105064 research outputs found
Sort by
Tillage Method and Residual N, P, K, Zn, B, Mg, Ca, and S Nutrients Effect on Growth and Yield of Dry Bean Grown after the Harvest of Maize
No full textCommon bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) production is constrained majorly by drought and low soil fertility in Kenya. These limitations have never been adequately approached due to financial challenges and lack of better technology. A study was carried out in Kirinyaga and Embu Counties to evaluate the effects of tillage method and residual fertilizers on yield performance of dry bean. Dry bean was grown in the short rains season on plots preceded by fertilized maize (Zea mays L.) grown in the long rains season. The trials were laid out in a randomized complete block design with a split-plot arrangement. The tillage methods, NT+CR and CT-CR, where NT: No-tillage, CT: Conventional tillage, and CR: Crop residue, were assigned the main plot and residual fertilizers (NK, NP, PK, NPK, and NPK+CaMgZnBS) the subplots. The results showed that there was 35% and 46% more water retention under NT+CR than under CT-CR system in Embu and Kirinyaga sites, respectively. NT+CR produced higher biomass, more number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, and 1000-seed weight. Plots with residual NPK+ZnBMgCaS yielded higher biomass at 60 DAE, number of seeds per pod, 1000-seed weight and grain yield than plots with other treatments. The residual NPK+ZnBMgCaS and NPK treatments out yielded PK treatment by 600 kg ha-1 and 370 kg ha-1 (Embu) and by 710 kg ha-1 and 330 kg ha-1 (Kirinyaga), respectively. Based on these results, cultivation of dry bean on residual fertilizer nutrients solely or in combination with no-till and crop residue retention after maize harvest has the potential to improve the yields and food security among farmers in the region
Impact of integrated fruit fly management strategy on food security among smallholder mango farmers in Kenya.
No full textAdoption of agricultural innovations is perceived as a key avenue for poverty reduction and improved food and nutritional security in developing countries. The International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) has developed and implemented a set of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategiesin several sub-Saharan African countries aimed at controlling mango infesting fruit flies (Bactrocera dorsalis). Although positive returns from the use of fruit fly IPM have already been documented, the impact of these technologies on food security is not well understood. This study evaluated the impact of
the IPM strategy on food security with the help of a two-wave panel household survey data collected in Machakos County in Kenya. A difference-in-difference model was fitted to the data of a randomly selected sample of 600 mango growing households. A seven-day recall was used to elicit per capita calorie intake, while a 30-day recall was used to measure household dietary diversity. A before-and-after intervention and withand-without (treatment and control) study design was utilized. The regression estimates
indicate that fruit fly IPM use had a positive impact on per capita calorie intake but no significant effect on Household Dietary Diversity Index (HDDI) in comparison with theIPM non-users. This suggests that farmers using the fruit fly IPM technology benefit from income gains, and higher incomes improve the quantity of food consumed but not the diversity of the foods. This could be explained by a large share of the expenditure on food that was devoted to cereal staples such as maize, wheat, and rice as reported during the qualitative study. Other factors that had an effect on per capita calorie include the level of farm income, access to the extension services, wealth category and distance to agricultural input market and household size. This study recommends widerdissemination and upscaling of the fruit fly IPM strategy in mango producing regions to facilitate broader impacts on household-level food securit
Burden of prehypertension among adults in Kenya: a retrospective analysis of findings from the Healthy Heart Africa (HHA) Programme
No full textBackground
Hypertension is the leading risk factor for mortality globally. African countries, including Kenya, have a high and rising prevalence of hypertension. Prehypertension is associated with an increased risk of progression to overt hypertension and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. Despite this, little is documented on the prevalence and distribution of prehypertension in sub-Saharan Africa. This study sought to estimate the overall burden of prehypertension in Kenyan adults enrolled in a large hypertension control programme, Healthy Heart Africa. The distribution and determinants of prehypertension in the sample were explored as secondary objectives.
Methods
This was a post hoc analysis of cross-sectional data obtained from population-level blood pressure (BP) screening of adults aged ≥18 years in the community and ambulatory care facilities in 17/47 sub-national administrative units in Kenya. All participants with a complete record for systolic and diastolic BP were included. Descriptive analyses were performed for sociodemographic characteristics. Pearson’s chi-square test was used to assess differences in categorical variables. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors independently associated with prehypertension.
Results
Of 5,985,185 participant records that were included in the analysis, 34% were men (mean age: 45 [SD 2.9] years). The majority (63%) lived in rural Kenya. The prevalence of prehypertension was 54.5% and that of hypertension was 20.8%. Characteristics that were independently associated with prehypertension (adjusted odds ratio [95% CI]) included male sex (1.23 [±0.0023], p 25 years) and rural residence (1.60 [±0.023], p < 0.001).
Conclusions
Approximately one in every two Kenyan adults has prehypertension. This calls for urgent development and roll-out of a national BP screening and control programme. It also provides a strong basis for the formulation of multisectoral national policies that will ensure implementation of evidence-based, low-cost public health interventions geared towards primary prevention of hypertension, especially in population groups that are traditionally considered at low risk, such as young adults and rural residents
