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Development and evaluation of Moringa stenopetala-based functional beverage blended with watermelon and beetroot
Get PDFThe present study aimed to develop a consumer-acceptable beverage from the extract of moringa leaves, watermelon, and beetroot juices for improving consumer acceptance. Juices of moringa, watermelon, and beetroot were blended in nine (9) different ratios, designed using Mini-tab statistical software (v.19.1, USA). The beverages were bottled, stored at room temperatures, and evaluated for Total Soluble Solids (TSS), pH, total bacterial & fungal count, presence of pathogenic microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli), and 5 sensory parameters during storage for a period of 300 days at intervals of 150 days, using standard procedures. The beverages with higher initial total soluble solids (TSS) maintained relatively stable TSS during storage. There was a significant difference (p< 0.05) in pH of different treatments, but no changes (p> 0.05) during storage were observed. The beverages observed variations in total bacterial count among different treatments. The total bacterial counts ranged from Not Detected (ND) to 9.5×10³ cfu/ml, while total fungal growth remained undetectable across all treatments. The microbial quality of all treatments was within acceptable safety limits. Pathogenic organisms (S. aureus and E. coli) were absent in all the treatments. Beverage having 42.5% moringa, 33.75% watermelon, and 23.75% beetroot consistently obtained significantly higher score (p<0.05), ranging from 7.0±0.4 to 7.5±0.5 using 9-point hedonic scale for all sensory parameters throughout storage, indicating strong consumer acceptability and product stability. The pH and TSS of this blended beverage ranged from 5.1±0.05 to 5.2±0.05 and 8.5±0.1 to 8.6±0.1, respectively, during storage. The bacterial count ranged from non-detectable levels to 1×103, whereas no fungal and pathogenic microorganisms were detected over 300 days of storage.
Keywords: Beetroot; Beverages; Consumer acceptable; Moringa leaves; Watermelo
Evaluation of Bias Correction Techniques for RCA4 Model of CORDEX-Africa Precipitation and Temperature Data in Case of Omo Gibe River Basin, Ethiopia
Get PDFThe accurate assessment of climate change that impacts on water resources is fundamental to sustainable development. While Regional Climate Models (RCMs) are essential tools for this task due to their high resolution, their outputs contain significant biases that must be corrected. This is particularly critical in data-scarce regions like East Africa where the selection of optimal Bias Correction Methods (BCMs) remains largely unexplored and often relies on generalized recommendations. This study addresses this research gap by evaluating and identifying the most suitable BCM for the Omo Gibe River Basin in Ethiopia. The observed climate data (1990–2020) from 35 stations and precipitation and temperature variables from the Rossby Center regional Atmospheric Mode for African domain (RCA4) RCMs of the CORDEX-Africa project were utilized. The finding of the study demonstrated that the delta-change method outperformed other techniques, achieving exceptional performance metrics for bias-corrected historical data: for temperature Root-mean-square error (R²) is 0.95, Nash Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) is 0.97, Coefficient of determination (RMSE) is 0.0028 and for precipitation (R² = 0.9, NSE = 0.95, RMSE = 0.0025). The study concluded that the delta-change method is the most robust approach for correcting both historical and future climate projections in the basin. Its application is therefore highly recommended for subsequent climate change impact studies on hydrology in the Omo Gibe Basin and similar regions in East Africa.
