Coping with uncertainty: perspectives on sustainability of smallholder agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa

Agricultural sustainability of smallholder farms in the tropics has rarely been examined in an integrated manner by addressing simultaneously ecological, social and economic dimensions and exploring its spatial and temporal characteristics. In this submission I have prepared a Context Statement (Part I) that provides a background to my submitted body of works on assessment of agricultural sustainability of smallholder farms in Kenya. In the Context Statement I have positioned myself and my body of works and its impacts, critiqued my methodologies and reflected on my epistemology, brought out overarching messages on sustainability of smallholder farms and examined my research journey and contributions to academic knowledge and to professional practice. I position my public works within an inclusive ontological realism and epistemological pluralism that informed my use of mixed-methods research. I used (i) decision support systems and models (NUTMON, MonQI and QUEFTS), (ii) participatory learning and interdisciplinary research methodologies (on-farm comparative participatory research, PTD, Farmer Field Schools), and (iii) qualitative perceptions of farmers and researchers to investigate sustainability of smallholder farms. The smallholder farms in the low-to-medium agricultural potential areas were moving in the direction of unsustainability with performance of major indictors related to soil quality, crop productivity and socio-economics below threshold values. This was in direct contrast to the situation in high agricultural potential areas. The collaborative and interdisciplinary research partnerships within which this body of works was prepared was productive with co-authored papers standing at 98.5% of the total number of papers and the average number of citations per paper by other researchers was 5. My research and the body of works presented together with this context statement created a positive impact on farmers’ attitudes, beliefs and behavior regarding sustainability of their farms. Smallholders adopted good agricultural practices and “new” technologies and improved their livelihoods. My reflections on the submitted body of works have further shown that it contributed to knowledge and practice through bridging knowledge gaps on sustainability of organic farming systems, developing new methodologies or adapting current ones to give new meaning in the areas of participatory technology development, communication between “hard sciences” and “soft sciences” on soil quality, farmer learning for sustainability on integrated nutrient management and smallholder tea production, and in the use of decision support systems and models to assess sustainability of smallholder agriculture in an integrated manner. In the Context Statement I have also reflected on my research journey and painted a picture of the impacts of this doctoral pathway on my research practice and future direction. This doctoral pathway provided the opportunity to blend an academic research doctoral model with my professional research practice resulting in a submission equivalent to PhD by thesis. Through it I have re-discovered myself as a research scientist, a flexible autonomous learner, framed my research experiences as forms of personal, professional and academic growth and created linkages with my career interests and opportunities for improving frontiers of my research practice in the future

Sustainable tea production : an assessment of farmer field schools in Kenya

This report presents the results of the KTDA/Lipton Sustainable Agriculture Project. The aim of the KTDA/Lipton Sustainable Agriculture Project is to increase the sustainability of tea production by increasing the rate of adoption of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and thereby directly improve profitability. In 2006 the Kenya Tea Development Agency and Lipton started four pilot Farmer Field Schools (FFS). The results of the four pilot FFS are encouraging. Although no quantitative increase in tea production per acre due to the FFS could be observed, overwhelming evidence has been gathered about the increase of knowledge on and implementation of GAPs. This will have short and long-term benefits for smallholders engaged in FFS. Indirect effects of the FFS were better group cohesion and strengthened learning capacities. The pilot suggests that FFS are a more efficient way of extending production management techniques than the traditional extension methodolog

Improving the Tanzanian-Mombasa cross-border tomato product chain: a study of Mombasa tomato market : draft report

The study of Mombasa tomato market is part of the project “Development of Commercial Field Vegetable Production, Distribution and Marketing for the East African Market”. The project is implementing a pilot activity on improving crossborder tomato chains from Ngarenanyuki, Tanzania, to Mombasa, Kenya. The overall objective of the study was to assess the requirements, institutional setting and current supply issues of the Mombasa tomato market and to describe the supply chain logistics and characteristics

