Assessing the Implication of Liquid Bioenergy Production from Food Crops on Food Security in Tanzania: The Case of Dodoma Region

Tanzania is in the process of promoting the production of liquid bioenergy from non-staple food crops. According to the government, this would give the country a unique opportunity to address both food and energy security. However, there is a concern that using food crops to produce bioenergy could jeopardize food security in the country. This study puts forward these opposing arguments based on the literature review and field research. A total of 100 respondents were selected randomly for interviews in Dodoma Region, Tanzania. The key question to address was whether producing liquid bioenergy from food crops will enhance or jeopardise food security in the country. Findings from the literature review are inconclusive while the field results show that 80% of the respondents indicated dissatisfaction with the policy proposal with reasons that it could lead to allocating all productive land to bioenergy production, the lack of money to purchase food, poor market infrastructure and the temptation to sell all food for bioenergy. To achieve a win-win situation, the government should undertake zoning for bioenergy and food production areas and enhance agricultural productivity. The policy also should emphasize local processing of liquid bioenergy for value addition, employment and rural development. Keywords: liquid bioenergy, transport, food security, Tanzania, Sub-Saharan Africa

Impacts of rainfall and temperature variation on maize (Zea mays L.) yields: A case study of Mbeya Region, Tanzania

Based on the multiple regression model the impacts of rainfall and temperature on maize (Zea mays L.) yields in Mbeya region have been analyzed. Overall, findings revealed that the seven selected variables, that is, January maximum temperature, February maximum temperature, April maximum temperature, Rainfall from February to April, Rainfall during growing season, December rainfall and October maximum temperature influenced maize yields in the region by 65.4%. Diversely, the results showed 34.6% wasn’t explained by the model, meaning that there are other factors apart from temperature and rainfall could be used to explain the variation of maize (Z. mays) yield in the region. Furthermore, taking 1990 -2012 as baseline period, the model projection for a period of 2020-2042 shows that maize (Z. mays) yield may change from 1.5% to 2.3%, 2.6% to 3.6% and 2.4% to 3.5 %, as a result of separate future influence of 10% decrease in rainfall, 10C raise in temperature and combined influence of both temperature and rainfall change, respectively. Nevertheless, the findings from this study, reveals that Mbeya region may still be potential maize (Z. mays) growing region in the prescribed period provided the magnitude change of both future rainfall and temperature hold and other factors not explained by the model do not change significantly. Therefore, the government must focus to conduct more research on uses of appropriate maize (Z. mays) varieties to obtain the maximum maize (Z. mays) crop yield in the region

Heavy metals and cyanide distribution in the villages surrounding Buzwagi gold mine in Tanzania

The study aimed at assessing the levels of heavy metals and cyanide in water and sediments in villages surrounding Buzwagi gold mine, both during wet and dry seasons.  A total of 56 samples of water (28 from each season) and 44 samples of sediments (22 from each season) were collected from the wells in the area and were analyzed for total cyanide and heavy metals.  The total cyanide was analyzed spectrophotometrically whilst the heavy metals were analyzed by an Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP). The Pb and Fe levels in water were found to exceed 10 µg/L and 2000 µg/L respectively, the World Health Organization (WHO) limits for drinking water in some wells. It was therefore concluded that the water is not safe for drinking. The concentrations of cyanide and most of the heavy metals in sediments (except Cd and Hg which were below the detection limit) were higher in the wells closest to the Tailing Storage Facility (TSF) than the wells which are far from the TSF showing that the contamination to the water is due to mining activities. Furthermore concentrations of most of the parameters in sediments were higher in dry than in wet season. It was recommended that the water contamination should be prevented by having a regular inspection of the TSF liner so as to ensure zero discharge and that the alternative source of water should be provided to the mining communities. Key Words: Heavy metals pollution, Total cyanide, ground water pollution and  mining.

LUKU Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction in Tanzania: A Case Study of Kinondoni Municipal

The main objective of this study was to conduct an assessment of Lipia Umeme Kadiri Unavyotumia (LUKU) service quality and customer satisfaction in Tanzania. The general objective of the study was to analyze LUKU service quality and customer satisfaction in Tanzania. Specific objectives included: to identify factors that influence LUKU service customer satisfaction, to identify factors that influence LUKU service customers’satisfaction, to measure satisfaction levels of among LUKU service customers and finally to identify common problems facing LUKU service customers. The main findings of the research revealed that there is a positive relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction and thus high quality services lead to high customer satisfaction. The study also revealed that majority of the customers is not satisfied with the quality of LUKU services. The study recommends that TANESCO should set a mechanism for collection of views and concerns from customers and relevant stakeholders and work to solve them, enhance application of modern technology in its operations, build capacity of its staff on aspects of customer care and services, re-evaluate pricing strategy in line with customer satisfaction goal, enhance operational controls to enhance management of resources

Phages implications on Controlling antibiotic resistance and future biotechnology in Plants and Animals disease: A review

Phages are bacterio-specific viruses. Involved in the origin of life and evolution, constituting a major part of the biosphere, they are promising as a sustainable, ecological and intrinsically cheap antibacterial. They have been proposed as alternatives to antibiotics for many antibiotic resistant bacterial strains. Phages can be used as biocontrol agents in agriculture and petroleum industry. Moreover phages are used as vehicles for vaccines both DNA and protein, for the detection of pathogenic bacterial strain, as display system for many proteins and antibodies. Bacteriophages are diverse group of viruses which are easily manipulated and therefore they have potential uses in biotechnology, research, and therapeutics. The aim of this review article is to enable the wide range of researchers, scientists, and biotechnologist who are putting phages into practice, to accelerate the progress and development in the field of biotechnology. Details given above give a glimpse of the large range of applications of phages in thefield of biotechnology and medical science. There is the hope that phages could be useful to humans in many ways. By making a cock tail of phages it would become easy to treat a wide variety of bacterial infections that are otherwise resistant to the latest generations of antibiotics. Due to the rapid progress in the fields of biotechnology and molecular biology it is hoped that these entities (phages) which are present abundantly in the biosphere could answer many questions human beings are having. Keywords: Phage therapy, Antibiotics resistance, Vaccine, Biocontrol, Biotechnolog

Bioenergy and climate change mitigation: an assessment

Acknowledgements The authors are indebted to Julia Römer for assisting with editing several hundred references. Helmut Haberl gratefully acknowledges funding by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (Global Change Programme), the Austrian Ministry of Science and Research (BMWF, proVision programme) as well as by the EU-FP7 project VOLANTE. Carmenza Robledo-Abad received financial support from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.Peer reviewedPostprin

Problems and Prospects of Rural Electrification in Poor Countries: The Case of Songo Songo Wayleave Village Electrification Scheme in Southern Tanzania

This study investigates the problems and prospects of rural electrification in poor countries with the case study of Songo Songo Wayleave Villages Electrification Scheme (WVES) in Tanzania. WVES is one of the incentives of the project to the affected villages. However, this service will be provided commercially. This study examines the implication of this decision of providing electricity commercially in villages with deep and pervasive poverty. The socio-economic status of the communities, the demand, willingness and ability to pay for electricity services has been analysed. Findings show that although willingness to pay is high, the ability to pay (actual demand) is very low by the majority of the respondents; suggesting that application of TANESCO commercial tariffs to the project area would be a disincentive to many villagers. This decision will also have cost implications to the TANESCO’s installed facilities. It is recommended that special credit be provided to facilitate rural communities in WVES. Also, policy and decision makers should encourage production of broader range of renewable energies and production of micro-hydro energy sources that are both economic and affordable to rural communities