The Social and Economic Significance of Natural Gum and Resin in the Woodlands of South Omo Zone, Southern Ethiopia

The social, economic, and ecological role of woodlands forests in dry and lowland areas are more imperative than anywhere else. Most of the dry lands of Ethiopia host woodlands that produce various commercial gum-resin products. The objective of this study was to investigate the social and economic importance of commercial gum-resin products focusing on their roles in the local livelihoods. Four kebeles, namely, Luka and Enchete from Bena-Tsemay district, and Erbore and Asele from Hamer district of South Omo Zone, were purposively selected for the collection of socioeconomic data. Semistructured questionnaire and checklists were used for households and key informant interviews and focus group discussions, respectively. In addition, market assessments and field observation were conducted to collect the primary data and supplemented with secondary data. A total of 80 households were randomly selected for one-to-one interviews from the total number of 425 households in the selected kebeles. A total of 10 key informant interviews with elders, forestry experts, local merchants, and enterprise members involved in gum-resins marketing and 4 focus group discussions with 12 members including men, women, and youth were conducted. Simple descriptive statistical tools were used for the data analysis. The results of the study showed that the mean annual income earned from the sale of gum-resins was 5670 and 4571 ETB per household at Bena-Tsemay and Hamer study sites, respectively. About 84% of the respondents indicated that gum-resin collection was the simplest and fastest means to earn income for school children and women. Gum and resin collection was the third most important livelihood option in the study area following animal husbandry and crop and honey production. The majority (84%) of respondents recognized the income made from gum-resin products as a safety net during recurring famine eras. Moreover, respondents recognized the benefit of gum arabic as food during famine time, as chewing gum, and as nutritious fodder. It was also used as folk medicine for both human and livestock diseases. Communities used this resource as a constituent to treat eye and skin infections, bleeding, wounds, ulcers, stomachache, gastrointestinal infections, etc. In addition, 88.33% of shrubs/trees were used as source of cash income for local communities and 11.67% as fodder for animal husbandry. Despite this significance, various constraints hindered the utilization of the resource in the study area, and these included lack of appropriate tapping techniques, market access, market information, cooperatives, infrastructure facilities, and appropriate institutions as well as poor local communities’ awareness of land management. The present investigation has provided valuable information for overcoming the major constraints by devising strategies to maximize gum-resin production and commercialization in the study area.

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Social Accountability for Local Government in Ghana

Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance ◽

10.5130/cjlg.v0i13/14.3724 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 61-76 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Rudith King ◽

Amponsah Owusu ◽

Imoro Braimah

Keyword(s):

Local Government ◽

Focus Group ◽

Service Provision ◽

Local Communities ◽

Social Accountability ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Legal Provisions ◽

Key Informant ◽

Building Components

Social accountability is considered as one strategy of deepening Ghana’s decentralised development administration. Some attempts have been made to empower local people to demand transparency and accountability from the local government system as required by law. The purpose of this paper was to assess the effectiveness of these attempts in 14 Metropolitan and Municipal Assembles. The data for the analyses were sought through key informant interviews with core Assembly staff, and focus group discussions with selected Assembly Members. The analyses revealed that the legal provisions made room for social accountability but the weak capacity of Assembly Members in terms of resources, the understanding of legislative provisions, and the acceptability of the concept challenged its implementation. It is thus recommended that service provision in local communities should have capacity-building components that promote social accountability.

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Drivers and barriers to workplace-based HIV self-testing among high-risk men in Uganda: a qualitative study

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-11041-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Patience A. Muwanguzi ◽

Robert C. Bollinger ◽

Stuart C. Ray ◽

LaRon E. Nelson ◽

Noah Kiwanuka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

Hiv Testing ◽

Private Security ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Private Security Companies ◽

Self Testing ◽

Key Informant ◽

Hiv Testing Services ◽

Security Companies

Abstract Background Men in Sub-Saharan Africa are less engaged than women in accessing HIV testing and treatment and, consequently, experience higher HIV-related mortality. Reaching men with HIV testing services is challenging, thus, increasing the need for innovative ways to engage men with low access and those at higher risk. In this study, we explore men’s perceptions of drivers and barriers of workplace-based HIV self-testing in Uganda. Methods An exploratory study involving men working in private security companies employing more than 50 men in two districts, in central and western Uganda. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were conducted. Data were analyzed using inductive content analysis. Results Forty-eight (48) men from eight private security companies participated in 5 focus group discussions and 17 key informant interviews. Of the 48 men, 14(29.2%) were ages 26–35 years. The majority 31(64.6%) were security guards. The drivers reported for workplace-based HIV self-testing included convenience, autonomy, positive influence from work colleagues, the need for alternative access for HIV testing services, incentives, and involvement of employers. The barriers reported were the prohibitive cost of HIV tests, stigma, lack of testing support, the fear of discrimination and isolation, and concerns around decreased work productivity in the event of a reactive self-test. Conclusions We recommend the involvement of employers in workplace-based HIV self-testing to encourage participation by employees. There is need for HIV self-testing support both during and after the testing process. Both employers and employees recommend the use of non-monetary incentives, and regular training about HIV self-testing to increase the uptake and acceptability of HIV testing services at the workplace.

