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Transformations to groundwater sustainability: from individuals and pumps to communities and aquifers
Get PDFThis research article published by Elsevier Ltd., 2021If the success of agricultural intensification continues to rely on the depletion of aquifers and exploitation of (female) labour, transformations to groundwater sustainability will be impossible to achieve. Hence, the development of new groundwater imaginaries, based on alternative ways of organizing society-water relations is highly important. This paper argues that a comparative documentation of grass-roots initiatives to care for, share or recharge aquifers in places with acute resource pressures provides an important source of inspiration. Using a grounded anti-colonial and feminist approach, we combine an ethnographic documentation of groundwater practices with hydrogeological and engineering insights to enunciate, normatively assess and jointly learn from the knowledges, technologies and institutions that characterize such initiatives. Doing this usefully shifts the focus of planned efforts to regulate and govern groundwater away from government efforts to control individual pumping behaviours, to the identification of possibilities to anchor transformations to sustainability in collective actio
Status of biofertilizer research, commercialization, and practical applications: A global perspective
Get PDFThis book chapter published by Elsevier Inc., 2021Most contemporary agricultural practices involve the use of synthetic fertilizers which have been linked to numerous deleterious consequences such as eutrophication of water bodies and emission of greenhouse gases. Biofertilizers offer viable and environmentally friendly alternatives. The positive effects of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria have extensively been demonstrated several agronomically important crops under both controlled and field conditions. Despite the large volume of literature documenting the potential of these microbial inoculants as biofertilizers, their practical application has largely been hampered by several factors. This chapter presents the current knowledge of biofertilizer research, commercialization, and practical applications from the global perspective. The constraints facing their research and global application are also articulated. Finally, some prospects regarding their future research, commercialization and practical application for sustainable cropping systems are critically elucidated. It is anticipated that this will enable the full evaluation of the potential prospects of biofertilizers for sustainable agriculture and ecosystems globally
Integrated cashless payment system for the Kayoola EVS bus
Get PDFA Project Report Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Embedded and Mobile Systems of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and TechnologyPublic service transportation is the main mode of transport not only in Uganda, but the entire
Africa at large. One of the main challenges faced by this industry, especially on passenger
transportation is the lack of accountability in bus fare collection between the bus operators and
the bus owners. To solve this challenge, long distance passenger vehicles have a ticketing
system that is used for payment, unfortunately, the same system cannot be used for payment
within the city or for short distance payment for it is cumbersome and not feasible in terms of
applicability for it requires a single person to issue tickets to all passengers. Hence the main
objective is to develop a cashless payment system that is convenient for short distance
passengers and at the same time improve on the passenger experience on the bus. This report
explains the implementation of a cashless passenger payment system, using two broad
methods, mobile money payment and RFID payment for Kiira Motors’ Kayoola EVS buses.
Mobile Money Payment is implemented within a mobile application, through the mobile
application, a passenger is provided with an interface whereby they can pay for there bus fare
after booking for a bus and a ticket is automatically provided to them as a Quick Response
(QR) code which is scanned on the QR reader installed on the bus to validate payment. The
RFID payment is implemented using RFID cards with passengers’ personal information and
payment information, Bus fare is paid by a user scanning the RFID card on the card reader
installed on the bus. Both the Mobile money payment and the RFID payment system receive
location data from the GPS on the bus to determine the boarding location and destination of
each passenger for automatic bus fare deduction and consequently communicate to passengers
their respective destinations via the multimedia system installed on the bus. The Mobile money
payment, RFID payment and the GPS both integrate/communicate with each other from the
cloud database (Firebase cloud)
Analysis of Macro- and Microplastics in Riverine, Riverbanks, and Irrigated Farms in Arusha, Tanzania
Get PDFThis research article was published by Springer Nature Switzerland AG., 2021Microplastics and macroplastics have been reported in different urban rivers and agricultural soil across the globe. However, the interlink between them has not been previously assessed. The present study evaluated the relationship between macro- and microplastics in the surface water and sediments in riverine, riverbanks, and soils from irrigated farms in Arusha, Tanzania. Detached pieces from macroplastics and suspected particles of microplastics from the samples were analyzed using the total attenuated reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Statistical analysis showed that the number of microplastics in the sediments was higher than those in the surface water and that in irrigated farms was of four times higher than those found in riverine. Besides, the numbers of microplastics and macroplastics in the irrigation farms were exponentially related, while the macroplastics from the riverbanks had an inverse relationship with the rivers' profile elevation. Macroplastics of polyethylene type dominated in the riverbanks and irrigated farms with an occurrence frequency of 100%, while polystyrene was abundant in all analyzed microplastics samples. In addition, those irrigation farms adjacent to canals had a significant number of microplastics and macroplastics than the distant farms. This study provides new information for the region and others that divert water from an urban river for irrigation