Keywords: RCM, bias correction; climate variables; Omo Gibe River Basin
Indigenous Conflict Resolution Mechanisms among the Konso
No full textThis article focuses on the indigenous conflict resolution mechanisms and procedures among the Konso people. The main objective is to analyze the methods and procedures involved in these mechanisms. The study employed qualitative techniques of data collection and analysis. It argues that various procedures are followed in the conflict resolution process, including supernatural intervention through oath-making and curses. The severity of punishment is determined by the type of offense and the response of the offender, ranging from simple warnings to the death penalty. The paper also identifies the current threats to these traditional mechanisms, such as the influence of the modern legal system, the reluctance of the younger generation, the spread of Christianity, and the erosion of traditional values
Improved forage crops research and development in Ethiopia: Major achievements, challenges and the way forward
Get PDFThis review paper provides an overview of improved/cultivated forage research and development efforts, important achievements, major constraints associated with forage development in the country and recommendations on the way forward. Feed shortage has been the persistent problem hampering livestock production and productivity in Ethiopia. The conventionally available feed resources (natural pasture and crop residues) are not only limited in quantity but also inferior in quality and cannot meet even the maintenance requirement of the country`s livestock resources. Improved forage crops have untapped potential to resolve the feed shortage problem and lay down the basis for intensification of livestock production if properly promoted, adopted and utilized in the farming systems. Hence, improvement in livestock production and productivity is unthinkable without intensification in feed production using other complementary feed resources in addition to the existing ones.
Keywords: Forage agronomy, Forage development, Forage production challenges, Forage researc
A Lesson from Existing Parks of Addis Ababa
Get PDFPark development must consider public input, as they are the primary users. To enhance recreational ecosystem services, cities should assess existing parks based on public feedback for future green space planning. This paper studied and analyzed the perceived capacity of two parks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, selected for their land use and size, which influence their recreational capacity. Data were collected through a questionnaire from 797 visitors to examine factors like visit frequency, desired amenities, time spent, and travel time to the parks, along with suggestions for improvements. Results indicate medium satisfaction among visitors in both parks, with cleanliness identified as a key concern in Bihere Tsige Park. The majority of respondents in both parks highly favor amenities that support passive recreational activities. Recommendations include enhancing cleanliness in Bihere Tsige Park and increasing greenery in Tekle Haimanot Park. The paper recommends that park managers, policymakers, and planners utilize these insights to improve current parks and guide future developments.
Keywords: Bihere Tsige Park, Frequency of Visit, Level of Satisfaction, Park Amenities, Recreational Capacity, Suggestions, Tekle Haimanot Par
Growth, yield, and quality of selected watermelon (Citrullus lanatus L.) varieties as influenced by NPS+UREA fertilizer rates over the seasons at Arba Minch, Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia
Get PDFWatermelon (Citrullus lanatus) has been produced in Ethiopia in small land coverage for economic value. The production of watermelon is hindered by diminished quality and yield, primarily due to insufficient agronomic practices, the unavailability of suitable varieties, and inadequate fertilization. The research was conducted at the Research Farm of Arba Minch University, Ethiopia, in the 2023 Belg and Meher seasons to evaluate the effect of watermelon varieties and NPS+UREA fertilizer rates on the watermelon growth, yield, and quality over seasons. The experiment was structured using a randomized complete block design in a factorial configuration with three replications, and the treatments consisted of a combination of three varieties, Polymer, Lahat, and Liyu, with four fertilizer rates: control, 0.05 t/ha, 0.1 t/ha, and 0.15 t/ha NPS+UREA. Growth, yield, quality, and meteorology data were collected, and R software version 4.4.1 was used perform a two-way ANOVA. Results indicated that more leaves, the longest and widest leaf, the longest vine length, and more secondary vines were recorded by the combination effect of the Liyu variety with 0.15 t/ha NPS+UREA at 30 DAS, 45 DAS, and 60 DAS at the Belg and Meher seasons, respectively. In addition to a higher fruit number of 8.3 and the highest fruit length of 28.6 cm. Whereas, the highest fruit width (23.1 cm), highest fruit weight (3 kg), and highest marketable yield (30.4 t/ha) were recorded with the effect of the Liyu variety in the Meher season. Moreover, a total soluble sugar of 8.5° Brix and Vitamin C of 8.5 mg/100 g were recorded with the interaction of the Liyu variety with the 0.15 t/ha NPS+UREA fertilizer rate at Meher and Belg, respectively. Therefore, it was concluded that 0.15 t/ha NPS+UREA/ha and the Liyu variety in the Meher rainy season revealed the highest growth, yield, and good fruit quality. This combination showed better performance than other varieties and NPS+UREA fertilizer rates.
