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Contribution of public works programme to income-poverty reductionand access to basic needs: a case of Kilosa district, Tanzania
No full textA Dissertation 2019Many measures have been taken globally, regional and at national levels to fight against
poverty. An engagement of TASAF III to intervene poverty through Public Works
Programme (PWP) is one among measures to reduce income poverty. Many studies on
PWPs focused more on the assets created for the community than the well-being of poor
household’s participated in the programme. As a result, there is little understanding on
how PWPs have contributed to the reduction of income poverty among participants
through wages paid to them.
Specifically, the study aimed at comparing the monthly
monetary income of PWP beneficiaries before and after PWP intervention, assessing
beneficiaries’ households’ access to basic needs, determining attitudes of the community
towards PWP interventions and identifying challenges facing PWPs. The study was
conducted in Kilosa District in Morogoro Region. A total of 141 households were
surveyed, five Focus Group Discussion (FGDs) were conducted and four Key informants
were interviewed. A structured questionnaire, FGDs and Key Informants Interview guides
were used to gather information regarding to PWPs. Statistical Packages for Social
Science (SPSS) was used to analyse data whereby descriptive statistics in the form of
frequencies, percentages and t-test were used in presentation of the study findings. The
findings revealed that the number of households taking three meals per day rose from 0%
to 63.6%. The findings also revealed that financial constraints in education decreased; as
94.4% of the respondents used wages for educational needs and 93% of the poor
households’ beneficiaries could afford primary education. The study concluded that PWP
had played important roles to contribute to the reduction of income poverty for poor
households. Therefore, it was recommended that TASAF, Government and communities
should continue to enhance PWP’s intervention by up scaling its scope in order to reach
many poor households as possible
Genomic characterisation and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella and β-lactamase-producing escherichia coli in Nile perch (lates niloticus) in Lake Victoria-Mwanza, Tanzania
No full textA Thesis 2019Nile perch (Lates niloticus) is one of the most important fish species in the Lake Victoria
region due to its market potential and health benefits. Despite such potentials, reports on
detention of exported fillet due to Salmonella have been reported, yet not much studied. A
cross-sectional study design was employed to investigate the microbial safety of Nile
perch and its salted sun-dried products, as well as their contamination with Salmonella
spp. and Escherichia coli producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs). The
specific objectives of the study were to: i) Establish the prevalence and diversity of
Salmonella serotypes in water and Nile perch from Lake Victoria, Tanzania, ii) Evaluate
genetic diversity, antimicrobial resistance and pathogenic potential of Salmonella serovars
isolated from water and Nile perch, iii) Determine the prevalence of ESBL-producing E.
coli in water and Nile perch from Lake Victoria, Tanzania, iv) Establish genomic
characteristics of ESBL-producing E. coli isolates from water and Nile perch; and, v)
Assess microbial quality of frozen Nile perch and salted sun-dried products sold in
domestic and regional markets.
Collected samples included Nile perch (from fishing grounds, landing sites, and domestic
fish markets), lake water, swabs from surfaces of facilities used for fish transportation and
salted sun-dried Nile perch products. Standard methods were used for analysis of bacteria,
moisture content (MC) and water activity (A w ) in samples. Antimicrobial resistance in
Salmonella spp. was determined by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and for
ESBL-producing E. coli, standard disc diffusion method was used. ESBL-producing E.
coli were screened on MacConkey agar supplemented with 2 μg/mL cefotaxime and were
confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Fourteen Salmonella and 11 ESBL-
producing E. coli isolates were selected for whole genome sequencing (WGS) using Illumina MiSeq. The genomic characterisation and phylogenetic relatedness analysis of
the isolates were established using WGS.
