AMU Journal System (Arba Minch University)
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Ethnobotanical study of traditional medicinal plants in Boreda woreda, Southern Ethiopia
Get PDFPlants are the major and cheap sources of traditional medicine. Countries like Ethiopia with ethnic and cultural diversity own a vast treasure of indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants. However, much of this knowledge remained undiscovered for generations. The objective of this study was to investigate the traditional knowledge of medicinal values of plants in Boreda woreda in two kebeles. A survey was conducted on purposively selected five key informants of healers and 25 elders who provide traditional healing service in the locality. An informant consensus factor and preference matrix analysis was employed to analyze the data. Identification of taxonomic class of plants was carried out using expert methods and Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Overall, 35 medicinal plant species belonging to 22 families were recorded. About 63% of the plants found to be herbs and 20% of them were trees, and the remaining were shrubs. About 75% of the plants were used for treatment of human ailment. Leaves of herbs were the most widely used part of the plants followed by root and stem. According to preference matrix analysis Citrus x limon (L.) Osbeck, Nigella sativa L. and Ocimum forskolei Benth., were the first three priority plants by the indigenous people for internal pain treatment. There is high level (0.78) of consensus of using medicinal plants for various diseases treatment among the community. Therefore, such high value indigenous knowledge should be conserved and the medicinal plants need to be protected.
Keywords: Biodiversity; Boreda; Ethnobotany, Hambissa; Medicinal plan
Identification, characterization and diversity of cultivated Ensete ventricosum landraces in Gamo highlands, South Ethiopia
Get PDFEnset-based indigenous knowledge and associated agro-ecological niche is often confined within cultural groups of enset growing regions, limiting further expansion of cultivation and development. This study aimed to identify and characterize enset landraces using farmers’ knowledge and assess extent of diversity at two of enset growing districts in Gamo zone, South Ethiopia. Six localities encompassing 1530 to 3000 m.a.s.l were sampled at Chencha and Kogota districts. Observations, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were employed on 204 households. Names and quantities of enset landraces in the home gardens were recorded at a 10x10 m2 quadrant laid out per household. Totally, 38 enset landraces were recorded and grouped as processing (kocho, bulla) and cooking (amicho) types on the basis of characteristics described by farmers. These were locally distinguished as ‘Wodala Uhthi’ or ‘Macca’ ‘Uuthi’ in Gamo language. The Shannon index ranged from 2.75 at high altitude of Chencha to 0.75 at low altitude of Kogota suggesting diversity and altitude were directly proportional. The indigenous knowledge associated with enset landraces needs to be enhanced to ensure food security and resilience of the smallholder livelihood. Conservation initiatives such as Dorze Enset Field Gene Bank and around by Arba Minch University are highly encouraged.
Keywords: Amicho; Diversity; Enset; Kocho; Landrac
Knowledge of Antenatal Exercise and Its Associated Factors among Pregnant Women in Arba Minch Town, Southern Ethiopia
Get PDFAntenatal exercise reduces many health related risks in pregnant women and their fetuses. Adequate knowledge regarding antenatal exercise is vital to practice. However, knowledge of antenatal exercise has not been studied yet in the study area. Therefore, this study aimed to assess knowledge of antenatal exercise and its associated factors among pregnant women in Arba Minch town. Community based cross-sectional study design was conducted. Data were collected by using structured questionnaire from 422 pregnant women selected by simple random sampling technique. Sixteen questions with expected responses of “yes” or “no” were applied to examine knowledge. Descriptive statistics like mean, standard deviation, frequencies, and proportions werecomputed. In multivariable logistic-regression, AOR with 95% confidence intervals were computed. The significance level was declared at p value < 0.05. Overall, 46% (95% CI, 41%-51%) of pregnant women had adequate knowledge of antenatal