23 research outputs found
Catchment afforestation project for protection of Chereche rainwater dam in Chereche Village in Tarime District, Tanzania
No full textThis project was undertaken to enable increase in income of 150 CBO members in 41 households in Chereche village while sustaining the existence of Chereche rainwater dam in Tarime District, Mara Region, Tanzania.
The project goal was to establish a multipurpose tree belt along the upper edges of the dam catchment area that would decrease the impact of soil erosion and the dam siltation.
Enough water in the dam will sustain paddy production and thus household food and financial income security. Project activities on the catchment area that would contribute towards increase in income were sales of tree produce and products, and tree seedlings. Resultant activities were fish sales from the conserved dam, and increased livestock production through use of planted or conserved fodder and pasture.
A survey was done to study the situation of tree planting activities by members. The findings were that middle aged and old male headed households grew more trees per year in their farms due to cultural traditions, and were ready to implement extension services offered by extension officers. Young generation preferred quick money activities like petty business and fishing than farming activities. However, they planted trees forcefully in the project area as a condition to retain their paddy farms.
This project contributed to the members' food and financial security, institutional strengthening to both the CBO and village government and triggered the spirit of environment protection to the whole village. (Author abstract)Masale, L. M. (2007). Catchment afforestation project for protection of Chereche rainwater dam in Chereche Village in Tarime District, Tanzania. Retrieved from http://academicarchive.snhu.eduMaster of Science (M.S.)School of Community Economic Developmen
Indigenous chicken micro-enterprise for Umoja Wa Akinamama Mkombozi Mlimani Old Shinyanga, (Ukimmos)
No full textThis report describes a participatory process for establishing local chicken enterprise aimed at improving the productivity of indigenous chickens. Keeping indigenous chickens is a low cost investment with potentials for contributing substantially to food security and income generation especially to the poor rural women. However, New castle (NCD), poor feeding, low genetic potential, management skills, limited access to credit and appropriate marketing strategies limit the productivity of this sector. The project is being implemented by a group of 52 women members in which capacity building support will come from Agricultural Programme of the Catholic Diocese of Shinyanga.
The group will receive training focused on addressing the limiting factors named above and will use the locally available resources to achieve the set objectives. External funding will be limited. The overall objective of the project is to contribute towards poverty alleviation and hunger fighting thus improving the community livelihood. Direct beneficiaries of the project are the members of Umoja Wa Akinamama Mkombozi Mlimani Old- Shinyanga (UKIMMOS). They will receive training in local chicken management ranging from disease control, feeding, housing, breeding and marketing. The group as well as for every participating household will construct chickens shed. Twenty local chicken pullets and five Rhode Island Red cockerels will be purchased for cross- breeding. The project also will contribute towards reduction of local chicken mortality by 70% through vaccination by the new castle disease vaccine. (Author abstract)Mikomangwa, Z. S. (2007). Indigenous chicken micro-enterprise for Umoja Wa Akinamama Mkombozi Mlimani Old Shinyanga, (Ukimmos). Retrieved from http://academicarchive.snhu.eduMaster of Science (M.S.)School of Community Economic Developmen
Establishment of a water supply scheme : a case of Mkudi-Kilimahewa, Nyamanoro Ward, Mwanza City
No full textThe Community Based Organization (CBO) involved in this study is called MAENDELEO MKUDI KILIMAHEWA. The CBO was first established in 1999 with members who are residents of Mkudi and Kilimahewa areas in Nyamanoro ward, in Ilemela District, Mwanza City. The group is formed by eight members who have been able to mobilize more than 2000 residents of these areas.
Mkudi and Kilimahewa areas are squatter areas located in hilly places in Mwanza City that are inadequately serviced with social services like water, schools, electricity, health facilities, markets.
Therefore the main objective of forming this group has been to raise the standard of living of its members through provision of such services to the community like water, health, roads, markets environmental conservation, schools, etc.
Due to limited capacity to provide a wide range of services to the Community, the CBO prioritized the problems by ranking water as the major problem facing Mkudi and Kilimahewa residents. Piped water is not provided to the areas by the water Authorities in Mwanza due to geographical and topographical factors of the areas.
The CBO members proposed to construct a masonry water tank to the area with the capacity of storing 100m3 litres of water. The project will be one of the sources of generating income to them. User fees will be charged to residents of Mkudi and Kilimahewa.