The study revealed 12 different Salmonella serovars, commonly S. enterica subsp.
salamae 42:r:- and S. waycross. The prevalence of S. enterica subsp. salamae 42:r:- was
10% (6/60) in Nile perch from fishing grounds, 1.7% (1/60) from landing sites and 1.7%
(1/60) from the markets. The magnitude of contamination in Nile perch from landing sites
was significantly lower compared to other sources (P<0.05). The prevalence of S.
waycross in the Nile perch from fishing grounds was 16.7% (10/60), 10% (6/60) at
landing sites and 13.3% (8/60) in market settings. Prevalence between sites were
comparable (P>0.05). Two of 12 ser. 42:r:- and six out of 30 S. waycross were resistant to
sulfamethoxazole, and one out of 12 ser. 42:r:- and six out of 30 S. waycross were resistant
to azithromycin. The results were not supported by the detection of gene aac(6')-laa
encoding for aminoglycoside resistance in the sequenced isolates. Resistance to
azithromycin could be associated with unknown chromosomal mutations in base pair in
regions of 16S RNA and 23S RNA detected in sequenced isolates. The WGS also revealed
ser. 42:r:- and ser. Fulica ST1208, ser. 42:r:- belonged to serogroup T. However, ser.
Fulica had an unidentified serogroup. In addition, four S. waycross ST2460, one S.
waycross ST3691, one S. wien ST2460 and S. wien ST3691 were reported. The S.
waycross serovars belonged to serogroup S, while S. wien had unidentified serogroup.
Moreover, S. waycross and S. wien had pathogenicity islands SPI-2 to SPI-5 with
associated virulent genes, but lacked in ser. 42:r:- and ser. Fulica. Plasmid replicon type
IncFII was only detected in S. waycross ST3691 and S. wien ST3691 and was not
associated with resistance or virulent genes. Furthermore, serovars of subsp. salamae had
unique esp and ompT genes for adaptation in aquatic environment, while S. waycross and
S. wien had a cluster of specific cit genes encoding citrate utilisation and oadAB for oxaloacetate decarboxylation in host cells. CSI phylogenetic analysis revealed a ser. 42:r:-
clonal relationship to ser. Fulica. Salmonella waycross were clonally related to each other,
while S. wien showed variations (Paper I and Manuscript II for SOBs I and II).
The overall prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli in Nile perch from the Lake Victoria
was 4.4% (8/180). The isolates were resistant to sulphamethoxazole-trimethoprim (100%),
ampicillin/cloxacillin (100%), erythromycin 72.7% (8/11), tetracycline 90.9% (10/11) and
nalidixic acid 63.6% (7/11). The isolates carried resistance genes for sulphonamides (sul1
and sul2), trimethoprim (dfrA and dfrB), aminoglycosides (aac(3)-IId, strA and strB),
tetracycline (tet(B) and tet(D) and fluoroquinolones (qepA4). In addition, the isolates
harboured plasmid replicon types IncF, IncX, IncQ and Col and carried bla CTX-M-15 and
bla TEM-1B genes as well as resistance encoding genes. ESBL-producing E. coli isolates
formed three separate sequence type-phylogroup-serotype specific clades: C1, C2 and C3.
Clade C1 was composed of five isolates (maximum of 13 single nucleotide
polymorphisms [SNPs]) belonging to ST167, phylogroup A and serotype O9:H21. Two
C2 isolates (max. 11 SNPs) belonged to ST156, phylogroup B1 and serotype (O-
untypable) ONT:H28. Clade C3 was comprised of four isolates (max. 17 SNPs) of ST636,
phylogroup B2 and serotype O45:H7. The virulence gene gad encoding glutamate
decarboxylase was found in all isolates. In addition, C2 and C3 isolates harboured the
following virurence genes; iss encoding for increased serum survival, lpfA for long polar
fimbriae and nfaE encoding for diffuse adherence fimbrillar adhesin. The vat gene which
play role in vacuolating autotransporter toxin was found only in C3, and was responsible
for pathogenicity. A CSI phylogenetic analysis revealed ST167 were clonally related to
corresponding public genome of E. coli strains obtained from humans, animals and the
environment. The same scenario was reported for ST636 and ST156 of E. coli against their corresponding sequence types. In each sequence type, isolates showed the samev
genotypic resistance and virulence profiles. The present study highlights the occurrence of genotypic resistance and virulence profiles. The present study highlights the occurrence of
low virulence, multidrug resistant ESBL-producing E. coli in a highly commercialised fish
product obtained from Lake Victoria (Manuscript III for SOBs III and IV).
