2647 research outputs found
Sort by
Insect visitation and pollination networks across traditional rangeland management categories in a Northern Tanzanian rangeland
Get PDFThis research article was published by Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 46, 2023The structure of pollination networks is critical to ecosystem stability and functioning. We
investigated pollinator-plant interactions to understand the foraging preference and develop
pollination networks in a semi-arid rangeland of different grazing management categories in
Tanzania. Along three line transects, each measuring 100 m, in each of the four grazing man-
agement categories (private and communal enclosures, wet and dry season grazing areas), we laid
out three quadrats measuring 5 m x 5 m (25 m2,) located 30 m apart. We recorded insects visiting
flowering plants for two consecutive days in each quadrat every week at each site from April to
May, in 2019 and 2020. Aspilia mossambicensis received the most significant proportion of insect
visitors (28%), followed by Justicia debile (21%). The mean protein concentration in sampled
pollen varied significantly between plant species (χ2 = 25.9, P = 0.001), with Solanum incanum
containing the highest concentration (299.3 ± 0.68) g/100 g. We did not notice any correlation
between honey bee visitation and protein concentration in pollen (r = 0.471, P = 0.239) nor
with fatty acids concentration (r = 0.253, P = 0.546). When comparing pollinator-plant network
properties including connectance, nestedness, robustness, number of links, modularity, network
diversity and linkage density across rangeland management, we found that the private enclosure
contained significantly larger networks than the communal enclosure, the dry and the wet season
grazing sites. We conclude that particularly private enclosures are vital to promote pollination
networks in our studied rangeland system as they include important pollinator forage plants
Assessment of the soil suitability for soybean growth and the prospect biofertilizers use in selected areas of Tanzania
Get PDFThis research article was published in the Technology in Agronomy Volume 3, Article number: 11, 2023The rapidly increasing global human population threatens the availability of safe and nutritious food. Among others, soil fertility degradation, insufficient use of proper fertilizers and scanty soil characterizations have major contributions in lowering the productivity of crops. To ensure the use of sufficient proper fertilizers for optimum crop productivity, it is important to evaluate the fertility status of soil which is a vital tool in deciding the type and the amount of fertilizer to be supplemented. This study aimed at evaluating soil fertility in the soybean growing and the non growing areas of Tanzania and to assess their suitability for growing the soybean crop as well as prospective use of rhizobia biofertilizers through the assessment of nodule formation in non-inoculated soybean plants grown in different farmers' fields. A total of 81 soil samples including those in soybean growing and non growing areas of Tanzania, were evaluated in terms of their fertility status through different physico-chemical parameters. From each field, three healthy plants with intense green leaves were selected for nodule counting. The study indicated that, most of the soils (85%) have medium acidic to neutral soil pH with 58% having sufficient organic carbon and 78% at risk of nitrogen deficiency. Soil pH, total N and OC had significant (p < 0.05) correlations (r) of 0.14, −0.22 and −0.27 with nodule number. The higher number of nodules were in medium acidic to neutral soils, with the highest number, 8.82 in neutral pH soils, indicating the favorability of the particular pH ranges for rhizobia activities. The results of this study suggest that most of the soils are suitable for the production of soybean and the use of rhizobia inoculants
A monitoring system for transboundary foot and mouth disease considering livestock keepers demographic characteristics
Get PDFA Thesis Submitted in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of
Philosophy in Information and Communication Science and Engineering of the Nelson
Mandela African Institution of Science and TechnologyFoot and Mouth disease (FMD) is a transboundary disease caused by a virus that affects domestic
and wild cloven-hooved animals such as sheep, goats, pigs, and buffalos. FMD is transmitted from
one animal to another through direct or indirect contact. Apart from other animal diseases, FMD has
been given great attention due to its unique behaviour, such as being potentially dangerous, rapidly
spreading disease, and it has no cure. Therefore, immediate information flow among livestock
stakeholders could help to mitigate FMD. Realizing the importance of animal disease surveillance,
many agencies developed systems for monitoring animal health (fast disease reporting and
response). The challenge is that they were developed using advanced technologies like web-based
and android, requiring skills, internet connectivity, computers, and smartphones to access them.
However, most livestock keepers lack these facilities, especially in developing countries. In that
case, they deny access to livestock keepers positioned at the grass-root of animals’ disease reporting
chain since illnesses always begin with their animals. Therefore, their lack of participation in
reporting or receiving animal disease information through the electronic-based animal disease
surveillance system causes a delay in identifying and reporting disease cases and provides
insufficient information for controlling contiguous diseases like FMD, which require more
precautionary measures through timely information sharing.
