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A tailored nutrition education intervention improves women’s nutrition knowledge and dietary practices in farming households of Tanzania
No full textJournal of Nutritional Health & Food Science, 2019; 8(1):1-13.A study was carried out to assess the effectiveness of a nutrition education intervention among women residing in the villages of Dodoma and
Morogoro regions of Tanzania. Prior to the intervention, a baseline survey was conducted in July-August 2016. The survey involved 663 women
who completed a pre-test assessment for nutrition knowledge and practice and enrolled in nutrition education intervention. The intervention
was carried out for 8 months (September 2017 to April 2018) including a 10 days group training per village with six-month individual training
follow-ups in the household. Spouses/ adult men were also invited to participate in the intervention. Training content included; functions of food,
food groups, malnutrition, food preparations, food consumption and homestead food production. Women were given a post-test during the endline
survey (July-August 2018) to assess the intervention. Nutrition knowledge (NK), Nutrition Practice (NP) as well as a combination of Nutrition
Knowledge and Practice (NKP) were computed using a scoring method as per FAO guidelines. The test was scored in a range of 0-10 for NK and NP
and 0-20 for NKP. The median scores before and after the intervention were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The NKP scores among
sub-groups of respondents were computed using Mann–Whitney and Kruskal Wallis tests. Changes in proportions were calculated using a McNemar
test. Results indicated a significant increase in the post-intervention median scores (interquartile range) than the pre-intervention median scores
(interquartile range) for NK, NP, and NKP; 7(5,7) vs 4(3,5), 5(4,6) vs 3(2,4) and 12(10,13) vs 7(5,9) respectively, p<0.01. Higher scores were found
among those who had received nutrition education, those who had frequently been exposed to nutrition education, those whose spouses/men
participated in the intervention and those with a formal level of education than their counterparts. A significant increase in the frequencies of
consumption of vegetables, fruits and legumes were noted from the baseline to the post-intervention phase in the end-line (87%-98%, 63%-69%
and 76%-87%) respectively. The findings suggest the effectiveness of the nutrition education in the promotion of nutrition knowledge and desirable
dietary practices in farming households of Tanzania
Identifying and Implementing Relevant Research Data Management Services for the Library at the University of Dodoma, Tanzania
No full textData Science Journal, 19: 1, pp. 1–9.Research Data Management (RDM) services are increasingly becoming a subject of interest for academic and research libraries globally – this is also the case in developing countries. The interest is motivated by a need to support research activities through data sharing and collaboration both locally and internationally. Many institutions, especially in the developed countries, have implemented RDM services to accelerate research and innovation through e-Research but extensive RDM is not so common in developing countries. In reality many African universities and research institutions are yet to implement the most basic of data management services. We believe that the absence of political will and national government mandates on data management often hold back the development and implementation of RDM services. Similarly, research funding agencies are not yet applying sufficient pressure to ensure that Africa complies with the requirement to deposit research data in trusted repositories. While the context was acknowledged the University of Dodoma library staff realized that it is urgent to prepare for the inevitable – the time when RDM will be a requirement for research funding support.
This paper presents the results of research conducted at the University of Dodoma, Tanzania. The purpose of the research was to identify and report on relevant RDM services that need to be implemented so that researchers and university management could collaborate and make our research data accessible to the international community.
This paper presents findings on important issues for consideration when planning to develop and implement RDM services at a developing country academic institution. The paper also mentions the requirements for the sustainability of these initiatives
A Fuzzy Logic-Based Approach for Modelling Uncertainty in Open Geospatial Data on Landfill Suitability Analysis
No full textBesides OpenStreetMap (OSM), there are other local sources, such as open government data
(OGD), that have the potential to enrich the modeling process with decision criteria that uniquely
reflect some local patterns. However, both data are affected by uncertainty issues, which limits
their usability. This work addresses the imprecisions on suitability layers generated from such data.