exercise. High school educational level [AOR= 2.45,(95%CI1.04-5.77)], monthly income < 1,347 Ethiopian birr [AOR=0.55,(95%CI 0.33-0.92)], unemployment [AOR=0.33,(95%CI 0.14-0.77)], gravida one [AOR=3.15,(95%CI 1.39-7.14)], gravida two to three [AOR=3.28,(95%CI 1.61-6.69)], four to three months of pregnancy [AOR=0.58, (95%CI 0.38-0.90)] and age < 25 years [AOR= 0.49, (95%CI 0.30-0.79)] were significantly associated with knowledge of antenatal exercise.Knowledge towards antenatal exercise in this setting found to be inadequate. Educational levels, income level, occupation status, gravidity, months of pregnancy and age were factors associated with antenatal exercise. Hence, interventions targeting to improve the income and employment status of pregnant women are recommended
Crossbreed dairy cow production, feeding and management practice at Gidole town, South Ethiopia
Get PDFThe study aimed to evaluate the production, feeding, and management techniques of Holstein Friesian (HF) crossbred dairy cows at Gidole town, south Ethiopia. Cross-sectional survey involving 60 households selected through systematic random sampling from a total of 150 households with crossbred HF dairy cows in the town. Chemical compositional analysis performed on key feed items collected from the study households. Data analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software. Average daily milk yield was 7.29±0.22 liters, while average lactation milk yield was 1727.73±9.57 liters. The average lactation length was 7.9±1.45 months. While 53.3% of households possessed crossbreed cows with a blood level of 50%, 43.3% had cows with a blood level of 50-75% and 3.3% had cows with a blood level beyond 75%. Crop residue, improved forages (desho, Guatemala, and elephant grass), enset, atella, and salt were the most important cattle feed resources. In the non-conventional diet, atella has the highest crude protein (CP) content (29.24%), followed by elephant grass (18.44%) and teff straw (6.34%). Despite its importance, feed availability remains a challenge in terms of both quality and quantity. To address this, the study recommends strong extension efforts focused on: promoting the use of concentrate feed, developing and utilizing improved forage options and treating crop residues to enhance their quality.
Keywords: Crossbred dairy cow; Gidole; Feed; Feeding practices; Milk productio
The Water Quality Status of Washa and Borale Reservoirs Using both Water Quality Parameters and Macroinvertebrates in Ethiopian Central Highlands: Water Quality Status of Washa and Borale Reservoirs
No full textWasha and Borale reservoirs are important in regulating climatic and ecological conditions and providing various economic services. However, water quality and/or ecological health status of reservoirs has not yet been properly assessed in Ethiopia. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to assess the water quality status of the Washa and Borale reservoirs/ wetlands located in North Shewa Zone of Ethiopian Central Highlands. Their water quality status was assessed using water physicochemical parameters and macroinvertebrates in December 2020 and November 2021. The results recorded from Washa Reservoir showed that the concentration of nitrate, phosphate, ammonia and silica on average was 69 µg/L, 53.52 µg/L, 188.86 µg/L and 14 µg/L, respectively. Similarly, the concentration of nitrate, phosphate, ammonia and silica obtained from Borale Reservoir on average was 43.5 µg/L, 32.6 µg/L, 50.0 µg/L and 109.8 µg/L, respectively. The concentration of ammonia was found to be high in both reservoirs indicating the presence of organic contamination. The total number of macroinvertebrates collected from Washa and Borale reservoirs were 519 and 789, respectively. Eight families belonging to three orders were recorded in Washa Reservoir whereas seven families belonging to four orders were recorded in Borale Reservoir. Order Hemiptera was represented by 5 families, Coleptera by two and Ephemeroptera by one in Washa Reservoir. Similarly, Hemiptera was represented by four families compared to other orders in Borale Reservoir. High dominance of tolerant macroinvertebrate families and absence of sensitive families indicated ecological instability and pollution in Borale Reservoir. Besides, ecological disturbance and pollution are observed in Washa Reservoir. Hence, human interference and cattle drinking should be regulated before both reservoirs are impaired permanently.
