Enhancing farming system water productivity through alternative land use and improved water management of rainfed agriculture in Vertisol areas

Waterlogged Vertisols are amongst the high potential soils where management interventions could result in positive impacts. This study utilized soil, climate and crop and livestock productivity data and models to demonstrate intensification strategies which increase crop–livestock system productivity and to understand the effects of alternative land use and water management options on water productivity in the Vertisols areas. The areas have been classified into three slope classes including areas where artificial drainage is not feasible, where Broad Bed and Furrows (BBF) can be used to drain the excess water and naturally drained areas, represented by areas with 0–2%, 2–5% and over 5% slope steepness, respectively. Early planting of wheat (Triticum spp) using BBF on drainable areas and rice (Oryza sativa) or grasspea (Lathyrus sativus) on the flat areas were compared with the traditional practices. Yield and biomass data were obtained from research stations in the area whilst the effective rainfall and crop water requirement were estimated using CROPWAT Model. The feed value of the native grass and crop straw was estimated based on previous works. With respect to effective rainfall, the water productivity increase due to BBF over the control ranged from 5 to 200%, with an average increase of 57%. Despite higher water consumption of the rice, feeding its residues to livestock enhanced the overall economic water productivity of the system over the natural grazing or grasspea cultivation. Consequently, use of BBF enables growing high value or food crops of choice that may be sensitive to waterlogging whilst tolerant crops can be grown on flat lands allowing utilization of the full growing period. Coupled with livestock integration into the system, the alternatives can enhance food production and resource use efficiency from these ‘marginal’ areas

Analysis of water delivery performance of smallholder irrigation schemes in Ethiopia: Diversity and lessons across schemes, typologies and reaches

Irrigation systems consist of three interdependent components involving: the irrigation scheme, the on-farm management and the organizations. The irrigation scheme refers to the infrastructure for water acquisition and distribution (water delivery). This study focused on water delivery performance of 10 smallholders irrigation schemes in four regions of Ethiopia, representing diverse water sources, distribution systems, command areas (50–6000 ha) and number of beneficiary farmers (233–500 farm households) and across agro-ecologies as represented by elevation ranges (1500–2725 masl). Relative irrigation supply (RIS), irrigation intensity (Ii), cropping intensity (CI), farm level adequacy (FLA), sustainability of irrigated land (SIL), and equity and field application efficiency were employed as performance indicators. The study involved focus group discussions, household surveys and measurements of water flow across selected points of water delivery systems during 2014/2015 cropping season. More than 300 sample farmers were selected randomly from different reaches (head, mid and tail) of the schemes and before the analysis the 10 irrigation schemes were clustered into three typologies (modern, semi-modern and traditional schemes) using seven comprehensive and weighted indicators. The result showed that irrigation typology developed in this study enabled to identify three relatively homogeneous irrigation schemes typologies: modern, semi-modern and traditional. There was apparent diversity of the study schemes in terms of indicators used. At typology level, as illustrated by the RIS, the highest amount of water was diverted for semi-modern schemes (RIS of 3.84); while the highest water delivery at farm relative delivery (FRD) was recorded for the modern schemes (FRD 2.21). Traditional schemes consistently showed lower value for both RIS and FRD. Regardless of their typologies, all study schemes suffer from mismatch of water demand and supply. The lower the RIS and FRD values, the stronger was the water supply disparities between irrigation reaches. Assessment of farmers’ perception on fairness of irrigation water delivery substantiate these arguments. Implicitly, it is important to track the fate of diverted excess water. Field observation and empirical evidences show divergent points of losses of excess water indicating focus areas of improved water conservation on smallholder irrigation schemes. For example the largest proportion of over supplied water (~100%) in the semimodern schemes and in traditional schemes was lost in the conveyance and distribution systems. For modern schemes water losses in the processes of conveyance was low (26%), while the significant proportion of water (76%) was lost on farm. In view of this evidence, we concluded that irrigation schemes in Ethiopia, regardless of their typology, have low water delivery performance. As every scheme has shown its own strength and weakness, concluding sustainability in terms of typology is misleading and this suggests that policy directions should be based on composite sustainability indices

Vaccine safety practices and its implementation barriers in Northwest Ethiopia: A qualitative study