The proposed method is founded on fuzzy logic theories. The model integrates OGD, OSM data
and remote sensing products and generate reliable landfill suitability results. A comparison analysis
demonstrates that the proposed method generates more accurate, representative and reliable suitability
results than traditional methods. Furthermore, the method has facilitated the introduction of open
government data for suitability studies, whose fusion improved estimations of population distribution
and land-use mapping than solely relying on free remotely sensed images. The proposed method is
applicable for preparing decision maps from open datasets that have undergone similar generalization
procedures as the source of their uncertainty. The study provides evidence for the applicability of
OGD and other related open data initiatives (ODIs) for land-use suitability studies, especially in
developing countries
Potential of sniffer rats in detection of brucella species in Cattle
No full textBrucellosis is one of the most economically important bacterial zoonoses worldwide,
affecting livestock, wild animals and humans. In Tanzania, brucellosis is in the list of six
top priority zoonoses that the government is focusing to control although diagnostics
remain to be a major constraint. An experimental study was carried out at an antipersoonsmijnen
ontmijnende product ontwikkeling abreviateted as APOPO which in
English means anti-personnel landmines removal product development between may
2018 and august 2019 to train nine sniffer rats (Cricetomys ansorgei) to detect Brucella
abortus. The study used the principle of operant conditioning in which sniffer rats were
rewarded on sniffing Brucella abortus positive samples within two seconds. Cattle milk
and aborted materials were the source of Brucella used in the study Brucella was grown
on selective media and confirmed using morphological, biochemical and molecular
methods. The isolated Brucella abortus strain was heat inactivated at 560C for 45 minutes
before being presented to the sniffer rats. To ascertain the status of the sniffer rats
regarding Brucella infection, the sniffer rats were screened for the presence of Brucella
antibodies using Rose Bengal Test before and after the experiment. All sniffer rats were
negative for Brucella antibodies before and after the experiment. Five days prior to the
start of experimental testing, the baseline performance (sensitivity (se) and specificity
(sp)) of the sniffer rats was assessed. On average, baseline sensitivity and specificity for
the nine sniffer rats were 92% (range 82-98%) and 98% (range 95-99%) respectively.
After finding the baseline performances, the sniffer rats were trained and subjected to
three experimental tests to evaluate their ability to accurately detect positive samples
(sensitivity) and discriminate against negative samples (specificity) using 10 positive and
90 negative samples. The average sensitivity for tests one, two and three were 93% (range
60-100%), 97% (range 90-100%) and 76% (range 60-90%) respectively, while average
specificity were 96% (range 88-98%), 93% (range 86-94%) and 98% (range 93-100%)
respectively. Results from this study showed reasonably high sensitivity and specificity
that suggests potential of sniffer rats to be used for diagnosis of Brucella infection.
However, since this experiment used laboratory manipulated samples, further studies are
needed: firstly, to explore its applicability in the clinical samples such as milk, blood and
other tissues secondly, to evaluate components of Brucella abortus that the sniffer rats
were sniffing and thirdly to evaluate their ability to detect other Brucella species.Thematic Training Program of brucellosis (TTP-Brucellosis
Effects of prescribed burning on rodent community ecology in Serengeti national park, Tanzania
No full textMasters ThesesA study on the effects of prescribed burning on rodent community ecology was conducted
in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. The study aimed at generating ecological knowledge
on the changes in rodent communities when areas of the park are intentionally burned to
regulate grasslands or reduce undergrowth that can lead to uncontrolled forest fires.
A Complete Randomized Design (CRD) factorial layout with two treatments (burned and
unburned) and two replications was applied. A total of 148 animals comprising six species
of rodents and one insectivore were captured over 2,940 trap nights. Among the trapped
individuals, 41.9% were adults, 16.1% juveniles and 41.9% sub-adults. Males and females
were at parity between treatments. Species abundance was estimated using the Minimum
Number Alive method for different rodent species and was found to vary with treatment,
where Mastomys natalensis declined in burned plots whilst Arvicanthis niloticus
increased. However, species diversity did not differ across treatments (F1, 10 = 0.15, p
= 0.70). Differences in the reproductive condition of female M. natalensis (z = 4.408, df
= 15, p = 0.000) and A. niloticus (z = 2.381, df = 15, p = 0.017) were observed between
treatments showing that higher numbers of reproductively active females were observed in
burned plots in March, whilst in unburned plots it was from November to February.
