Landscape factors influencing habitat and crop selection by wild boar in Sweden

The wild boar population has increased rapidly during the last two decades in the southern and central parts of Sweden. This rise in population size has caused severe damages to agricultural fields through their foraging behavior. Thus, there is a need for improved knowledge about landscape factors influencing habitat selection which will help in the proper management of wild boar hence reducing the losses they cause in the agricultural sector. The main aim of this study is to evaluate landscape factors influencing wild boar selection of various habitats and crop fields in south-central Sweden. Eleven wild boar were fitted with GPS/GSM-collars to record movement among different habitats and crops. Data were analyzed using QGIS (version 3.10.0), R studio (version 3.6.2), and Microsoft Excel software. Descriptive statistics show that wild boar have a high preference for clear-cuts, agricultural fields, and deciduous forests, but show a lower preference for other kinds of open land. Wild boar tended to avoid growing and mature coniferous forests and open wetlands during summer but had a high preference for crop fields with oat, spring wheat, spring barley, and mixed crops. A binary logistic model revealed a significant influence of distance to feeding stations on the selection of different habitats and crop fields with both positive and negative effects. Distance to main roads also significantly influenced the proportion of selection of habitats and crop fields with both positive and negative correlation on the proportion of wild boar selection. As a general conclusion, feeding stations and roads influenced the selection of different habitats and crop fields differently. Further, wildlife management strategies on wild boar should be improved to consider both time and space to reduce damages on agricultural fields

Indigenous Ecological Knowledge and Modern Western Ecological Knowledge: Complementary, not Contradictory

Indigenous knowledge is often dismissed as ‘traditional and outdated’, and hence irrelevant to modern ecological assessment. This theoretical paper critically examines the arguments advanced to elevate modern western ecological knowledge over indigenous ecological knowledge, as well as the sources and uses of indigenous ecological knowledge. The central argument of the paper is that although the two systems are conceptually different, it would be fallacious to regard one as superior to the other merely because they are premised on different worldviews.Key words: Worldview, indigenous ecological Knowledge, western ecological knowledge, African PhilosophyThought and Practice: A Journal of the Philosophical Association of Kenya (PAK)New Series, Vol.3 No.2, December 2011, pp.35-4

The Impact Of Site And Service Projects On Urban Housing Markets: The Case Of Dandora, Nairobi

This dissertation is an evaluation of site and service projects as a strategy for meeting the housing needs for the low-income households in Nairobi, Kenya. These projects were an attempt by the government to help low-income households by increasing the housing stock available to these kinds of households.;The major source of data was from interviews conducted over a period of five months in the large Dandora project in Nairobi. Here, information was gleaned on changes in socio-economic, housing and migratory variables.;The data confirmed that the project significantly improved the housing conditions of those who moved. The project, however, did not directly meet the housing need of the low-incomes group because of the high housing costs of this project. The Dandora project benefited only a small percentage of residents from the squatter settlements and these characteristically earned higher incomes than were intended for this project. The analysis showed that the project mainly benefited respondents who had moved from standard housing (housing constructed with permanent materials and approved by the City Council). However, this does not necessarily indicate the failure of this housing strategy because the benefits to the ill housed in the squatter settlements could have been indirect ones resulting from filtering. The survey determined that 85 percent of those moving from standard housing left vacancies that could have benefited low-income households through filtering. An analysis of the migratory history of those surveyed indicated that most of the respondents had moved from the rural areas to standard housing prior to Dandora and not from the squatter settlements, suggesting that even with the second tier moves included, the site and service schemes\u27 direct impact on the City\u27s squatter settlements was limited. Even so, by enabling rural households to move to standard housing (which would not have been the case if the project had not been implemented), the project indirectly provided housing for migrants, who would have had more limited alternatives to the squatter settlements

Assessing service availability before and after the introduction of free maternity services at the Pumwani maternity Hospital

Maternal health is the state of health of women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. The Kenyan government introduced free maternal healthcare services in June 2013 to address the high maternal mortality rates that stood at 362 per 100000 live births in 2016. Maternal Mortality rate in Nairobi County was estimated to be at 57.1 per 100000 live births as of 2014. The study aimed at contributing towards strengthening maternity services by assessing the availability of maternity services before and after the introduction of the free maternity services policy at the Pumwani Maternity Hospital. This was a mixed method study; quantitative study (data from existing records) employing longitudinal study design and qualitative study where in depth interviews were conducted on six respondents using topic guides. This was simple and allowed evaluation of variables that change before and after interventions. The study was conducted in the month of February 2018 and was for the periods 2009 to 2017. The implementation of the free maternity services resulted to a 1974.75 mean increase in admissions, 1840.42 mean increase in total deliveries of which 1358.50 was increase in normal deliveries and 478.50 caesarian deliveries. These figures as seen in the analysis had not been recorded in the facility before and it is important also to note that these figures decline through the years. There was no much variation in the infrastructure, equipment and personnel and coping mechanisms largely relied on the Pumwani Maternity team. Similar studies are required both in the facility and the private entities to come up with recommendations on how to keep the numbers high and sustain the free maternity services policy. This study therefore contributes to knowledge that would inform policy in Kenya and other countries that seek to subsidize maternity services

DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH NON-COMPLETION AMONG POSTGRADUATE STUDENT IN SELECTED PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN KENYA

Non-completion among university students is a common phenomenon in many parts of the world. Many causes of this problem have been advanced and among them are institutional and individual reasons like financial ability, gender and motivation to complete studies. Psychological distress though not investigated thoroughly has been cited as one of the problems leading to non-completion. The purpose of this study was to establish the relationship between psychological distress and non-completion among postgraduate students in selected public universities in Kenya. Weiner Attribution theory (1985) informed the study. The study adopted a correlation research design and it was conducted in two selected public universities in Uasin Gishu and Nairobi counties targeting a population of 945 postgraduate students. A sample of (N=273) was obtained from the two selected public universities through systematic random sampling. The study used questionnaires, focus group discussions and document analysis in collecting data. Reliability of the questionnaire was established using Split half method from a pilot study conducted in Uasin Gishu County. Statistical package for the social sciences SPSS 23 was also used to analyze the data .Descriptive statistics to analyze demographic data while Pearson correlation was employed to test the relationship between psychological distress and non-completion. Regression analysis was used to clarify the nature of relationship with the variable. Findings indicated a weak negative correlation between psychological distress and non-completion, not statistically significant, rs (229) =-.063, p ˃ .05. However, descriptive findings established that a majority of students 34.1% agreed that psychological distress could lead to non-completion. It recommended that students plan for their study schedules and finances to ensure study period is not interrupted by roles that can be put on hold like parenting and inadequate finances. Further the university administration should put in place / reinforce committees that handle non-completion among students. Development and implementation of postgraduate policy that would track postgraduate journey, as well as establishment of course advisory, guidance and counselling for this students

Trafficking of Women and Children in East Java, Indonesia

This study investigated the patterns and modes of the occurrence of cases of women and child trafficking in East Java Province, Indonesia. This includes the factors that cause women to become familiar with the trade of women and children. This qualitative descriptive study was conducted in four areas of the East Java Province, known as regions, prone to have victims of trafficking. To collect the data, the researcher conducted in-depth interviews with 115 respondents: 40 commercial sex workers (PSK), 4 transnational/contract marriage victims, 45 beggars, 25 housemaids, 1 victim of child trade trafficking, and 10 concerned experts (researchers and activists from nongovernmental organisations). The study found that economic factors, sociocultural factors and a brokers’ proactive recruitment of new victims were the factors that led to the trafficking of women and children. The patterns and forms of the trafficking of women and children in East Java are (1) for prostitution, (2), for forced marriage across different countries, (3) to be employed as beggars, (4) to be employed as domestic servants and (5) to trade trafficked child victims to others. The modes developed by the syndicate to traffic women and children are increasingly diverse and this includes through persuasion, deceit, violence and the mode that uses ‘gendam’ or hypnosis

Big Plans, Small Steps: Learnings from Three Decades of Mobilising Resources for Women's Rights

The women's funding movement has contributed to and been a product of women's rights movements around the world. This article looks at the history of Mama Cash, the first international women's fund, to chart how the effort to mobilise resources for women's rights activism has been going – before and since the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995

Big Plans, Small Steps: Learnings from Three Decades of Mobilising Resources for Women's Rights

The women's funding movement has contributed to and been a product of women's rights movements around the world. This article looks at the history of Mama Cash, the first international women's fund, to chart how the effort to mobilise resources for women's rights activism has been going – before and since the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995

A comparison of Kenyan and South African law on security by means of movables

This study compares the legal principles applicable in both South Africa and Kenya in the creation of security by means of movables. It identifies the forms of security that can be created in the two jurisdictions. The main focus will be on the creation, publicity, priority of security interest and enforcement of the said interests. The research will in addition establish the challenges (if any) that are encountered when creating security by means of movables in Kenya and identify practical solutions that can be adopted in order to improve the creation of security by means of movables in Kenya.Private LawLL. M. (Property Law

Female genital mutilation/cutting: A conceptual discussion

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a dangerous practice that predates all religions and perpetrated on children for various reasons in various cultural and global contexts, causing adverse lifelong health consequences including sexual, physical and psychological problems for the survivors. Even so, there appears to be no documented work that brings together the major conceptual blocks on FGM/C, a gap this paper seeks to begin to fill. This paper summarises some major concepts on FGM/C as a resource and evaluates key evidence on the practice. While the practice of FGM/C is highly concentrated in Africa, the practice is spread out globally with a shift towards its medicalization among migrant communities and traditional settings. A focus of this paper is to propagate awareness and polarise debates to bring to an end to the practice of FGM/C globally