Soil fertility and land sustainability in Usangu Basin-Tanzania
Get PDFThis research article was published by Heliyon, 2021Soil fertility determines crop growth, productivity and consequently determines land productivity and sustainability. Continuous crop production exploits plant nutrients from soils leading to plant nutrient imbalance, thus affecting soil productivity. This study was conducted to monitor soil fertility status in soils of Usangu agro-ecosystem to establish management strategies. To assess soil fertility status in Usangu agro-ecosystem in Southern Highland Tanzania; 0–30 cm depth soil samples were taken for organic carbon, soil pH, N, P, Ca, K, Mg, S, Al, and micronutrients such as Zn, Mn, Cu, Fe, and Cr analyses by various established standard analytical methods. The results indicated most micronutrients were available in the deficient amount in many studied sites except for Fe and Mn, which were observed to be above optimum requirement. Based on critical levels established in other areas, 90 % of the soils were ranked as N, P, K, and Mg deficient. The micronutrients (Cu, Fe, and Zn) were inadequate in all soils resulting in limited crop growth and productivity. A high concentration of trace metals was detected in agricultural soils, this might affect plant nutrients availability and leading to environmental contamination affecting land productivity and sustainability. The study found that Usangu agro-ecosystem has deprived of soil fertility leading to poor crop growth and productivity. The authors recommend the addition of supplemental materials rich in plant nutrients such as inorganic fertilizer, manure, crop residues, and treated wastes to improve soil fertility for improved productivity and land sustainability
Environmentally stable common bean genotypes for production in different agro-ecological zones of Tanzania
Get PDFThis research article was published by Heliyon, 2021enotype by environment interaction (GxE) complicates the process of selecting genotypes suitable for quanti tative traits like seed yield in beans, hence slows down the development and release of varieties by breeding
programs. GxE study on seed yield in beans enables identification of stable genotypes across sites and best site(s)
for discriminating the tested genotypes in terms of seed yield. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the
influence of the environment, genotype, and genotype by environment interaction on seed yield stability and
adaptability of common bean landraces, lines, and improved varieties across three different agro-ecologies in
Tanzania. The 99 common bean genotypes (Landraces, lines, and improved varieties) were planted following
alpha lattice design in three replications each contained five blocks with 20 plots. Soil properties from the
experimental sites, days to 75% flowering, Seed yield, 100 seed weight, number of seeds/pod, and number of
pods/plant were recorded. Data on seed yield and its components were analyzed using Additive main effect and
multiplicative interaction (AMMI), genotype main effects plus genotype environment interaction (GGE), and
yield stability index (YSI). The AMMI revealed very highly significant (P 0.001) effects of genotypes, envi ronmental, and genotype environment interaction on all the traits. AMMI analysis revealed that genotype main
effects accounted for 39.3% of the total sum square of seed yield, whereas the environment and genotype
environmental interaction accounted for 31.4% and 26.8 % respectively. Genotype main effects largely influenced
the variation in days to 75% flowering (55.5%), number of pods/plant (49.2%), number of seeds/pod (73.3%),
and 100 seed weight (71.2%). Among soil properties recorded, available soil phosphorus, soil pH, soil
exchangeable K, Ca, and Na had a strong positive association with common bean seed yield, while soil organic
carbon and total nitrogen exhibited a strong negative association with seed yield. GGE revealed that E1 (TARI Selian) was the most discriminative and representative site for common bean genotypes seed yield. Based on the
yield stability index, the most stable and high seed yielding genotypes were ACC 714, Selian 14, Selian 9, Katuku,
and Msolini. The identified high seed yielding and stable genotypes can be further tested in participatory variety
selection involving farmers and later on released as varieties and can also be used for different breeding purposes
in different agro-ecologies of Tanzania
Capacitive deionization: a promising technology for water defluoridation: a review
Get PDFThis research article was published by IWA publishing, Volume 22, No. 1, 2021Capacitive deionization (CDI) is among the promising technologies employed for water purification. CDI has been studied for the removal of
various ionic species from water including fluoride ion (F ) with promising results. However, there is no comprehensive literature that sum marizes the use of CDI for water defluoridation applications. Therefore, this review paper critically analyzes different electrode materials that
have been studied for water defluoridation, their electrosorption capacities and F removal efficiencies. It further discussed the parameters
that influence CDI efficiency during defluoridation and point out the issues of F selectivity when co-existing with other ions in the solution.
