43 research outputs found
Bridging the science-society-policy interface for transformational knowledge translation in Africa
No full textScience generates solutions for the benefit of the society: creating new knowledge, improving education, and increasing the quality of lives. It is therefore important that African scientists focuses on generating inputs for policy and institutional innovations as well as technology-based innovations to catalyse, support, and accelerate systems and systemic transformations. Also, Government decisions and legislations should ideally be guided by latest scientific knowledge. However, science culture; how a society understands and uses scientific knowledge is still at its infancy in most part of Africa.
A country’s science culture determines the scope of impact that the scientific enterprise can have in terms of improving lives and advancing development. A study in this edition titled “approaches to monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of knowledge translation platforms in low- and middle-income Countries” reported that generally, translating knowledge from research to practice takes a very long time.
To this end, science communities ought to commit to enhanced collaboration among different disciplines of sciences in particular social sciences, natural sciences, and health-related sciences. Also, public understanding and engagement with science, and citizen participation is essential for research evidence uptake. Scientists must endeavour to make their research relevant and comprehensible to society (citizens and policymakers)
A call to strengthen eco-innovation using indigenous resources and waste products
No full textWaste is often taken for granted, as a broad category, which encompasses materials we no longer need. Another category of waste would be local resources that we have hitherto not found use for. Although waste management has always existed, recent studies seem to suggest that waste management needs to be addressed principally in poorer countries, given that since the 1970s the developed world has promoted techniques and policies to tackle waste (Jgensen, 2013) and has also advanced innovative measures and practices often associated with green ideas and care for the environment. However, waste management associated with indigenous practices have long been in existence in Africa. For example, according to Solomon et al. (2016) the old use of ash and recycled material to make the soil fertile among indigenous groups in Liberia and Ghana, West Africa, has been ignored (Salim et. al., 2018).
The concept of innovation refers to a broad guiding principle that mobilizes science and technology in the service of the goals of national development. Today as a favourite concept eco-innovation is developing new ideas, promoting new operations, products, and processes to protect the environment, thus obtaining environmental sustainability. Worldwide, eco-innovation is one of the leading strategies to promote resource and energy efficiency and create a low carbon society.
Some of the articles published in this regular edition support the eco-innovation principle, which imagines resources with a life cycle perspective, they consider all phases of the product life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials through material processing, manufacturing, distribution, use, repair and maintenance to disposal or re-use. From the outcome of the publications in this edition, it is recommended that eco-innovative research should be fostered through strategic investment in exploiting local resources and waste products for home grown solutions to sustainable development challenges. This provides opportunities to improve resource management and ensure the reuse of waste or prevent waste by developing indigenous resources
The Imperative of Systems Thinking Approach in Driving Food Systems Transformation through Science and Innovation
No full textAs the world became progressively aware that increasing production did not solve global hunger and health problems, the issue of the environmental and social costs of focusing solely on food security and nutrition came to the fore. The term ‘food systems transformation’ was introduced as a radical idea of rethinking the key outcomes of food systems. A complete rethink of the attributes of food systems, including its purpose, rules, and power structures. Food system transformation processes would ideally reshape the way a food system is organized for the desired outcomes: food security, healthy diets, economic wellbeing, social wellbeing and environmental sustainability.Most of the social, economic, moral, and environmental challenges are interconnected and interact with each. Fully understanding the causes and solutions to these challenges is not possible when handled in isolation. Food systems are complex adaptive systems consisting of several