Conservation strategies involving periodic habitat burning should, therefore, consider
small mammal reproductive periods to ensure that potentially at risk species are not
adversely affected and able to rapidly recover from the effects of burning on temporarily
lowering food resources and longer term impacts of increased predation caused by reduced
cover.ACE II-IRPM and BTD projec
Influence of inorganic fertilizer application and supplementary feeds on periphyton biomass, quality and species composition
No full textJournal Article Volume 5; Issue 4; 2020; Page No. 70-78A study was conducted to assess the effects of fertilization alone (T 1 ), supplementary feeding alone (T 2 ) and combination of
fertilization plus supplementary feeding (T 3 ) on periphyton species composition, quantity and quality. Sex-reversed
Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings were stocked in earthen ponds one week after initial pond fertilization. Urea and Diammonium
phosphate (DAP) fertilizers were applied in pond water at weekly intervals at a rate of 3 and 2 g/m 2 , respectively. Fish were fed
feed containing 25.1% crude protein at 5% (T 2 ) and 2.5% (T 3 ) of fish body weight daily. The results show that the ponds under
combination of fertilization plus supplementary feeding (T 3 ) had higher periphyton biomass (47.35 ± 7.64 g DM/m 2 ), crude
protein content (11.40 ± 0.16%) and organic matter content (OM) (25.47 ± 0.28%). The periphyton from ponds under fertilization
alone (T 1 ), had the highest ether extract content (1.84 ± 0.07%) and ponds treated with supplementary feeding alone (T 2 ) had
higher phosphorous content (0.48 ± 0.0 mg/L). The body of fish cultured in ponds under T 3 had higher CP (69.14 ± 0.33%) and
OM (96.65 ± 0.16%) contents while those reared under T 1 had higher ether extract content (18.33 ± 0.19%) and ash content
(4.78 ± 0.1%), suggesting a positive relationship between algal quality and fish muscles. In addition, fish growth rate increased
as the periphyton quantity (biomass and OM) and quality (CP and phosphorous) increased. The study also revealed five classes
of phytoplankton (Bacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Cyanophyceae, Euglenophyceae and Zygnematophyceae) and three
classes of zooplankton (Eurotatoria, Heterotrichea and Oligohymenophorea). In general, both phytoplankton (algae) and
zooplankton were more abundant in ponds under T 3 than in ponds under the other treatments. It is concluded that the combination
of fertilization plus supplementary feeding (T 3 ) produces higher periphyton quantity, quality and species composition and thus
promotes higher fish growth rate compared to feeding alone and fertilization alone treatments
Determinants of economic efficiency among smallholder Common beans farmers in Igamba and Itaka divisions in Mbozi district, Songwe region
No full textMasters ThesisCommon beans are the most exported pulses in Tanzania and contributes about 62% of all
Tanzanian pulse exports. This crop has significant importance in the growth of the national
economy. The average common bean yield in the country which has been recorded at
991 kgha-1 is lower than the potential yield of 1500-3000 Kgha-1. Using data from 131
randomly selected smallholder common beans farmers from six villages in three wards of
Magamba, Bara and Halungu, this study analyzes the determinants of the economic
efficiency of smallholder common beans farmers in the study area. Specifically, the study
attempts to estimate the levels of technical, allocative, and economic efficiencies among
the sampled smallholder common beans farmers in the study area. The stochastic frontier
approach was used to estimate the production function, and from a Cobb-Douglas
stochastic frontier function and its dual, enables the estimation of the technical, allocative
and economic efficiencies. The efficiency determinants were simultaneously assessed
along with the frontier functions through the FRONTIER 4.1 software. The results show
that common bean production was positively influenced (P<0.1) by plot size, quantity of
seeds and planting fertilizers. Furthermore, the results show that, farmers’ membership to
farmer group, education level, experience in farming and household size were found to be
negatively and significantly (P<0.1) associated to technical inefficiency. Similarly, farmers’
membership to farmer group, experience of the farmer, education level and extension
services were found to be negatively and significantly (P<0.1) related to allocative
inefficiency. Results further show that the mean technical, allocative, and economic
efficiency indices of smallholder beans farmers are 64.8%, 52.7%, and 43.62%,
respectively, meaning that the sampled farmers were relatively technically efficient than
they were allocatively and economically, with 56.38% room to expand productivity with
current input use and technology. The study concludes that, inputs such as improved seed
and fertilizers which were the major inputs that increase the output of common bean
production in the study area should be made available by all stakeholders (government and
private sectors) on time, in right amounts and at affordable prices to the farmers. The study
recommends that policies should be developed to improve the provision of extension
services to the farmers
Urban sprawl and its impact on sustainable urban development: a combination of remote sensing and social media data
