Assessment of Beekeeping as an Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change in Iramba District

The effects of climate change in Tanzania affect rain fed agriculture and reduce the productivity in most parts of Tanzania. Indigenous knowledge and different agricultural strategies, on how to diversify to other agricultural activity like beekeeping has been adopted by different communities in Tanzania, especially in semi-arid areas. This paper focuses on assessing potentials of beekeeping as an adaptation strategy against impacts of climate change in Iramba District. The research used different methods in collecting information such as key informants’ interviews, focus group discussions and observation methods. Secondary data were collected through documentary review, while the questionnaire was administered to 150 heads of households from four villages namely: Kyalosangi, Galangala, Mdonkolo and Songambele. The results show that over a period of 30 years, about 77% of respondents reported decrease in maize and 78% decrease in sunflower productivity. In interviews, the respondents indicated that they have shifted to beekeeping which contributes more to household’s income than land tilling which is rain-fed.  This is supported by 33.1% who were attracted in beekeeping for income purposes. The average honey production per hive ranges from 10 – 15 Lts/hive in top bar hives and frame hives, while traditional hives ranges between 5 – 10 Lts/hive. This study therefore recommends provision of appropriate capacity building and financial support to beekeepers in order to optimize production of bee products in the study area

Assessment of Beekeeping as an Adaptation Strategy Against Impacts of Climate Change in Iramba District.

The effects of climate change in Tanzania affect rain fed agriculture and reduce the productivity in most parts of Tanzania. Indigenous knowledge and different agricultural strategies, on how to diversify to other agricultural activity like beekeeping has been adopted by different communities in Tanzania, especially in semi-arid areas. This paper focuses on assessing potentials of beekeeping as an adaptation strategy against impacts of climate change in Iramba District. The research used different methods in collecting information such as key informants’ interviews, focus group discussions and observation methods. Secondary data were collected through documentary review, while the questionnaire was administered to 150 heads of households from four villages namely: Kyalosangi, Galangala, Mdonkolo and Songambele. The results show that over a period of 30 years, about 77% of respondents reported decrease in maize and 78% decrease in sunflower productivity. In interviews, the respondents indicated that they have shifted to beekeeping, which contributes more to household’s income than land tilling which is rain-fed. This is supported by 33.1% who were attracted in beekeeping for income purposes. The average honey production per hive ranges from 10 – 15 Lts/hive in top bar hives and frame hives, while traditional hives ranges between 5 – 10 Lts/hive. This study therefore recommends provision of appropriate capacity building and financial support to beekeepers in order to optimize production of bee products in the study area. Keywords: Climate change, adaptation strategy, agriculture, beekeeping, and rain-fed agricultur

School Teachers’ Health and ‘Therapeutic Citizenship’ in Zambia: Problems and Prospects

A treatable illness, HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) has both latent and visible psychological, social and economic effects on infected and affected individuals. School teachers as a key population and large civil service workforce in Zambia, appear to have distinct representations of HIV citizenship and ART (Antiretroviral Therapy) experiences. This study employed a qualitative and thematic analytical approach to examine the notion of therapeutic citizenship as represented by school teachers in Zambia. The aim of this paper is to explore ways through which HIV positive teachers position themselves in citizen experiences of living with HIV and on ART, which are important framings of ‘therapeutic citizenship’. Semi-structured interviews with 41 HIV positive teachers in Zambia aged between 25 and 55 were conducted. Transcripts were processed using NVivo Pro 12®, following a thematic analytic methodology. The results show that gender, location, social and professional life play a role in how HIV-citizenship is represented and appropriated. The unending treatment practices around HIV can portray individuals’ self-narratives as ‘resistant’ subjects by, for instance, describing them as victims of ‘pharmaceutical colonialism’ in Zambia. Findings suggest that identity entanglements and fragmentation of selfhood in biomedicine and biopolitics seem to be a pivot for critical citizens, such as the participants of this study. HIV programmes must be aimed at people in Zambia who know little about some newer aspects of HIV treatment which if known about could be destigmatising for people who are negative and positive and could help reduce incidence for younger and older people. Keywords: ART, Health, HIV, Therapeutic Citizenship, Teachers, Zambia DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-36-16 Publication date: December 31st 202