actors, linkages, dynamics, etc. These complexity means food systems exhibit unpredictable behaviour, with nonlinear change, tipping points, and unintended responses to shocks and interventions. Systems thinking is a high-level approach to thinking, acting and practice necessary to effect transformational change in any domain.For food systems transformation to be inclusive, science and technology-based innovations must be accompanied by institutional innovations (social, business and policy innovations), underpinned by science (basic sciences and applied sciences, natural sciences and social sciences). Also, innovations need to be aligned with sustainability concerns. All these certainly requires attention and joint engagement by researchers from all areas of the food system-related discipline
ECOTOXICOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT FOR POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON IN AQUATIC SYSTEMS OF OIL PRODUCING COMMUNITIES IN DELTA STATE, NIGERIA
No full textInnovative solutions: Of internet of things and biotechnology
No full textThe broad term, "biotechnology" dates to domestication of animals, cultivation of plants, and their modification through breeding programmes using artificial choice and conjugation. Attaining sustainability requires fast research and developments in every sector including the most diversified field of biotechnology. The Internet of Things (IoT), one of the coveted areas in technological revolution carries tremendous potential for the transformation of research, innovation and invention in every discipline. IoT provides a window for the efficient, reproducible, fast and precise research into biotechnological research. The potential role of IoT in advancing innovation, conferring economic up-scaling and invention in biotechnology was explored in this editorial
Characterization of bacterium types isolated from commercial laying hen farms in Ogun State Nigeria
No full textThis study investigated the distribution of bacterium categories isolated from poultry feces and litters on commercial laying hen farms in Remo and Egba local government areas, Ogun State, Nigeria. In total 29 species of lactose and non-lactose fermenters were recovered. Bacteria isolated from feces included Aeromonas hydrophila (27.5%), Providencia stuartii (15.5%), Actinobacillus sp. (9.1%), Burkholderia cepacia (7.7%), Serratia marcescens (4.9%), Citrobacter diversus (4.9%), Klebsiella oxytoca (4.2%), and Enterobacter gergoviae (4.2%). Others were Escherichia coli (2.1%), Plesiomonas shigelloides (2.1%), Vibrio alginolyticus (2.1%), Morganella morganii (2.1%), Pantoea agglomerans (1.4%), Vibrio mimicus (1.4%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1.4%), Burkholderia pseudomallei (1.4%), Salmonella arizonae (0.7%), Klebsiella pneumonia (0.7%), Acinetobacter iwoffii (0.7%), Vibrio vulnificus (0.7%), Shewanella putrefaciens (0.7%), Proteus mirabilis (0.7%) and Proteus vulgaris (0.7%). There was 66.7% similarity between the bacterium profile of litters and that of feces; some additional strains were identified in the litters. No variation (p = 0.64) was observed in the number of isolated bacterium types from feces and litter samples. However, the number of bacterium types isolated from fecal samples differed (p = 0.002) between the two studied areas. Results suggest that there is a potential risk of wide-range bacterial transmission within poultry populations, and to humans in close contact with them
The Imperative of Systems Thinking Approach in Driving Food Systems Transformation through Science and Innovation
No full textAs the world became progressively aware that increasing production did not solve global hunger and health problems, the issue of the environmental and social costs of focusing solely on food security and nutrition came to the fore. The term ‘food systems transformation’ was introduced as a radical idea of rethinking the key outcomes of food systems. A complete rethink of the attributes of food systems, including its purpose, rules, and power structures. Food system transformation processes would ideally reshape the way a food system is organized for the desired outcomes: food security, healthy diets, economic wellbeing, social wellbeing and environmental sustainability.
Most of the social, economic, moral, and environmental challenges are interconnected and interact with each. Fully understanding the causes and solutions to these challenges is not possible when handled in isolation. Food systems are complex adaptive systems consisting of several actors, linkages, dynamics, etc. These complexity means food systems exhibit unpredictable behaviour, with nonlinear change, tipping points, and unintended responses to shocks and interventions. Systems thinking is a high-level approach to thinking, acting and practice necessary to effect transformational change in any domain.