The study also revealed that salted sun-dried Nile perch products were not contaminated
with Salmonella spp. and ESBL-producing E. coli. However, total viable counts (TVCs)
of 4.5 log colony forming units (cfu)/g in fish heads with MCs of 38.0% and A w of 0.682
were reported in products sampled during the rainy season and were significantly higher
(P<0.05) than the corresponding samples collected during the dry season. The differences
attributed by high humidity and rainy condition which lowerd the drying temperature. Fish
chests collected during the rainy season had TVCs of 3.3 log cfu/g, MCs of 27.6% and A w
of 0.659, with no significant difference (P>0.05) to the values of samples dried during the
dry season. Fish belly flaps that were sampled during the rainy season had TVCs of 3.3
log cfu/g at 26.4% MCs and 0.669 A w , which were comparable (P>0.05) to those
collected during the dry season. Bacteria identified from TVCs included Staphylococcus
spp., Enterobacter spp., and Psychrobacter spp. (Paper IV SOB V).
The current study detected uncommon Salmonella serovars rarely associated with human
diseases. The serovars are apparently not of public health importance because they are less
virulent compared to other serovars frequently isolated from humans and animals. The
reported serovars could be normal flora in Nile perch fish. The study also revealed the low
prevalence of multidrug resistance ESBL-producing E. coli harbouring plasmids carrying
β-lactamases and antimicrobial resistance genes. The plasmids and resistance genes
reported in ESBL-producing E. coli showed no evidence of horizontal gene transfer
(HGT) between the isolates. The salted sun-dried Nile perch products were safe for human
consumption as the microbial parameters were within the acceptable limit set by the Tanzanian standards. However, high TVCs and identified contaminated bacteria in dried
products highlight the need to implement hygienic procedures during processing to ensure
the improved quality and safety of the products for consumers
Effect of clove (Syzygium aromaticum) and seaweed (Kappaphycus alvarezii) water extracts pretreatment on lipid oxidation in sun‐dried sardines (Rastrineobola argentea) from Lake Victoria, Tanzania
No full textJournal Article Food Sci Nutr. 2019;7: pg. no. 1406–1416.Small indigenous fish species play a significant role in food and nutritional security of poor communities in developing countries. Sardines (Rastrineobola argentea) are fish species of Lake Victoria known to be a good source of health‐promoting omega‐3 fatty acids. Open sun drying is a common and traditional sardine processing and preservation method. Sun‐dried products suffer from characteristic off‐flavor due to
lipid oxidation which discourage product consumption and limit diversification. This
study investigated the use of clove (Syzygium aromaticum) and seaweed (Kappaphycus
alvarezii) water extracts as natural antioxidants to impede lipid oxidation in sun‐dried
sardines. Lipid oxidation was assessed by peroxide value, volatile secondary oxida-
tion products, and fatty acid profiles. The antioxidant capacity of extracts was evalu-
ated by total phenolic content, 1, 1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical
scavenging, and iron (Fe 2+ ) chelating ability. Results showed that 5, 10, and 20 g/L
clove extracts significantly reduced peroxidation in sun‐dried sardines by 38.7%,
54.6%, and 56%, respectively. Clove extracts resulted in higher retention of omega‐3
fatty acids and lower concentrations of secondary lipid oxidation products as op-
posed to seaweed counterpart. This research has demonstrated feasibility of pre-
treating whole, omega‐3‐rich small sardines with natural antioxidants to avert lipid
oxidation during sun drying
Acceptability of a prototype point of care test for human taeniosis and cysticercosis diagnosis, in Mbeya and Songwe
No full textA Dissertation 2019The proto-type Taenia solium taeniosis/cysticercosis point of care test (TSTC-POC test) is
a combined T. solium taeniosis / cysticercosis diagnostic test that enables immediate
diagnosis of individuals suffering from taeniosis or cysticercosis or both, and hence,
enabling immediate interventions. A cross-sectional study was carried out in selected
District health facilities (Ifisi, Makandana and Vwawa) of Mbeya and Songwe Regions,
Tanzania to assess perceptions and factors influencing the acceptability of the TSTC-POC
test among individuals who were tested during a TSTC-POC test proto-type evaluation.