This study aims to bridge the gap between livestock keepers and top-level stakeholders by
developing an animal diseases surveillance system named “Monitoring System for Transboundary
Foot and Mouth Disease Considering Livestock Keepers Demographic Characteristics (AMoS4T-
FMD)”. The system provides a standard platform for sharing FMD-related information between top-
level stakeholders and livestock keepers in time using various mobile technologies based on their
demographic characteristics.
Gairo district in the Morogoro region was selected as a study area. Therefore, the surveillance system
was developed and tested in Gairo district settings. However, it has flexible settings to work
elsewhere. In Gairo, livestock keepers’ mobile phone usage and demographic data were collected to
determine the appropriate mobile technologies to communicate animal disease surveillance
information among themselves and top-level stakeholders through AMoS4T-FMD. After that, an
algorithm (FMD communication algorithm) which enables livestock keepers to communicate with
AMoS4T-FMD using Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), Short Message Service
(SMS) and Robot calls (Robocalls) based on their demographic data was developed. Also, a Model
for predicting and alerting FMD outbreaks in the Gairo district using an Agent-Based Simulation
modelling technique was developed. Lastly, the FMD communication algorithm and the Agent-
ii
Based Simulation model were combined into the software using the waterfall model for system
development. Finally, the system was tested using verification and validation techniques
Field margin Plants support arthropod natural enemies in smallholder common bean farming systems in northern Tanzania
Get PDFA Dissertation Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of
Philosophy in Life Sciences of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and
TechnologyField margin plants provide habitats and food resources for natural enemies of pests (NEs), but
their potential is poorly understood, particularly in the tropics and on smallholder farms. The
experiments were conducted to test the potential of field margin plants on NEs. Sentinel plants
were developed to collect Aphis fabae and Maruca vitrata parasitoids. Aphidius colemani was
identified as the primary parasitoid of A. fabae. The dominant M. vitrata larval parasitoids were
the Braconidae and Dolichogenidea, while the Platygastridae were the abundant egg
parasitoids. The survey of field margins for plant-NE interactions in bean fields found that NEs
most often interacted with Bidens pilosa (15.4%) and Euphorbia heterophylla (11.3%).
Flowering plant species (Bidens pilosa, Lantana camara, Euphorbia heterophylla and
Ageratum conyzoides) supported NEs out of bean growing season. In cage trials with an aphid-
infested bean plant and a single flowering margin plant, the survival of A. colemani was more
significant in the presence of E. heterophylla than B. pilosa, Tagetes minuta and Hyptis
suaveolens. UV-fluorescent dye was applied to flowers of specific field margin plant species
and NE was sampled from within the bean crop and field margins using sweep-netting and pan-
traps, respectively. Captured insects were examined for the presence of the dye, indicative of a
prior visit to the margin. Lady beetles and assassin bugs were abundant in plots with B. pilosa
margins, hoverflies with T. minuta and Parthenium hysterophorus margins, and lacewings with
T. minuta and B. pilosa margins. NEs were also sampled from high and low plant diversity
bean fields using sweep netting and coloured sticky traps, comparing monocropped and
intercropped farms. Overall, high-plant diversity fields had higher NEs than low-diversity
fields. The field margin had a significantly higher number of NEs than the crop field. However,
marginally higher populations of NEs in intercropping than in monocropping were observed,
although the effect was not significant. To confirm that NE communities on farms predated Aphis
fabae, we extracted and amplified A. fabae DNA from predatory insects. Fourteen lady beetle larvae,
two lacewing larvae, and one assassin bug analyzed were found to contain A. fabae DNA, indicating all
these groups can regulate the significant aphid pest of beans, A. fabae. A. colemani was a parasitoid
that emerged from several non-aphid species collected from the field margins. Overall, NEs
benefitted from field margin plants; those possessing extra floral nectaries had an added
advantage. Thus, smallholder farmers protect the field margins for the added benefit of natural
pest regulation in their fields and thus for food security and enhancing their livelihoods
Internet of things (IoT)-based on real-time and remote boiler fuel monitoring system: a case of Raha Beverages Company Limited, Arusha-Tanzania
No full textThis research article was published by Discover Internet of ThingsAbstract
RAHA Beverages Company (RABEC) is one of the banana wine production companies that utilizes fuel in steam produc-
tion in Arusha-Tanzania, where fuel data conditions such as temperature, pressure, discharge, fuel level, and gas leakage
with humidity were a challenge to monitor, which provoked boiler malfunction and plant breakdown. Today, RABEC
manually uses a dropping stick into the fuel tank to monitor fuel data conditions which is time-consuming and gives
inaccurate readings, inefficiency, fuel economy discrepancy, and accidents. This study aimed to design and develop an