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Study on Potentiality of Biogas Plants and Their Role for the Conservation of Environment

Nepal Journal of Science and Technology ◽

10.3126/njst.v15i2.12114 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 51-56

Author(s):

Dinesh Ghimire ◽

Jagannath Shrestha ◽

Anup K.C

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

Science And Technology ◽

Primary Data ◽

Household Surveys ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions ◽

The People ◽

Key Informant ◽

Biogas Plants ◽

Biogas Technology

This study presents the potentiality of biogas plants and their role for the conservation of environment. It is basedon primary data collected from 84 household surveys, 6 key informant interviews and two focus group discussions. It was observed that more than 95% of the people residing in the VDCs were using firewood as a main source ofenergy. The total amount of firewood consumed was 510.570 ton/year which emits 775.052tCO2e/year. Due to the presence of agriculture based livestock holding population, there is a great potential of biogas technology. Thestudy showed that biogas technology could saved 34.40% of firewood which conserves 5.415 ha of forests area. There is a potentiality of 58 biogas plants of size 6 cu.m which will reduce 440.800 tCO2e/year.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/njst.v15i2.12114Nepal Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 15, No.2 (2014) 51-56

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High-yielding seeds in unyielding environments: Examining the learning process of maize and bean producers in eastern and midwestern Uganda

Outlook on Agriculture ◽

10.1177/00307270211054112 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 50 (4) ◽

pp. 418-440 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Claris Riungu ◽

Harro Maat ◽

Marrit Van Den Berg

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

Learning Process ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Environmental Learning ◽

The Social ◽

Using Data ◽

Selection Of

This paper examines the learning process by which farmers come to a decision to use newly introduced seeds which were promoted through demonstration plots in midwestern and eastern regions of Uganda. Framed as social and material interactions, we investigated the learning process of the demonstration plots using data from focus group discussions, interviews and a survey amongst 983 individuals. The results reveal several constraints that impede learning, resulting in an overall low awareness and adoption of the introduced seeds. Some of the most prominent constraints resulted from the selection of location and demonstration plot host, the distance of agro-dealers, at district headquarters, limited interactions amongst farmers and irregular involvement of farmers in the demonstrations. Moreover, the prominent role of agro-dealers at field days suggests that informing farmers about where to buy seeds was considered more important than explaining farmers how to grow these seeds profitably. This commercial focus of field days and demonstrations plots had negative consequences for the social learning. This paper contributes to the learning and adoption literature by showing that interactions amongst actors can improve or reduce the balance between didactic, social and environmental learning.

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Assessing determinants of programmatic performance of community management of malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea in children in Africa: Protocol and data collection for a mixed-methods evaluation of iCCM (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.33076 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Aliya Karim ◽

Don de Savigny ◽

Serge Ngaima ◽

Daniel Mäusezahl ◽

Daniel Cobos Muñoz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mixed Methods ◽

Focus Group ◽

Child Health ◽

Data Collection ◽

Intervention Effectiveness ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Middle Income ◽

Key Informant ◽

Low And Middle Income

BACKGROUND Integrated community case management (iCCM) is a child health program designed to provide integrated, community-based care for pneumonia, malaria and diarrhea for children in hard-to-reach areas of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The foundation of the intervention is service-delivery by community health workers (CHWs) who depend on reliable provision of drugs and supplies, consistent supervision, comprehensive training, and community acceptance and participation to perform optimally. The effectiveness of the program may also depend on a number of other elements, including an enabling policy environment, financing mechanisms from the national to the local level, data transmission systems, and appropriate monitoring and evaluation. The extent to which these factors act upon each other to influence the effectiveness and viability of iCCM is both variable and challenging to assess, especially across different implementation contexts. OBJECTIVE In this paper, we describe a mixed-methods systems-based study protocol to assess the programmatic components of iCCM which are associated with intervention effectiveness, and report preliminary results of data collection. METHODS This protocol employs a mixed qualitative and quantitative study design based on a Systems Thinking approach within four iCCM programs in Malawi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger State, and Abia State, Nigeria. Routine monitoring data is collected to determine intervention effectiveness, namely testing, treatment and referral outcomes. Surveys with CHWs, supervisors, and caregivers are performed to collect quantitative data on their demographics, activities, and experiences within the program, and how these relate to the areas of intervention effectiveness. Focus group discussions are conducted with these stakeholders as well as local traditional leaders to contextualize this data. Key informant interviews are undertaken with national and district-level program stakeholders and officers knowledgeable in critical program processes. RESULTS We performed 3,836 surveys and 45 focus group discussions with CHWs, supervisors, and caregivers, and traditional leaders; 120 key informant interviews with district and national-level program managers, health officers, and ministry officials. Policy and program documents were additionally collected for review. CONCLUSIONS Evidence from this study will inform child health programs and practice in low- and middle-income settings, and future policy development within the iCCM intervention.

