Nutritional value of selected wild edible plants in Teso-Karamoja Region, Uganda

The use of wild plants for food in the rural communities of Uganda is widespread. This is attributed to food scarcity, perceived nutritional value,  medicinal and health benefits and cultural preservation. However, the claims on the nutritional value of some wild edible plant species have not  been fully validated. In cognizance of this, the macroelement, beta-carotene and ascorbic acid profile of five wild plants commonly used for food in and around eight forest reserves of Teso-Karamoja region, Uganda, were analysed. The plants prioritized for analysis were Vigna kirkii (Baker) J.B. Gillett, Maerua angolensis D.C., Leptadenia hastata (Schumach. & Thonn.) Decne, Senna obtusifolia (L.) H.S. Irwin & Barneby and Dioscorea sp.). The  macro-element, ascorbic acid and beta-carotene composition of these plants was analyzed in triplicate. The variance in parameter means was  analysed using one-way Analysis of Variance in SPSS ver. 16.0. The results showed that all the means of species were significantly different at the p=0.05 level. The highest macro-nutrient means were 80.74±0.34 %/100 g moisture content in V. kirkii, 3.95±0.23 g/100 g ash content in M.  angolensis, 19.04±0.37 Kcal gross energy in M. angolensis, 27.93±0.85 g/100 g dietary fibre in L. hastata, 3.40±0.13 g/100 g crude fat in L. hastata, 65.43±2.91 g/100 g carbohydrate in Dioscorea sp., 36.37±0.42 g/100 g crude protein in M. angolensis. The highest ascorbic acid mean was 14.71±3.56 mg/100 g in M. angolensis while beta-carotene was 1082.1±0.08 μg/100 g in S. obtusifolia. These results show that these wild edible plants have a significantly variable nutritional value. Some of the macro elements can sufficiently meet the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) and Adequate Intakes (AI) for certain life stages and groups if consumed in ideal quantities. This information is vital in enhancing food and nutrition security awareness in the community and uplifting the social appeal and acceptability of these plants. This can be enhanced by investigating the micro-nutrients of public health significance, anti-nutrient factors, and toxic compounds in these plants. Key words: Nutritional value, wild edible plants, macro-nutrient, ascorbic acid, betacarotene,Teso-Karamoja, Ugand

