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Social knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions on wastewater treatment, technologies, and reuse in Tanzania
Get PDFThis research article was published by Water Reuse Journal, Volume 12, Issue 2, 2022.This study assessed the social knowledge, attitude, and perceptions (KAPs) on wastewater treatment, the technologies involved, and its reuse across different wastewater treatment areas in four regions of Tanzania. We used both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods in a household-level questionnaire (n=327) with structured and semi-structured questions, which involved face-to-face interviews and observation. Our results show that social KAPs surrounding wastewater treatment and reuse were sufficient based on KAP scores achieved from asked questions. However, the general knowledge on treatment technologies, processes, and reuse risks was still low. Of the respondents, over 50% approved using treated wastewater in various applications, while the majority (93%) were reluctant if the application involved direct contact with the water. Furthermore, over 90% of interviewees did not know the technologies used to treat wastewater and the potential health risks associated with its use (59%). Multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant differences (P<0.05) in the KAPs on treated wastewater across different studied demographic variables, i.e., age, sex, and education level. Therefore, we recommend that more effort be spent on providing public education about the potential of wastewater treatment and existing technologies in order to facilitate their adoption for the community's and environment's benefit
Organisational Culture Attributes Influencing the Adoption of Agile Practices: A Systematic Literature Review
Get PDFThis research article was published by the Journal of Information Systems Engineering and Management, 2022, Volume 7, Issue 1Organisations have been adopting agile practices to deliver information system projects faster and create business value. Despite its advantages, many organisations battle to successfully adopt agile practices. While there are several challenges for agile adoption, organisational culture has been amongst the challenges on adopting agile practices. The objective of this study was to determine the organisational culture attributes which influence the adoption of agile practices within the organisation. The systematic literature review aimed to explore the organisational culture attributes which influence the adoption of agile practices. The review focused on papers published on organisational culture influencing the adoption of agile practices between January 2015 to December 2020. The search strategy retrieved 204 papers of which nine papers were selected for a detailed analysis. The study revealed five factors of organisational culture that influence the adoption of agile practices in the organization as: management control, team collaboration, market, values and creativity. These factors have a number of organisational culture attributes that influence the adoption of agile practices. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by providing organisational culture attributes which influence the adoption of agile practices. The results of the systematic literature review presented in this study will benefit researchers and practitioners of project management
Human-Wildlife Conflict Early Warning System Using the Internet of Things and Short Message Service
Get PDFThis research article was published by Engineering, Technology and Applied Science Research, Vol. 12 No. 2Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is an important challenge to communities living in areas bordering wildlife game parks and reserves. It is more evident in the United Republic of Tanzania, whose economy depends on wildlife tourism. This paper proposes a low-cost and low-power early warning system using the Internet of Things (IoT) and Short Message Service (SMS) to support HWC respond teams in mitigating these challenges. The system comprises three primary units: sensing, processing, and alerting. The sensing unit consists of a Passive Infrared (PIR) sensor, a Global Positioning System (GPS), and a Raspberry Pi camera. The PIR sensor detects the proximity of the animal using the heat signature, GPS senses and records the current location, while the Raspberry Pi camera has the primary purpose of taking a picture after the PIR sensor detects the proximity of the animal. The processing unit with a Raspberry microcomputer performs data processing and image inferencing using the You Only Look Once (YOLO) algorithm. Last is the alerting unit, which includes a Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications module for sending SMS messages to the human-wildlife conflict response team and the nearer community response team leader whenever wild animals are spotted near the park’s border. The system detects, identifies, and reports the detected wild animals. The GPRS provides internet connectivity to support data collection, storage, and monitoring in the cloud
Catalytic supercritical water gasification of biomass waste using iron-doped alkaline earth catalysts
Get PDFThis research article was published by Springer Nature Switzerland AG., 2022The objective of this study is to optimise the process of supercritical water gasification of rice husk biomass utilising a low-cost catalyst made from alkaline-earth materials. The interactions between catalyst loading and Fe content on gasification yield were investigated using response surface methodology. The catalyst characterisation findings revealed that the catalysts’ predominant reactive site is on iron oxide, calcium ferrite, and calcium oxide. Under all the conditions tested, the manufactured catalyst was highly active in promoting char gasification, gas volume, and gasification efficiency whilst the tar yield was substantially elevated. The maximum gasification efficiency of 69.57%, gas yield of 402.8 mL/g biomass, char yield 24.68 wt%, and gravimetric tar yield of 57.5 mg/g were obtained under the catalytic conditions of 15% catalyst loading with 5%Fe/limestone, 492 °C, 120-min residence time, and 9.5 wt% feed concentrations. Thus, the manufactured catalyst showed a potential for optimising gasification outputs
Brucellosis testing patterns at health facilities in Arusha region, northern Tanzania
Get PDFThis research article was published by Brucellosis testing patterns at health facilities in Tanzania, 2022Background
Brucellosis is listed as one of six priority zoonoses in Tanzania’s One Health strategic plan which highlights gaps in data needed for the surveillance and estimation of human brucellosis burdens. This study collected data on current testing practices and test results for human brucellosis in Arusha region, northern Tanzania.