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Understanding the Livelihood Characteristics of the Migratory and Non-Migratory Fishers of the Padma River, Bangladesh

Journal of Scientific Research ◽

10.3329/jsr.v10i3.34492 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 261-273

Author(s):

M. I. Khan ◽

M. M. Islam ◽

G. K. Kundu ◽

M. S. Akter

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

Well Water ◽

Full Time ◽

Age Group ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Key Informant ◽

Part Time ◽

Tube Well ◽

Padma River

The Padma is the second longest and one of the trans-boundary rivers of Bangladesh that significantly contributes to fisheries production and supports the fishers’ livelihoods. This study assesses the livelihood characteristics of the Padma river-dependent migratory and non-migratory fishers, employing household interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), and key informant interviews from July to October, 2015. All migratory fishers were full-time fishers, whereas, non-migratory fishers included full time (88.89%), part-time and occasional fishers (11.11%). Maximum fishers were belonging to the age group of 31 to 50 years of which 94.74% were migratory and 57.4% were non-migratory fishers. Half of the migratory and non-migratory fishers were illiterate. 89.47% migratory fishers used river water for drinking and other purposes, whereas, 94.44% non-migratory fishers used tube-well water. Average annual incomes of both migratory (58%) and non-migratory (65%) fishers ranged from Tk. 30,000 to 60,000, whereas 26% migratory and 5% non-migratory fishers had average annual incomes above Tk. 60,000. The overall livelihood status of the migratory and non-migratory fishers was not satisfactory as they have faced problems like conflicts with elite groups for resources, lack of fish preservation facilities. Effective initiatives and their proper implementations are very crucial to develop the Padma river fisher’s livelihood conditions.

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‘Sometimes you are forced to play God…’: a qualitative study of healthcare worker experiences of using continuous positive airway pressure in newborn care in Kenya

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034668 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. e034668

Author(s):

Helen M Nabwera ◽

Jemma L Wright ◽

Manasi Patil ◽

Fiona Dickinson ◽

Pamela Godia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure ◽

Focus Group ◽

Airway Pressure ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Positive Airway Pressure ◽

Scale Up ◽

Newborn Care ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Key Informant

ObjectiveTo explore the experiences of using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in newborn care among healthcare workers in Kenya, and to identify factors that would promote successful scale-up.Design and settingA qualitative study using key informant interviews and focus group discussions, based at secondary and tertiary level hospitals in Kenya.ParticipantsHealthcare workers in the newborn units providing CPAP.Primary and secondary outcome measureFacilitators and barriers of CPAP use in newborn care in Kenya.Results16 key informant interviews and 15 focus group discussions were conducted across 19 hospitals from September 2017 to February 2018. Main barriers reported were: (1) inadequate infrastructure to support the effective delivery of CPAP, (2) shortage of skilled staff rendering it difficult for the available staff to initiate or monitor infants on CPAP and (3) inadequate knowledge and training of staff that inhibited the safe care of infants on CPAP. Key facilitators reported were positive patient outcomes after CPAP use that increased staff confidence and partnership with caregivers in the management of newborns on CPAP. Healthcare workers in private/mission hospitals had more positive experiences of using CPAP in newborn care as the relevant support and infrastructure were available.ConclusionCPAP use in newborn care is valued by healthcare workers in Kenya. However, we identified key challenges that threaten its safe use and sustainability. Further scale-up of CPAP in newborn care should ensure that staff members have ready access to optimal training on CPAP and that there are enough resources and infrastructure to support its use.EthicsThis study was approved through the appropriate ethics committees in Kenya and the UK (see in text) with written informed consent for each participant.

