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Guus van Westen shows how worldwide food production is increasingly organised in global value chains, linking producers, traders, processors and consumers in distant localities. Inserting smallholders in poor countries into corporate value chains by means of inclusive business models has become a major development strategy, aiming not just for just and sustainable agricultural growth, but even for further goals such as food security. While outcomes in terms of incomes can be positive, there...

Epidemiological data on musculoskeletal impairment (MSI) and related service and assistive product (AP) needs for displaced populations are lacking. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence, aetiology, and specific MSI diagnosis and the need for related services and APs among Syrian refugees living in Sultanbeyli, a district in Istanbul, Turkey. A population-based survey used probability proportionate to size and compact segment sampling to select 80 clusters (‘street’) of 50 individuals...

This study examined the relationship between school environment and sexual behaviour of in-school adolescents in South East Zone of Nigeria. The population of this study comprised 137, 095 in-school adolescents in senior secondary II in public secondary schools. The sample of the study was 1200 senior secondary II in-school adolescents. Two research questions and one hypothesis were formulated for the study and the study adopted correlation survey design. Two instruments, namely: School...

There is a need for scientific knowledge on the spatiotemporal variability of drought episodes to establish robust drought mitigation and adaptation strategies. This study evaluates the spatiotemporal variability of drought episodes in southeastern Ethiopia at multiple time scales (3-, 6-, 12- and 24-month and three spatially different wet seasons; March–May, June–September and September–November). Drought indices were generated for 34 stations using the standardized precipitation index...

This study investigated Leadership Capacity Training: A prerequisite for an enhanced performance in FCT Junior Secondary Schools Abuja, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. The target population was all principals’ Junior Secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja. The sample size of this study were 154 school principals in the FCT which included 74 males and 80 females. The instrument for data collection was a researcher designed...

This paper surveys and analyses the distance e-learning (DeL, henceforth) experience in Moroccan universities during the Covid-19 quarantine from the perspective of students in order to investigate the reality of things as achievements, failures, and possible opportunities. The nationwide lockdown, motivated by an awareness of the human cost the spread of Coronavirus may cause, has forced Moroccan public and private universities to shift from classroom physicality to web virtuality. This...

Tourism is a key economic sector and tool for community development in most developing countries. However, climate change remains one of the major threats to this development. This is especially so for countries such as Botswana whose tourism industry is largely nature based, making it vulnerable to the effects of environmental change. Consequently, communities who rely on tourism to some extent are also vulnerable to global climate change and its local effects. The purpose of this article...

Abstract The present study focused on pollution status of groundwater in the industrial areas of Challawa and Sharada in Kano city based on pollution indices, statistical and spatial analyses. Twenty groundwater samples representing groundwater of the studied areas (Ten from each area) were analyzed for the presence of Cd, Cr, Ni, Fe, Mn and Zn using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The result showed 95%, 5%, 60%, 15% and 25% of the analyzed water samples had detectable Cd, Cr, Ni, Fe,...

Water is the key limiting factor in socioeconomic and ecological development, but it is adversely affected by climate change. The novel virtual water (VW) concept and water, energy, food, biodiversity, and human health (WEFBH) nexus approach are powerful tools to assess the sustainability of a region through the lens of climate change. Climate change-related challenges and water are complex and intertwined. This paper analyzed the significant WEFBH sectors using the multicriteria...

This study examined the roles of School Based Management Committee on Girl Child Access to Primary Education in Kaduna State, Nigeria. Cross-sectional survey design was adopted and School Based Management Committee Roles Questionnaire (SBMCRQ) was the instrument used to collect data. The sample size of 759 respondents comprising of 378 teachers and 381 SBMC members from 346 primary schools in Kaduna State using multi-stage sampling technique was used. A total of 759 copies of the...

Background: Asthma prevalence is high (> 10%) in developed countries, and though data for most of Africa is still missing, rates are rising in developing countries as they grow more westernised. Asthma is the 14th most important chronic disease in the world in terms of the prevalence, extent, and duration of disability, affecting 334 million individuals of all ages. The prevalence in Africa has been reported ranging from 18% in Kenya to 20% in South Africa. We investigated the prevalence...

Abstract Background Comprehensive data is key for evidence-informed policy aiming to improve the lives of persons experiencing different levels of disability. The objective of this paper was to identify the environmental barriers — including physical, social, attitudinal, and political barriers — that might become priorities for cross-cutting policies and policies tailored to the needs of persons experiencing severe disability in Cameroon. Methods A secondary analysis of data obtained with...

Efficient cooking has long been of interest for its presence in multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including Good Health and Well-Being, Affordable and Clean Energy, Quality Education, Gender Equality, and Climate Action among others. Widespread uptake of an efficient cooking device, such as an “improved” biomass or LPG cookstove, has the potential to contribute to progress on many simultaneous fronts. However, unlike other sustainable development and public health initiatives,...

Pursuant to the Government of Kenya’s policy framework on education, training and research a comprehensive policy framework has been developed to ensure that quality services are delivered efficiently and effectively at all times in ECD centres in Kenya. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of infrastructure development policies on provision of quality teaching and learning of early childhood education in Mbita Sub-County Homabay County, Kenya. The study adopted...

The pursuit of inclusive education in different countries is shaped by the extent and the nature of existing special educational provisions. We focus on two authoritarian regimes in the previous century: Soviet Russia (USSR) with its ideology of class (proletarian humanism and egalitarian universalism) and South Africa with its ideology of race (apartheid and discrimination). We make two assertions on the basis of a cross-case analysis based on a policy historiography. First, state ideology...

Background: South Africa has incorporated Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) into many university classrooms in order to help address ubiquitous concerns related to the limited English language proficiency of first-year university students. In the context of this study, the research site used the CALL application called the English Word Power (EWP programme). Research to establish students’ perceptions of the CALL application is somewhat limited, although students’ perceptions of a...

The purpose of this study is to interpretively analyse the fight against HIV/AIDS, referred to as ‘response’, in three of Lesotho’s institutions of higher education (IHEs). These are the Lesotho College of Education (LCE), the National Health Training College (NHTC) and the National University of Lesotho (NUL). This study uses cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) to qualitatively interpret the response in a country with the second highest HIV prevalence globally. The study applies...

The microbiome of the vagina is characterized by a community bacteria playing important roles in the overall health status of the female genital tract. This study was conducted to isolate and characterize bacteria from the female genital tract and as well evaluate the antibiotics susceptibility pattern of the vaginal bacterial isolates. For this purpose, a total of fifty (50) vaginal swab samples were collected (using sterile swab sticks) from females attending a tertiary institution in Port...