Methods
Retrospective data were extracted from records at 24 health facilities in Arusha region for the period January 2012 to May 2018. Data were captured on: the test reagents used for brucellosis, procurement and testing protocols, the monthly number of patients tested for brucellosis and the monthly number testing positive. Generalised linear mixed models were used to evaluate relationships between health facility characteristics and the probability that brucellosis testing was conducted in a given month, and the proportion of individuals testing positive.
Results
Four febrile Brucella agglutination tests were used widely. The probability of testing for brucellosis in a given month was significantly associated with an interaction between year of testing and facility ownership. Test probability increased over time with more pronounced increases in privately owned as compared to government facilities. The proportion of individuals testing positive for brucellosis was significantly associated with facility type and district, with individuals tested in hospitals in Meru, Monduli and Ngorongoro districts more likely to test positive.
Conclusions
Febrile Brucella agglutination tests, known for their poor performance, were the mainstay of brucellosis testing at health facilities in northern Tanzania. The study indicates that historical data on human brucellosis in Arusha and other regions are likely to provide an inaccurate measure of true disease burden due to poor performance of the tests used and variation in testing practices. Measures to address these identified shortcomings could greatly improve quality of testing and surveillance data on brucellosis and ultimately inform prevention and control of this priority disease
Trends and constraints in the utilization of African nightshade (Solanum nigrum complex) in Tanzania: A case study of Kilimanjaro and Morogoro regions
Get PDFThis research article was published in the African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development Vol. 22 No. 6, 2022African nightshade (ANS, Solanum nigrum complex) is among the most widely distributed and consumed indigenous vegetables in Tanzania. Several challenges hamper the utilization of ANS. This study sought to assess trends and constraints to ANS utilization in Kilimanjaro and Morogoro regions, Tanzania. Quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to collect information on ANS production, processing, and postharvest handling. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data, whereas focus group discussion (FGDs) was used to collect qualitative data. A total of 627 farmers participated to fill questionnaire, and about eight FGDs with 6 - 10 participants conducted in Kilimanjaro and Morogoro. The results showed that 72.1% of farmers grow different ANS species, with Solanum scabrum vastly cultivated. Also, 79.4% of ANS farmers use irrigation, handheld hoe (97.6%), pesticides (70.7%), and fertilizer (64.8%) to produce ANS. African nightshade is mainly used as food (96.1%), animal feed (41.3%), and medicine (38%). On average, only 5% of ANS sales contributed to family income. Findings show that the main constraints to ANS utilization were pests and diseases (92.9%), lack of knowledge (58%), fertilizer shortages (51%), shortages of pesticides (50%), inadequate means of transport (50.4%), lack of extension services (48%), improper postharvest handling (41.4%) and inadequate storage facilities (34%). Postharvest losses accounted for 78.4% loss of ANS. Mitigation measures were; harvesting in small quantities (54.5%) and instant selling (61.9%) of fresh ANS. Drying (5.3%) and fermentation (1.1%) were the minimal value addition methods for ANS preservation. Moreover, boiling (63.0%) and frying (45.4%) were the typical methods of cooking ANS. More emphasis should be placed on good agricultural practices, providing knowledge to farmers, and supporting access to agricultural inputs such as pesticides, fertilizers, and quality seeds. Furthermore, knowledge of the processing and preservation of ANS is necessary for farmers to improve utilization, reduce losses, and ensure ANS availability. Also, research should focus on breeding local cultivar, which is resistant to pests and diseases
Participatory mapping identifies risk areas and environmental predictors of endemic anthrax in rural Africa
Get PDFThis research article was published in the Scientific Reports 12, Article number: 10514, 2022Disease mapping reveals geographical variability in incidence, which can help to prioritise control
efforts. However, in areas where this is most needed, resources to generate the required data are often
lacking. Participatory mapping, which makes use of indigenous knowledge, is a potential approach to
identify risk areas for endemic diseases in low- and middle-income countries. Here we combine this
method with Geographical Information System-based analyses of environmental variables as a novel
approach to study endemic anthrax, caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis, in rural
Africa. Our aims were to: (1) identify high-risk anthrax areas using community knowledge; (2) enhance
our understanding of the environmental characteristics associated with these areas; and (3) make
spatial predictions of anthrax risk. Community members from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area
(NCA), northern Tanzania, where anthrax is highly prevalent in both animals and humans, were asked
to draw areas they perceived to pose anthrax risks to their livestock on geo-referenced maps. After
digitisation, random points were generated within and outside the defined areas to represent high-
and low-risk areas, respectively. Regression analyses were used to identify environmental variables
that may predict anthrax risk. Results were combined to predict how the probability of being a high-
risk area for anthrax varies across space. Participatory mapping identified fourteen discrete high-risk