IoT-based fuel monitoring system. The flow meter, ultrasonic level, thermistor fuel temperature, humidity, and pressure
sensors were used to gather fuel information where the GSM module was employed to send fuel data messages to the
operator’s phone. An AT mega 328 microcontroller was used to process and analyse the fuel data and send them to the
Thing Speak IoT platform using Wi-Fi connectivity. The results showed that when the fuel level was less than the thresh-
old value, an operator was alerted by a refilling message via GSM technology. A pressure of 0.1psi, a fuel temperature of
120 ℃, and 80% of humidity, the system notifies the operator by an alert message to check the injector pressure and if
the fuel–air mixture is perfect. In addition, these data were observed on the LCD and ThingSpeak webpage. To conclude,
the developed system proved the best performance with a 99.98% of success rate with high accuracy, security, and
efficiency rate compared to the current monitoring system
Enhanced one Health surveillance approaches to guide the elimination of dog-mediated rabies in Tanzania
Get PDFA Thesis Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of
Philosophy in Life Sciences of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and
TechnologyRabies causes approximately 59 000 human deaths worldwide annually. A global target of zero
human deaths from dog-mediated rabies has been set for 2030, and large-scale control
programs are now advocated. However, there is limited surveillance and guidance on how
rabies surveillance can be improved to increase the detection of rabid animals or to guide the
management of rabies control programmes once elimination has been achieved or when its
approached. Challenges to rabies elimination were investigated by undertaking detailed
epidemiological studies collecting data from 2010/2011 to 2022; and enhancing surveillance
using Integrated Bite Case Management (IBCM) across different settings in Tanzania from
2018 to 2022. In 24 districts, local government health and veterinary workers were trained to
collect data through implementing IBCM, comprising risk assessments of bite patients by
health workers and investigations of suspected rabid animals by livestock field officers. In
addition, contact tracing was used to identify rabid animals, human rabies exposures and
deaths, with additional whole-genome sequencing of viruses from rabies positive samples in
13 districts of Lindi and Mtwara region, including Pemba Island. From these data, transmission
chains were probabilistically inferred, estimated case detection, quantified the public health
burden in terms of numbers of rabies exposures, animal rabies cases, human rabies deaths and
evaluated the impact and cost-effectiveness of a One Health approach to rabies surveillance
and control. Reporting of bite patients at high risk of rabies exposure increased following the
introduction of IBCM. Between 2011 and 2019, 688 probable exposures were identified in
Southeast Tanzania, including 47 rabies deaths. Of 549 probable animal rabies cases identified:
303 were domestic dogs (55.2%) and 221 jackals (40.3%). Dog-to-dog transmission accounted
for 40.1% of inferred transmission events, and wildlife-to-wildlife transmission accounted for
approximately 32.6%, with the remainder from cross-species transmission. On Pemba Island,
five transmission chains circulated from 2010. Rabid dogs, human exposures and deaths
declined following the introduction and improved implementation of dog vaccination
campaigns, and these transmission chains were eliminated by May 2014. In 2016 two
introductions of dog rabies cases to the island that seeded re-emergence were identified. The
ensuing outbreak was eliminated by October 2018 through reinstated island-wide dog
vaccination. While post-exposure vaccines were highly cost-effective (1657
per death averted) and saved 20-130 families from rabid dog bites annually. Overall, IBCM
greatly improved rabies detection and can be used to monitor the impact of mass dog
ii
vaccinations. In Tanzania domestic dogs appear to be the critical reservoir host of rabies, even
in settings with evidence of wildlife transmission. Dog vaccination suppressed rabies in both
dog and wildlife populations and reduced both public health and conservation risks. A One
Health approach underpinned by dog vaccination and post exposure prophylaxes to animal bite
patients is an efficient, cost-effective, equitable and feasible approach to rabies elimination,
but needs scaling up across connected populations to sustain the benefits of elimination, as
seen on Pemba, and for similar progress to be achieved elsewhere
Does variation in plant diversity and abundance influence browsing intensity in black rhinos?
Get PDFThis research article was published by wiley,2023.Variations in forage availability, selection and preferences can lead to intense forag-
ing competition and depletion of food consequently lowering diet quality and popula-
tion performance of black rhino species. This study investigated seasonal variations
in rhino diet, foraging, preference and browsing intensity and how this is influenced
by plant diversity and availability in Mkomazi National Park (MKONAPA). Fifty-eight
square grids were randomly selected in each season, and plots were laid for vegetation
assessment during wet and dry seasons in the sanctuary. Browsed species by rhinos
were compared with rhino feeding data from fourteen rhino range areas within Africa.