Keywords: Central Ethiopia, Evaluation, Wetlands, Water parameters, Water pollutio
Milk Production, Handling, Processing and Marketing Practices in Selected Districts in Southern Ethiopia
Get PDFThis study was conducted in Segen Area Peoples Zone, Southern Ethiopia, to analyze milk production, handling, processing, and marketing techniques. A total of 204 people were chosen for the study using simple random sampling technique, and data were collected utilizing a semi-structured questionnaire. During the research, both primary and secondary data were gathered. SPSS version 20 software was used to analyze the data using descriptive statistics, chi square test, and analysis of variance. 85 percent of the 204 houses surveyed were male headed household while the remaining 15% were female headed. The respondents' average age was 43.8610.064 years. In the current study, the age of the respondents ranged from 23 to 80 years old. In theDerashe district, almost 36.5 percent of respondents washed their udders before and after milking, indicating that the importance of udder cleaning was higher than in other regions. The majority of those polled (83 percent) smoked milk handling equipment to improve the taste and flavor of milk and milk products, as well as to eradicate harmful bacteria and promote milk fermentation. To churn milk, 17 percent of respondents use a gourd while 43 percent use a clay pot. The primary limits discovered in the 69 percent, 3 percent, 7.5 percent, 2.5 percent, 8 percent, and 10 percent were shortage of feeds, scarcity of water, disease, lack of market and market information, poor infrastructure, absence of improved breed, and inadequate artificial insemination. Farmers' attitudes should be modified through training and other means, and powerful dairy cooperatives should be founded, mainly in rural regions, to improve milk and milk product handling procedures and reduce cultural barriers in milk marketing
Registration of the Oat (Avena sativa) variety "Walqaa" for vertisols in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia
Get PDFIn this study, fifteen oat varieties including the standard checks were evaluated for agro-morphological traits, nutritional qualities, disease, and insect pest reactions during the main cropping seasons of 2015- 2018. Based on the overall performance, two best-performing oat varieties (CI-1742 and SRCPX80Ab2596) were selected and verified with the two standard checks at the Kuyu and Ginchi sub-site of Holetta Agricultural Research Center during the main cropping season of 2018. The overall mean result indicated that the released variety, Walqaa (SRCPX80Ab2596), showed the highest mean DM yield followed by the recent check (SRCPX80Ab2291) while the check variety (CI-8251) which was released earlier and commonly used for vertisol gave the lowest DM yield. Walqaa (SRCPX80Ab2596) had the highest percent increase in DM yield, CP yield, and digestible yield advantages over the standard check variety (CI-8251) which was released earlier and commonly used for vertisol conditions. Similarly, the Walqaa (SRCPX80Ab2596) had a relatively better percent increase in DM yield, CP yield, and digestible yield advantages over the recently released variety (SRCPX80Ab2291). Moreover, the Walqaa (SRCPX80Ab2596) had seeds yield advantage over the earlier released variety (CI-8251). The nutritional qualities indicated that the candidate varieties had advantages over the standard check variety (CI-8251) in terms of the leaf-to-stem ratio, CP, and IVDMD contents. Generally, the Walqaa (SRCPX80Ab2596) had a relatively better leaf-to-stem ratio, CP, and IVDMD advantages over the standard check variety (CI-8251). The national variety releasing committee evaluated the varieties at field conditions in October 2018. Based on their evaluation result, oat variety Walqaa (SRCPX80Ab2596) was officially released in November 2019 for production in the high altitude areas and similar agro-ecologies of the country. The pre-basic and basic seeds of the released variety Walqaa (SRCPX80Ab2596) are maintained by the feeds and nutrition research program of Holetta Agricultural Research Center.