ASSESSMENT OF COMMON BEAN CULTIVAR DIVERSITY IN SELECTED COMMUNITIES OFCENTRAL UGANDA

Common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) L. diversity has been nurtured by Uganda\u2019s farming communities and in return it has sustained their livelihoods for over 40 decades. Despite the farmers\u2019 invaluable effort in perpetuating this diversity, there is limited overall understanding of its status and dynamics on-farm. This study assessed the amount and status of the cultivar diversity in selected rural and peri-urban communities of central Uganda. Data were purposefully collected from 120 households through household surveys, focus group discussions and direct field observations. Diversity measures, status of the cultivars and morphological distinctiveness were estimated by Simpson\u2019s index of diversity (1-D), four cell analysis and cluster analysis, respectively. A total of 24 cultivars were observed in the whole study, and both communities had equal cultivar richness.There were no significant differences in the number of cultivars maintained by the farmers in the rural and those in the peri-urban communities. Both communities had substantial cultivar evenness (0.81 and 0.82 in rural and peri-urban, respectively), although only 19% of cultivars were grown on relatively larger areas and by many households. Impressively, at least 30% of the households in each community nurtured different sets of cultivars. We thus recommend the need to put in place incentive mechanisms that can encourage a section of the community to continue conserving P. vulgaris diversity on-farm to ensure its continued evolution and adaptation to changing biotic and abiotic factors.La diversit\ue9 du haricot commun ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) L. a \ue9t\ue9 d\ue9velopp\ue9 par des communaut\ue9s de fermiers en Ouganda et, en retour, la culture a durablement contribu\ue9 au bien \ueatre familial pendant plus de quarante ans. Malgr\ue9 des efforts consid\ue9rables des fermiers dans la perp\ue9tuation de cette diversit\ue9, la compr\ue9hension de sa situation et dynamique en champ reste limit\ue9e. Cette \ue9tude a \ue9valu\ue9 le nombre et la situation de la diversit\ue9 des cultivars dans des communaut\ue9s s\ue9lectionn\ue9es en milieux rural et p\ue9ri-urbain de l\u2019Ouganda central. Les donn\ue9es d\u2019\ue9taient collect\ue9es de fa\ue7on raisonn\ue9e dans 120 m\ue9nages \ue0 travers une enqu\ueate de m\ue9nage, les groupes de discussions et des observations directes sur terrain. Des mesures de diversit\ue9, la situation des cultivars et la diff\ue9renciation morphologique \ue9taient estim\ue9es par l\u2019index de diversit\ue9 de Simpson (1-D), quatre analyses de cellules et l\u2019analyse de groupes, respectivement. Un total de 24 cultivars \ue9tait observ\ue9 dans toute l\u2019\ue9tude, et toutes les deux communaut\ue9s avaient une richesse \ue9gale de cultivars. Aucune diff\ue9rence significative n\u2019\ue9tait trouv\ue9e dans le nombre de cultivars maintenu par les fermiers ruraux et p\ue9ri-urbains. Les deux communaut\ue9s avaient un nombre substantiellement invariant de cultivars (0.81 et 0.82 en milieu rural et p\ue9ri-urbain, respectivement), malgr\ue9 que 19% seulement des cultivars \ue9taient cultiv\ue9s relativement sur des vastes \ue9tendues et par plusieurs m\ue9nages. De fa\ue7on impressionnante, au moins 30% des m\ue9nages dans chaque communaut\ue9 avaient d\ue9velopp\ue9 diff\ue9rents types de cultivars. Ceci d\ue9montre le besoin de mettre en place des m\ue9canismes d\u2019encouragement des communaut\ue9s afin de continuer la conservation en milieux paysan de la diversit\ue9 du P. vulgaris pour assurer son \ue9volution continue et l\u2019adaptation au changement des facteurs biotiques et abiotiques

Maternal HIV status and infant feeding practices among Ugandan women

To describe the infant feeding practices in the general population in Uganda, and to assess the impact of maternal HIV status on these practices, a questionnaire was administered to women attending the follow-up clinics for child vaccination. Among the mothers who were still breastfeeding at the time of interview (N=838), 61.4% of the HIV-infected women had planned to breastfeed for a maximum of 6 months, compared with 12.1% of the HIV-uninfected women (

Influencing policy change: the experience of health think tanks in low- and middle-income countries

In recent years there has been a growth in the number of independent health policy analysis institutes in low- and middle-income countries which has occurred in response to the limitation of government analytical capacity and pressures associated with democratization. This study aimed to: (i) investigate the contribution made by health policy analysis institutes in low- and middle-income countries to health policy agenda setting, formulation, implementation and monitoring and evaluation; and (ii) assess which factors, including organizational form and structure, support the role of health policy analysis institutes in low- and middle-income countries in terms of positively contributing to health policy. Six case studies of health policy analysis institutes in Bangladesh, Ghana, India, South Africa, Uganda and Vietnam were conducted including two NGOs, two university and two government-owned policy analysis institutes. Case studies drew on document review, analysis of financial information, semi-structured interviews with staff and other stakeholders, and iterative feedback of draft findings. Some of the institutes had made major contributions to policy development in their respective countries. All of the institutes were actively engaged in providing policy advice and most undertook policy-relevant research. Relatively few were engaged in conducting policy dialogues, or systematic reviews, or commissioning research. Much of the work undertaken by institutes was driven by requests from government or donors, and the primary outputs for most institutes were research reports, frequently combined with verbal briefings. Several factors were critical in supporting effective policy engagement. These included a supportive policy environment, some degree of independence in governance and financing, and strong links to policy makers that facilitate trust and influence. While the formal relationship of the institute to government was not found to be critical, units within government faced considerable difficulties