Institutional Innovations and Competitiveness of Smallholders in Tanzania

This research examines the potentials for various forms of institutional innovations in building competitiveness of smallholder agriculture in Tanzania. It is inspired by a review of stylized facts on the performance of the agricultural sector since 1961 in Tanzania, from which it is hypothesized that persistent structural and institutional constraints inhibit increases in productivity, quality, and output of smallholders. Agriculture continues to employ a significant proportion of the labour force, and the smallholders dominate production of both food and export crops. While some policies and interventions of post independence contributed to the poor performance in export crop production, structural adjustments and trade liberalization did not reverse performance as envisaged. Recognizing the weakness in the workings of market institutions based on the neoclassical abstraction of free markets, this research draws from institutionalist perspectives which invoke the embeddedness of markets in social structures in the analysis of competitiveness of smallholders’ export crop production. The core argument is that proactive and collective actions among market institutions and non-market institutions are crucial for addressing market failures and other policy and institutional rigidities that impede on competitiveness of smallholders. This research examines this question using an interdisciplinary approach through an in-depth inquiry of three case studies involving smallholder production of cash crops

Perceptions of surgeons on surgical antibiotic prophylaxis use at aga khan hospital, Dar es Salaam.

Introduction: Surgical site infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality among operated patients. The use of antibiotic prophylaxis in prevention and reduction of incidence of surgical site infection is widespread. In spite of the accessibility of universal and national guidelines for surgical prophylaxis, recent studies surveying the present routine of prophylaxis have demonstrated overutilization of a wide range antibacterial medications for a single patient. Few studies have shown qualitatively factors influencing this, and perceptions of surgeons on surgical antibiotic prophylaxis use. Unfortunately, none of these studies have been done in Tanzania. Objective: To describe the perceptions of surgeons on surgical antibiotic prophylaxis use at the Aga Khan hospital in Dar es Salaam. Methods: A qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with surgeons was conducted in English by the primary investigator. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Systematic data condensation was used for data analysis. Findings: A total of 14 interviews with surgeons and obstetricians and gynaecologists were conducted. Three major categories emerged: Inadequate data to support practice; the one who sees patient decides SAP; prolonged antibiotic use for fear of unknown. The subcategories were firstly no hospital data for bacterial resistance patterns, hospital guidelines are not well known and lack of hospital data for surgical site infection rates. Secondly surgeon or team decide surgical antibiotic prophylaxis. Lastly fear of getting infection and anticipating complications. Conclusion: The study identified factors associated with inappropriate use of antibiotic prophylaxis. To improve this, guidelines have to be made easily available, continuous education of those involved in decision making. Recommendations: Further qualitative research into perceptions of surgeons in different health centres and involving all stakeholders in antibiotic use is recommended. Using this study, a recommendation is made for hospital to improve data and make antibiotic guidelines easily available

'A boy would be friends with boys... and a girl... with girls' : gender norms in early adolescent friendships in Egypt and Belgium

Purpose: A gender analysis was conducted to illuminate the key elements of friendships highlighted by early adolescent girls and boys in two sites for the purpose of better understanding the impact of gender norms on adolescent friendships in different contexts. Methods: Narrative interviews with early adolescents were conducted in two sites: Assiut, Egypt (n = 37) and Ghent, Belgium (n = 30). The interviews were recorded, transcribed, translated into English, and coded using Atlas.ti for analysis. Results: In both Assiut and Ghent, early adolescents reported some similarities in defining key characteristics of their same-sex friends as well as in the activities they share. However, differences were noticed among boys and girls within each site. In addition, the scope of shared activity was broader in Ghent than in Assiut. In both sites, few opposite-sex friendships were reported. Gender norms influenced choice of friends as well as the type and place of shared activities. Conclusions: Building on knowledge that adolescent friendships guide and reinforce attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that impact immediate and long-term health, our findings indicate that gender norms inform early adolescent friendships, which may impact healthy development

The challenges surrounding the implementation of the right to development in the African charter of human and peoples’ rights in light of the Endorois case’

No abstract available.Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2013.Public Lawunrestricte

Financial Inclusion and Agricultural Commercialization of Smallholder Rice Growers in Kilombero District: The Moderating effect of Institutional Support.