AbstractIntroduction: Even if immunization coverage increases over time, it is imperative to ascertain the safety and efficient coverage of immunization services. However, evidence on the safety practices of vaccines is limited. Assessing the implementation status of vaccine safety practices and its implementation barriers is crucial for program monitoring, interventions, and improvements. Therefore, this study aimed to assess vaccine safety practices and its implementation barriers in the public health facilities of Northwest Ethiopia.Aim: The objective of this study was to assess the safety practices of vaccines and to explore its implementation barriers.Methods: A qualitative research approach was adopted for this study. Face-to-face in-depth interviews with key-informants and immunization session-observations were the main data collection methods used in this study. Study participants were purposively selected based on their experience and knowledge about the subject matter and framework analysis was performed.Result: The study's findings revealed that the safety practices of vaccines from the cold chain system, vaccine administration and waste disposal and management perspective was suboptimal. Many barriers influencing vaccine safety practices were also explored. They are 1) vaccine storage and handling, 2). vaccine administration/delivery, 3) waste disposal and management, 4) communication, 5) monitoring and evaluation and 6) and resource.Conclusion: Efforts to promote the safety of vaccines and vaccination practices is a complex phenomenon and demands multidisciplinary action. Based on our findings, improved vaccine storage and handling, proper administration of vaccines based on guidelines, proper disposal and management of waste, and effective communication, and monitoring can contribute to the safe delivery of vaccination practices. Furthermore, improving the financial freedom of the facilities could increase the availability of essential resources and equipment that can safely store vaccines. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2021; 35(SI-3): 111-117]Keywords: Immunization safety practice, Qualitative study, Framework analysis, Northwest Ethiopi

How to optimize health facilities and community linkage in order to enhance immunization service? The case of West Amhara Region, Ethiopia

AbstractBackground: Health facility-community linkages are important in designing community-level interventions, appropriate immunization service provision modalities, and changing unhealthy behaviors. However, there is limited evidence on the influence of community and facility linkage on vaccination services in Ethiopia.Aim: This study aimed to explore how the linkage between health facilitiesa and the community could be optimized in order to enhance immunization services.Methods: A Phenomenological study design, using an explanatory approach was applied in the two districts (Shebele Berenta & South Achefer district) of the Amhara region for the month of June , 2020. Forty-six key informants were interviewed using an interview guide and data was analyzed using open code version 4.02. The data was coded, and thematic analysis was applied.Results: The finding revealed that there were community platforms to facilitate community and health facility linkage. Respondents also perceived that the community to health facility linkage was an effective strategy for the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) service provision. The study revealed that perception of health care providers, health care providers attitude and practices, shortages of stock (medication and supplies), distance from main road and transportation, irregularity in the implementation of rules and regulations, lack of incentives, inadequate counseling and support, lack of awareness, shortages of human resources and lack of training support for health care workers were barriers for effective community-health facility linkage.Conclusion: The linkage of community and facilities were not approached in the same manner within districts and facilities. Therefore, strengthening a common system for community-health facility linkage and community engagement is critical during immunization services. Establishing a strong strategy of incentivizing mechanisms is vital for the effective implementation of immunization services. An advocacy strategy to mobilize engagement among policy and decision-makers, and other key stakeholders was an important strategy for improving the program. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2021; 35(SI-3):75-85]Keywords: Community, Facility linkage, EPI, Amhara Region, Ethiopi

Magnitude of unintended pregnancy and its determinants among childbearing age women in low and middle-income countries: evidence from 61 low and middle income countries

BackgroundUnintended pregnancy is one of the most serious health issues in low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), posing significant health, economic, and psychosocial costs to individuals and communities. However, there is limited evidence on the prevalence of unintended pregnancies and their determinants in LMICs. Hence, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of unintended pregnancy and its associated factors among childbearing-age women in LMICs.MethodData for the study were drawn from a recent 61 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted in LMICs. A total sample of 187,347 mothers who gave birth in the five years preceding the survey was included. STATA version 16 was used to clean and analyze the data. Multilevel multivariable logistic regression was employed to identify individual and community-level factors of unintended pregnancy in LMICs. In the multivariable analysis, an adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence level was reported to indicate statistical association.ResultsThe pooled magnitude of unintended pregnancy in LMICs was 26.46%% (95% CI: 25.30%, 27.62%), ranging from 19.25%% in Egypt to 61.71% in Bolivia. Working status (AOR =  1.03; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.06), having a husband with no education (AOR = 1.07; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.15), and primary education (AOR =  1.05; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.11), women from male-headed households (AOR = 1.04; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.08), media exposure (AOR = 1.05; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.08), unmet need for contraception (AOR = 1.05; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.08), distance from a health facility (AOR = 1.03; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.06) were significantly associated with unintended pregnancy.ConclusionUnintended pregnancy rates remain high in LMICs. Women whose husband has no education and primary education, women with media exposure, working status, women who live in a household headed by male, women with unmet need for contraception, and women with a big problem of distance to health facilities were variables that were significant predictors of unintended pregnancy. When attempting to minimize unintended pregnancy in LMICs, these factors need to be considered. Furthermore, most of these attempts should be driven by government entities in low and middle-income countries