9 research outputs found
Bacterial contamination of Kale (Brassica oleracea acephala) along the supply chain in Nairobi and its environment
Objective: To assess the microbiological safety of kale (Brassica oleracea Acephala) produced from farms and those sold at the markets with special focus on coliforms, E.coli and Salmonella.Design: A cross sectional study.Setting: Peri-Urban farms (in Athi River, Ngong and Wangige), wet markets (in Kawangware, Kangemi and Githurai), supermarkets and high-end specialty store both within Nairobi city.Results: Mean coliform count on vegetables from farms were 2.6x105 ±5.0x105 cfu/g while those from the wet markets were 4.6x106 ±9.1x106 cfu/g, supermarkets, 2.6x106 ±2.7x106 and high-end specialty store 4.7x105 ±8.9x105. Coliform numbers obtained on kales from the wet markets and supermarkets were significantly higher (p<0.05) compared to those from farms, while kale samples purchased from high- end specialtystore had similar levels of coliform loads as those from the farms. E. coli prevalence in the wet markets, supermarkets and high-end specialty store were: 40, 20 and 20%, respectively. Salmonella was detected on 4.5 and 6.3% of samples collected from the farms in Wangige and wet market in Kawangware, respectively. Fecal coliforms in water used on farms (for irrigation) and in the markets (for washing the vegetables) exceeded levels recommended by World Health Organization (WHO) of 103 organisms per 100 milliliter while Salmonella was detected in 12.5% of washing water samples collected from Kangemi market.Conclusion: Poor cultivation practices and poor handling of vegetables along the supply chain could increase the risk of pathogen contamination thus puting the health of the public at risk, therefore good agricultural and handling practices should be observed
Climate Change Adaptation in Kenyan Agriculture: Could Social Capital help?
Adaptation is critical since the mitigation efforts to reduce the
sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases will take time. The
concern in developing countries, particularly in Sub Sahara Africa
(SSA) is due to high vulnerability and ability to adapt is low. This
study analyses adaptation to climate change in four ecological zones
in Kenya. These ecological zones include arid, semi-arid, temperate
and humid areas. Climate change adaptation is relatively low in arid
areas in comparison to other agri-ecological zones. The study finds
that farmers are adapting to climate change and the main strategies
includes technologies adoption, crop management, land and water
management, livestock management and planting trees. A multinomial
discrete choice model was used to analyze the determinants of farmlevel
adaptation measures. The main factors affecting adaptation is
household capital or assets endowment. The study finds that social
capital is key driver in adopting new technologies which are crucial
in adapting to climate change. Ownership of ICTs devices which
are important in dissemination of climate change or agricultural
production information also influenced adaption. Other factors
influencing adaptation include human, physical and financial capital,climate change perceptions, land size and farming experience. The
study discusses recommendations and policy implications