Raising awareness for potential sustainability effects in Uganda: A survey-based empirical study

Copyright © 2019 for this paper by its authors. In July 2019, we ran the 3rd International BRIGHT summer school for Software Engineering and Information Systems at the Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. The participants developed a group project over the course of the week, which included the application of the Sustainability Awareness Framework. The framework promotes discussion on the impact of software systems on sustainability based on a set of questions. In this paper, we present the educational evaluation of the Sustainability Awareness Framework in a country in Sub-Saharan Africa. The results indicate that the framework can provide supportive guidance of the societal and environmental challenges in the given context

Comparative durability of nevirapine versus efavirenz in first-line regimens during the first year of initiating antiretroviral therapy among Swaziland HIV-infected adults

Nevirapine (NVP) and Efavirenz (EFV) have generally comparable clinical and virologic efficacy. However, data comparing NVP durability to EFV are imprecise. We analyzed cohort data to compare durability of NVP to EFV among patients initiating ART in Mbabane, Swaziland. The primary outcome was poor regimen durability defined as any modification of NVP or EFV to the ART regimen. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were employed to estimate the risk of poor regimen durability (all-cause) for the two regimens and also separately to estimate risk of drug-related toxicity. We analyzed records for 769 patients initiating ART in Mbabane, Swaziland from March 2006 to December 2007. 30 patients (3.9%) changed their NVP or EFV-based regimen during follow up. Cumulative incidence for poor regimen durability was 5.3 % and 2.7 % for NVP and EFV, respectively. Cumulative incidence for drug-related toxicity was 1.9 % and 2.7 % for NVP and EFV, respectively. Burden of TB was high and 14 (46.7%) modifications were due to patients substituting NVP due to beginning TB treatment. Though the estimates were imprecise, use of NVP - based regimens seemed to be associated with higher risk of modifications compared to use of EFV - based regimens (HR 2.03 95%CI 0.58 - 7.05) and NVP - based regimens had a small advantage over EFV - based regimens with regard to toxicity - related modifications (HR 0.87 95%CI 0.26 - 2.90). Due to the high burden of TB and a significant proportion of patients changing their ART regimen after starting TB treatment, use of EFV as the preferred NNRTI over NVP in high TB endemic settings may result in improved first-line regimen tolerance. Further studies comparing the cost-effectiveness of delivering these two NNRTIs in light of their different limitations are required.Key words: Tolerability, Toxicity, Efavirenz, Nevirapine, Antiretroviral therapy, Resource limited setting, Swazilan

Anterior Transfer of Tibialis Posterior through the Interosseous Membranes in Post Injection Drop Foot: The Expirence at CORU

Post injection foot drop constitutes 7.6% of paediatric orthopaedic pathology seen in our unit. It commonly results from intragluteal injection with quinine in the treatment of malaria. The patients present with equinus or equinovarus foot deformity. Because of abnormal weight bearing, the deformity usually worsened with age. Anterior transfer of the tibialis posterior to the dorsum of the foot through the interosseous membrane has been described before and results reported. The tendon is either transfixed by tenodesis to the cuneiform or cuboids. In our series the latter method was used. This is a follow up of 30 patients who had surgeries at least 18 months after the injection and muscles power of the tendon transferred ranged from 3 to 5. We used three incisions of approximately 4cm each instead of four. Postoperative plaster of Paris cast for 6 weeks and ankle foot orthosis were used. We evaluated for correction and ability of the transferred tendon to actively dorsiflex at the ankle joint. Nineteen patients had good results 8 fair and 3 poor there was no neurovascular deficit. The purpose of this paper is to outline our outcome and technique of anterior transfer of the tibialis posterior through the interosseous membrane

Human IgG subclass antibodies to the 19 kilodalton carboxy terminal fragment of Plasmodium Falciparum merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP119) and predominance of the MAD20 allelic type of MSP1 in Uganda

Objective: To determine the natural human humoral immune responses to the 19 kilodalton carboxy terminal fragment of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP119), a malaria candidate vaccine antigen and to determine the prevalence of MAD20 and K1 alleles of P. falciparum MSP1.Design: Community based cross-sectional study.Setting: Atopi Parish, Apac District, Uganda, 1995.Subjects: Three hundred and seventy four Ugandans betwee

Understanding intra-community disparity in food and nutrition security in a generally food insecure part of eastern Africa

