SOIL CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES AND PRODUCTIVITY OF ARABLE CROP FARMERS IN KOGI STATE, NIGERIA

The study examined soil conservation techniques and its effect on productivity of arable crop farmers in Kogi state, Nigeria. Data were collected from 184 farmers using three stage sampling technique.  Data analyses were carried out using descriptive statistics, Total Factor Productivity (TFP) and regression analysis. Result shows that the soil conservation technique prevalent in the area was application of inorganic fertilizer. About 36.4% of the sampled household heads have productivity value above average across all the soil conservation categories (productive). Result also reveals that age (-1.801), household size (-0.310) and access to credit (-0.056) impacted arable crop farmers negatively while alley cropping (0.357), crop rotation (0.380), application of inorganic fertilizer (0.503), mulching (0.560) and organic manure (0.373) positively impacted arable farmers’ productivity.  The study concludes that soil conservation techniques are productivity enhancer. Promoting sustainable conservation techniques that are farm or farmer specific is recommended.   &nbsp

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries