Cholera outbreak in districts around Lake Chilwa, Malawi: Lessons learned

BackgroundCholera is endemic in Malawi with seasonal outbreaks during the wet season. People living around Lake Chilwa rely on the lake for their water supply. From May 2009 to May 2010, a cholera outbreak occurred in fishing communities around Lake Chilwa. This paper describes the outbreak response and lessons learned for prevention and management of future outbreaks.MethodsStarting in January 2010, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) helped District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) to distribute educational materials, water disinfectant and hygiene supplies, and oral rehydration solution (ORS) in fishing communities. MSF also supported case management by mentoring health workers and providing equipment and supplies.ResultsA total of 1,171 cholera cases and 21 deaths were reported in the districts around the lake, with cases also being reported on the Mozambican side of the lake. The attack rate was highest among people living on or around the lake, particularly among fishermen. Samples of lake water had high turbidity conducive to the propagation of Vibrio cholerae.ConclusionA number of practical measures could be taken to prevent future outbreaks and to manage outbreaks more effectively. These measures should address surveillance, environmental management, outbreak preparedness, and case management

Does cooperative membership increase and accelerate agricultural technology adoption? Empirical evidence from Zambia

Open Access Article; Published online: 20 Jun 2020In developing countries, agricultural cooperatives are increasingly being used to promote improved agricultural technologies and alleviate food insecurity and poverty. However, little is known about the role of agricultural cooperatives in accelerating the adoption of improved agricultural technologies. Using a comprehensive balanced household panel and varietal data, this study applied the difference-in-difference model to identify factors affecting farmers’ decision to become cooperative members and the impact of cooperative membership on the adoption of improved maize, inorganic fertilizer and crop rotation. Furthermore, the study used the inverse probability weighted regression adjustment model to analyze the impact of cooperative membership on the speed of adoption of improved maize varieties. We found that cooperative membership increased the probability of technology adoption by 11–24 percentage points. Results further indicated that the average time to adoption was about 8 years, but it was shorter for cooperative members. The results showed that, on average, cooperative membership increased the speed of adoption of improved maize by 1.6–4.3 years. Generally, the results suggest the need for policies which promote farmer organizations such as cooperatives coupled with effective extension services for faster and greater adoption of improved technologies

Correlates and consequences of women’s participation in the cowpea value chain in eastern Zambia

Published online: 01 Jun 2017This paper analyses the link between gender differences and different activities along the cowpea value chain as well as food security and asset-based poverty using a recent cross-sectional data set of over 120 farm households in Eastern Zambia. We used the endogenous switching probit regression model to account for both observed and unobserved heterogeneity. Results show that women’s participation in the cowpea value chain significantly increases cowpea production, marketing and adoption of improved cowpea varieties. It also reduces both food insecurity and poverty. However, women’s participation in the value chain is limited by low levels of education, access to extension, credit, village markets, and improved agricultural technologies. Policies to address these constraints that limit women’s participation in the cowpea value chain have the potential to reduce gender disparities, food insecurity, and poverty

Determinants of child nutritional status in the eastern province of Zambia: the role of improved maize varieties

First online: 17 December 2015Using household survey data from a sample of 810 households, this paper analyses the determinants of children’s nutritional status and evaluates the impacts of improved maize varieties on child malnutrition in eastern Zambia. The paper uses an endogenous switching regression technique, combined with propensity score matching, to assess the determinants of child malnutrition and impacts of improved maize varieties on nutritional status. The study finds that child nutrition worsens with the age of the child and improves with education of household head and female household members, number of adult females in the household, and access to better sanitation. The study also finds a robust and significant impact of improved maize varieties on child malnutrition. The empirical results indicate that adoption of improved maize varieties reduces the probability of stunting by an average of about 26%

Are farmers using cropping system intensification technologies experiencing poverty reduction in the Great Lakes Region of Africa?

Open Access Journal; Published online: 12 May 2020This study evaluated the poverty reduction impact of the adoption of cropping system intensification (CSI) technologies using the endogenous switching regression (ESR) model in the Great Lakes region of Africa that comprises Burundi, eastern DR Congo, and Rwanda. The study data came from a household survey of 1,495 sample households interviewed between October and December 2014. Results indicated that the adoption of the CSI technologies had increased crop yield, crop income, and per capita consumption expenditure in the region, resulting in poverty reduction. Among the three countries, eastern DR Congo witnessed the highest poverty reduction (13% points) followed by Rwanda (6% points) and Burundi (2% points). Considering the adoption rate and size of the target population in each country at baseline, an estimated 180 thousand poor individuals had escaped poverty due to the adoption of the CSI technologies. This presents important evidence in favor of promoting CSI technologies as part of poverty reduction strategy. Given the large population size that remains poor even after adoption, we suggest that research‐based poverty reduction strategies such as the CSI technologies should be complemented with development interventions