No full textUrbanization is one of the most impactful human activities across the world today affecting the quality of urban life and its sustainable development. Urbanization in Africa is occurring at an unprecedented rate and it threatens the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Urban sprawl has resulted in unsustainable urban development patterns from social, environmental, and economic perspectives. This study is among the first examples of research in Africa to combine remote sensing data with social media data to determine urban sprawl from 2011 to 2017 in Morogoro urban municipality, Tanzania. Random Forest (RF) method was applied to accomplish imagery classification and location-based social media (Twitter usage) data were obtained through a Twitter Application Programming Interface (API). Morogoro urban municipality was classified into built-up, vegetation, agriculture, and water land cover classes while the classification results were validated by the generation of 480 random points. Using the
Kernel function, the study measured the location of Twitter users within a 1 km buffer from the center of the city. The results indicate that, expansion of the city (built-up land use), which is primarily driven by population expansion, has negative impacts on ecosystem services because pristine grasslands and forests which provide essential ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and support for biodiversity have been replaced by built-up land cover. In addition, social media usage data suggest that there is the concentration of Twitter usage within the city center while Twitter usage declines away from the city center with significant spatial and numerical increase in Twitter usage in the study area. The outcome of the study suggests that the combination of remote sensing, social sensing, and population data were useful as a proxy/inference for interpreting urban sprawl and status of access to urban services and infrastructure in Morogoro, and Africa city where data for urban planning is often unavailable, inaccurate, or stale
Ecology of major rodent pest species in maize and rice cropping system in Eastern Uganda
No full textPhD ThesisRodent pests cause significant losses on several cereal crops but more so on maize and
rice crops and thus pose a threat to the food security in Uganda and the rest of East Africa.
In order to develop an effective management strategy against rodent pests, it is important
to understand the diversity, breeding patterns and population dynamics and key
demographic and ecological factors that regulate abundance and richness of the major
rodent pest species. The above aspects formed the basis of this study’s objectives and
provide the first detailed ecological information in Uganda’s rodent fauna in agro
ecosystem environments.
Two studies were conducted; in the first study a 2-year Capture Mark Release (CMR)
rodent trapping was carried out in Mayuge district with grids placed in cultivated and
fallow field habitats with the aim of establishing the species composition and community
structure of small rodents, establish the population fluctuation and breeding patterns of
key rodent species and establish the demographic traits including survival and maturation
of key small rodent species in agro ecosystem environment. Sherman live traps were used
to trap the small rodents on a monthly basis and traps set for 3 consecutive nights at each
trapping session. Trapping was done on four permanent grids of 70*70 m2 measurement,
with traps spaced at 10*10m making a total of 49 traps per grid. The second study was a
trapping survey conducted across three districts with varying cropping systems and in the
different seasons with the aim of establishing geo spatial ecological factors that influence
rodent abundance. With the aid of Geological Information System (GIS) and remote
sensing 20 sampling grids in each district were randomly identified using a randomization
tool in Quantum GIS and were georeferenced and located with Global Position System
machine for field rodent trapping. Landsat 8 images were acquired from the United States
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Geological Survey (USGS) website for land use land cover characterization of the studied
sites with further additional data collection on farm management practices.
A total of 11 identified small rodent species and one insectivorous small mammal were
recorded in both fallow and cultivated field habitats with the Mastomys natalensis being
the most dominant in the following order; M. natalensis (60.7%), Mus triton (16.1%),
Aethomys hendei (6.7%), Lemniscomys zebra (5.2%), Lophuromys sikapusi (4.8%),
Arvicanthis niloticus (0.9%), Gerbilliscus kempi (0.1%), Graphiurus murinus (0.1%),
Steatomys parvus (0.1%), Dasymys incomtus (0.1%) and Grammomys dolichurus (0.1%).
In terms of species turnover, spatially there was a significant difference (F1,6 =9, p=0.024)
for the studied field habitats with fallow field habitats showing higher species turnover
(6±1) compared to cultivated field habitat (4±1). Temporal species turn over (βT) also
showed a significant difference (F5, 44 =18.819, p=0.0001) over the three years of the
study, with her turnover in first of trapping. In terms of community structure, higher
species diversity associated more with fallow field habitats but also with certain rare
species found only in cultivated fields.
Higher diversity and species turnover in fallow fields could be explained by the
characteristic nature of this habitat having better vegetation ground cover and less human
interaction as compared to cultivated fields. On the other hand, the higher abundance
ranking of M. natalensis in cultivated fields could be associated to its characteristic nature
of being a good colonizer of disturbed habitats like farm lands. Based on these findings,
management strategies ought to target M. natalensis and should be applied in both
cultivated and fallow fields to prevent rodent infestation of crops. Further analysis on the
population structure of the most dominant species i.e. M. natalensis was performed on the
basis of seasonal changes in breeding patterns, population density and recruitment.
