16 research outputs found
Participatory Evaluation of Resilient Potato Varieties in Climate-Smart Villages of Lushoto in Tanzania
This three-year study conducted by the International Potato Centre (CIP) in collaboration with
Selian Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) was based on demand by Lushoto farmers
through the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security
(CCAFS). This participatory action research (PAR) was aimed at developing more resilient
potato varieties that can grow in both long and short rainy seasons and give higher yields. The
approach involved training-of-trainers (ToT) and participatory varietal selection (PVS)
experiments. The ToT comprised five training events using modules. Three training events
were done in the long rainy season and two in the subsequent short rainy season. The topics
covered in the first round of training were on integrated crop management, from land
preparation to seed storage. The second round of training was participant-driven whereby topics
emerged from the first training. A total of twenty-one participants representing farmers,
extension services and local non-governmental organizations were trained. The training was
supported by field experiments using the CIP Mother and Baby Trials model. The trials were
carried out in five villages: Kwesine, Boheloi, Maringo, Kwekitui and Milungui. Experimental
materials comprised six advanced and heat tolerant clones from CIP (CIP390478.9,
CIP388767.1, CIP392797.22, CIP300055.32, CIP398208.29 and CIP397073.7), two local
varieties (Kidinya and Obama), an improved variety recently registered in Tanzania (Asante)
and a popular farmerâs variety but registered in Kenya (Shangii). A cross-analysis of field and
culinary data combining quantitative and qualitative assessments from the three seasons of field
evaluations showed a certain consistency in the high yielding ability and acceptability of four
genotypes, namely Asante, Shangii, CIP392797.22 and CIP398208.29. The two clones were
then named by farmers and proposed for official release while Shangii was proposed for
registration for commercial use
What the World Happiness Report doesnât see: The sociocultural contours of wellbeing in northern Tanzania
This paper presents a mixed methods approach to understanding wellbeing in the Kilimanjaro region of northern Tanzaniaâa country consistently ranked by the World Happiness Report as one of the least happy in the world. A primary objective is to demonstrate how qualitative data offering bottom-up perspectives on wellbeing offer a necessary complement to quantitative self-report measures, allowing for more nuanced cultural understandings of lived experience and wellbeing that recognize diversity both globally and locally. The research contextualized responses to standardized life evaluations (including the Cantril ladder question used by the World Happiness Report) through observations and interviews along with culturally sensitive measures of emotional experience. Findings show Kilimanjaro to have more positive life evaluations than Tanzania as a whole, and significant within-region demographic variation driven particularly by lower levels of wellbeing for nonprofessional women compared with nonprofessional men and professionals. In part because such demographic groups were often unfamiliar with standardized self-report measures, it was only through interviews, case studies, and culturally sensitive reports of emotional experience that we were able to recognize the diverse and nuanced life circumstances which individuals and groups were navigating and how those circumstances interacted with wellbeing. Drawing on the example of nonprofessional women for illustration, we describe how key sociocultural factors â particularly, family stability, parenting circumstances, social relationships, and meeting life course expectations -- intersect with economic realities to create varied experiences of wellbeing. The complex picture of locally understood wellbeing that emerged from this research presents an alternative picture to global perspectives reliant on survey self-reports. It serves as a reminder of the importance of methodological choices in global wellbeing research and urges the addition of local perspectives and paradigms to inform policy and practice
The global decline of cheetah Acinonyx jubatus and what it means for conservation
Establishing and maintaining protected areas (PAs) are key tools for biodiversity conservation. However, this approach is insufficient for many species, particularly those that are wide-ranging and sparse. The cheetah Acinonyx jubatus exemplifies such a species and faces extreme challenges to its survival. Here, we show that the global population is estimated at âŒ7,100 individuals and confined to 9% of its historical distributional range. However, the majority of current range (77%) occurs outside of PAs, where the species faces multiple threats. Scenario modeling shows that, where growth rates are suppressed outside PAs, extinction rates increase rapidly as the proportion of population protected declines. Sensitivity analysis shows that growth rates within PAs have to be high if they are to compensate for declines outside. Susceptibility of cheetah to rapid decline is evidenced by recent rapid contraction in range, supporting an uplisting of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List threat assessment to endangered. Our results are applicable to other protection-reliant species, which may be subject to systematic underestimation of threat when there is insufficient information outside PAs. Ultimately, conserving many of these species necessitates a paradigm shift in conservation toward a holistic approach that incentivizes protection and promotes sustainable humanâwildlife coexistence across large multiple-use landscapes
Understandings and Responses to Joint Pain: Preliminary Findings from a Rapid Ethnographic Assessment in Northern Tanzania
No abstract available
Understandings and Responses to Joint Pain: A Rapid Ethnographic Assessment in Northern Tanzania
No abstract available
An exploration of patient perceptions of adherence to tuberculosis treatment in Tanzania.
