Quality management in supply chains of non-timber forest products: The case of gum arabic in Senegal

Low prices associated with variable quality of non-timber forest products in terms of users and consumers' needs and requirements are one of the factors limiting access and participation in markets. Quality can be determined on field or by the user. The current study explores the possibility to understand the current practices of producers in terms of quality supply and to link at least some of the users' quality criteria to production and marketing practices of producers. The study finds that good quality as defined on field is not always good when measured in laboratory; yet improving quality on field increases the likelihood of obtaining chemically good gum. Furthermore, determinants of supply by collectors and traders are investigated for two quality attributes namely size and cleanliness of gum nodules. Quality maintenance and improvement is influenced by harvest and post-harvest practices, behaviour and experience of traders, and price expectations. Research implications include the necessity for scholars interested in product quality to bring together the production and consumption sides because their perceptions and requirements may not always converge; regular trainings for collectors of non-timber forest products focusing on quality aspects; jointly establish clear rules of forest and market management in order to counteract the influence of market forces (price) on forests exploitation and enabling traders to have a definition of quality that is coherent and responsive to the actions and needs of collectors and users respectively.</p

Quality management in supply chains of non-timber forest products: The case of gum arabic in Senegal

Low prices associated with variable quality of non-timber forest products in terms of users and consumers' needs and requirements are one of the factors limiting access and participation in markets. Quality can be determined on field or by the user. The current study explores the possibility to understand the current practices of producers in terms of quality supply and to link at least some of the users' quality criteria to production and marketing practices of producers. The study finds that good quality as defined on field is not always good when measured in laboratory; yet improving quality on field increases the likelihood of obtaining chemically good gum. Furthermore, determinants of supply by collectors and traders are investigated for two quality attributes namely size and cleanliness of gum nodules. Quality maintenance and improvement is influenced by harvest and post-harvest practices, behaviour and experience of traders, and price expectations. Research implications include the necessity for scholars interested in product quality to bring together the production and consumption sides because their perceptions and requirements may not always converge; regular trainings for collectors of non-timber forest products focusing on quality aspects; jointly establish clear rules of forest and market management in order to counteract the influence of market forces (price) on forests exploitation and enabling traders to have a definition of quality that is coherent and responsive to the actions and needs of collectors and users respectively.</p

The Role of the Integrated District Hospital Based Non Communicable Diseases&rsquo; Clinics in Cardiovascular Disease Control: Preliminary Data from Rwanda

Jean Damascene Kabakambira,1,2 Patrick Shumbusho,1,2 Gisele Mujawamariya,1 William Rutagengwa,3 Marc Twagirumukiza2,4 1Department of Internal Medicine, University Teaching Hospital of Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda; 2College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda; 3Department of Internal Medicine, Nyamata District Hospital, Bugesera, Rwanda; 4Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, BelgiumCorrespondence: Jean Damascene Kabakambira, Department of Internal Medicine, University Teaching Hospital of Kigali, KN 4th Avenue, P.O Box 655, Kigali, Rwanda, Tel +250 788800966, Email [email protected]: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), remain the leading cause of death worldwide and represent an emerging global health threat. In Rwanda and elsewhere, the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases is increasing. To address this global health threat, Rwanda launched integrated nurse-led NCD clinics in all the forty-five District Hospitals across the country in 2006, but no evaluation study has been conducted so far for the added value of this program. The main goal of this study was to assess the impact of NCD clinics on disease control in Rwanda.Methods: This was a retrospective ambulatory patient chart review at a rural district hospital and an urban teaching hospital; which enrolled patients with diabetes and/or hypertension who consulted in a period of 1 month with retrospective data of one year.Results: A total of 199 patients’ electronic health records were reviewed from the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) (53%) and Nyamata District Hospital (47%). Among them, 31% had diabetes, 38% had hypertension and 31% had both diseases. The mean age for the total cohort was 60 years and was predominantly female at 70%. Throughout the year, about 59% patients with hypertension had blood pressure control at the district hospital as opposed to 38% at the referral hospital. The rate of diabetes control was 20% at the referral hospital, but no comparison could be established between the two health facilities as the follow up laboratory markers were not available at the district hospital.Conclusion: There was a consistent blood pressure control at the district hospital. Diabetes control was not optimal at the referral hospital despite the presence of human resources and logistics required for diabetes care. The situation was even worse at the district hospital where the follow up markers were rarely available.Keywords: NCD clinic, diabetes, hypertension, Rwand

Recommended modification of porridge and mixture to improve nutrient intake in the rural area of Northern Rwanda

In Rwanda, nutritional problems are increasingly drawing attention, and the National Nutrition Policy focuses on the solutions to reduce the prevalence of malnutrition and to improve household food intake. Since rural Rwandans typically have meals at home and household food intake is known to be affected by their socioeconomic status (SES), care should be taken to ensure that homemade meals are healthy. This study aimed to assess the current nutrient content of porridge and mixture so as to recommend modifications to be made to improve nutrient intake within rural households in Rwanda. A crosssectional study was conducted; anthropometric measurements and one-day weighed food records (WFRs) were collected from 30 participants in four households with different SES in the Musanze district in the Northern Province of Rwanda. The first objective of this study was to compare nutritional status and food intake among households with different SES. The study results indicated that SES did not solely explain the nutritional status of the household members, and co-existence of over-nutrition and undernutrition was observed within the better-off household. Although meal frequency per day and the number of dishes and ingredients were positively related to household SES, rural Rwandans consumed monotonous diets characterized by porridge for breakfast and mixture (a dish boiled some foods together) for lunch and dinner as a whole. These two familiar dishes, porridge and mixture, greatly affected their energy and nutrient intakes. The second objective was to compare energy and nutrient contents in the same dishes with different ingredients and cooking methods. Porridges were made by dissolving mixed flour (maize and sorghum flours) in hot water. The porridge did not contain vitamin A. The energy, protein, and iron contents of the porridge were affected by flour concentration. Thick porridge whose flour concentration is 13% is recommended. Beans and potatoes were popular ingredients of mixture. Beans were major sources of energy, protein, and iron intakes. Contrary to general assumption, roots and tubers were also the major sources of protein and iron intakes among the participants. To cook mixture that is well boiled and contains beans and potatoes is a feasible way to increase energy and nutrient intakes regardless of household SES. In order to provide good vitamin A intake, addition of yellow plantain, palm oil, and/or tomato is recommended. This study presents locally and economically feasible recommendations to make popular dishes more nutritious for rural Rwandans