42 research outputs found
Addis Ababa city plans compliance and performance evaluation
No full textAddis Ababa had a number of spatial plans prepared with intentions to solve its socioeconomic, physical and
environmental problems and to serve as road map for its multifaceted development endeavors. But these
plans were not implemented as intended; and rather unplanned interventions with harmful implications
became the norm. These practices are seldom checked or evaluated, and the influencing factors are not
examined. Existing literature give only general evaluation methods and criteria, or they deviate from the
Addis Ababa’s or similar cities’ contexts. The main objective of this research is to understand the extent to
which spatial plans were implemented and how plan quality, land management and institutional setup
influenced this practice as a way of improving spatial planning system in Addis Ababa.
Analytical models advocated by literature (highly structured, quantitative planning evaluation techniques)
are not opted as they are rarely attainable in practice for reasons of cost, time, deviation form context, and
data availability. Therefore, rapid and qualitative assessment was carried out using triangulation technique
analyzing data from four different sources: documents review, observation interviews and the researcher’s
rich experience, a reflective practice, with some degree of quantitative analysis.
Integration of conformance and performance-based evaluation approaches along with reflective practice
have been applied to understand the level of plan implementation. The overall city planning practice has
been assessed but for more focus and detailed account of the research topic, two cases (ORAAMP’s AACDP
of 2003 and Mercato LDP) have been assessed in detail as they are believed to demonstrate findings that can
help represent and generalize the hypothesis.
Assessment of the city’s planning practice revealed that the city’s planning approach has been favored and
disfavored by the dominant agrarian nature of the country on the one hand, and the dynamic environment
– political, socioeconomic, land system (the 1974 nationalization of land and the lease system after 1991)
and institutional (regionalization, decentralization and reform programs) on the other hand. The planning
approach has been mainly conditioned by imported planning practices with resistant local context and
attempts to contextualize the imported ones as can be seen in the formal/informal housing and business
conflicts. Continuity of the key tenets of different planning practices and incorporation of past legacies has
created superimposition of city structures and morphology as well as mixed planning culture.
The findings of the study also revealed that effectiveness of a plan and its implementation are conditioned
not only by the intentions and quality of the plan per se; but also, by other factors mainly land management,
governance, institutional setup, political, socioeconomic, and cultural settings. Failure to properly consider
land management system in the planning process, the weak institutional setup and its lack of sustained
system, absence of true participatory process, misguided monitoring, evaluation and accountability, the
apolitical stances practiced by professionals, the double plan system because of political interference, were
the core underlying factors for poor spatial planning system. It has been found that proper and adequate
consideration of influential contextual factors (land, institutional and political setting) will contribute to
improvement in spatial planning system. It is recommended that an improved new spatial planning system
be developed where we have interactive hierarchical plans, integrated collaborative spatial plans across
sectoral agencies, and where participatory community planning and implementation is pronounced
sj-docx-1-smo-10.1177_20503121221125142 – Supplemental material for Sexual violence and adverse reproductive health outcomes among youth females in North Shoa zone, Oromia, Ethiopia: A community-based cross-sectional study
No full textSupplemental material, sj-docx-1-smo-10.1177_20503121221125142 for Sexual violence and adverse reproductive health outcomes among youth females in North Shoa zone, Oromia, Ethiopia: A community-based cross-sectional study by Mathewos Mekonnen, Kemal Jemal, Ayele Tilahun, Asfaw Getaye, Kumera Bekele, Dejene Hailu, Dejene Edosa, Elsabeth Legesse, Tadesse Nigusie, Moges Beya and Teshale Mulatu in SAGE Open Medicine</p
The Effects of Integrated Soil Conservation Practices on Soil Physico-Chemical Properties: The Case of Menesibu District, West Ethiopia
No full textThe study was conducted in Ethiopia, in Oromia Regional State, West Wollega Zone, Menesibu district to evaluate the effect of integrated soil conservation practices on soil physical and chemical properties. The land treated by integrated soil conservation practices were compared with land untreated. These were again evaluated across three slope gradients and two soil depths. The slope gradients were; gentle slope (3-10%), moderate slope (10-25%) and steep slope (>25%). The study adopted a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with split-split plot layout. A total of 36 soil samples were collected from the top 0-20 cm and 20-40cm soil depths, which were replicated three times and the selected physical and chemical properties were analyzed in the laboratory. The results of the study showed that soil bulk density (BD), soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (N) available phosphorus and potassium (Av-P &Av-K), cation exchange capacity (CEC) and exchangeable cations (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+) were significantly different (P < 0.05), with the land treated by soil conservation practices showing better conditions than the untreated control under the three slope gradients and the two soil depths. No significant difference was observed in terms of soil texture between the conserved and un-conserved lands but there were significant differences among the slope gradient and the soil depths. The carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N) was also not significantly different between the two land types (conserved and un-conserved land), slope gradients and soil depths. Keywords: Soil conservation practices, conserved land, un-conserved land, soil physical properties, soil chemical propertie
How do health extension workers in Ethiopia allocate their time?