Molecular Typing and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in raw milk can be transmitted from animals to humans, and in Tanzania raw milk is sold in local markets and consumed as purchased. This study was performed to determine the molecular characteristics and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of MRSA strains isolated from raw bovine milk sold at local markets in Tanzania. A total of 117 raw milk samples were cultured on Baird-Parker medium to isolate S. aureus and PCR was used for amplification of gltB gene for S. aureus identification and the presence of mecA gene for methicillin-resistant strains. Coagulase-negative (CN) S. aureus were reconfirmed using tube coagulase, DNase, and API Staph tests. MRSA isolates were spa typed whereas antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by the disc diffusion method. Forty-six coagulase positives (CP) and two CN S. aureus were identified. Most strains were resistant to penicillin (72%), and 3 isolates: 2 CN S. aureus and 1 coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CNS), were phenotypically resistant to vancomycin, oxacillin, and cefoxitin and were confirmed to carry mecA. Resistance to clindamycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and tetracycline was 23.9%, 30.4%, and 41.3%, respectively. Twelve isolates exhibited multidrug resistance; however, only one mecA positive strain among the three was typeable and belonged to spa type t2603. This study reports for the first time the presence of CN variant of MRSA, which was assigned the spa type t2603, and the presence of multidrug resistant S. aureus isolates from bovine milk in Morogoro, Tanzania

Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Microbiology of Cobalt in Mining-Affected Environments

This is the final version. Available on open access from MDPI via the DOI in this recordData Availability Statement: Data sharing not applicable. No new data were created or analyzed in this study. Data sharing is not applicable to this article.Cobalt is recognised by the European Commission as a “Critical Raw Material” due to its irreplaceable functionality in many types of modern technology, combined with its current high-risk status associated with its supply. Despite such importance, there remain major knowledge gaps with regard to the geochemistry, mineralogy, and microbiology of cobalt-bearing environments, particularly those associated with ore deposits and subsequent mining operations. In such environments, high concentrations of Co (up to 34,400 mg/L in mine water, 14,165 mg/kg in tailings, 21,134 mg/kg in soils, and 18,434 mg/kg in stream sediments) have been documented. Co is contained in ore and mine waste in a wide variety of primary (e.g., cobaltite, carrolite, and erythrite) and secondary (e.g., erythrite, heterogenite) minerals. When exposed to low pH conditions, a number of such minerals are known to undergo dissolution, typically forming Co2+(aq). At circumneutral pH, such aqueous Co can then become immobilised by co-precipitation and/or sorption onto Fe and Mn(oxyhydr)oxides. This paper brings together contemporary knowledge on such Co cycling across different mining environments. Further research is required to gain a truly robust understanding of the Co-system in mining-affected environments. Key knowledge gaps include the mechanics and kinetics of secondary Co-bearing mineral environmental transformation, the extent at which such environmental cycling is facilitated by microbial activity, the nature of Co speciation across different Eh-pH conditions, and the environmental and human toxicity of Co.UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO

The effectiveness and complementarity of field days and small seed packs (SSPs) in delivering Dryland Cereal technologies: A survey of field day participants and agro-vets in Singida and Iramba districts of central Tanzania, Working Paper Series No. 61

This paper is about the result of a survey done in the 2014-2015 cropping season of field day participants and agro-vets who were facilitated to market SSPs and SFPs in Singida and Iramba districts of Tanzania. The objective of the survey was to determine whether there was any correlation between awareness creation and preferences reported during field days and the demand for technological inputs from the agro-vets. The results showed a strong complementarity between the dissemination of information on improved technologies during field days and the retailing of SSPs and SFPs in agro-vets. The field days help in creating awareness about the benefits and attributes of available improved sorghum and finger millet varieties and associated agronomic recommendations; while retailing of the SSPs and SFPs by the agro-vets not only helps promote the demand for improved technological inputs but also enhances their accessibility as SSPs and SFPs are more affordable to resource poor farmers. Therefore, having field days for awareness creation without improving accessibility of technological inputs through sale of SSPs and SFPs or vice versa is futile and does not lead to enhanced experimentation and adoption of improved technologies by target farmers..