Funding of the project is expected to come from internal and external sources like financial institutions and the government. (Author abstract)Lukawe, L. E. (2007). Establishment of a water supply scheme: a case of Mkudi-Kilimahewa, Nyamanoro Ward, Mwanza City. Retrieved from http://academicarchive.snhu.eduMaster of Science (M.S.)School of Community Economic Developmen
Local chicken productivity improvement project for Kikundi Cha Wafugaji Kuku Bukerebe Village : Magu District, Tanzania
No full textIn rural areas of Tanzania local chickens are among of the potential enterprises that quickly and reasonably can generate income for the poor households. That potential notwithstanding, the sub sector is facing several production constraints that have limited its potentials for contributing to poverty alleviation. The constraints include low management capacity, low genetic potentials, diseases and poor marketing strategies. Diseases are the major constraint, and in particular New Castle Disease (NCD), which causes high mortality of up to 100% of the stock.
Despite the mentioned constraints local chicken are birds found almost in all farmer households in the rural areas. That situation is an indication that local chicken is an economic opportunity of which farmers can learn easily the entrepreneurial skills required for making local poultry keeping a reliable source for income generation and household food security. Thus, through capacity building farmers can develop the necessary attitude, knowledge and skills for keeping local poultry as an economic enterprise.
Guided by the possibilities for developing enterprising local poultry keepers, the study focused on designing and implementing process for improving capacity of members of local poultry keeping group. Through capacity building to the members the expected outcome is productivity improvement and enhancement of income from the sales of chicken products. The members involved in the local poultry keeping are 36 of which women are 24 and 12 men. The group is located in Kisesa village in Magu district.
The overall objective for establishing the project is to put in place a reliable source of income to members through productivity improvement of the local poultry. In response to ensuring attainment of the objective, the capacity building processes emphasis has been on entrepreneurial knowledge and skills related to management, genetic improvement techniques and strategies for diseases control especially new castle disease. (Author abstract)Kwidika, G. M. (2007). Local chicken productivity improvement project for Kikundi Cha Wafugaji Kuku Bukerebe Village: Magu District, Tanzania. Retrieved from http://academicarchive.snhu.eduMaster of Science (M.S.)School of Community Economic Developmen
Assessment of opportunities and challenges for establishment of a member-based micro-finance institution (SACCOS) : a final project report for Kishapu SACCOS in Shinyanga Region
No full textThis project report provides a review of the operational mechanism that prevails in micro-finance arrangements in Kishapu district, so as to identify opportunities andchallenges in provision o f such services. Using information obtained from survey and secondary sources is set out to provide useful information for enhancing access to savings and credit by the majority of the small scale producers (farmers) and petty traders.
Questionnaires administered to a sample o f 100 randomly selected respondents from three villages: Mhunze, Iboja and Ndoleleji in Kishapu District were used to collect primary data. The analysis of findings was then done using a statistical computer package for social scientists (SPSS 11.5). Cross tabulation and regression analysis was also done.
Major findings indicated that the majority of the population in Kishapu is not accessible due to none availability of financial institutions. Government and donor-funded schemes such as Women and Youth Revolving fund are only availability of financial schemes in the area which again are not comprehensive as they are only geared toward specific target groups based on sex, age, or socio-economic status.