The assessment of acceptability of the TSTC-POC test was carried out through application
of Health Belief Model (HBM), a social science theoretical framework. A total of 260
persons were interviewed using a structured questionnaire immediately after they
undertook the TSTC-POC test. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16.0 where descriptive
statistics and association between variables using Chi-square test were computed.
Statistical significance was established at 95% confidence level and p value <0.05. The
acceptability of the POC test was high (95.4%). The main factor making the test
acceptable was the short time it took between testing and getting the result (45.3% of the
respondents). Factors that motivated individuals to undergo the TSTC-POC test include
the perceived threat of the disease (death and disabilities), trust in health practitioners and
the diagnostic tool itself. Acceptability of TSTC-POC test was not influenced by study
hospital, age groups, gender, education level and primary occupation of study
participants. It is concluded that the TSTC-POC test is acceptable among study population
of Mbeya and Songwe region, southern Tanzania. Information on the test's sensitivity and
specificity is required to guide its adoption and promotion for control of TSTC in
Tanzania, a potential breakthrough in TSTC surveillance
Production efficiency of small-scale tree growers in Mufindi District, Tanzania
No full textA Dissertation 2019The demand for wood product is expected to double between 2013 and 2035 due to
increasing demand driven largely by construction, furniture, population growth and paper
sectors. Therefore there is a need for private sectors including small-scale farmers to
counter balance the supply. However, the efficiency of small-scale farmers in production
of trees is still unknown. Therefore this study investigated technical efficiency of small-
scale tree growers and factors influencing production efficiency of small-scale farmers in
Mufindi district. Structured questionnaire was administered to 244 respondents from
randomly selected households. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive
statistics data envelopment analysis and Tobit Model. Results indicate that small-scale
tree growers were not fully technically efficient as the mean efficiency was 84.5% under
Variable Return to Scale and 80% under Constant Return to Scale assumptions.
Quality of seeds, farm size, extension services and marital status were major factors
significantly influencing technical efficiency of the small-scale tree growers. The policy
implication of the study is that technical efficiency of small-scale tree growers could be
increased by 15.5% under variable return to scale and 20% under constant return to scale
by improving the use of available resources also to encourage farmers to join farmer
based organizations, better management of woodlots and Availability of quality
seeds/seedling are options that would improve the efficiency of the small-scale tree
grower
Fuelwood efficient stoves as strategies to adapt the effects of climate change in Muheza District, Tanzania
No full textA Dissertation 2019The study was conducted in Muheza district, Tanzania to assess the fuelwood efficient
stoves (FWES) as strategies to adapt to climate change effects. Specifically, the study
assessed the extent of adoption of fuelwood efficient stoves, examined the direct and
indirect benefits of the stoves in the context of climate change adaptation and determined
the challenges of adoptions and up-scaling the FWES technology. Data were collected
through household’s questionnaire survey, checklists, and direct observations. Descriptive
statistics and logistic regression model were used in the study. Findings showed that about
77% of households adopted the fuelwood efficient stoves. Five types of cooking stoves
were observed in the area; improved stove with and without chimney, gas stoves, charcoal
and three stones-traditional open stoves. Firewood consumption, low emission of smoke
and restoration of landscapes were among the direct and indirect benefit of using the
fuelwood efficient stoves in adapting to climate change effect in the area. Binary Logistic
Regression Model Analysis (R 2 =0.73, F=9.57, p<0.05) revealed that age and fuelwood
scarcity significantly showed a positive linear relationship with FWES adoption. T-sample
test show that the average of the head load of fuelwood used per week by households after
and before the introduction of stoves were statistically different. Results also revealed that
adoption of stoves is the best strategy for communities in order to adapt to climate change
effects in the area by reducing disturbances on the forest resources. Nevertheless, limited
knowledge about the stoves and its usefulness in relation to climate change effects was
among of the challenges for adoptions of the stoves in the area. Therefore, the adoption of
fuelwood efficient stoves by the local communities in the area has assisted them to adapt
on the effects of climate change while addressing the scarcity of fuelwood in the area and