No full textBACKGROUND: Governments are increasingly reliant on community health workers to undertake health promotion and provide essential curative care. In 2003, the Government of Ethiopia launched the Health Extension Programme and introduced a new cadre, health extension workers (HEWs), to improve access to care in rural communities. In 2013, to inform the government's plans for HEWs to take on an enhanced role in community-based newborn care, a time and motion study was conducted to understand the range of HEW responsibilities and how they allocate their time across health and non-health activities. METHODS: The study was administered in 69 rural kebeles in the Southern Nations Nationalities and People's Region and Oromia Region that were intervention areas of a trial to evaluate a package of community-based interventions for newborns. Over 4 consecutive weeks, HEWs completed a diary and recorded all activities undertaken during each working day. HEWs were also surveyed to collect data on seasonal activities and details of the health post and kebele in which they work. The average proportion of productive time (excluding breaks) that HEWs spent on an activity, at a location, or with a recipient each week, was calculated. RESULTS: The self-reported diary was completed by 131 HEWs. Over the course of a week, HEWs divided their time between the health post (51%) and the community (37%), with the remaining 11% of their time spent elsewhere. Curative health activities represented 16% of HEWs' time each week and 43% of their time was spent on health promotion and prevention. The remaining time included travel, training and supervision, administration, and community meetings. HEWs spent the majority (70%) of their time with individuals, families, and community members. CONCLUSIONS: HEWs have wide-ranging responsibilities for community-based health promotion and curative care. Their workload is diverse and they spend time on activities relating to family health, disease prevention and control, hygiene and sanitation, as well as other community-based activities. Reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health activities represent a major component of the HEW's work and, as such, they can have a critically important role in improving the health outcomes of mothers and children in Ethiopia
Diversity, Use and Conservation of Spices and Condiments in the Home Gardens (Derkuwa) of Konta Special District (Woreda), Southern Ethiopia
No full textTradition and Innovation: a Qualitative Study of Changing Maternal and Newborn Health Practices in Ethiopia
No full textNo abstract available
Characterization and classification of soils of upper Hoha sub-watershed in Assosa District, Western Ethiopia
No full textCharacterization and classification of soils is a major tool for understanding the nature and status of soils. The objective of the study was to characterize, classify and map the soils of Upper Hoha sub-watershed according to the World Reference Base for Soil Resources [1]. Seven representative pedons were opened in Upper Hoha sub-watershed at different landscape positions. Accordingly, the surface soils of Pedon 2, 3, and 7 consisted of Mollic horizons; whereas Pedon 1, 4, 5 and 6 had Umbric horizons. The subsurface diagnostic horizons identified for the opened pedons were Nitic, Cambic, Ferralic, Plinthic and Pisoplinthic horizons. Pedon 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7 contained a Nitic horizon; whereas, Pedon 3 and 6 had Cambic horizons. Also Pedon 3, 4 and 6 had Plinthic, Ferralic and Pisoplinthic subsurface horizons respectively. The surface soils of Pedon 1, 2 and 4 showed anthric properties which is affected by long-term plowing; and Pedon 2, 5 and 6 showed sideralic properties in the subsurface soils which had lower CEC <24 cmolc kg−1 clay. Pedon-3 and 7 showed abrupt textural difference in clay content between surface and subsurface horizons; in particular, Pedon-7 had colluvic materials deposition. As a result, soils of Upper Hoha sub-watershed were classified in reference soil groups of Nitisols, Cambisols and Plinthosols with their corresponding qualifiers
Phytochemical investigation and antimicrobial activity of leaves extract of Vernonia auriculifera Hiern.
