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Mobile-Based Decision Support System for Poultry Farmers: A Case of Tanzania
Get PDFA Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master’s in Information and Communication Science and Engineering of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and TechnologyIn Tanzania, many poultry farms are considered to have ineffective poultry management practices
mainly due to the lack of adequate systems and procedures to assist poultry farmers in making
decisions. However, in a range of industries and agricultural sectors, including poultry farming,
information is widely recognized as a crucial component for good decision-making. Furthermore,
many researchers agree that using mobile decision-support systems to assist farmers in making better
decisions is an effective technique. The goal of this research was to create a mobile-based decision
support system that will assist small-scale poultry farmers in Tanzania in obtaining trustworthy poultry
farming information that would enable them to make informed decisions about their farming
operations. Decision Support Systems (DSS) are well-known in this context as interactive computer based systems that assist individuals in problem-solving and decision-making using information
technology, data, documents, and knowledge. This study outlines how a data-driven strategy was
utilized to construct a decision-support system for Tanzanian poultry farmers. The systematic
approach used in this study comprised of the following steps: The first step was to perform a
thorough literature analysis to identify and assess the information management needs of Tanzanian
small-scale poultry farmers. Poultry farmers commonly seek information about chicken health,
housing, egg production, chicken diets, and chicken breeds, among other things. Second, the
gathered data was processed and used to create user requirements for the decision support system.
Finally, after determining user needs, the implementation of the mobile-based decision support
system began. Using Android Studio and RASA, an open-source machine learning framework for
developing chat and voice context assistants, a conversational, mobile-based decision support
application that offers information to farmers based on their needs through a text-based chat
conversation was developed. The study findings identified that majority of the small-scale poultry
lack reliable sources to obtain poultry management information like poultry diseases, poultry
feeds, housing, and breed types. Furthermore, after conducting a user acceptance test, the study
findings indicated that the developed system will be very helpful to the small-scale poultry
farmers, and therefore it was recommended that the extension officers and small-scale poultry
farmers should be made aware of the developed mobile-based decision support system (KaPU)
for productive poultry management practices
Traditional rangeland management can conserve insect pollinators in a semi-arid rangeland, northern Tanzania
Get PDFThis research article was published Elsevier, 2021Globally, pollinators are threatened by land-use changes, including habitat degradation. East African rangelands are under pressure due to livestock population increase and overutilization, which lead to degradation of vegetation and soils. While traditional grazing management is widely used to restore vegetation, little is known how this affects insect pollinators. We investigated whether differently managed rangeland areas harbor different insect pollinator abundance, richness and diversity in Simanjiro, Tanzania. We established twelve blocks in four grazing areas under different management categories (private and communal enclosures, wet and dry season grazing lands) and used pan traps and sweep nets to collect insect pollinators. We collected a total of 1977 insects, representing 44 families and 239 species. Beetles were most frequently trapped, with 646 (33%) individuals, followed by 522 bees (26%). Pollinator abundance was twice as high in the private enclosure compared to the communal dry grazing area (χ2 = 27.63, P < 0.001). We found a strong positive correlation between floral and pollinator abundances (r = 0.68, P = 0.015) but not for pollinator species richness and diversity. Bee species abundance and diversity were also significantly higher (χ2 = 68.00, P < 0.0001) in enclosures compared to open rangelands and were significantly influenced by season (χ2 = 220.73, P < 0.0001). Apis mellifera (honey bee) and Lasioglossum of the subgenus Ipomalictus were the most abundant bee species with 107 (21%) and 105 (20%) individuals, respectively. We noticed a significant interaction between season and management on influencing bee pollinator numbers (χ2 = 19.84, P = 0.0002). We conclude that traditional rangeland management can strongly influence pollinator abundance and communities. Our study will aid in developing rangeland management strategies to promote conservation of and enhance pollinator availability in tropical rangelands
Antifungal Effects against Phaeoisariopsis personata under Greenhouse Conditions and Phytochemical Analysis of Jatropha curcas Leaf Extracts
Get PDFThis research article was published by International Journal of Agriculture and Biology, 2021The study was conducted to test the antifungal efficacy of J. curcas leaf extracts against Phaeoisariopsis personata (causal
pathogen for groundnut late leaf spot disease) under in vivo conditions, and to identify important phytochemical constituents
exhibiting antifungal properties. The results showed that the greatest reduction of late leaf spot disease incidence was achieved
by all the Jatropha curcas leaf extracts at the highest concentration (0.5 mg mL-1
) as 36.89, 36.59 and 24.67% for chloroform,
ethyl acetate and methanolic extracts, respectively. Subsequently, J. curcas leaf extracts treatments enhanced the growth and
yield of groundnut compared with the control (untreated). The antifungal effects of J. curcas were supported by the presence
of phytochemical constituents identified by GC-MS. Hexadecane; n-hexadecanoic acid; phenol, 2, 4 bis (-dimethylethyl);
phytol and hexadecanoic methyl ester were detected as major phytocompounds in J. curcas leaf extracts that were possibly
responsible for the antifungal activity. © 2021 Friends Science Publisher
Development of a sensor based heartbeat rate and body temperature monitoring system for remote chronic patients
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 TechnologyThe growing number of chronic diseases have stretched the health sector. Globally, over 36 million
deaths per year are attributed to chronic diseases. This has increased the demand for telemedicine
in managing chronic patients. The involvement of wireless sensor networks and cloud computing
in the health sector is increasing due to the potential it possesses in remote monitoring applications.
