Poultry farmer perceptions of agricultural advisory services involving value addition and marketing in Wakiso district Uganda

Successful agricultural innovations depend inter alia, upon farmer perception of introduced programmes. The present study determined farmer perceptions of the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) and how these affected innovative technology adoption practices in poultry management in Wakiso district in central Uganda. Social demographic attributes (SDAs) data and perceptions of the NAADS were captured quantitatively using interviews from self-reported survey questionnaires with 231 poultry farmers. Measured perception factors included: attitude, social influence, skills, knowledge and belief about capabilities. Results showed farmer perceptions to be significantly influenced by farmer SDA ‘experience’ and ‘education level’. While ‘attitude’ played a small but significant role, perception factors ‘skills’ and ‘social Influence’ contributed significantly to farmer intentions towards innovative technology adoption. To enhance intentions towards adoption of innovative advisory services, value addition and marketing, farmer SDAs and perception beliefs need to be considered

Poultry farmer perceptions of agricultural advisory services involving value addition and marketing in Wakiso district Uganda

Successful agricultural innovations depend inter alia, upon farmer perception of introduced programmes. The present study determined farmer perceptions of the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) and how these affected innovative technology adoption practices in poultry management in Wakiso district in central Uganda. Social demographic attributes (SDAs) data and perceptions of the NAADS were captured quantitatively using interviews from self-reported survey questionnaires with 231 poultry farmers. Measured perception factors included: attitude, social influence, skills, knowledge and belief about capabilities. Results showed farmer perceptions to be significantly influenced by farmer SDA ‘experience’ and ‘education level’. While ‘attitude’ played a small but significant role, perception factors ‘skills’ and ‘social Influence’ contributed significantly to farmer intentions towards innovative technology adoption. To enhance intentions towards adoption of innovative advisory services, value addition and marketing, farmer SDAs and perception beliefs need to be considered

Efficacy of praziquantel syrup versus crushed praziquantel tablets in the treatment of intestinal schistosomiasis in Ugandan preschool children, with observation on compliance and safety.

Preschool children (aged ≤5 years) have so far been overlooked by mass treatment campaigns targeting schistosomiasis, even though praziquantel (PZQ) has been shown to be well tolerated and effective within this age group. The WHO provided the Ugandan Ministry of Health with a syrup formulation of PZQ with the aim of assessing its safety and efficacy in comparison with crushed PZQ tablets for the treatment of intestinal schistosomiasis in preschool children. This study included 1144 preschool children randomly assigned to two treatment arms (PZQ syrup or crushed PZQ tablet) regardless of infection status for direct comparison. Diagnosis of intestinal schistosomiasis was assessed using single stool sample, double Kato-Katz smear examinations. Parasitological cure was assessed 3 weeks after treatment. The observed cure rate was 80.9% for the PZQ syrup arm and 81.7% for the crushed PZQ tablet arm, with egg reduction rates of 86.1% and 89.0%, respectively. Pre-treatment infection intensity was observed to influence cure rates significantly, with cure rates of 88.6% for light infections, 74.5% for moderate infections and 67.4% for heavy infections. No significant difference was found in non-compliance between the PZQ syrup (11.1%) and crushed PZQ tablet (14.7%) arms. PZQ syrup and crushed PZQ tablets have very similar efficacies in the treatment of intestinal schistosomiasis in preschool children

Trends and spatial distribution of neonatal sepsis, Uganda, 2016–2020

Abstract Background In Uganda, sepsis is the third-leading cause of neonatal deaths. Neonatal sepsis can be early-onset sepsis (EOS), which occurs ≤ 7 days postpartum and is usually vertically transmitted from the mother to newborn during the intrapartum period, or late-onset sepsis (LOS), occurring 8–28 days postpartum and largely acquired from the hospital environment or community. We described trends and spatial distribution of neonatal sepsis in Uganda, 2016–2020. Methods We conducted a descriptive incidence study using routinely-reported surveillance data on in-patient neonatal sepsis from the District Health Information System version 2 (DHIS2) during 2016–2020. We calculated incidence of EOS, LOS, and total sepsis as cases per 1,000 live births (LB) at district (n = 136), regional (n = 4), and national levels, as well as total sepsis incidence by health facility level. We used logistic regression to evaluate national and regional trends and illustrated spatial distribution using choropleth maps. Results During 2016–2020, 95,983 neonatal sepsis cases were reported, of which 71,262 (74%) were EOS. Overall neonatal sepsis incidence was 17.4/1,000 LB. EOS increased from 11.7 to 13.4 cases/1,000 LB with an average yearly increase of 3% (p < 0.001); LOS declined from 5.7 to 4.3 cases/1,000 LB with an average yearly decrease of 7% (p < 0.001). Incidence was highest at referral hospitals (68/1,000 LB) and lowest at Health Center IIs (1.3/1,000 LB). Regionally, total sepsis increased in Central (15.5 to 23.0/1,000 LB, p < 0.001) and Northern regions (15.3 to 22.2/1,000 LB, p < 0.001) but decreased in Western (23.7 to 17.0/ 1,000 LB, p < 0.001) and Eastern (15.0 to 8.9/1,000, p < 0.001) regions. Conclusion The high and increasing incidence of EOS in Uganda suggests a major gap in sepsis prevention and quality of care for pregnant women. The heterogenous distribution of neonatal sepsis incidence requires root cause analysis by health authorities in regions with consistently high incidence. Strengthening prevention and treatment interventions in Central and Northern regions, and in the most affected districts, could reduce neonatal sepsis. Employment of strategies which increase uptake of safe newborn care practices and prevent neonatal sepsis, such as community health worker (CHW) home visits for mothers and newborns, could reduce incidence

Patronage, district creation, and reform in Uganda

The effects of economic and political reforms on patronage in Africa remains unclear. In particular, there is much disagreement about whether structural adjustment programs and democratization have helped to make patronage less pervasive in African politics. Here, I examine the case study of Uganda, which has received much praise for its large-scale economic and political reforms since the late 1980s. However, at the same time, Uganda has also experienced a near-explosion in the number of districts (the highest level of local government), going from 39 to 80 in less than a decade. I examine a variety of potential reasons why these districts might have been created and argue, through the use of both qualitative and quantitative analysis, that district creation has functioned as a source of patronage. Specifically, I show that President Museveni_s government has created new districts as a means to compensate for other patronage resources lost through reforms and that new districts have helped him to continue to win elections. This paper thus constitutes the first rigorous demonstration that the creation of new sub-national political units can constitute a form of patronage and suggests that similar processes may be currently taking place across Afric