Food and nutrition insecurity continues to be one of the major development challenges in sub-Saharan Africa and other developing regions of the world. Karamoja sub-region, located in northern Uganda, is one of the poorest and most food insecure part of Eastern Africa. Previous studies have generalized the sub-region as food insecure. However, limited attention has been paid to locational differences in the food and nutrition security situation within this culturally and ecologically diverse part of the country. A crosssectional study design was used to examine at a community level, disparity in food and nutrition security situation among communities in Kotido and Moroto districts of the Karamoja sub-region. The study investigated the status of agricultural production, dietary habits and food security situation using individual household survey, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, household food insecurity access scale (HFIAS) and food insecurity coping strategy index (CSI). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and correlation and regression methods, at 5 % level of significance. The results showed that irrespective of ethnic differences, majority of households (78.8%) consumed less than 3 meals 24 hours preceding the interview. Generally, agricultural production was inadequate to support household food security and less than 30% of the households had adequate calorie intake. However, calorie intake adequacy was at least three (3) times higher in Kotido than in Moroto district. Plant foods were more frequently consumed than animal-source foods. At least 57% and 73% of households in Kotido and Moroto districts, respectively, never consumed fish. Food security was generally predicted by household size, ownership of food stores, occupation of household caregivers, number of livestock (especially goats) owned by households, time taken to fetch water (related to distance to water source) and sorghum production. Whereas it is generally known that Karamoja sub-region is highly food insecure, this study has demonstrated that communities in Moroto district are worse-off than those in Kotido district. Therefore, community-level characteristics ought to be an essential baseline consideration in designing food and nutrition interventions in Karamoja, and indeed in food insecure localities in general.Keywords: Karamoja, Eastern Africa, dietary practices, coping strategies, animal source food

Seasonal variability in food and nutrition security among children 0-3 years in Karamoja sub-region of Uganda

Optimal nutrition and good feeding of infants and young children are among the most important determinants of their health, growth and development. Due to unimodal climate in Karamoja sub-region, north eastern Uganda, achieving food security remains a development challenge in the area impacting negatively on the nutrition and health status of infants and young children. The current study, therefore, is important in providing the basis for season-based interventions to improve food and nutrition security in Karamoja sub-region. A longitudinal study involving 267 lactating mothers during harvesting season and 380 during planting season was conducted. Data were collected using Individual level Dietary Diversity questionnaire, 24-Hour Dietary Recall, and Anthropometry and were analyzed statistically. The findings indicated that except Abim district, 77.8-97.8%of the lactating mothers never attended school; 75- 100% depend on subsistence farming. Lactating mothers (29.9-41.9%) introduced complementary foods to their infants at 6 months, while the age at first introduction of any food to the infant was mostly between 4-6 months. Dietary quality of complementary foods was low across all the districts; 6.7-38.9% of the children ate foods from four or more of the seven food groups in the previous day (Minimum Dietary Diversity) in both seasons. Complementary foods were characterized by plant food sources. With exception of milk and milk products, proportion of children who consumed animal-sourced foods was low, ranging from 0% in meats to 8.9% in fish and sea foods. Energy and nutrient intakes varied according to age groups of the children across districts and season. The proportion of children below -2 Z-score also varied according to districts and it is generally higher during the planting season than the harvesting season. The median of the z-scores for height-for age and Mid Upper Arm Circumference for age ranged from -1 to -2.5. In conclusion, there were variations and disparities in dietary diversity, energy and nutrient intake as well as nutrition status of infants and young children across season and districts in Karamoja sub-region of Uganda. Therefore, interventions to combat malnutrition among children 0-3 years need to take into account seasonal variations for each of the geographical locations in Karamoja sub-region

Past, Present and Future Perspectives on Groundnut Breeding in Burkina Faso

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a major food and cash crop in Burkina Faso. Due to the growing demand for raw oilseeds, there is an increasing interest in groundnut production from traditional rain-fed areas to irrigated environments. However, despite implementation of many initiatives in the past to increase groundnut productivity and production, the groundnut industry still struggles to prosper due to the fact of several constraints including minimal development research and fluctuating markets. Yield penalty due to the presence of drought and biotic stresses continue to be a major drawback for groundnut production. This review traces progress in the groundnut breeding that started in Burkina Faso before the country’s political independence in 1960 through to present times. Up to the 1980s, groundnut improvement was led by international research institutions such as IRHO (Institute of Oils and Oleaginous Research) and ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics). However, international breeding initiatives were not su�cient to establish a robust domestic groundnut breeding programme. This review also provides essential information about opportunities and challenges for groundnut research in Burkina Faso, emphasising the need for institutional attention to genetic improvement of the crop