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UNDERSTANDING LOW UPTAKE OF MASS TREATMENT FOR INTESTINAL SCHISTOSOMIASIS AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN: A QUALITATIVE STUDY IN JINJA DISTRICT, UGANDA

Journal of Biosocial Science ◽

10.1017/s002193201400011x ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 47 (4) ◽

pp. 505-520 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

SIMON MUHUMUZA ◽

ANNETTE OLSEN ◽

FRED NUWAHA ◽

ANNE KATAHOIRE

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

School Children ◽

Primary Schools ◽

School Teachers ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions ◽

School Feeding ◽

Intestinal Schistosomiasis ◽

Key Informant

SummaryDespite attempts to control intestinal schistosomiasis through school-based mass drug administration (MDA) with praziquantel using school teachers in Uganda, less than 30% of the school children take the treatment in some areas. The aim of the study was to understand why the uptake of praziquantel among school children is low and to suggest strategies for improved uptake. This was a cross-sectional qualitative study in which 24 focus group discussions and 15 key informant interviews were conducted 2 months after MDA. The focus group discussions were held with school children in twelve primary schools and the key informant interviews were held with school teachers, sub-county health assistants and the District Vector Control Officer. The study shows that the low uptake of praziquantel among school children is a result of a complex interplay between individual, interpersonal, institutional, community and public policy factors. The individual and interpersonal factors underpinning the low uptake include inadequate information about schistosomiasis prevention, beliefs and attitudes in the community about treatment of schistosomiasis and shared concerns among children and teachers about the side-effects of praziquantel, especially when the drug is taken on an empty stomach. The institutional, policy and community factors include inadequate preparation and facilitation of teachers and the school feeding policy, which requires parents to take responsibility for providing their children with food while at school, yet many parents cannot meet the cost of a daily meal due to the prevailing poverty in the area. It is concluded that strategies to improve uptake of praziquantel among school children need to be multi-pronged addressing not only the preparation and motivation of teachers and health education for children, but also the economic and political aspects of drug distribution, including the school feeding policy.

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Levels of Equivalence in Interpreter-mediated Sermons from English into Luhya Varieties

International Journal of English Language Studies ◽

10.32996/ijels.2021.3.5.4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (5) ◽

pp. 26-30

Author(s):

Annet Aromo Khachula ◽

Lucy Mandillah ◽

Bernard Angatia Mudogo

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

Participant Observation ◽

Relevance Theory ◽

Target Language ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Source Language ◽

Key Informant ◽

Audio Recorder

Languages have different concepts for conveying meanings; hence there is a problem in finding equivalents between the source language (SL) and the target language (TL) in the process of interpreting. The transfer of meaning is identified as one of the basic problems in interpreting due to the absence of equivalence between two languages. This paper identifies levels of equivalence in the interpretation of selected sermons from English into Luhya varieties. Data was collected through key-informant interviews of interpreters, Focus Group Discussions by the congregants, and the researcher’s non-participant observation during church services. An audio recorder was used to collect the corpus for analysis which was later transcribed and translated for analysis. Relevance Theory by Sperber and Wilson (1986) provided the background for the discussion of the data. The findings revealed the following levels of equivalence in the interpretation of English sermons into Luhya varieties; one to many, one to part-of-one and nil equivalence. Further, it was also revealed that interpreters need to identify these three levels of equivalence in interpreting English sermons into Luhya varieties to determine the appropriate measures to counteract the situation.

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Exploring barriers to the adoption and utilization of improved latrine facilities in rural Ethiopia: An Integrated Behavioral Model for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (IBM-WASH) approach

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0245289 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. e0245289

Author(s):

Aiggan Tamene ◽

Abel Afework

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

Data Gathering ◽

Educational Status ◽

Behavioral Model ◽

Focus Group Discussions ◽

Health Extension Workers ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Sanitation And Hygiene ◽

Key Informant ◽

Funding Opportunities

Background Even though evidence shows that access to and use of improved latrines is related to healthful families and the public, obstacles to the adoption and use of improved latrine facilities remain. Globally, not many inquiries appear to have been carried out to satisfactorily inform us regarding the multi-level barriers influencing the adoption and utilization of improved latrines facilities. Related studies in Ethiopia are even fewer. Methods Two qualitative data gathering methods, viz., key informant interviews and focus group discussions, were employed to collect data for this study. A total of fifteen focus group discussions were conducted with members of the community in the rural Wonago district of Ethiopia. Similarly, ten key informant interviews were conducted with water, sanitation, and hygiene officers, and health extension workers responsible for coordinating sanitation and hygiene activities. Open code software 4.03 was used for thematic analysis. Result Barriers to adoption and use of improved latrine facilities were categorized into Contextual factors (e.g. Gender, educational status, personal preference for using the field, limited space, population density, the status of land ownership), Psychosocial factors (Culture, beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions of minimal health threat from children's feces), and Technological factors (inconveniences in acquiring materials and cost of constructing a latrine). Conclusion There are a series of multi-leveled barriers to the sustained adoption and use of latrines. Providing funding opportunities for the underprivileged and offering training on the engineering skills of latrine construction at the community level based on the contextual soil circumstances could expand the latrine coverage and use. Similarly, taking into account the variability in motivations for adopting and using latrines among our study in Ethiopia and other studies, we implore public health experts to recognize behaviors and norms in their target communities in advance of implementing sanitation interventions.

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