Item does not contain fulltextIn this study, we aimed to explore patient perceptions of adherence to tuberculosis (TB) treatment and construct a theoretical model of treatment adherence behavior. We conducted semistructured interviews with 11 adherent patients from Tanzania whom we recruited by purposive sampling. The interview data were analyzed by content analysis. We found that the patient's intention to adhere is the most important determinant of adherence behavior. This intention is preceded by the decision to seek biomedical health care, and based on knowledge and beliefs about TB treatment and the motivation to be cured. The intention to adhere helps patients to cope with perceived barriers to adherence, such as socioeconomic difficulties, and to create an adherence-enabling environment in which the presence of social support plays an important role. Our preliminary adherence behavior model should be validated in larger, nonadherent patient populations and evaluated for its applicability to the development of adherence-promoting strategies.1 juni 201
Landscape-scale variability of soil health indicators: effects of cultivation on soil organic carbon in the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania
This article is published with open access at Springerlink.comLand-use change continues at an alarming
rate in sub-Saharan Africa adversely affecting ecosystem
services provided by soil. These impacts are
greatly understudied, especially in biodiversity rich
mountains in East Africa. The objectives of this study
were to: conduct a biophysical baseline of soil and
land health; assess the effects of cultivation on soil
organic carbon (SOC); and develop a map of SOC at
high resolution to enable farm-scale targeting of
management interventions. Biophysical field surveys
were conducted in a 100 km2 landscape near Lushoto,
Tanzania, with composite soil samples collected from
160 sampling plots. Soil erosion prevalence was
scored, trees were counted, and current and historic
land use was recorded at each plot. The results of the
study showed a decline in SOC as a result of
cultivation, with cultivated plots (n = 105) having mean topsoil OC of 30.6 g kg-1, while semi-natural
plots (n = 55) had 71 g OC kg-1 in topsoil. Cultivated
areas were also less variable in SOC than seminatural
systems. Prediction models were developed for
the mapping of SOC based on RapidEye remote
sensing data for January 2014, with good model
performance (RMSEPcal = 8.0 g kg-1; RMSEPval =
10.5 g kg-1) and a SOC map was generated for the
study. Interventions will need to focus on practices
that increase SOC in order to enhance productivity and
resilience of the farming system, in general. The highresolution
maps can be used to spatially target
interventions as well as for monitoring of changes in
SOC
Exploring alternatives for livestock production in Lushoto, Tanzania: Playing the Transformation Game
This report presents the design for and preliminary results from the second ResLeSS workshop in Tanzania. The workshop is focused around the development of socio-economic indicators that are shared between stakeholders, and a âTransformation Gameâ that engages stakeholders in scenario development and assessment focused on the CLEANED environmental impact simulation tool. This approach enabled participants to engage with the knowledge about higher-yielding dairy production and an opportunity to plan for the future. An explicit focus on equity, through the design of the workshops and Game, and the treatment of economic indicators that encompass wider perceptions of value than finance alone, helped ensure that dialogue was able to emerge rooted in an appreciation of the different perspectives held by stakeholders. The Game opened a space for discussion that has yielded important insights for future development planning and was valued by the workshop participants. Participant feedback makes clear that the workshop developed new knowledge and achieved the objective of creating an opportunity for joint learning - participants welcomed the opportunity to plan for the future and to be challenged on what is feasible in the future.
The workshop revealed a shared desire among stakeholders for livestock livelihoods to provide an improved standard of living and wellbeing, and a shared appreciation that improved feed and animal management coupled with shifting to higher-producing breeds can double milk production. There were different opinions on how much to change â âhe who dares winsâ pitted against a more cautious approach recognising that many in Lushoto would not cope with the increased costs of keeping pure exotic breeds. The transformation game provided rhetorical space to explore the two perspectives, although participants missed having a simple cost calculator.
The results indicate a clear sense that participants are focused on meeting socio-economic goals (expressed for the most part in terms of increased income from livestock) and that, in the highland part of Lushoto, a strategy of moving to cross breeds and exotic breeds with good management presents an opportunity to reduce environmental impacts in Lushoto. Pressure on land and water is reduced and although greenhouse gas emissions increase, the emission intensity reduces. The move to zero-grazing will benefit soil fertility in Lushoto, as more manure can be applied to fields. However, three trade-offs arise:
i) There are financial costs of keeping the high-producing breeds to take into account, as they are more vulnerable to disease and have high feed and maintenance requirements â and as production increases, the milk price in Lushoto may fall. Not everyone in the district will have the financial resources to invest in high-producing breeds.
ii) The feedbasket for high-producing breeds relies mainly on planted fodder and purchased concentrates. In an area where land is restricted, the additional planted fodder will compete with existing crops, potentially affecting food security. Although there is a sense that planted fodder for milk would provide higher returns than ill-suited maize, producers will need to consider what is the best use of their land.
iii) The reliance on purchased concentrates effectively exports the environmental impact, allowing for the reduced pressure in Lushoto. Although this benefits Lushoto, national planning should take this into consideration.
Overall, the workshop was a positive learning experience for all, providing an important opportunity to come together, but it is only the start of an ongoing conversation