This project presents a developed system prototype for monitoring heartbeat and temperature of
chronic patients using sensors. The monitored data is relayed to the cloud database in real time via
internet connection using ESP8266 module. The approach involves connecting a heartbeat sensor,
an MLX90614 contactless temperature sensor, LCD and an ESP8266 module to the Arduino
board. The aim of this project was to create a system that relays chronic patient’s body temperature
and heartbeat readings to medical personnel in an attempt to avert the effects of fewer health
facilities in rural areas. The patient’s data in the cloud database can be retrieved by medical doctors
anytime in order to track the patient’s condition. The sensed heartbeat and body temperature
readings were processed, sent and received in the cloud database effectively. The readings were
also displayed on the LCD for the patients to see. The developed system successfully fills the gap
in providing doctors access to the patient’s data in a timely manner. It was concluded that sensor
networks are effective in remote monitoring of the patient’s temperature and heartbeat readings
and the data can be successfully sent to the cloud database
Farmer's appropriation of system of rice intensification practices in water-scarce irrigation schemes in Northern Tanzania
Get PDFThis research article published by Springer Nature Switzerland AG.,2021The system of rice intensification (SRI), advocates new ways of rice cultivation which challenges farmers’ knowledge and skills to the extent that they are required to learn, experiment and integrate new principles to suit their specific needs and agro-ecological conditions. This study was conducted to evaluate farmers’ appropriation to SRI; first, a survey was conducted to explore farmers’ adjustments of SRI. Second, yield and water productivity of the integrated system were assessed by setting up an experiment in the farmers’ plots. Whereby four treatments representing farmers’ adaptations of SRI practises were assessed: continuous flooding (F1) with two 21 days old seedlings at 15 × 15 cm spacing. The other three were under intermittent irrigation with two 21 days seedlings at 20 × 20 cm (F2), one 21 days seedling at 20 × 20 (F3) and one 15 days seedling at 25 × 25 cm spacing. Yields obtained were 4.8, 8.5, 8.2 and 9.2 tons/ha for F1, F2, F3 and F4, respectively. Water productivity (WP) of 0.15, 0.39, 0.35 and 0.51 kg/m3 was obtained for F1, F2, F3 and F4, respectively. Water saving under SRI practise was 34.3%, 28.9% and 45.1% for F2, F3 and F4, respectively. Two seedlings 21 days old at 20 × 20 cm with intermittent irrigation are recommended for this area as it ensures a sufficient number of plants, relatively higher yields and a reduced considerable amount of irrigation water. The findings show that the integration of SRI into the local rice farming system has the potential to improve yields and water productivity of irrigation schemes
The Usability Testing of SSAAT, a Bioinformatic Web Application for DNA Analysis at a Nucleotide Level
Get PDFThis research article published by Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, Vol. 11, No. 3, 2021Sanger sequencing remains the cornerstone method for Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) sequencing due to its high accuracy in targeting smaller genomic regions in a larger number of samples. The analysis of Sanger sequence DNA data requires powerful and intelligent software tools. Most of the preferred tools are proprietary licensed tools that offer a user-friendly interface and have many features, however, their affordability, especially to individual scientists or students, is limited. On the other hand, a few free and open-source licensed tools are available but have limited features. This study focuses on the usability testing of the developed Sanger Sequence Automatic Analysis Tool (SSAAT), a free and open-source web tool for Sanger sequence analysis. Usability tests were conducted with potential users and the results demonstrate that the participants were able to use the tool easily and accomplish the test tasks at the given time. Moreover, the participants were excited with the easy-to-use interface and agreed that most users could use the tool with no need for technical assistance. However, the participants also identified some issues that require more development effort
Assessment of arsenic status and distribution in Usangu agro-ecosystem-Tanzania.