For food systems transformation to be inclusive, science and technology-based innovations must be accompanied by institutional innovations (social, business and policy innovations), underpinned by science (basic sciences and applied sciences, natural sciences and social sciences). Also, innovations need to be aligned with sustainability concerns. All these certainly requires attention and joint engagement by researchers from all areas of the food system-related discipline
Editorial - Enhancing food security and nutrition through resilient agrifood value chains
No full textThe war in Ukraine, with other attendant consequences, has resulted in a massive decline in the supply of major staple foods leading to a rise in food prices globally. As the world focuses on the global food crises precipitated by the Ukrainian war; it is important to contextualize food and nutrition insecurity in the light of domestic challenges. Nigeria’s population in conflict zones have faced and will continue to face food insecurity crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity due to ruthless banditry in the northwest. For example, in 2016, the United Nations reported that Boko Haram bombings in Northern Nigeria disrupted trade routes between Chad and Nigeria, interrupting the supply of basic goods and causing local price hikes.In addition, climate change, natural disasters, violence between farmers and herders; kidnappings, and other forms of insecurity have impacted food production and distribution in Nigeria making food crisis a daily war for Nigerians. At the same time, agricultural productivity has steadily grown, and technological and institutional innovations have proliferated within agrifood markets and value chain with the potential to reduce poverty and food insecurity around the world.A food value chain (FVC) consists of all the stakeholders who participate in the coordinated production and value-adding activities that are needed to make food products. According to HLPE (2014), losses and wastes are common in all the phases of the FVCs (pre-harvest, harvesting and initial handling, storage, transport and logistics, processing and packaging, retailing and, finally, consumption activities). The agrifood value chain development in Nigeria is facing many barriers to fulfilling its potential including but not limited to capacity, enabling environment, governance, infrastructure, and policies conducive to sustainability and growth.Adding value post-production and minimizing losses with innovations in post-harvest and processing phases can have significant economic and environmental impacts, with input savings and carbon footprint reduction
Tetracycline residue in fresh and processed Clarias gariepinus from selected fish farms and markets in Ibadan, Nigeria
No full textTetracycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic used extensively to treat infections in both man and animals, however, its abuse could contribute to the emergence of antibioticresistant micro-organisms. This study was conducted to determine the tetracycline residue in Clarias gariepinus from selected fish farms and markets in Ibadan. Pre-tested structured questionnaire was administered to 116 consenting farmers to obtain information on antibiotic usage amongst others in five LGAs of Oyo State. Ten fish farms and two major markets (Sabo and Bodija) were purposively selected based on generated data. One hundred fresh fish, twenty (20) smoked catfish and water samples were tested for tetracycline residue using Elisa Test Kit (Rayto® SF-510). Tetracycline usage was (69%) compared with erythromycin (25%), enrofloxacin (22.4%), penicillin (25%), sulfamethazole (12.1%) and virginiomycin (6%). Tetracycline residues were detected in both fresh and smoked fish samples. Tetracycline residue was not detectable in 8:3 (16%:30%) samples; 10:5 (20%:50%) samples which had values below Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) of (200ng/ g) in fish muscle, while the remaining 32:2 (64%:20%) samples had values above MRL respectively. The mean residue level of the detectable tetracyclines (236ng/g) was higher than the recommended MRL (200ng/g) in fish muscle. It is therefore established that tetracycline was being used indiscriminately in fish ponds in the area. It is imperative that farmers should be enlightened on proper usage of antibiotics based on prescription and the need to observe withdrawal periods before fish harvesting. Veterinarian and Public Health officers should pay closer attention to ensuring that good management practice and hazard analysis critical control points are maintained in fish production and distribution chain.Keywords: Antibiotic, Elisa Test kit, Maximum residue limit, Withdrawal period
Copper Level in Fish, Selected Fresh and Marine Aquatic Ecosystems in Nigeria
No full textFish have been valued as excellent indicators of water quality because
they integrate all the stresses placed on the aquatic ecosystem. This
study was conducted to investigate the level of copper in selected
Freshwater (Awba Dam, Asejire and Eleyele rivers), Marine waters (Lekki
Lagoon and Victoria Island Ocean) and fishes that live in these
ecosystems in Nigeria. Upstream and downstream samples of water and
fish were collected monthly for a period of five months. The results
obtained shows that the level of copper in fresh water was
non-significantly (p=0.39) higher (1.1mg/l) than that of marine water
(0.8 mg/l) at 95% confidence limit. The concentration of Cu in fish was
a reverse relation since marine fish accumulated a higher (5.2mg/kg)
copper relative to freshwater fish (4.27mg/kg). The difference in
values was also not significant (p>0.05). The Bio-concentration
factors was significantly (p<0.05) higher in the marine environment
(6.4) relative to freshwater (4.2). This study suggests that the
monitoring of Nigerian marine and freshwater for copper and other heavy
metals is important to protect human health