Participatory Variety Selection for enhanced promotion and adoption of improved finger millet varieties: A case for Singida and Iramba Districts in Central Tanzania

Participatory variety selection (PVS) is an approach which provides a wide choice of varieties to farmers to evaluate in their own environment using their own resources for increasing production. It enhances farmer’s access to diverse crop varieties, increases production and ensures food security and helps faster dissemination and adoption of pre and released varieties. It allows varietal selection in targeted areas at cost-effective and timely manner and helps promotion of community seed production and community seed banks. Therefore, a variety developed through PVS usually meets demand of different stakeholders. Farmers in Singida and Iramba districts in central Tanzania were found to be growing land races which were low yielding, long maturing, drought and disease susceptible, as no variety had previously been released in Tanzania. Through PVS a broader choice of varieties that matched farmer needs in adaptation and quality traits was offered for evaluation. As such PVS was used to introduce, evaluate, release and promote for adoption finger millet varieties in Central and Northern Tanzania. Farmers selected and adopted new varieties of a higher utility (a combination of improved agronomic traits, higher yield, and improved quality). Through PVS Tanzania released her first finger millet varieties (U15 and P224). Adoption of the varieties was very high as farmers associated with the varieties; and affordable high quality seed was made available as Quality Declared Seed (QDS) produced by the target farmer groups. Preferred traits differed between the gender groups; women preferred risk averting traits like short duration, drought tolerance, compact heads and disease resistance while male preferred market related traits (high yield, brown colour and big head

Reconstructing Asian faunal introductions to eastern Africa from multi-proxy biomolecular and archaeological datasets

Human-mediated biological exchange has had global social and ecological impacts. In subS-aharan Africa, several domestic and commensal animals were introduced from Asia in the pre-modern period; however, the timing and nature of these introductions remain contentious. One model supports introduction to the eastern African coast after the mid-first millennium CE, while another posits introduction dating back to 3000 BCE. These distinct scenarios have implications for understanding the emergence of long-distance maritime connectivity, and the ecological and economic impacts of introduced species. Resolution of this longstanding debate requires new efforts, given the lack of well-dated fauna from high-precision excavations, and ambiguous osteomorphological identifications. We analysed faunal remains from 22 eastern African sites spanning a wide geographic and chronological range, and applied biomolecular techniques to confirm identifications of two Asian taxa: domestic chicken (Gallus gallus) and black rat (Rattus rattus). Our approach included ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis aided by BLAST-based bioinformatics, Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS) collagen fingerprinting, and direct AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) radiocarbon dating. Our results support a late, mid-first millennium CE introduction of these species. We discuss the implications of our findings for models of biological exchange, and emphasize the applicability of our approach to tropical areas with poor bone preservation

The environmental geochemistry and mineralogy of cobalt in mining-affected environments

Mine wastes can pose environmental and human health risks, especially when they contain high levels of mobile metal(loid)s. In this study, the geochemistry, mineralogy and bioaccessibility of Co in mine-affected environments was investigated. The focus was to characterise the geochemistry and mineralogy of Co, combining with sequential extraction procedures and in vitro bioaccessibility tests, to assess the environmental and health risks of the mine wastes originating from legacy mining environments in Cobalt, Canada, and Cornwall, UK. Bulk geochemical results indicated that Co was elevated up to 5630 mg kg-1 in the Nipissing high grade tailings, and 1230 mg kg-1 in the Nipissing low grade tailings at Cobalt. This concentration was by several orders of magnitude higher than at Poldice, Wheal Unity, and Dolcoath mine sites, where the Co concentration was 40 mg kg-1, 76 mg kg-1, and 59 mg kg-1, respectively. BCR-sequential extraction tests results show that in both settings Co was in an exchangeable phase - suggesting that it is mobile in the environment. Mineralogical analysis indicated that erythrite was the most important secondary Co bearing mineral widespread in the Nipissing tailings. Other secondary minerals to which Co occurred in included arseniosiderite, scorodite, and Fe oxyhydroxides. Primary Co bearing minerals identified included cobaltite and safflorite-skutterudite. Cobalt also occurred in other primary minerals including arsenopyrite, loellingite, pyrite and chalcopyrite. At the sites in Cornwall, however, Co bearing primary and secondary minerals were not identified in the samples. Cobalt occurred in the primary minerals arsenopyrite, pyrite, and chalcopyrite and in secondary minerals such as scorodite, and Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides. The lung bioaccessible fraction of Co was higher when extracted in the artificial lysosomal fluids than in Gamble’s solution, varying from 68-88% for samples collected from Cobalt, whilst 28-37% from the Cornish sites. Similarly, the gastric phase, owing to its low pH (2), had the most Co extracted in the intestinal phase (pH 7). Gastric bioaccessibility percentages varied from 44-88% for the samples collected from Cobalt, whilst 21-38% for the Cornish samples. These results combined with the risk assessment code highlight the highly mobile nature of Co, indicating that this metal(loid)s may pose considerable risk to humans and the environment