EFFECT OF AGRIBUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICES ON CHOICE OF DAIRY COOPERATIVE MARKET CHANNELS IN KENYA

Kenya is witnessing an immense increase in number of smallholder dairy agripreneurs sourcing income from the dairy sub-sector. Smallholder dairy agripreneurs who dominate the production sector are forced to sell milk to informal buyers such as middlemen/women, who exploit them by paying less than the market price. As a result of this, the Kenyan Government has made significant efforts to upgrade dairy cooperatives to link the dairy agripreneurs with consumers. In spite of this, milk marketing is still dominated by traditional informal outlets. This study sought to determine the effect of provision of agribusiness support services on choice of dairy cooperative market channel. Data were collected from a cross-sectional survey of 682 respondents from Muranga County in Kenya, using a semi-structured questionnaire. Results revealed that provision of business plan training, group marketing, pregnancy diagnosis and deworming support services had significant and positive effects on the choice of cooperative market channel. In contrast, access to vaccination services and supply of feeds had negative effectson the choice of cooperative market channel. This study recommends strong coordination among the agribusiness support service providers and the dairy cooperatives in order to increase adoption of the cooperative marketing channel. In addition, dairy cooperatives need to redesign their business models to ensure that their members not only receive agribusiness support services, but also get better prices and prompt payments to increase supply of milk to cooperatives by dairy agripreneurs.En ces deux derni\ue8res d\ue9cennies, le secteur laitier au Kenya a attir\ue9 l\u2019attention d\u2019un grand nombre des petits entrepreneurs, qui en outre consid\ue8rent l\u2019activit\ue9 entrepreneuriale dans le secteur laitier comme leur source principale de revenu. Mais au vu de leur taille d\u2019activit\ue9s, ils sont contraints d\u2019op\ue9rer dans le circuit informel de commercialisation de leurs produits laitiers, et par cons\ue9quent per\ue7oivent le prix de revient inferieur, que celui du march\ue9 formel. Par contre le Gouvernement Kenyan avait mis en place une s\ue9rie des politiques de soutien aux coop\ue9ratives laiti\ue8res du pays afin de formaliser le circuit de commercialisation des produits laitiers, pour une connectivit\ue9 efficace entre les petits entrepreneurs du secteur laitier \ue0 leurs consommateurs potentiels. Malgr\ue9 ces efforts, il est \ue0 signaler que le march\ue9 laitier kenyan est toujours domin\ue9 par un circuit de commercialisation informelle. Cette \ue9tude cherchait \ue0 d\ue9terminer les effets des subventions de soutien aux entreprises laiti\ue8res sur les choix du circuit de commercialisation. Les donn\ue9es \ue9taient collect\ue9es sur un \ue9chantillon de 682 r\ue9pondants dans la collectivit\ue9 de Muranga au Kenya, sur base d\u2019une enqu\ueate transversale, utilisant un questionnaire semi-structur\ue9. Les r\ue9sultats ont r\ue9v\ue9l\ue9 que la formation \ue0 la gestion d\u2019affaires, le groupement des vendeurs, le diagnostic de grossesse et l\u2019acc\ue8s aux services de d\ue9parasitage ont eu des effets significatifs et positifs sur le choix du circuit de commercialisation par coop\ue9rative. En revanche, l\u2019acc\ue8s aux services de vaccination et la fourniture d\u2019aliments ont n\ue9gativement influenc\ue9 le choix du circuit de commercialisation par coop\ue9rative. Ainsi, la pr\ue9sente \ue9tude recommande une effective coordination entre les prestataires de services de soutien \ue0 l\u2019agro-industrie laiti\ue8re et les coop\ue9ratives afin d\u2019accro\ueetre l\u2019adoption du circuit de commercialisation formel par coop\ue9rative. En outre, les coop\ue9ratives laiti\ue8res doivent r\ue9viser leurs mod\ue8les d\u2019op\ue9ration d\u2019achat et de vente pour garantir \ue0 leurs membres non seulement des services de soutien, mais \ue9galement les meilleur conditions de paiement, \ue0 des prix r\ue9mun\ue9rateur, \ue0 temps pour enfin financer les approvisionnements en lait et accroitre ainsi l\u2019offre de lait de la part des Agripreneurs