areas ranging from 0.2 to 212.9 km 2 in size and occupying 8.4% of the NCA. Areas that pose a high risk
of anthrax were positively associated with factors that increase contact with Bacillus anthracis spores
rather than those associated with the pathogen’s survival: close proximity to inland water bodies,
where wildlife and livestock congregate, and low organic carbon content, which may indicate an
increased likelihood of animals grazing close to soil surface and ingesting spores. Predicted high-risk
areas were located in the centre of the NCA, which is likely to be encountered by most herds during
movements in search for resources. We demonstrate that participatory mapping combined with
spatial analyses can provide novel insights into the geography of disease risk. This approach can be
used to prioritise areas for control in low-resource settings, especially for diseases with environmental
transmission
Towards an Integrated Mobile Technology on Animal Disease Surveillance Framework in Tanzania : A Systematic Review Summary of Reviewed Literature
Get PDFThis journal articles was published in Journal of Information systems Engineering and Management in 2022Tanzanian Government, through its national audit office in March 2020, reported the prevalence decline of two animal diseases, namely; Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP). Similarly, an increase in three animal diseases, which are African Swine Fever (ASV), Contagious CaprinePleuropneumonia (CCPP), and Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD). The national audit office mentioned inadequate animal disease surveillance system in the country was among the challenges that hinder diseases control. Therefore, this study reviews the existing animal diseases surveillance systems global and suggests measures to enhance animal diseases surveillance systems in Tanzania. This review focuses on the possibility of sharing surveillance data among livestock stakeholders (including livestock keepers) in Tanzania, considering available resources such as animal diseases existing prediction models and mobile-based surveillance systems. Also, the availability of mobile technologies such as Short Message Service (SMS), Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) andautomatic voice calls (Robocalls). Reviews synthesize the previous studies to explore strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and challenges for better future interventions through proper and timely information sharing. This study selected 46 records from the 147 identified for review. The selected records include 24 from bibliographic databases, 14 from full-text journals and other non-bibliographic
Recent rise in exploitation of Tanzanian octopuses: a policy and management challenge
Get PDFA research article was published by Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science issue 1, 2022The artisanal octopus fishery is important for the coastal communities in Tanzania. In this work the octopi landing data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Ministry of Livestock and Fishery Development (MLFD) and trade statistics from Comtrade of the United Nations were analysed. The FAO dataset show that from 1980 to 2017 annual octopus landings stayed below 2000 tons until 2018 when the catch increased to 2864 tons, and doubled to 5,687 tons in 2019. FAO datasets show large catches in 1995, 2003 and 2019, with 2019 recording the largest catch. For both Comtrade and MLFD export statistics, approximately 5,818 and 2,254 tons of octopus were exported globally from 2018 to 2020 with an equivalent value of approximately 13 and 19 million US$ respectively. Portugal was the largest importer of Tanzanian octopi, followed by Turkey, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Israel, France and Panama. The current management interventions relating to octopi are presented, including the challenges needed to be addressed for sustainability of the octopi fishery. Voluntary octopi closures indicated some signs of success, but an in-depth assessment of the associated effects is required. The study recommends a need for verification mechanisms to ensure consistency of FAO and MLFD statistics, stock assessments, in-situ research on recruitment patterns of octopi, as well as innovation and research in designing sustainable fishing gear to support development of policies for sustainability
Land Use Land/Cover Change Reduces Woody Plant Diversity and Carbon Stocks in a Lowland Coastal Forest Ecosystem, Tanzania
Get PDFThis research article was published in the Journals of Sustainability Volume 14, Issue 14, 2022The East-African lowland coastal forest (LCF) is one of Africa’s centres of species endemism,
representing an important biodiversity hotspot. However, deforestation and forest degradation due to
the high demand for fuelwood has reduced forest cover and diversity, with unknown consequences
for associated terrestrial carbon stocks in this LCF system. Our study assessed spatio-temporal
land use and land cover changes (LULC) in 1998, 2008, 2018 in the LCF ecosystem, Tanzania. In
addition, we conducted a forest inventory survey and calculated associated carbon storage for this
LCF ecosystem. Using methods of land use change evaluation plug-in in QGIS based on historical
land use data, we modelled carbon stock trends post-2018 in associated LULC for the future 30 years.
We found that agriculture and grassland combined increased substantially by 21.5% between the year
1998 and 2018 while forest cover declined by 29%. Furthermore, forest above-ground live biomass
carbon (AGC) was 2.4 times higher in forest than in the bushland, 5.8 times in the agriculture with
scattered settlement and 14.8 times higher than in the grassland. The estimated average soil organic
carbon (SOC) was 76.03 ± 6.26 t/ha across the entire study area. Our study helps to identify land use
impacts on ecosystem services, supporting decision-makers in future land-use planning