The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq): nature’s ecological endowment to eastern Nigeria

The paper highlights oil palm as a multipurpose tree crop symbolizing nature’s endowment to the people of South East, Nigeria, and presents available evidence that the center of origin for the palm is within the area. The structure of the natural habitat of the oil palm – the groves, from where several genetic collections have been made for the improvement of the crop worldwide – is described. The oil palm is viewed as closely interwoven with the people providing their requirements in terms of food, medicine and materials for infrastructural development. In a wider context, the ecological, socio-economic, and socio-cultural and traditional values of the palm are discussed. The history of efforts to exploit the potentials of the crop through domestication and genetic improvement is given. Because the potential of oil palm is yet exhausted, the action plan for further development in the natural habitat and plantations is also given, highlighting the prospects of increased oil palm production as well as some of the constraints on the way to realising this all-important project. The paper identifies areas needing action research towards the sustainable development of oil palm. Among other suggestions in this direction, the paper recommends the creation of a center of excellence in oil palm studies within the South East, Nigeria to expand the scientific exploitation of the natural groves and encourage plantation establishment for the benefit of not only the people whose God-given gift is now a highly valuable crop in the world, but the entire country and even beyond.Keywords: multipurpose tree, natural groves, oil palm plantations, agricultural growth, South East Nigeri

The role of government and community leaders in domestication and protection of the Shea tree in Nigeria.

The shea tree is very important to people of its area of distribution. The significance of the shea tree results from its excellent ecological role in the ecosystems which support it. It also serves a multiplicity of uses for a variety of stakeholders ranging from the socio-cultural, nutritional, medicinal and the economic. The significance of the shea tree to local populations was documented as early as 1797. During the 1970s and 1980s, more and more of the shea trees were cut and their regeneration disrupted by fire and grazing. But in recent years, there has been a revival of the practice of protecting, domesticating and managing shea trees, as people became increasingly concerned about the lack of trees near their homes and the socio-economic losses due to destruction of shea trees. From this time on, research on the shea tree has been characterized by the intermittent nature of the activities, the isolation of the stakeholders from one another resulting in a weak level of domestication of the species. Nonetheless, important scientific experiences have been gained in the socio-economy of the species, on the processes of transformation, the distribution of the species and its genetic diversity as well as in its management in the parkland systems. This paper outlines the factors that need to be considered when planning, developing and implementing local resource management strategies. It is argued that a successful community-based management of shea resources requires a greater recognition of the role that local communities can play in conserving, domesticating and managing shea trees.Key words: Shea tree, domestication, protection, community leader

Assessment of information sources utilized by women farmers in the coconut industry in Lagos state.

The study assessed the sources of the information utilized by the women in the coconut industry in Lagos State. The specific objectives are to determine personal characteristics of women farmers, assess the activities that generate income, sources and preferred sources of information on coconut industry and of respondents’ adoption of coconut technologies. A multi-stage random sampling was used to select 120 women farmers for the study while a pre-tested questionnaire was used for data collection. A five point likert-type scale was used to assess the women farmers’ information sources and preferred information sources. Findings showed that majority of the women farmers 69.5% were married and belonged to the age bracket of 30 – 49 years. The findings also showed that majority of the women (60.87%) had primary school education and about 35% had non – formal education. In addition, majority had house hold size of 6 and above (22.3%). About 78% of the respondents were members of coconut market women association. The major income generation activities the women were involved in were marketing of coconut seed nuts and evacuation of fruit to de-husking sites and dehusking of fruit for seed nut The majority of them preferred fellow farmers, family/friends, Radio, and Centre for Rural Development (CERUD) while the least desired source of information was Nigerian Institute For Oil Palm Research (NIFOR). Major technology adopted were de-husking of fruits and harvesting of coconut fruits. It is therefore recommended that various agricultural agencies involved in coconut industry should provide adequate information on modern coconut production, processing and marketing to enable the women have higher knowledge of modern technologies in the coconut industry and increase their income generation.Key word: Information sources, women, coconut, Lago

Evaluation of the capacity of Pediatricians in Nigeria to conduct research: A nationwide survey

Background: Research is key to quality healthcare. Clinicians should possess adequate research capacity to generate evidence. This study aimed to evaluate the research capacity of pediatricians in Nigeria.Methods: The study was a crosssectional using a questionnaire developed from the Research Capacity Assessment Framework. Information on previous research work, challenges encountered, and utilization of research outcome were obtained. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.Qualitative variables were grouped under thematic headings.Results: Paediatricians who had received grants for research were 21 (19.4%). Those whose research outcomes had informed policy and practice were 20 (18.2%). Less than 40% of the participants had received training on research capacity areas.Conclusion: The research capacity among pediatricians was low partly due to underfunding and lack of research training programs. Improvement on government fund allocation for research and introduction of short research trainings programs will improve research capacity in Nigeria. Key words: Clinical research; Pediatrician; Research Capacity; Policy-Practice Chang

Mortality from esophagectomy for esophageal cancer across low, middle, and high-income countries: An international cohort study.

BACKGROUND No evidence currently exists characterising global outcomes following major cancer surgery, including esophageal cancer. Therefore, this study aimed to characterise impact of high income countries (HIC) versus low and middle income countries (LMIC) on the outcomes following esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. METHOD This international multi-center prospective study across 137 hospitals in 41 countries included patients who underwent an esophagectomy for esophageal cancer, with 90-day follow-up. The main explanatory variable was country income, defined according to the World Bank Data classification. The primary outcome was 90-day postoperative mortality, and secondary outcomes were composite leaks (anastomotic leak or conduit necrosis) and major complications (Clavien-Dindo Grade III - V). Multivariable generalized estimating equation models were used to produce adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS Between April 2018 to December 2018, 2247 patients were included. Patients from HIC were more significantly older, with higher ASA grade, and more advanced tumors. Patients from LMIC had almost three-fold increase in 90-day mortality, compared to HIC (9.4% vs 3.7%, p < 0.001). On adjusted analysis, LMIC were independently associated with higher 90-day mortality (OR: 2.31, CI: 1.17-4.55, p = 0.015). However, LMIC were not independently associated with higher rates of anastomotic leaks (OR: 1.06, CI: 0.57-1.99, p = 0.9) or major complications (OR: 0.85, CI: 0.54-1.32, p = 0.5), compared to HIC. CONCLUSION Resections in LMIC were independently associated with higher 90-day postoperative mortality, likely reflecting a failure to rescue of these patients following esophagectomy, despite similar composite anastomotic leaks and major complication rates to HIC. These findings warrant further research, to identify potential issues and solutions to improve global outcomes following esophagectomy for cancer