Keywords: Growth, NPS+UREA, Quality, Season, Variety, Watermelon, Yiel
የጋሞ ዱቡሻ ዎጋ ሚና ግጭትን ከመከላከልና ዘላቂ ሰላም ከማፅናት አንጻር
Get PDFሃገራችን ኢትዮጵያ የበርካታ ብዝሃ-ባህልና ብዝሃ-ልሳን ባለቤት ብቻ ሳትሆን የበርካታ ሀገርበቀል ዕሴቶች ባለቤትም ነች፡፡ እነዚህ ተቋማት ከጥንት ጀምሮ የህዝቦችን አንድነትንና ዘላቂ ሰላምን በማስፈን አይነተኛ ሚና እየተጫወቱ አሁን ድረስ ዘልቀዋል፡፡ ከነዚህ መሃከል የጋሞ ዱቡሻ አንዱ ሲሆን ይህ ጥናት የሚያተኩረው የጋሞ ዱቡሻ ዎጋ እንደ አገር በቀል ባህላዊ ተቋም ለዘላቂ ሰላም ግንባታ ያለው ፋይዳ ይመረምራል፡፡ ዱቡሻ የጋሞ ማህበረሰብ ቀዳማይ(ባይራ) የእምነትና የባህል ተቋም ሲሆን ጥልቅ ፍልስፍናና ንጽረተ ዓለም የሚታይበት ዘርፈ ብዙ ፋይዳዎች ያሉት ሲሆን በብዛት የሚታወቀው ዘላቂ ሰላምን ከራሱ አልፎ ለሌሎች እንደጥሩ ምሳሌ ተደርጎ የሚወሰድ በመሆኑ ነው፡፡ በዚህ ጥናት ጥራት ተኮር የጥናት ዘዴ የተጠቀመን ሲሆን ከሁሉ የጋሞ ደሬዎች መረጃ የተሰበሰበው በቁልፍ ቃለ መጠየቅ፣ በአትኩሮት የቡድን ወይይትና ምልከታ በማድረግ በሂደቱም ከሃምሳ ሰዎች መረጃ ለመሰብሰብ ተችሎ ግኙቱንም ከሌሎች መረጃዎች ጋር ተከልስፏል፡፡ የጥናቱ ዉጤት እንደሚያሳው የጋሞ ማህበረሰብ ዱቡሻ ከጥንት ጀምሮ ችግራቸውን በመፍታት ሰላም ያስጠበቀ ዘመን ተሻጋሪ ሲሆን ህብረተሰቡም አሁን ደረስ ሳየበረዝና ሳይከለስ የጋሞን አንድነት በማጠንከር ለዘላቂ ሰላም ግንባታ የሚጫወተው በመሆኑ ለሌሎች ህዝቦች በተለይም ለአገራችን ዘላቂ ሰላምን ከመገንባት አኳያ ያለው ፋይዳው የጎላ መሆኑን ለመረዳት ተችሏል፡፡ እንዲሁም ዱቡሻንና ሌሎች ተመሳሳይ የሀገርበቀል ተቋማትን ከዘመናውዊ ፍ/ቤት አሰራር ጋር በማቀናጀት መሰራት ቢቻል የህብረተሰቡን ጊዜና ገንዘብ ከመቆጠቡ ባሻገር ቁርሾን ከልብ በማውጥት የቀደመውን ማህበራዊ መስተጋብር በማደስ፤ ወቅታዊ ማህበረሰብ አቀፍ ቀውሶች በማስቀረት፣ ዘላቂ ሰላም እንዲኖር ዓይነተኛ ሚና ከመጫወት አልፎ አገር በቀል ባህላዊ ተቋማትና እሴቶች ለአገራዊ ሰላምና ብልጽግና ያላቸው ፋይዳ ከፍተኛ መሆኑን ዱቡሻ እንደ ማሳያነት ቀርቧል፡፡
ቁልፍ ቃላት፡- ዱቡሻ ዎጋ፤ አገር በቀል ዕሴት፤ ጋሞ፤ ኢትዮጵ
Repressive State Apparatus in mɨnkuħkʷaħ zəjfɨlləjo maʕs’o: An Ethiopian Political Novel
Get PDFThe question of ideology is crucial to African literature because it reflects the historical circumstances of the society and lets society perceive the nature of its ideology at a certain time. It is accurate to state that literature, whether directly or indirectly, is an expression of the concept of ideology. Thus, the purpose of this article is to examine the repressive state infrastructure and ideology in a particular Tigrigna political fiction. The researcher used a qualitative and textual research approach and analysis because the study was centered on a literary work. This paper's primary focus is a detailed analysis of the oppressive machinery employed by the previous administrations. This work is important because it introduces other scholars to the idea of ideology and how it is portrayed socio-politically in novels. Althusser's Repressive State Apparatus served as the theoretical foundation for this investigation. As components of the repressive state apparatus, the police, the court, the prison, and the administrators were recognized as the main categories of the repressive apparatus in the novel
Quantification of Land Use Change Impact on Ecosystem Service Value in Southern Ethiopian Rift Valley Lakes Basin at Biodiversity Hotspot Area
Get PDFABSTRACT
Quantifying the Ecosystem Services Value(ESV) is essential to make socioeconomic activities environmentally sustainable in Ethiopia, where natural ecosystems are deteriorating, including in Protected Areas(PAs) due to increased anthropogenic pressures, Although ESV studies show progress, ESV coefficients for ecosystem services (ES) in Ethiopia have not yet been established. This study is the first to develop equivalent factors at the national level and coefficients at the district level for 23 ES