This survey study was conducted in Tanzania to assess the effect of financial inclusion on agriculture commercialization of smallholder rice growers in Kilombero district under the moderating effect of institutional support. Primary data were collected using structure questionnaires from ten villages in five wards of Kilombero district. Data were analyzed using multiple regression techniques with the help of IBM SPSS and Hayes PROCESS macro, while confirmatory factor analysis was done with the help of IBM Amos software. The results obtained suggest that financial services access and usage had a positive effect on commercialization while financial literacy had an insignificant positive effect. The result of the study also indicates that source of income (if agriculture) and farming experience had positive effect on commercialization while age had a negative effect. In case of moderating effect of institutional support, institutional law and regulation and institutional cultural cognitive show negative moderating effect on the relationship between financial inclusion and agriculture commercialization. So theoretical the study has proved that institutional theory construct affects the relationship between financial inclusion and agriculture commercialization. The study recommends that to improve the level of commercialization, policymakers and government are required to set policies which reduce the cost of accessing financial services such as high interest, bank fees, and collateral requirement. In addition, financial service providers required to provide programs and activities intend to improve financial literacy and improve efficiency of rules and regulations governing financial services access and usage. Keywords: Financial inclusion, agriculture commercialization, institutional support, financial access, financial usage and financial literac

Measuring gender norms about relationships in early adolescence : results from the global early adolescent study

Introduction: Gender norms are increasingly recognized as drivers of health and wellbeing. While early adolescence constitutes a critical window of development, there is limited understanding about how adolescents perceive gender relations across different cultural settings. This study used a mixed-method approach, grounded in the voices of young people around the world, to construct and test a cross-cultural scale assessing the perceptions of gender norms regulating romantic relationships between boys and girls in early adolescence. Methods: The study draws on the Global Early Adolescent study (GEAS), a study focusing on gender norms and health related outcomes over the course of adolescence in urban poor settings worldwide. In-depth interviews were first conducted among approximately 200 adolescents between 10-14 years in seven sites across 4 continents to identify common scripts guiding romantic relations in early adolescence. These scripts were then transformed into a multidimensional scale. The scale was tested among 120 adolescents in each of 14 GEAS sites, followed by a second pilot among 75 adolescents in six sites. We evaluated the psychometric criteria of each subscale using principal component analysis, and parallel analysis, followed by exploratory factor analysis to guide the selection of a more parsimonious set of items. Results: Results suggested a two-factor structure, consisting of an "adolescent romantic expectations" subscale and a "Sexual Double Standard" subscale. Both subscales yielded high internal validity in each site, with polychoric Cronbach alpha values above 0.70 with the exception of Kinshasa for the adolescent romantic expectations scale (0.64) and Hanoi for the sexual double standard scale (0.61). Conclusion: This study reveals common perceptions of gendered norms about romantic engagement in early adolescence, normative for both sexes, but socially valued for boys while devaluated for girls. The findings illustrate that social hierarchies of power in romantic relationships form early in adolescence, regardless of cultural setting

Contribution of Financial Record in Project Management Success: A Case of Ilemela District.

This research investigates the significance of financial record-keeping in project management, with a specific focus on projects implemented by NGOs in the Ilemela District, Tanzania. Despite the district's significant growth due to various development projects, challenges in project management, particularly financial record-keeping, have been identified. This study aims to fill a research gap by examining the role of financial record-keeping in the unique context of the IlemelaDistrict.The research draws upon the project management success framework proposed by Shenhar et al. (2001) and theories such as Agency Theory and Resource-Based View (RBV) to understand the importance of effective financial management and control. It also explores the impact of various elements of financial record-keeping, including income and expense records, financial statements, budgets and forecasts, and audits and internal control documentation on project success.The research problem addressed is the inadequate management of financial records leading to cost overruns, project delays, and poor financial decisions. The study will use case studies, project management metrics, and KPIs to evaluate the effectiveness of financial record-keeping practices in the Ilemela District.The research is poised to enhance understanding of financial record-keeping's role in project success within the Ilemela District. It will offer insights for policymakers and practitioners and guide project managers toward improving financial record management. The study's findings will enrich the knowledge base on project management and financial record-keeping. Keywords:Contribution, Financial Records, Project Managemen

Methylene Blue Adsorption onto Coconut husks/Polylactide Blended Films: Equilibrium and Kinetic Studies

The removal of cationic methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions by coconut husks/polylactide blended films was studied in a batch system. Experiments were modeled as a function of contact time, initial dye concentration, ionic strength, adsorbent dose, temperature and initial solution pH. Equilibrium data fitted the Langmuir isotherm model (R2>0.9866) with monolayer adsorption capacity qm = 16.34mg/g at 296K. Adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second model (R2>0.9997) hence chemisorption rate limiting step was dominant. The results have shown viability of coconut husks/polylactide blended films for the removal of recalcitrant MB from both domestic and industrial wastewaters. Key words: coconut husks, polylactide, methylene blue, isotherm, kinetic