Keywords: Oat; Quality; Variety release; Variety verification; Yiel
TOURISM AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO HOUSEHOLDS’ INCOME IN KONSO ZONE, SNNP REGION, ETHIOPIA
Get PDFTourism is becoming an increasingly important source of revenue and employment for both emerging and wealthy countries. It has long been considered one of the key components of the strategy for economic development. Despite extensive research in the field of tourism, studies on the contribution of tourism to households’ income have been limited. Hence, this study investigated tourism and its contribution to households’ income and examined the factors affecting the tourism income of households using the descriptive and Tobit regression models, respectively. A cross-sectional data set was collected from 192 randomly selected households using interviews and focused group discussions. The study revealed that the contribution of tourism to household income is low—only 3.87 percent. The study also pinpointed cultural landscapes, arts, and cultural music as the main tourist destinations. The Tobit model estimation result revealed that the age of the household head, family size of the household, and access to credit have a strong positive effect on household tourism income, whereas land size is negatively correlated with household tourism income. Finally, the study revealed that limited access to financing, lack of preservation and protection of heritage, lack of museums, lack of service and facilities, lack of effective marketing, internal conflict, and inadequate development and implementation of strategies were the major challenging factors that affect the tourism industry. Hence, promotion, expanding employment opportunities, access to formal credit, preserving potential heritages, and adequate development and implementation of strategies were recommended to improve the tourism industry in the study area. Keywords: Tourism; Tourism income; Konso; Standard Tobi
Hydro-communication Efforts of Ethiopia for Equitable and Reasonable Utilization of Abbay-Nile River Basin (1902-2023)
No full textAbbay-Nile River Basin is a strategic, transformative and shared natural resource that determines sustainable development of Ethiopia. Hence, Ethiopia has battled for a long period of time to defend the river basin as its national natural resource and to ensure its equitable and reasonable utilization. However, there is no organized body of knowledge revealing hydro-communication efforts Ethiopia exerted in doing so and contributing factors behind. Taking constructivism as research perspective, two-level games theory as lens and employing qualitative content analysis technique of secondary data, this paper, therefore, identified the major hydro- communication efforts and instances Ethiopia has exerted in 1902-2023 and the contributing factors behind. It is found out that Ethiopia’s hydro-communication efforts on Abbay-Nile River Basin in 1902-2023 aimed, consecutively, at defending the basin from colonial powers, resisting the formation and continuation of Egypt’s hydro-hegemony, and reacting to multiple wrong moves made by multiple alliances of Egypt to halt Ethiopia’s progress to utilizing the basin. Hydro-communication efforts, facilitated by factors such as consistent position of Ethiopian governments, global developments on international water law and transboundary water resource management, produced knowledge on the basin, geographic power, public funding and availability of instantaneous communication, have collectively brought about remarkable change in the progress of ensuring equitable and reasonable utilization of the basin. Egypt and Ethiopia have exchanged their seats of the pre-2011 in the post-2011 concerning the basin but with unprecedented pressure on and huge responsiveness of Ethiopia to creating level playing field for equitable and reasonable utilization of the basin.
Keywords: strategic, transformative, sustainable development, hydro-hegemony
Designing a Framework for Cyber Protection based on Unique Identification to Improve the Security of Ethiopian Social Media Users over Facebook
Get PDFSocial media platforms such as Facebook, which has over 2.6 billion monthly active users, play a major role in global communication. However, Facebook users often face various security threats, including impersonation and the spread of false information. In Ethiopia, these issues have become increasingly prevalent. Therefore, it is essential to develop effective countermeasures to address and mitigate such challenges. This research aims to develop a Unique-ID-based Cyber Defense Framework designed to strengthen the security of Facebook users and prevent the creation of fake profiles and impersonation by malicious actors. This study employed an exploratory and constructive research design, utilizing surveys and in-depth interviews, to develop a Unique-ID-based Cyber Defense Framework. The proposed framework leverages Addis Ababa's Digital Residential ID to authenticate users by cross-referencing their information with a resident database. A prototype was developed and tested, with 87% of respondents accepting the solution as a positive contribution to cybersecurity. The system is designed to verify user uniqueness during Facebook account creation, thereby preventing the establishment of fake or duplicate accounts.
Keywords: Country Code, Cyber Defense, Facebook, Fake Profile, Impersonation, Unique Id, Security Threa