The findings suggest that there is a need to address key factors that inhibit access to credit by small farmers and petty businessmen that would facilitate alleviation of poverty amongst the majority of the rural population in Kishapu district. (Author abstract)Monata, S. M. (2008). Assessment of opportunities and challenges for establishment of a member-based micro-finance institution (SACCOS): A final project report for Kishapu SACCOS in Shinyanga Region. Retrieved from http://academicarchive.snhu.eduMaster of Science (M.S.)School of Community Economic Developmen
Supply of pigeonpea genetic resources in local markets of Eastern Kenya:
Get PDF"Smallholder producers in marginal and semiarid areas of eastern Kenya have not benefited greatly from research investments made in improvement of crops grown in such environments (sorghum, millet, and legumes, including pigeonpea) either by the international community or the national agricultural research system because of poorly developed seed systems. However, informal and local market purchases are the major sources of seed for non-maize cereals and legumes. In the absence of any formalized seed system for dryland crops, more and more farmers rely on local markets to supply seed during normal and disaster periods. We determined the factors affecting the quantities of pigeonpea traded by vendors during the 2006 short-rains season using simple OLS estimation. We found that the participation of traders and farmers was higher and traded larger quantities of pigeonpea in weekly markets located in areas where seed-based intervention programs in place than in non-intervention areas. Also agro-ecologically, markets located in slightly wetter regions offered more varieties and handled higher sales compared with marketsheds in dry regions. Among the traders, the grain traders dominated through their sheer volume of sales, higher investment, and storage capacity in these markets though the distinction between seeds and grains was poor. Of the vendor characteristics, young, educated vendors traded higher quantities of pigeonpea during the planting season. The amount of time spent selling by different vendors in the village fairs also had a significant influence on the pigeonpea quantity traded. Certain market infrastructure variables such as distance to the local markets and the access to information sources (mobile phones) also significantly influenced the amount of pigeonpea sold among vendors in these markets. The existing pigeonpea value chain in local markets could be improved further, provided proper synergies exist between different actors in the system. This would enhance local crop diversity levels as well as improve access to quality plant materials for farming communities in the marginal environments of eastern Kenya." from authors' abstractLocal markets, village markets, Seed systems, Drylands, legumes,
The trade-off between accuracy and accessibility of syphilis screening assays.
Get PDFThe availability of rapid and sensitive methods to diagnose syphilis facilitates screening of pregnant women, which is one of the most cost-effective health interventions available. We have evaluated two screening methods in Tanzania: an enzyme immunoassay (EIA), and a point-of-care test (POCT). We evaluated the performance of each test against the Treponema pallidum particle agglutination assay (TPPA) as the reference method, and the accessibility of testing in a rural district of Tanzania. The POCT was performed in the clinic on whole blood, while the other assays were performed on plasma in the laboratory. Samples were also tested by the rapid plasma Reagin (RPR) test. With TPPA as reference assay, the sensitivity and specificity of EIA were 95.3% and 97.8%, and of the POCT were 59.6% and 99.4% respectively. The sensitivity of the POCT and EIA for active syphilis cases (TPPA positive and RPR titer ≥ 1/8) were 82% and 100% respectively. Only 15% of antenatal clinic attenders in this district visited a health facility with a laboratory capable of performing the EIA. Although it is less sensitive than EIA, its greater accessibility, and the fact that treatment can be given on the same day, means that the use of POCT would result in a higher proportion of women with syphilis receiving treatment than with the EIA in this district of Tanzania
Implementation bottlenecks of real time medication monitoring (evriMED) for improving adherence to anti-TB drugs among people with tuberculosis in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
No full textIntroduction: Digital Adherence Tools (DATs), which include real-time medication monitoring and Short Message Service (SMS) reminders, have been reported to improve medication adherence among people with Tuberculosis (TB). Recently, in limited resource settings, DATs have been described as a promising tool to monitor patients’ medication behaviour. We aimed to determine implementation bottlenecks of real-time medication monitoring using the evriMED device. Method: We conducted a research study using a mixed-methods approach, involving both people with TB s and directly observed treatment (DOT) providers who participated in the REMIND-TB trial and utilized the evriMED devices. EvriMED is a medication dispenser with internet connectivity that can send real-time SMS reminders. To gather data, we extracted reports from the Wisepill dashboard, specifically the client status report. This report documented the activity status of all devices, including communication and battery status. Additionally, we conducted in-depth interviews with people with TB and TB care providers who were involved in implementing the Remind TB trial in the Kilimanjaro region. These interviews were guided by the MIDI (Measurement Instrument for Determinants of Innovation), which helps identify the factors influencing the implementation of innovations such as evriMED. Results: Out of the initial 281 participants who were given devices, 245 completed the 6-month follow-up period. The findings indicate that at month 6, most of the devices (49%) reported battery-related challenges. Additionally, forty devices (14%) had reported more than one incidence of losing communication. Through interviews with participants, we observed that evriMED was perceived as user-friendly, and the people with TB reported high satisfaction as the device facilitated improved medication intake. TB care providers also said that evriMED was a relevant tool to be used by the people with TB. However, during the in-depth interview certain implementation bottlenecks were identified, including network issues, limited training, and low technology knowledge among TB care providers, who found the procedure of using the evriMED to be time-consuming. Conclusion: Implementation of evriMED was perceived as user-friendly and highly satisfactory by people with TB. Certain implementation bottlenecks were identified as potential barriers to the use of devices. These bottlenecks include network issues, limited training, battery-related challenges and low technological knowledge among TB care providers, which may have contributed to communication loss. Further research may be needed to address these limitations and develop effective strategies to facilitate the successful implementation of evriMED as a tool for improving medication intake among people with TB
Needs and contents of a customized digital tool for retention in care and medication adherence among pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV in Kilimanjaro
No full textAbstract Background Retention in care and adherence to medication among pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV (PBWLH) are crucial for preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. Wide coverage of mobile phones, digital tools, including internet-enabled medication dispensers and short message service (SMS), have been recommended as potential interventions to improve adherence to medication by PBWLH. The main objective of the study was to understand the needs and contents for a customized digital tool for retention in care and medication adherence among PBWLH. Method A mixed-methods study was conducted from September 2021 to March 2022 at five health facilities in the Kilimanjaro region. We interviewed 142 pregnant and breastfeeding women, receiving PMTCT services, using a semi-structured questionnaire. Among the interviewed, twenty breastfeeding women were purposively selected and enrolled to use an internet-enabled Wisepill medication dispenser for one month. They received different types of SMS reminders for one month, and feedback on their adherence patterns was received after one month using an adherence graph from the Wisepill digital tool. Later, exit and in-depth interviews were conducted to explore the needs and contents of a future customized digital adherence tool. Descriptive analyses for quantitative data and thematic content analyses for qualitative data were also done. Results Among 142 women interviewed, 42(30%) were pregnant and 100 (70%) were breastfeeding. Most 136 (95%) had access to mobile phones and used SMS daily, while 90% were interested in receiving reminder messages. Qualitative findings revealed more insights into reminders’ content and educational SMS. Most people preferred neutral SMS, which does not contain the word “medication”. Health educational SMS content was preferred to be on breastfeeding, opportunistic diseases, nutrition and entrepreneurship education. Overall, SMSs were regarded as helpful to remind clients of medication time and the medication dispenser provided them with privacy and safe storage for their medication. Conclusions This study's findings will help construct useful content for future digital adherence tools to support the health of pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV
Carcass and meat quality characteristics of indigenous cattle in Tanzania
No full textPaper to be presented during the 5th Research week and International Conference
to be held on, –22nd – 24th September, 2010 at EGERTON UNIVERSITY,
KENYA .
* Corresponding Author: Mwilawa, A.J (PhD Student) ([email protected])
Tel +255-787-892240Seventy two Tanzania indigenous cattle (36 Boran steers; 2-3 years old; initial liveweight 225
kg and 36 Tanzania Short Horn Zebu (TSHZ); 3-4 years old; initial liveweight 117 kg) were
randomly allocated to three dietary treatments to study the effects of breed, diet and ageing
time on carcass and meat quality characteristics. Animals were fed three different diets:
grazing alone (Diet 1: control), control + 50 % ad libitum concentrate intake (Diet 2) and ad
libitum hay + ad libitum concentrate intake (Diet 3). The concentrate contained 126 g CP and
13 MJ ME per kg DM. The steers were fattened for 90 days, slaughtered, and carcass and
meat quality assessed. Boran had heavier (P<0.05) empty body weight, carcass weight and
greater rib area than TSHZ (242 vs. 192 kg; 132 vs. 108 kg and 56 vs. 47 cm2). Animals fed
diet 3 had higher (P<0.05) dressing percentage, carcass fat thickness, conformation score and
normal meat colour score (54%; 2 cm; 12; 2.9) followed by Diet 2 (51%; 0.9 cm; 9; 3.7 and
lastly Diet 1 (47%; 0.6 cm; 7; 4.4). In addition, longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle from animals
fed Diet 3 had the lowest (P<0.05) shear force (45 N) indicating very tender meat whereas
LD from animals fed diet 1 had the highest value (60 N) indicating less tender meat.
Increasing post-mortem storage time from 2 up to 20 days decreased (P<0.05) shear force by
65%. It is concluded that both Boran and TSHZ cattle obtained acceptable range of meat
quality values and that tender meat can be produced from indigenous cattle through feedlot
finishing and post-mortem storage at refrigerated temperature