Economic change in South Nyanza, Kenya, 1880 to 1945

Abstract This thesis is concerned with the process of economic change in South Nyanza between 1880 and 1945. By economic change I mean the way commodity production in South Nyanza was transformed during the pre-colonial and colonial period. The study commences from 1880 to enable an analysis of the process of change during the precolonial era so as to provide a background to understand the changes that occurred during the colonial period. The study ends in 1945 to incorporate an analysis of the changes that took place during the Second World War. The study demonstrates that economic change took place during the pre-colonial and colonial era. During the pre-colonial period, changes were necessitated by the outbreak of cattle epidemics that decimated livestock in the area. This forced the households in South Nyanza to shift to crop production as a primary economic activity. The shift was also facilitated when some households moved from the lakeshores to high grounds, which were more favourable to agricultural production. When South Nyanza was colonised by Britain in 1903, the pre-capitalist economy of the area was integrated into colonial capitalism. This was a system of production of goods and services for market exchange in order to make a profit. This introduced new changes in the economic, social and political relations among the households in South Nyanza. The establishment of colonial rule in South Nyanza was marked further by the process of change, which was already in progress. The colonial administration in South Nyanza introduced into the area new cash crops that the households in the area could produce to generate cash to meet the new colonial demands. The integration or rejection of the cash crops into the local economy was determined by their cash value and palatability. To promote effective agricultural production in the area, the administration introduced new agricultural implements into South Nyanza. The adoptability of these implements by the people of South Nyanza was determined by their effectiveness and affordability. In addition, the establishment of colonial rule in South Nyanza was also marked by the introduction of a new economic system, migrant wage labour. During the first two decades of colonial rule, the households in South Nyanza were reluctant to engage in migrant wage labour because they were able to meet their colonial demands such as taxation from agricultural and livestock produce. But as the colonial demands increased, the people of South Nyanza were increasingly engaging in migrant wage labour. This was further enhanced by the establishment of infrasructure in South Nyanza that linked the area to the main centers of economic activities

Evaluation of the level of awareness of congenital toxoplasmosis and associated practices among pregnant women and health workers in Tanzania\u2019s Temeke district in Dar es Salaam

Background: Toxoplasmosis caused by the obligate intracellular coccidian protozoan Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infects all warm-blooded animals including humans. This parasite may develop in both immune-compromised and immunocompetent hosts but usually the disease manifestations strongly differ according to immune status. Immunocompromised hosts develop more severe disease than immunocompetent hosts. Infections in pregnancy carry the risk of foetal involvement and can lead to serious clinical outcomes including psychomotor and ocular disorders in congenitally infected foetuses and children. Objective: To assess the level of awareness and practices towards congenital toxoplasmosis among health workers and pregnant women in Tanzania\u2019s Temeke municipality. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 371 pregnant women and 22 health workers from six healthcare facilities in Temeke municipality of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. A structured questionnaire and review of prenatal screening forms were used to collect information. The questionnaire focused on knowledge of disease aetiology, signs and symptoms, modes of transmission, treatment and management. Results: Of the pregnant women, 96% (95% CI: 0. 94-0.98) were unaware of the disease, had never heard, read or seen any information regarding toxoplasmosis. The majority of respondents including those who had heard, read or seen information concerning toxoplasmosis were unaware of the disease aetiology, signs and symptoms. However, 90% (95% CI: 0.86\u20130.93) of respondents unknowingly observed preventive practices towards the disease including avoiding eating raw, cured or rare meat. There was a significant statistical relationship between practices towards toxoplasmosis and age of pregnant women, such that for every increase in age by ten years the risk practices towards toxoplasmosis increased by 41% (OR=1.41, 95%, C.I. 1.05-1.90). Preventive practices towards toxoplasmosis decreased significantly by 74% and 78% for the age of 19-25 and 26-35 years old pregnant women respectively, as compared to those < 19 years. No significant difference was observed for those aged > 35 years. Multigravidae was associated with at-risk practices towards toxoplasmosis (OR=2.65, CI: 1.38-5.08). Of the 22 health workers who participated in the study, 36% (95% CI: 0.15\u20130.58) were aware of the congenital toxoplasmosis and its clinical outcomes. None of them had diagnosed the disease before. Conclusion: Due to general lack of awareness towards toxoplasmosis observed among both health workers and pregnant women in Temeke Municipality, we recommend health policy on maternal and child healthcare to address prenatal screening that is aimed at providing early diagnosis for any possible congenital toxoplasmosis as well as diseases that are currently screened in Tanzania such as HIV, syphilis and malaria. Integrating a One Health approach in educating medical professionals and the vulnerable population of pregnant women on the importance of congenital zoonoses will promote awareness and preventive practices towards the disease

Stakeholder involvement in the management of public technical training institutions in Kenya

The phenomena of stakeholder identification and involvement in the affairs of public entities has become of great importance in the recent years. Literature review reveals the extent of knowledge and discloses gaps that exist in the management of technical training institutions in Kenya. Therefore, key research questions aimed at achieving the objectives of this study were formulated. For empirical responses, a sample comprising three institutions was chosen, where respondents were selected purposively. Focus group and individual interviews were conducted for qualitative data collection from purposively selected respondents. The data analysis led to the conclusion that stakeholders are varied and their involvement in specific issues minimal. This implies lack of clarity of knowledge of the stakeholders and variation regarding the extent to which they need involvement and the effects. One recommendation is to carry out an analysis to establish legitimate stakeholders and their specific potential influences.Educational Leadership and ManagementM. Ed. (Education Management