improving their livelihoods
Productivity impact of growth enhancement support scheme on maize farm households in Kano State, Nigeria
No full textIn Nigeria, farmers depend on government support for farm inputs in form of subsidies in order to
improve their livelihoods. In this article, the productivity impact of the Growth Enhancement Support
Scheme (GESS) input subsidy support program implemented was examined in 2011. The study employs
a two-stage probability design to collect household survey data from 390 households in Kano State. As
an analytical approach, the study employed a propensity score matching and a Two-Stage Least Square
(2SLS) regression estimator that corrects for selectivity and endogeneity problems respectively while
Hedges “g” was used to estimate the effect size of GESS .Maize yield and total factor productivity index
were used as indicators to estimate the productivity impact of GESS program. The result from two-
stage least square estimator showed that GESS subsidy increased the yield of participants by 32.3%
and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05) while the result of total factor productivity index,
showed that the participants were more productive) and had an average of 14.1% net gain from the cost
incurred in production in the 2016 farming season. The size of the estimated treatment effect suggests
an improvement in the productivity outcomes of participants. The study found that the results of the
study are consistent with similar findings and therefore validate the hypothesis that the GESS subsidy
programme improved the productivity of beneficiary households. The scheme obviously has enormous
potentials and is also very promising for agricultural input procurement and distribution to resource-
poor households in Nigeria. In addition, there is a need for capacity building of the farmers by local
extension agents in the form of integrated crop management practices in order to sustain productivity
gains. This study concludes that input use alone is not enough to increase maize production,
improvement in input use efficiency through integrated crop management practices are also needed
Assessment of implementation of village land use plans in Ulanga district, Tanzania
No full textA Dissertation 2019Land use plans have been considered as a solution to land use problems. Existing studies
have reported cases of non-adherence to the plan though limitedly considered assessing
their implementation at village level. Implementation of the land use plan relies on how
sufficient are the allocated land use zones, if the land use groups adhere to the plan and
whether the available strategies enhance adherence to the land use plan. This study was
designed to empirically identify land use implementation problems and suggest solutions
relevant to the land users, the government, planners and other stakeholders. Primary data
were collected through household survey of 120 respondents from two villages, key
informants, focus group discussions and field observation survey while secondary data
were collected through review of guidelines for land use planning, village land use plans,
district land use framework, books and journals. Information used to assess sufficiency of
land use zones and strategies used in Village Land Use Plan (VLUP) from household
survey and village records were descriptively analysed. GPS points to examine adherence
to VLUPs were analysed using Kappa statistic. Factors influencing adherence to VLUPs
were analysed using binary logistical regression and pair-wise ranking. Findings showed
that the allocated zones were insufficient for the current and future needs whereby 90% of
the respondents declared insufficiency of the allocated zones. Discrepancies were noted in
the size of land in the VLUP document and those digitised via Arcview GIS. Kappa
analysis resulted to moderate adherence with kappa coefficient of 0.47 and 0.49 for Iragua
and Kichangani villages. Corruption of village leaders, failure of village leaders to
implement, lack of awareness on land use plans and increased population were the key
prioritised factors that affected adherence to land use plans. The study recommends a
review of the zoning standards to enhance sufficiency of allocated zones; privatization of
grazing land; establishment of communal grazing management plans; and involvement of communities in developing complete plans. The study also recommends close monitoring;
reviewing of VLUPs; enforcement of good governance; establishing incentive schemes;
offering
continuous
education
and
awareness,
and
developing
participatory
implementation framework with clearly stipulated roles, strategies, milestones and
indicators as well as resource mobilisation strategy
Contribution of free primary education to rural livelihood in Mvomero District, Morogoro
No full textA Dissertation 2019After the implementation of free education policy in Tanzania studies to examine its
impact were conducted. From these studies, however, have scarcely looked into the
contribution of free primary education to rural livelihood in Mvomero District.
