Youth citizenship, national unity and poverty alleviation: East and West African approaches to the education of a new generation

Youth citizenship is now on the international agenda. This paper explores what that concept might mean in the context of two African nations: Kenya and Ghana. Post independence, both countries focused on rethinking the colonial concept of citizenship in line with their political-cultural traditions, providing education for all youth and to encouraging new notions of national citizenship. Programmes for civic education were established that have been reshaped over the last fifty years. These citizenship education programmes display the tension between different political goals of national unity, economic progress and the promotion of human rights, working with diversity, and encouraging collective responsibility and individual development. The aim is to use the education of the citizen to encourage civic engagement although there is evidence that these programmes might not, for a variety of reasons, engage all young people into the nation building project. The paper considers evidence from a wide range of documentary and social scientific sources to open debate about how to encourage young people's citizenship within the project of poverty alleviation

Determinants of Adoption of Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies at Farm Plot Level: An Assessment from Southern Tanzania

This chapter assessed the influence of socioeconomic factors, plot characteristics, food security, and climatic variables on the adoption of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies in southern Tanzania. Using data collected from 357 households and 464 agricultural plots, a multivariate probit model (MVP) was estimated to assess determinants of adoption of CSA technologies, allowing for interdependence and trade-offs among technologies. The technologies considered included agroforestry, minimum tillage, improved crop varieties, manure, and irrigation. Results showed that slope of the plot, soil organic carbon (SOC) content, food security status, mean monthly precipitation and mean monthly temperature influenced the decision to adopt CSA technologies. Other factors that also influenced adoption included literacy index, access to agricultural information, credit, livestock ownership, and assets endowment. We further found complementarities in adoption between improved varieties and manure as well as agroforestry. The chapter recommends increased access to agricultural information and credit to enhance adoption of CSA technologies

IgE and mast cells in host defense against parasites and venoms.

IgE-dependent mast cell activation is a major effector mechanism underlying the pathology associated with allergic disorders. The most dramatic of these IgE-associated disorders is the fatal anaphylaxis which can occur in some people who have developed IgE antibodies to otherwise innocuous antigens, such as those contained in certain foods and medicines. Why would such a highly "maladaptive" immune response develop in evolution and be retained to the present day? Host defense against parasites has long been considered the only beneficial function that might be conferred by IgE and mast cells. However, recent studies have provided evidence that, in addition to participating in host resistance to certain parasites, mast cells and IgE are critical components of innate (mast cells) and adaptive (mast cells and IgE) immune responses that can enhance host defense against the toxicity of certain arthropod and animal venoms, including enhancing the survival of mice injected with such venoms. Yet, in some people, developing IgE antibodies to insect or snake venoms puts them at risk for having a potentially fatal anaphylactic reaction upon subsequent exposure to such venoms. Delineating the mechanisms underlying beneficial versus detrimental innate and adaptive immune responses associated with mast cell activation and IgE is likely to enhance our ability to identify potential therapeutic targets in such settings, not only for reducing the pathology associated with allergic disorders but perhaps also for enhancing immune protection against pathogens and animal venoms