No full textContext: The genus Vernonia is one of the largest groups in the family Compositae constituting more than 500 species distributed widely in tropical and sub-tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and America. Traditionally the genus is used for the treatment of schistosomiasis, amoebic dysentery, gastrointestinal problems, malaria, venereal diseases, wounds, hepatitis, and diabetes. Vernonia auriculifera Hiern is used for healing wounds as ointment around the injured areas.
Aims: To investigate the phytochemical constituents and evaluate antimicrobial activity of leaves extract of Vernonia auriculifera Hiern.
Methods: Phytochemical screening tests were conducted to identify the class of compounds present in the leaves extracts of V. auriculifera. Silica gel column chromatographic technique was applied to separate the constituents of the extracts. Various spectroscopic techniques (IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, DEPT-135, COSY, gHSQC, and gHMBC) were applied to determine the structures of isolated compounds.
Results: Phytochemical screening of the methanol leaf extract revealed the presence of tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, saponins and absence of anthraquinones, steroids, and alkaloids. Silica gel column chromatography of the methanol leaves extract yielded one compound. The hexane, chloroform, methanol and water extracts were tested against Staphylococcus aureus. The methanol and water extracts showed promising growth suppression at minimum inhibitory concentration of 200 mg/mL.
Conclusions: The polar extracts of the leaves of Vernonia auriculifera Hiern possess antimicrobial activity
Evaluation of irrigation scheduling to maximize tomato production using comparative assessment of soil moisture and evapotranspiration in restricted irrigated regions
No full textAbstractEvaluating and comparing two different irrigation scheduling methods like soil moisture (SM) and evapotranspiration (ET)-based irrigation scheduling methods were assessed scientifically to maximize tomato yield, especially in areas where restricted irrigation facilities are available. The experimental design was arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 100%, 75%, and 50% water requirements with three replications. The water was applied to furrows using Randomized Block Design (RBC) flume with an inflow rate of 1.62 l/s. The total amount of water applied in SM- and ET-based methods were 229.1 mm and 280 mm, respectively. The collected data were analyzed using ANOVA (statistical software) at 5% significance level. Values on agronomic characteristics, yield attributes, and yield were determined for those two methods. T1–T6 are the total treatments used in this research. Out of which, T1, T2, and T3 are taken as SM-based represented for 100%, 75%, and 50% of requirements and T4, T5, and T6 as ET-based represented for the same percentage of requirements. The results did not illustrate a huge difference in yield potential. The highest net benefit on yield was obtained at T2 (SM-based), whereas the lowest in T6 (ET-based). It was also observed that SM-based method saved around 18.2% of irrigation water compared to ET-based approach. Therefore, to cultivate high water demanding crops such as tomato in water scarce areas, SM-based irrigation scheduling method is comparatively better than ET-based as far as yield is concerned
What do district health managers in Ghana use their working time for? : A case study of three districts
No full textIneffective district health management potentially impacts on health system performance and service delivery. However, little is known about district health managing practices and time allocation in resource-constrained health systems. Therefore, a time use study was conducted in order to understand current time use practices of district health managers in Ghana.; All 21 district health managers working in three districts of the Eastern Region were included in the study and followed for a period of three months. Daily retrospective interviews about their time use were conducted, covering 1182 person-days of observation. Total time use of the sample population was assessed as well as time use stratified by managerial position. Differences of time use over time were also evaluated.; District health managers used most of their working time for data management (16.6%), attending workshops (12.3%), financial management (8.7%), training of staff (7.1%), drug and supply management (5.0%), and travelling (9.6%). The study found significant variations of time use across the managerial cadres as well as high weekly variations of time use impulsed mainly by a national vertical program.; District health managers in Ghana use substantial amounts of their working time in only few activities and vertical programs greatly influence their time use. Our findings suggest that efficiency gains are possible for district health managers. However, these are unlikely to be achieved without improvements within the general health system, as inefficiencies seem to be largely caused by external factors
