Isolation, characterization and antiplasmodial activity of phytochemical constituents from Monanthotaxis parvifolia (Oliv.) Verdc ssp. kenyensis Verdc

Fractionation of the methanol extract of the leaves of Monanthotaxis parvifolia (Oliv.) Verdc ssp. kenyensis Verdc (Annonaceae) by preparative high performance liquid chromatography yielded seven fractions from which two phytochemical constituents were isolated and identified as quercetin-3-O-β-galactopyranoside (hyperoside) and quercetin-3-O-α-arabinofuranoside (avicularin) on the basis of spectroscopic data analysis and comparison with published data for the known compounds. This is the first report of the isolation of these compounds from Monanthotaxis parvifolia. Hyperoside and avicularin exhibited moderate antiplasmodial activity against chloroquine sensitive (D10) and chloroquine resistant (Dd2) Plasmodium falciparum strains (IC50 = 10.85 - 38.07 μg/ml). Hyperoside had selectivity index greater than 10 when assayed for cytotoxicity on Chinese hamster ovarian cell line.Keywords:  Monanthotaxis parvifolia (Oliv.) Verdc ssp. kenyensis Verdc, quercetin glycosides, antiplasmodial activity, cytotoxicit

Gendered aspirations and occupations among rural youth, in agriculture and beyond: A cross-regional perspective

Based on 25 case studies from the global comparative study ‘GENNOVATE: Enabling gender equality in agricultural and environmental innovation’, this paper explores rural young women’s and men’s occupational aspirations and trajectories in India, Mali, Malawi, Morocco, Mexico, Nigeria, and the Philippines. We draw upon qualitative data from 50 sex-segregated focus groups with the youth to show that across the study’s regional contexts, young rural women and men predominantly aspire for formal blue and white-collar jobs. Yet, they experience an aspiration achievement gap, as the promise of their education for securing the formal employment they seek is unfulfilled, and they continue to farm in their family’s production. Whereas some young men aspired to engage in knowledge-intensive or ‘modern’ agriculture, young women did not express any such interest. Framing our analysis within a relational approach, we contend that various gender norms that discriminate against women in agriculture dissuade young women from aspiring for agriculture-related occupation. We discuss the gendered opportunity spaces of the study sites, the meanings these hold for allowing young women and men to achieve their aspirations and catalyze agricultural innovation, and implications for agricultural policies and research for development. Our findings show that youth and gender issues are inextricably intertwined and cannot be understood in isolation one from the other