An investigation of the organisational features, commodities and situations associated with contract farming and outgrower schemes in Sub Saharan Africa and of the factors which are critical to their successful operation

This desk review is funded under ODA's Crop Post Harvest Programme. The framework for the research is the improvement of marketing and financing services for traders and farmers in liberalising economies. The Terms of Reference required the researcher to identify the types of scheme, the commodities and situations for which contract farming/outgrower schemes are appropriate as well as the critical success factors

Analysis of defect structure in silicon. Characterization of samples from UCP ingot 5848-13C

Statistically significant quantitative structural imperfection measurements were made on samples from ubiquitous crystalline process (UCP) Ingot 5848 - 13 C. Important trends were noticed between the measured data, cell efficiency, and diffusion length. Grain boundary substructure appears to have an important effect on the conversion efficiency of solar cells from Semix material. Quantitative microscopy measurements give statistically significant information compared to other microanalytical techniques. A surface preparation technique to obtain proper contrast of structural defects suitable for QTM analysis was perfected

Construction contractors involvement in disaster management planning

Disasters, both natural and man-made, cause major damage and loss of life. Because of this, governments around the world are looking at building resilience to ensure communities can recover quickly and have minimal impact from a disaster. Part of building resilience is to plan for disaster management and recovery. Literature reveals that construction contractors can play a critical role within this process as they have control of resource supply chains and key knowledge and skills they are well suited to assist in disaster planning. However, as literature also reveals there is currently little involvement of construction contractors in the disaster planning process. This gap between what should be done and what is currently done is investigated. Representatives from industry bodies are interviewed to determine their understanding of the industry’s involvement in disaster planning and what capacity the industry might have to be involved. The interviewee’s responses agree with current literature that there is currently little or no involvement with disaster planning however there is interest in being involved with disaster management planning if there was a forum for this to occur. Based on the responses the researcher has proposed a model to engage construction contractors within state government disaster management planning

The hand operated bridge press for ground nut and shea nut processing: A financial and socio-economic appraisal

The present report presents the findings of the socio-economist who visited Ghana in March 1995 as a member of a team to carry out an appraisal of two technologies with potential for field use in Ghana. These were (a) a mincer/extruder for extraction of oil from groundnuts; (b) a bridge press for the extraction of cocoa butter and shea butter

Smallholder outgrower schemes in Zambia

The research was carried out in Zambia in March 1996 under the Overseas Development Administration's Crop Post-Harvest Research Programme. It followed earlier desk research into outgrower schemes in Sub Saharan Africa

Is a Library Department Chair Essential?: The Development of the Library De- partment Chair at Central Washington University

The combined position of University Archivist and Library Department Chair in the James E. Brooks Library at Central Washington University (CWU) in Ellensburg, Washington is unique and draws cu- riosity as to what other academic libraries have department chairs and what is their specific area of librarianship. This article provides a review of literature on the responsibilities of department chairs and their vitality, as well as publications specifically referencing library department chairs. A compar- ison of the CWU library department chair to another library faculty chair in the Orbis Cascade Alli- ance is also provided. The history of the chair position at Brooks Library is examined as is the makeup of the library faculty. Resources for chairs at CWU and personal strategies that have proved effective in being a leader of library faculty are described

“You Have to Want It”: A Pervasive Mental Model of Addiction Recovery and Its Implications for Sustaining Change

Background: Addiction to illicit drugs is a complex phenomenon characterized by cyclical patterns of relapse, remission, and, for some, a full recovery. People who use drugs (PWUD) and their loved ones form ‘mental models’ of recovery that develop over time through experience and observation. The role of these mental models and how they interact to undermine or support recovery is poorly understood. Therefore, this study asks: 1) What do people who use drugs and their loved ones believe it takes to successfully recover from addiction? and 2) Given these beliefs about recovery and the available evidence on remission, relapse, and recovery, what places to intervene and leverage points would support recovery and prevent relapse? Methods: Data were collected from in-depth qualitative interviews with 14 people who use drugs (PWUD) and 10 loved ones of PWUD (“loved ones”) in a rural county in Missouri to elicit their mental models of addiction recovery. A grounded theory was developed and translated into mathematical equations to build a system dynamics model. System dynamics is a method to understand systems in terms of their interacting reinforcing and balancing feedback loops. The model was calibrated to replicate a prototypical pattern of addiction relapse, remission, and recovery. The grounded theory and model experiments were used to identify leverage points for sustaining positive change (i.e., recovery). Results: Participants believed that “you have to want it” to recover from addiction, where “wanting it” means improved social role functioning, seeking support, and abstinence. Insufficient proof of “wanting it” leads some loved ones to withdraw their support, which reinforces the addiction cycle. Model simulations show that expectations for social role functioning are a key driver of addiction and recovery. Changing the model structure so that support is not contingent on proof of “wanting it” has negligible immediate impact on drug use but creates the strongest eventual recovery. Support that is no longer contingent increases expectations for social role functioning, the benefits of which accumulate over time. When these benefits combine with strong balancing feedback loops, the recovery is stronger. Discussion: Increasing expectations for social role functioning is a key leverage point for recovery from addiction (i.e., for sustaining change). Support can be a critical factor that increases expectations. However, “wanting it” is, in effect, to no longer be addicted, meaning that many PWUD do not get support when they need it most because they have not yet proven to others that they can respond rationally to negative consequences. Thus, expectations must also be increased through means other than support from loved ones, including connecting with others who have similar lived experiences, and sustainable, meaningful changes in social role functioning. This requires social welfare, health, and criminal justice policies and programs that reverse, not merely slow down or even strengthen, the reinforcing loops that drive addiction