More than 85% of species edible in MKONAPA were similar to those in rhino range
areas. Acalypha ornata, Grewia similis and Commiphora africana were highly utilised
specie in both seasons. Diversity and abundance of consumed browses decreased to-
wards the dry season while browsing intensity increased with forage preference in
both seasons and was prominent when browse availability was low in dry seasons. Our
study established seasonal variation in dietary composition, browsing intensity and
preferences for black rhinos. We suggest establishing nutritional composition of pre-
ferred forages, assessing density of competitor browsers, translocating excess rhinos
or expanding the sanctuary to meet the recommended ecological carrying capacity
Insurance companies portfolio optimisation with possibilities of recovery after ruin
No full textA Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematical and Computer Sciences and Engineering of the
Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and TechnologyThis dissertation, is about a study on insurance companies that have experienced ruin but have
a possibility of recovery from ruin. The study has proposed a perturbed mathematical model,
analysed and used it for modelling the portfolio of insurance companies with possibilities of re-
covery after ruin. Return on investment and refinancing have been used as approaches for over-
coming ruin. The model was analysed for various cases of possibilities of recovery after ruin in
the closed interval [0, 1]. The basic perturbed classical risk process was later compounded by
refinancing and return on investment. The Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman and Integro-Differential
Equation of Volterra type were obtained. The Volterra Integro-Differential Equation for sur-
vival function of an insurance company was converted to a third order ordinary differential
equation and later converted into a system of first order ordinary differential equations which
was solved numerically using the fourth order Runge-Kutta method. The results indicate that
the return on investment plays a vital role in reducing ultimate ruin and that as the possibility
of recovery for insurance companies increases, the return on investment reduces ruin much
faster. Also, the survival function increases with the increasing intensity of the counting pro-
cess but decreases with an increase in the instantaneous rate of stock return and return volatility.
Because an insurance company faces more risks, these results also suggest that insurance com-
panies should increase their counting process since doing so will help the insurance companies
in servicing more customers
Status, physiognomies and economic viability of hydroponic lettuce production in selected areas of NORTHERN TANZANIA and CENTRAL UGANDA
No full textA Thesis Submitted in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of
Philosophy in Life Sciences of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and
TechnologyThere is an increasing interest and research in soilless farming due to its ability to enhance food
production amidst challenges presented by urbanization. However, the adoption of this technology
is still very limited in East Africa. This main objective of the research was to study the
appropriateness of hydroponics as a feasible urban cropping system for improved vegetable
production and accessibility in Uganda. An assessment on status of hydroponics in Northern
Tanzania and Central Uganda was carried out using google questionnaires and face-face interviews
which revealed limited uptake of the technology majorly due to the high initial costs required. An
experiment was set up in central Uganda to evaluate the performance of red and green leafy lettuce
produced using a non-greenhouse and non-circulating hydroponic system. Parameters assessed
included; plant height, root length, number of leaves, leaf width, fresh weight and dry matter
content. Data was analyzed using 2 sample T-test under origin software. A significant difference
was noted at harvest for dry matter content (P=0.02, P=0.01), fresh weight (P=0.03, P=0.02) and
root length (P=0.01, P=0.02) between red and green lettuce grown under soil and hydroponics in
that order at P < 0.05. An economic analysis was done on the system to assess its profitability.
Budgeting techniques results showed: Net present value (16.37$), Internal rate of return (12.57%),
Profitability index (1.1) and non-discounted payback period (4,5) for annual crop production. Net
present value was sensitive to changes in discount rate and unit price while revenue varied with a
change in quantities sold and unit price. Regression analysis showed that a variation in the unit
price of lettuce was stronger and negatively affected the quantity sold (R=0.91) than the influence
the same independent variable on revenue earned (R=0.84). Based on the study results,
hydroponics has the potential to act as a suitable alternative in vegetable production system and
improve accessibility to vegetables across urban areas in a cost-effective manner. This will also
assist in contributing to sustatinable develeopment goals; 3 (good health and wellbeing) and 11
(sustainable cities and communities). There is need to study the perfomance of other vegetables
as well as various factors that can improve crop perfomance using the hydroponic system inorder
to boost; crop yield, adoption of the system and hence vegetable accessibility and food security.
Policy makers and governments should put more efforts in training farming communities about
hydroponics
Developing an Understanding of Traditional Maasai Water Practices and Technologies
Get PDFThis Book Chapter was published in Brill, 2023The African traditional knowledges and knowledge systems are on the brink of extinc-
tion. The indigenous knowledge of Africa has not been extensively studied and docu-
mented. In sub-Saharan Africa, the supremacy of colonial education in higher learning
education has been responsible for erasing traditional knowledge. It is against this
backdrop that a team of researchers from the Nyerere Knowledge for Change (K4C)
Hub set out to investigate how traditional knowledges and modern, mainstream ways
of knowing can be bridged. The study we report on was conducted in collaboration
with the Maasai village leaders of Nduruma Village in Arusha, Northern Tanzania.
Village committee meetings, interviews, group discussions, photograph taking, video
recording, voice recording, and direct observation were among the methods used to
gain knowledge on the Maasai traditional technologies of water management. The
information gathered and shared in this case study contributes to building mutually
beneficial expert-community partnerships