Development of improved wheat genotypes in Zambia using incomplete resistance against rusts.

A low-cost breeding programme was used to develop high-yielding lines within six years. The lines had stable and incomplete resistance to Puccinia graminis, uniform resistance to Puccinia recondita and stable and adequate resistance to various pathogens and pests. Locally selected parental genotypes with incomplete resistance to the Puccinia species were used and crossing was carried out on a large scale with few personnel, using a male gametocide (Ethrel [ethephon]). (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission

Sappho is Worth More Than A Discussion of Her Sexuality: A Historiographical Analysis

Previous scholarship has overanalyzed Sappho’s object preference more than her male counterparts. By examining the historiographical analyses of Sappho, as well as the progression of ideas throughout these analyses, we can easily see what past scholars have focused on, Sappho’s sexuality, and the inherent biases they have brought to the table. Sappho is worth more than her sexuality; it is important to study Sappho’s work within her social and cultural context in order to examine how her poetry was received in her own time as well as how her writing may reflect the values of her society. The methodology we use when we approach Sappho must be altered. Rather than debating Sappho’s sexuality based on modern biases, it is important to examine the language used within her poems to understand Sappho in her own context. The goal of this article is not to analyze a different aspect of Sappho. Rather, it aims to review past literary studies to show how there has been a problematic focus on Sappho’s sexuality, and that there is more knowledge to glean regarding antiquity if such focus is set aside

Luctor et emergo, exploring contextual variance in factors that enable adolescent resilience to flooding

Knowing that by 2020, 175 million children and adolescents are expected to annually be affected by "natural" disasters, this article sets out to explore what factors enable their resilience. It additionally questions to what extent resilience enabling factors are similar across the globe, or context-specific. It draws on quantitative empirical evidence (N=1887 adolescents) from flood prone areas in Indonesia, Burkina Faso and Bolivia. A resilience-enabling model, containing three internal factors (cognitive, behavioral, spiritual) and four external resilience factors (social, political, economic and environmental) is studied. The findings firstly show that what enables resilience is not an either-or matter, but that in chorus, both individual traits as well as socio-environmental resources have a protective function. Secondly, regardless of the adolescents' context, especially spirituality and social relations are perceived most helpful. Eye-catching is that these non-Western adolescents show a high sense of duty and high levels of empathy and responsiveness to others. Larger differences are found when it concerns the protective function of the cognitive, physical environmental and economic factor. Thirdly what helps adolescents to deal with flooding proves to be influenced by their sex, age and exposure to flooding. Male adolescents' experience more support than the females, from both the internal and external factors. In addition, as the adolescents' age increases, the protective function of the internal resilience factors (cognitive and behavioral) increases and that of the external factors (economic and physical-environmental) decreases. The study concludes that when aiming to enhance adolescent resilience, it is of great importance to understand resilience as a multi-factorial concept and to identify when to assume likeliness and when to take context specific approaches

Crowding-out or crowding-in? Effects of LEAP 1000 unconditional cash transfer program on household and community support among women in rural Ghana

Social protection programs are not introduced in a vacuum and it is important to understand what effects such programs have on existing informal support networks of family, friends and community members. A social cash transfer may reduce receipt of informal financial support, which can water down part of the program's impact. However, cash transfers can also reduce barriers to social participation and enable participants to engage in reciprocal support systems. We use data from the quasi-experimental mixed method impact evaluation of Ghana's Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) 1000 program, a social cash transfer program for pregnant women and mothers of children under one year living in poverty, to estimate program effects on social support and participation. Using a difference-in-differences approach we find that LEAP 1000 increases overall social support, as well as both emotional and instrumental support. In addition, program beneficiaries are more likely to participate in community groups. In in-depth interviews, participants confirmed increased support with descriptions of improved access to financial markets, such as borrowing money or contributing to local savings schemes, and strengthening of social participation in local groups and gatherings. Beneficiary women also highlighted reduced need for economic support and new opportunities to support others. By creating opportunities for additional social support within the household and community, LEAP 1000 crowded-in support, rather than reducing existing sources of support or crowding-out support