This study sought to assess the contribution of free primary education to rural livelihood
in Mvomero District. The study was guided by three objectives which were to examine
the extent to which free primary education is free, to assess rural parent`s perceptions of
relief from financial burden following the abolition of fee and other mandatory
contributions and to determine contribution of the free primary education to rural
livelihood in Mvomero District. The study used a sample of 100 respondents. Interviews,
Focus-group Discussions and document review were used to collect data. Descriptive
statistics and paired samples t-test were used during data analysis. Key findings showed
that 80% of the parents claimed that primary education is free education as tuition fee and
mandatory contributions have been removed. Furthermore, the findings show that 88% of
the parents felt relieved from financial burden associated with tuition fee, extra studies,
building contribution, electricity, registration and watchman. Unfortunately the findings
did not indicate that parents had relief of burden on the cost of food and water. Likewise
the findings revealed that livelihood of parents were improved in reducing conflicts
among parents (Mother and Father), good relationship between teachers and parents.
Based on these results, it is concluded that, free primary education has remarkable
contribution to rural livelihood in Tanzania. The study however recommends that free
primary educations should be promoted, restructured and improved to fulfill society
livelihood
Economic viability of newly introduced chicken strains at village level in Tanzania: FARMSIM model simulation approach
No full textJournal ArticleA local chicken farming is an integral part of Tanzania's rural economy. However, despite its contributions to household economy and food security, local chicken productivity remains low because of low genetic potential, diseases and poor feeding. One of the options to increase local chicken productivity is the adoption of the chicken strains with high genetic potential. With that respect, Africa Genetic Gain project introduced Sasso and Kuroiler chicken strains for on-farm test purposes. Developmental design involved provision of 25 six weeks old chicks to 20 farmers in 12 sites making a total of 240 farmers in three regions. The study was carried out in Dodoma, Morogoro and Njombe regions to assess the effects of agro-ecological differences in the performance of these strains. The chicks were vaccinated against Mareks and Newcastle diseases at the hatchery; then against Infectious Bronchitis (IB) at 0, 7 10, 16 and 21 days. The Newcastle Disease vaccine was repeated after 10 and 21 days using LaSota vaccine. After 6 weeks, the chicks were again vaccinated against fowl pox ready for supply to farmers. A farm Simulation Model (FARMSIM) and Stochastic Efficiency with Respect to Function (SERF) were applied to access economic viability of these strains relative to local chickens. FARMSIM is a Monte Carlo Simulation Model that simultaneously evaluates a baseline and an alternative farming technology. To simulate using FARMSIM, Simulation and Econometrics to Analyse Risk (Simetar©), an excel add-in is needed as a simulating engine. Data were obtained through survey, farmers' records and simulation exercises. The results indicate that keeping Sasso strain was the most economically viable with the highest Net Present Value, Net Cash Farm Income and the highest probability of attaining economic return. Kuroiler was the second, followed by keeping local chickens without supplement and local chicken with supplement was the least economically viable enterprise. However, inclusion of risk behaviour revealed that extremely risk-averse farmers preferred mostly keeping local chickens without supplement whereas extremely risk loving farmers preferred the most Sasso strain. It is recommended that the introduced chicken strains should be promoted to increase household income and improve people's livelihoods. However, scaling up of the introduced chicken strains must be integrated with education on technical know-how for good farming practices, feed formulations, medication and shelter for improved productivity and reduced variability