We can conclude that different electrode materials have shown different abilities in electrosorption of F . The carbon-based materials pos sess high surface area and good electrical conductivity which is paramount for ion adsorption but gives lack selectivity for F removal. Metal
oxides and hydroxides have been reported with improved electrosorption capacity and high selectivity to F due to the ion exchange
between the F and the hydroxyls surface of the metal oxides/hydroxides. Apart from the good performance of these materials for defluor idation, the discovery of actual practical use of the electrode materials for defluoridation for commercial scal
Hypoglycemic effect of cymbopogon citratus leaves’ extract and it’s fractions in alloxan-induced diabetic Mice
Get PDFA Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master’s in Life Sciences of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and
TechnologyVarieties of plants, including Cymbopogon citratus, are traditionally used in controlling
hyperglycemia by either stimulating insulin secretion, inhibition α- Glucosidase or α-amylase
activity. Cymbopogon citratus leaves were studied in this study to elucidate the effects of
actively fractionated fraction from crude extract in lowering blood glucose in diabetic mice.
The C. citratus powder were extracted by cold maceration using ethanol. Fractionation was
done by Vacuum Liquid Chromatography (VLC). Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was
performed for both crude extract and fractions. Diabetes was induced in mice by
intraperitoneal injection of freshly prepared alloxan monohydrate (170 mg/kilogram/body
weight) which interferes with insulin secretion. The mice were treated with ethyl acetate
fraction once daily at 400 mg/kilogram body weight dose for the period of 20 days. Fasting
blood glucose (FBG) and weight were then recorded from mice in days 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20.
Acute toxicity done by Lorke’s method. The difference between means of two population
groups was considered significant at p<0.05 by One-way ANOVA. Results were expressed as
mean ± SD. Significance hypoglycemic activity was shown by ethyl acetate. No mortality
was observed at 5000 mg/kilogram body weight dose but sleeping and tremor were observed
at a 1000 - 5000 mg/kilogram body weight. Phytochemical screening of ethyl acetate fraction
showed presence of alkaloids, saponins, antraquinone, phenol and tannins. Good
hypoglycemic effect and safety results from ethyl acetate fraction suggest that C. citratus
extracts are against insulin-dependent hyperglycemia. Isolation and testing of active
ingredients from the C. citratus extract are thus warranted
Scaling up access to health services beyond Tanzania and Kenya borders through wananchi afya digital mobile application
Get PDFA Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Masters of Science in Embedded and Mobile Systems of the Nelson Mandela African
Institution of Science and TechnologyHealth services play an important role of assisting people who seek medical attention within
the society. It can be argued that a healthy society can bring forth sustainable economic
development to its full potential while an unhealthy society cannot. However, a free movement
of people, labor and right to residence which was built across East Africa (EA) borders enabled
Tanzania and Kenya borders to have enormous interactions. Subsequently, increase the risk of
highly communicable diseases such as Tuberculosis and Sexually transmitted infections in
such a way that medical attention is unavoidable along the borders. The evolution of
smartphones and propagation of mobile applications (App) in 1990s have marked new
opportunities for healthcare centers and medical education. Statistically, Android Operating
System (OS) owns 83% of Africa’s mobile OS market. In addition, Tanzania Communications
Regulatory Authority (TCRA) and Kenya Digital have reported over 25.79 million and 22.86
million of internet users respectively, which is equivalent to 46% and 43% of internet
penetration year 2020. This discloses the need for Android Mobile Application in order to
improve access to health services and related-information both online and offline using Swahili
and English language and integrate it with monitoring and evaluation (M&E) tool to monitor
the most requested viewed content and measures change over time on existing health facilities
to citizens and residents that travel across Kenya and Tanzania borders. The developed system
received positive feedback from EA citizens and residents where 90.2% of the system
evaluation conducted agreed upon App usage
The Exergy Analysis for the Air Gasification in a Hybrid Fixed Bed Gasifier
Get PDFThis research article published by the Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 2021Municipal solid waste (MSW) is becoming a concern as population in urban area is increasing. Several disposal methods (landfill and biochemical) have been used. However, waste to energy (WTE) particularly gasification technology is a potential technology for energy recovery. The system is used to convert biodegradable material into syngas under limited gasifying media. This study presents numerical analysis of producer gas for the two air paths in the hybrid fixed bed gasifier (HFBG). It was revealed that the optimum operating condition was achieved when the air ratio at the first air flow path (AIR1) was 0.3. Furthermore, the exergy efficiency of about 81.51% was achieved