Improvement of wheat in Zambia using incomplete resistance against rusts

The programme of wheat improvement developed in Zambia used local facilities (finance, personnel, infrastructure), low budget, and few personnel. Incomplete resistance against rusts was used to obtain durable resistance.The abiotic conditions, socio-economic status of the farmers, cropping methods, economic aims of wheat production and the status of research are described. Pests and diseases are discussed including some which are yet of minor importance. Possible grain yield losses are estimated.Recent literature on stem and leaf rusts in southern Africa is reviewed; epidemiology of both rusts, race shifts, seasonal variations in development, yield losses, and possible effects of an increase in wheat area are considered. Selections exhibiting stable incomplete resistance may have differential resistance.Qualitative and quantitative plant characteristics are described and results of trials from various irrigation seasons, are discussed. Selection criteria are given.Avoidance of differential resistance, selection of parent genotypes. multiple crosses using Ethrel, breeding scenarios, implementation of selection and management of trials are described.Suitable lines for irrigated, dambo and seepage wheat production were produced within 5 years by means of different scenarios. Resistance to helminthosporium and tolerance to low pH needed improvement, resistance to various pests and diseases was incomplete but adequate.Opportunities for increasing wheat production in Zambia are discussed, and possible uses of the new lines indicated.<p/

THREE ESSAYS ON HOUSEHOLD WELL-BEING IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

This dissertation focuses on the relationship between children’s height, child development and school attendance in Zambia, and the impact of cash transfer programs on social support in Ghana and Malawi. For the analyses I use data from a seven-year panel, and from two longitudinal mixed-methods program impact evaluations. The first chapter compares height with a broader measure of school readiness focused on skills and ability. I estimate effects of past height-for-age and past school readiness on school attendance using a fixed effects-instrumental variable estimator. Both variables contribute to attendance when estimated separately. When included simultaneously, readiness has an independent positive effect on attendance, while height is insignificant. This suggests that early-life interventions moving beyond growth and addressing child development more holistically can affect future human capital. The second and third chapter are mixed-methods analyses examining whether the introduction of a cash transfer program ‘crowds-out’ social support from family, friends and neighbors. In Ghana, difference-in-differences estimates show that the perception of social support increased due to the cash transfer. Beneficiary women confirmed these findings in qualitative interviews sharing experiences of increased ability to obtain soft loans and to enter savings groups, and participation in social gatherings for which contributions or appropriate attire were required. In Malawi, I focus on both stress and social support, to understand whether access to the cash transfer and social support mitigates poverty-related stress. Difference-in-differences estimators indicate that the cash transfer decreased stress but did not affect financial social support from persons outside the household. Interviews with beneficiaries provided further insight. The cash transfer helped to reduce food insecurity and stress around children’s needs, but due to its limited size caregivers still needed additional support when the cash transfer ran out. For both programs there is no evidence for crowding-out of social support, which would have resulted in a dilution of program impact due to a reduction in social support. In other words, the cash transfer programs in Ghana and Malawi complemented existing sources of social support and contributed to the overall positive evidence of the impact of cash transfers on household well-being.Doctor of Philosoph

Accountability for the human right to health through treaty monitoring: Human rights treaty bodies and the influence of concluding observations

Employing novel coding methods to evaluate human rights monitoring, this article examines the influence of United Nations (UN) treaty bodies on national implementation of the human right to health. The advancement of the right to health in the UN human rights system has shifted over the past 20 years from the development of norms under international law to the implementation of those norms through national policy. Facilitating accountability for this rights-based policy implementation under the right to health, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) monitors state implementation by reviewing periodic reports from state parties, engaging in formal sessions of ‘constructive dialogue’ with state representatives, and issuing concluding observations for state response. These concluding observations recognise the positive steps taken by states and highlight the principal areas of CESCR concern, providing recommendations for implementing human rights and detailing issues to be addressed in the next state report. Through analytic coding of the normative indicators of the right to health in both state reports and concluding observations, this article provides an empirical basis to understand the policy effects of the CESCR monitoring process on state implementation of the right to health

Humanitarian governance and resilience building: Ethiopia in comparative perspective

Humanitarian governance is usually understood according to the classic, Dunantist paradigm that accords central importance to international humanitarian agencies. However, this is increasingly paralleled by ‘resilience humanitarianism’ that focuses, among other things, on including national actors in humanitarian governance. This article views humanitarian governance as emerging through interactions between authorities, implementing agencies and communities. It is based on interactive ethnography in five countries by Partners for Resilience (PfR). Using the Theory of Change (ToC) tool, it analyses the various interpretations and priorities of actors involved in humanitarian problems, solutions and programme governance. For example, PfR had a ‘software’ focus, aiming to unlock communities’ potential for resilience, whereas communities and authorities preferred to receive tangible ‘hardware’ support. The findings highlight the crucial role of local authorities in shaping humanitarian aid. This is especially pertinent in view of the international agenda to localise aid, which requires the understanding and support of national actors in order to responsibly protect the vulnerable