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In terms of breeding, female animals were considered to be actively breeding when they
had perforated vagina, enlarged nipples or pregnant whereas males were considered
actively breeding in case of a visible scrotum.
Data on recruitment of new individuals in the trappable population was also generated.
Data on population density, percentage actively breeding animals and percentage
recruitment were subjected to Generalized Linear Mixed Model with a Penalized Quasi
Likelihood (PQL) method. Results on the breeding patterns showed continuous breeding
of females throughout the year, with significantly higher percentages in second dry season
(June-July), which was attributed to the observed availability of drying cereals and
legumes from main planting season of the first wet season (March-May). Population
density was observed to have peaked in the second wet season (September-November)
and recruitment was significantly higher in the second dry season, with the later attributed
to the increased animal breeding observed in the same period as reported above. Results
have important applications on the timing of management practices, with possible
recommendations to apply management options in the first wet season to prevent buildup
of populations in subsequent seasons that can result into damaging populations.
The demographic traits of M. natalensis in terms of maturation (the probability for a
juvenile to become an adult) and survival (the monthly probability for an individual to
survive from one month to the next) were also examined. CMR input data were subjected
to specialized statistical modelling using software E-SURGE. Best model estimates
showed higher survival of animals when rainfall was medium (300ml) to high (500ml) in
the past month. The higher survival during periods of higher rainfall was attributed to
possible increase in ground vegetation cover which is triggered by rainfall, thus animals
are shielded from potential predatory animals. Maturation on the other hand was not
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affected by rainfall, sex, habitat and population density a condition which could be
attributed to the mixed cropping system in the study area thus offering a diversity of food
sources for animal normal growth and development. The recapture probability was also
modelled and higher recapture probability was observed in male animals compared to
females.
In the second study, data on small rodent population abundance and richness as the
response variables were subjected to the Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) model analysis
with several predictor variables including; Normalized Vegetation Index (NDVI), total
monthly rainfall, soil texture class, farm management practices (crop field status, crop
type etc.) to determine the relative importance of these variables on predicting small
rodent abundance and richness. Overall modelling showed farm management practices
(crop field status) was the most important factor for predicting both abundance and
richness. This could be attributed to the additive influence of both crop and field states
which have influence on food availability and suitable vegetation ground cover for animal
habitation. Other important factors including NDVI, crop type and soil texture (in
particular soil silt particle proportion) were important in predicting abundance and
richness. In conclusion this study has provided important information on several aspects
of the ecology of rodents associated with agro ecosystems, knowledge that can help in the
development of adaptive pest management strategies such as concentrating efforts on
M. natalensis species, timing control in the first wet season, promotion of collective
control even in non-cereal crops in Uganda and other regions with similar climatic and farming systems.Bill and Melinda Gates foundatio
Non-farm livelihood diversification and its contribution to Rural transformation in Kibaigwa, Dodoma Tanzania
No full textPhD ThesisIn many countries, rural transformations are being shaped much by rural towns and small cities due
to the role played in boosting the rural non-farm economy. Rural transformation involves a
comprehensive societal change whereby rural societies diversify their economies and reduce their
reliance on agriculture because of pressure that is exerted on agricultural land by diversified
activities and hence rural societies participate more in non- farm activities. This study is aimed at
evaluating non-farm livelihood diversification and rural transformation in Kibaigwa emerging urban
center. Specifically, the study is aimed at analyzing the contribution of non-farm livelihood
activities to rural transformation, analyzing factors influencing participation in the non-farm
livelihood activities, analyzing constraints associated with livelihood diversification in the study
area. A random sample of 376 households was drawn from 6 177 households in five sub-villages or
streets which are in Kibaigwa township. 313 (83.2%) of the total respondents were employed in
non-farm activities. Independent sample t-test statistic and descriptive statistics indicate that the
mean income from household engaging in non-farm activities was 329 789 TZS which was larger
compared to the mean income of 55 189 TZS earned by household engaging in farming activities.
The logit regression was used to determine factors influencing the participation in non-farm
livelihood activities where education level and age of the household head were among the
influencing factors. Moreover, initial and running capital and credit were among major constraints
associated with livelihood diversification in Kibaigwa emerging urban center. The study concluded
that non-farm activities contribute to rural transformation by providing high income to household’s
income and employment activities. It is recommended that improvement of infrastructures like
roads and electricity could facilitate transportation and growth of agro industries in the study area.DANID