types, following a unit value approach. It also quantified the total ESV and changes therein linked with land use change observed in Nechsar National Park between 2002 and 2040. Different datasets: land use/cover, ES valuation, empirical ESV studies, per unit area price of food crops, ESV of cultivated land for food production services, various statistical formulas, geospatial tools, price standardization indices and difference adjustment indices (ecological, economic, and social) were used in different steps of the study. The results (<0.5) of the sensitivity analysis indicated that the developed coefficients are adequately reliable to estimate ESV along with the area of land types in the study area. The results showed that NNP has experienced a continued reduction in its total ESV with US$ 4.08x106 and 1.01x106 net loss in the first- and second-time intervals, respectively. Forest land and woodland are the leading resources to provide essential ES. For 67.93% reduction in total ESV was attributed to the land loss from these land types from 2002 to 2020. Apart from the magnitude, the direction of land transitions considerably affects the spatiotemporal change/gain and loss/ ESV. The study provides site-specific and long-term evidence that can help stakeholders to understand the consequences of LUC, resolve interest conflicts over land use, and implement practicable interventions.
Keywords: ecosystem service flow, Net gain, equivalent coefficien
The Implications of Ethiopian Exceptionalism to International Relations Theory: The Need for Alternative Perspectives
Get PDFLack of inclusiveness and bias against Africa and non-Western states in general has been a concern in international relations theory. Ethiopia is an exceptional state even by the African benchmarks, given its non-colonial history and salient features in its domestic setting and foreign affairs. Beyond mainstream theories, these exceptions pose a challenge for alternative theories that were developed to explain statehood and foreign policy differently from Western experience. However, the available literature on Ethiopian foreign policy is silent about the ramifications of Ethiopian saliency to international relations theory. Considering this shortfall, the main objective of this study is to explore the implications of Ethiopian exceptionalism for international relations theory. To achieve this objective, the study adopted a qualitative exploratory case study design in which secondary data is organized thematically for content and discourse analysis. Among other things, the study identified the non-colonial origin of the Ethiopian state, sharply contested state identity, the disparity between domestic capacity and foreign influence, and ideological and locational crossroads as main expressions of Ethiopian exceptionalism. The study concludes that Ethiopian exceptionalism, both in its historical origin and contemporary domestic and foreign affairs, requires domestically driven alternative interpretations that are founded on the salient features that are different from African and post-colonial states in other regions