk of cancer.Design Mendelian randomisation study.Setting Large genetic epidemiology networks (the Genetic Associations and Mechanisms in Oncology (GAME-ON), the Genetic and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium (GECCO), and the Prostate Cancer Association Group to Investigate Cancer Associated Alterations in the Genome (PRACTICAL) consortiums, and the MR-Base platform).Participants 70 563 cases of cancer (22 898 prostate cancer, 15 748 breast cancer, 12 537 lung cancer, 11 488 colorectal cancer, 4369 ovarian cancer, 1896 pancreatic cancer, and 1627 neuroblastoma) and 84 418 controls.Exposures Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs2282679, rs10741657, rs12785878 and rs6013897) associated with vitamin D were used to define a multi-polymorphism score for circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations.Main outcomes measures The primary outcomes were the risk of incident colorectal, breast, prostate, ovarian, lung, and pancreatic cancer and neuroblastoma, which was evaluated with an inverse variance weighted average of the associations with specific polymorphisms and a likelihood based approach. Secondary outcomes based on cancer subtypes by sex, anatomic location, stage, and histology were also examined.Results There was little evidence that the multi-polymorphism score of 25(OH)D was associated with risk of any of the seven cancers or their subtypes. Specifically, the odds ratios per 25 nmol/L increase in genetically determined 25(OH)D concentrations were 0.92 (95% confidence interval 0.76 to 1.10) for colorectal cancer, 1.05 (0.89 to 1.24) for breast cancer, 0.89 (0.77 to 1.02) for prostate cancer, and 1.03 (0.87 to 1.23) for lung cancer. The results were consistent with the two different analytical approaches, and the study was powered to detect relative effect sizes of moderate magnitude (for example, 1.20-1.50 per 25 nmol/L decrease in 25(OH)D for most primary cancer outcomes. The Mendelian randomisation assumptions did not seem to be violated.Conclusions There is little evidence for a linear causal association between circulating vitamin D concentration and risk of various types of cancer, though the existence of causal clinically relevant effects of low magnitude cannot be ruled out. These results, in combination with previous literature, provide evidence that population-wide screening for vitamin D deficiency and subsequent widespread vitamin D supplementation should not currently be recommended as a strategy for primary cancer prevention

Mid term review of Mount Elgon Regional Ecosystem Conservation Programme (MERECP). : final report submitted to the MERECP annual meeting on 3 June 2008

This Noragric Report was commissioned by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) to Noragric

Influencing the Development and Integration of National Standard Climate Change Indicators into the Monitoring and Reporting Frameworks in Uganda

This paper documents the results of the process of developing and selecting national standard climate change indicators for integration into two national monitoring and evaluation frameworks in Uganda: the Output Budgeting Tool (OBT) and the Local Government Assessment tool (LGAT).The OBT is used by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED) to determine national development standard indicators that are monitored and reported across all sectors in the country. The LGAT determines and annually assesses the minimum performance measures for all local governments in Uganda. Before the intervention of the Africa Climate Change Resilience Allicance (ACCRA) and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) as part of the Tracking Adaptation and Measuring Development (TAMD), both frameworks lacked standard performance indicators on climate change. This meant that local governments were not required to plan, budget or report on climate change.The briefing draws out lessons learned from using a highly participatory and bottom-up process, as well as policy implications at national, sub-national and sectoral levels. It also highlights key prerequisites for successful development and integration of climate change indicators in existing monitoring and reporting frameworks of national states

Real-time evaluation of Norway's international climate and forest initiatives: contributions to national REDD+ processes 2007-2010

NONECOUNTRY REPORT : TANZANIANORAD, LTS INTERNATIONA

Strengthening Frameworks to Monitor and Evaluate Climate Adaptation in Uganda

Uganda's reliance on natural resources renders its economy extremely vulnerable to climate change. This makes it essential to track progress on adaptation initiatives and ensure the whole country is on a path towards climate resilience.This briefing examines monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks currently used by the Government of Uganda and considers how they could be strengthened to provide evidence on climate change adaptation, and to measure the impacts of national and sectoral policies. It presents the findings of detailed research by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the Africa Climate Change Resilience Alliance (ACCRA) to develop indicators that could be applied at district level consistently throughout the country, supported by a simple data collection system. These indicators could provide climate-relevant data for M&E frameworks at national and sectoral levels and could also be integrated into local government performance assessment and reporting tools

Defining metrics for monitoring and evaluating the impact of co-production in climate services

Despite increased commitment to co-production as a route to developing decision-relevant climate services, there has been less focus on the metrics or criteria for determining their success and impact. Drawing from literature and recent experiences from both operational- and research-focused climate resilience-building initiatives in Africa, we propose a framework and consider various approaches for monitoring and evaluating both the process and outcomes of investments in climate services co-production, so that scientific excellence can be monitored alongside development impact. This framework combines principles- and process-based approaches to track changes amongst the various parties involved in co-producing climate services. The development and application of this framework raises fundamental questions regarding the metrics for measuring the impact of co-production in climate services and the principles – including inclusivity, diversity and ensuring value for all partners in the process – on which these are based. The framework and its metrics contribute to the emerging field of monitoring and evaluation of climate services co-production, and will be of use in improving the robustness of the field going forwards

Distribution and characteristics of risk factors for cardiovascular–metabolic disease in a rural Kenyan community

Background: The rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases and associated premature mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa contradicts the widely accepted premise that African countries are only dominated by infectious diseases, malnutrition, maternal and child deaths. Among the non-communicable diseases, hypertension and diabetes mellitus continue to be the leading cause of death worldwide, with 10–20 million people estimated to have hypertension in Sub-Saharan Africa and 12 million people reported to have diabetes mellitus in Africa. The purpose of this study was to assess the cardiovascular–metabolic characteristics of individuals living in one rural community in Central Kenya and to propose interventions to address their needs. Methods: A convenience sample of 262 individuals was screened/treated for cardiovascular–metabolic disease (CVMD) risk factors at a government operated community health center in Central Kenya. Self-reported estimates of physical activity, dietary intake, smoking and perceived health were obtained using questions drawn from the validated Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey. Standardized protocols (Jackson Heart Study) directed collection of physiologic measures (blood pressure, glucose, anthropometrics). Clinical data was abstracted and analyzed using Stata©. USA/Kenyan IRB/ethics approval was obtained. Results: N = 262, mean age 54 (SD ± 17.02) years; 81% women, 99% Kikuyu ethnicity. Self-reported history of diabetes mellitus was 4%, overweight (BMI ⩾ 25) 34%, and hypertension 47%. Systolic blood pressure ⩾140 mmHg increased with age [(12%, 39%, 52%) (<45, 45–64, 65+), respectively (p ⩽ .001)]. Glucose measures indicative of diabetes mellitus (⩾126 mg/dL fasting or ⩾200 mg/dL non-fasting) were 8.3%. Women were more likely than men to be overweight (39% vs 15%) (p = <0.001) and have elevated waist circumference (30% vs 6.3%). Self-reported lifestyle risk factors included: 10% were inactive; 68% of participants consumed <3 servings of vegetables per day; 69% used solid (saturated) fat for cooking; 89% added salt to cooking [with 28% adding salt at the table]; 9% drank soda daily/weekly, 3% currently smoked cigarettes. Overall 65% (n = 170) of the sample had moderate to high risk for cardiovascular factors on the Gaziano Global Risk Score Scale. Conclusions/recommendations: The prevalence of CVMD was high but some risk factors usually associated with CVMD were not observed. There is need for locally-tailored approaches in treatment and prevention of CVMD at the local level