Get PDFThe research article published by Elsevier Ltd., 2021This study was conducted to assess arsenic (As) status and distribution in Usangu agroecosystem-Tanzania, including three land use. About 198 soil samples were collected in ten irrigation schemes in three land uses. Total and bioavailable As were determined by acid digestion (Aqua regia (AQ)) and Mehlich 3 method (M3) to estimate status, distribution and bioavailability. Arsenic concentration were variable among land use and irrigation schemes where total arsenic ranged 567.74-2909.84 μg/kg and bioavailable As ranged 26.17-712.37 μg/kg. About 12-16% of total arsenic were available for plant uptake. Approximately 86.53% of studied agricultural soils had total As concentration above Tanzania maximum allowable limit. Bioavailable As were lower compared to total As and were within the acceptable threshold. Total arsenic concentration were variable among schemes and higher values were observed in schemes which are highly intensified and mechanized. Thus, this study provides essential site specific preliminary baseline information for As status and distribution in agricultural soils to initiate monitoring and management strategies for increased land productivity and environmental safety
Iodine status and dietary habits among Primary School children in Kinondoni, Tanzania
Get PDFA Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master’s in Life Sciences of the Nelson Mandela African Institution Sciences and
TechnologyTanzania is one of the countries where excessive iodine intake has been reported; hence
intervention and identification of possible causes is required. The present study assessed iodine
status and determined the critical contributors to excessive iodine intake in school children
from Kinondoni, Tanzania. A total of 322 pupils and 30 food vendors provided salt samples
for iodine analysis. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was spectrophotometrically determined
in 266 sub-sampled children using the ammonium-persulfate digestion method. Information on
dietary habits was collected using the Food Frequency Questionnaire and 24 hours dietary
recall. Anthropometric values were determined by measuring children’s height and weight.
Moreover, Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices study was done using a modified specific iodine
deficiency-related questionnaire. Of the salt samples, 87% were adequately iodized with mean
53.94 ± 13.02, indicating over iodization. The median UIC was 401 µg/L, signifying excessive
iodine intake. Twelve percent were overweight or obese and only 46.6% of pupils and 53.3%
of food vendors had good knowledge of iodized salt utilization. Discretionary salt use (67.3%),
higher consumption of potato chips (53.5%) and fried cassava (59.0%) were associated with a
higher risk of excessive iodine intake. Potato chips (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] =9.04, 95%
CI: 3.61-22.63) and fried cassava consumption for 4-7 days/week (AOR=11.08, 95% CI: 3.4535.54)
were significantly associated with excessive iodine intake. Discretionary salt intake
significantly contributes to the high iodine status of schoolchildren in the study area. This effect
can be reduced by public health campaigns to decrease salt consumption and improve salt
iodation practices
Keep your natural enemies close – native predators can maintain low mosquito densities in temporary ponds in a malaria expansion area in Northern Tanzania
Get PDFThis research article published by Elsevier, 2021Mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit are a global public health threat that affects most human populations. Mosquito abundances are strongly linked to the number of suitable larval habitats available. However, it is still not well understood how different land uses impact larval habitat quality in different parts of the world. We investigated links between land use practices and abundance of mosquito larvae in temporary ponds located in different land uses in a malaria expansion zone in Tanzania. Temporary ponds are often cited as important sources of mosquitoes but are also of substantial conservation concern being home to a unique fauna and flora. Often, they also have high socio-economic importance. Overall, encountered mosquito larval abundances were very low, both for the collected Anopheles gambiae s.l. and Culex quinquefasciatus. Although temporary ponds are important mosquito larval habitats in other parts of Africa, currently they are unlikely to be an important factor affecting the prevalence of mosquito borne diseases in the Manyara study region. Larval abundances in temporary ponds were higher in agricultural areas where more eutrophic conditions were found and minimal in residential areas. Overall, even though temporary ponds are often modified as rice paddies in the rainy season, they were in a good ecological condition and hosted a diverse assemblage of aquatic predators that likely prevented larval mosquitoes from reaching high densities. Maintaining this good condition by preventing pesticide and nutrient input as much as possible, can be important to prevent pond degradation that is likely to make these habitats more suitable for mosquitoes in the future
Enhancement of Biogas Potential for Slaughterhouse Waste by Co-digestion with Animal Wastes
Get PDFThis research article published by MAXWELL Scientific Publication Corp., 2021The aim of the current study was to investigate biogas production from the
slaughterhouse waste codigested with animal wastes. Slaughterhouses
generate organic wastes that are environmentally hazardous due to high
contents of biological contaminants. The use of anaerobic digestion of the
slaughterhouse waste can achieve twin objectives of waste treatment and
energy production as biogas. The process is however, limited by low biogas
potential of slaughterhouse waste. The study evaluated the effect of codigesting the slaughterhouse, chicken and pig wastes on biogas potential. The
co-digestion test with combination ratio of 1:1, slaughterhouse waste and
chicken waste produced the highest value of biogas potential of 636 L/kg-VS,
which was almost double that from pure slaughterhouse waste. In addition,
the substrate biodegradability, the biogas productivity and the yield were most
improved at 1:1 co-digestion. The digestate from the process had high nutrient
contents and a maximum of; 0.8, 2.6 and 2.7% of dry matter for total nitrogen,
phosphate and Potassium respectively. The kinetic analysis of the codigestion process using modified Gompertz equation indicated a correlation
between the waste biodegradability and biogas yield. The enhancement of the
C/N ratio in the slaughterhouse waste by co-digestion with these wastes could
be responsible for the improvement of the biogas production and yield. Future
studies should focus on how the nutrient rich digestate can be appropriately
applied as bio-fertilizer and on how co-digestion affects the pathogens in
slaughterhouse wastes