scholarly journals The potential economic benefits of controlling trypanosomiasis using waterbuck repellent blend in sub-Saharan Africa

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254558
Author(s):  
Zewdu Abro ◽  
Menale Kassie ◽  
Beatrice Muriithi ◽  
Michael Okal ◽  
Daniel Masiga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Technology ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Tsetse Fly ◽  
Expert Elicitation ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cost Ratio ◽  
Economic Surplus ◽  
Benefit Cost Ratio ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Sub Saharan

Trypanosomiasis is a significant productivity-limiting livestock disease in sub-Saharan Africa, contributing to poverty and food insecurity. In this paper, we estimate the potential economic gains from adopting Waterbuck Repellent Blend (WRB). The WRB is a new technology that pushes trypanosomiasis-transmitting tsetse fly away from animals, improving animals’ health and increasing meat and milk productivity. We estimate the benefits of WRB on the production of meat and milk using the economic surplus approach. We obtained data from an expert elicitation survey, secondary and experimental sources. Our findings show that the adoption of WRB in 5 to 50% of the animal population would generate an economic surplus of US$ 78–869 million per annum for African 18 countries. The estimated benefit-cost ratio (9:1) further justifies an investment in WRB. The technology’s potential benefits are likely to be underestimated since our estimates did not include the indirect benefits of the technology adoption, such as the increase in the quantity and quality of animals’ draught power services and human and environmental health effects. These benefits suggest that investing in WRB can contribute to nutrition security and sustainable development goals.

scholarly journals Potential returns to yam research investment in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Djana Babatima Mignouna ◽  
Adebayo Akinboye Akinola ◽  
Tahirou Abdoulaye ◽  
Arega D Alene ◽  
Victor Manyong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cost Ratio ◽  
Economic Returns ◽  
Severe Problem ◽  
Adoption Of Technology ◽  
Benefit Cost Ratio ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

Lack of good-quality planting materials has been identified as the most severe problem militating against increased agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and beyond. However, investment of research efforts and resources in addressing this menace will only be feasible and worthwhile if attendant economic gains are considerable. As a way of investigating the economic viability of yam investment, this research has been initiated to address problems confronting yam productivity in eight countries of SSA and beyond: Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Papua New Guinea, Jamaica, and Columbia. Research options developed were to be deployed and disseminated. Key technologies include the adaptive yam minisett technique (AYMT), varieties adapted to low soil fertility and drought, nematode-resistant cultivars (NRC), and crop management and postharvest practices (CMPP). This article aims at estimating the potential economic returns, the expected number of beneficiaries, and poverty reduction consequent to the adoption of technology options. Estimates show that the new land area that will be covered by the technologies in the eight countries will range between 770,000 ha and 1,000,000 ha with the highest quota accounted for by AYMT. The net present value will range between US$584 and US$1392 million and was highest for the NRC. The CMPP had the lowest benefit-cost ratio of 7.74. About 1,049,000 people would be moved out of poverty by these technologies by 2037 in the region. These technologies are less responsive to changes in cost than that in adoption rate. Therefore, the realization of the potential economic gains depends on the rate and extent of adoption of these technologies. Giving the knowledge-intensive nature of some of these interventions, capacity building of potential adopters will be critical to increasing the sustainability of the yam sector, thereby enhancing food security and reducing poverty.

scholarly journals Increasing potato equivalent yield increases returns to investment under potato-legume intercropping systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 623-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harun I Gitari ◽  
Shadrack O Nyawade ◽  
Solomon Kamau ◽  
Charles K. K Gachene ◽  
Nancy N Karanja ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cost Ratio ◽  
Pure Stand ◽  
Lablab Purpureus ◽  
Economic Returns ◽  
Benefit Cost Ratio ◽  
Returns To Investment ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Equivalent Yield

AbstractIn order to enhance sustainable intensification of potato-based cropping systems, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), there is a need to investigate the economic viability of investing in this lucrative venture. This study evaluated the economic returns under legume intercropping systems using value/cost ratio (VCR) and benefit/cost ratio (BCR) under treatments comprising of potato intercropped with dolichos (Lablab purpureus L.) (P-D), climbing bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) (P-B) and garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) (P-G), and a potato pure stand control (P-S). Across the seasons, tuber yield was not significantly (p < 0.05) affected by intercropping with P-D, whereas under P-B and P-G, it decreased by 19% and 16%, respectively compared to P-S. P-G, P-B and P-D recorded 6, 7 and 12% higher potato equivalent yield (PEY) relative to P-S. P-D was the most profitable intercropping system with VCR of 35 and BCR of 5.1 as compared to values recorded in P-S of 31 and 5, respectively. Regression of VCR against PEY resulted in a stronger coefficient (0.98) compared to that of BCR against PEY (0.82) implying that VCR is a simple tool that could be adopted for economic returns to investment studies such as potato-legume inter-cropping systems.

Costs and benefits of neurosurgical intervention for infant hydrocephalus in sub-Saharan Africa

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 509-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin C. Warf ◽  
Blake C. Alkire ◽  
Salman Bhai ◽  
Christopher Hughes ◽  
Steven J. Schiff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Economic Benefit ◽  
Human Capital Approach ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cost Ratio ◽  
Benefit Cost Ratio ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Benefit Cost ◽  
Neurosurgical Intervention

Object Evidence from the CURE Children's Hospital of Uganda (CCHU) suggests that treatment for hydrocephalus in infants can be effective and sustainable in a developing country. This model has not been broadly supported or implemented due in part to the absence of data on the economic burden of disease or any assessment of the cost and benefit of treatment. The authors used economic modeling to estimate the annual cost and benefit of treating hydrocephalus in infants at CCHU. These results were then extrapolated to the potential economic impact of treating all cases of hydrocephalus in infants in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Methods The authors conducted a retrospective review of all children initially treated for hydrocephalus at CCHU via endoscopic third ventriculostomy or shunt placement in 2005. A combination of data and explicit assumptions was used to determine the number of times each procedure was performed, the cost of performing each procedure, the number of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted with neurosurgical intervention, and the economic benefit of the treatment. For CCHU and SSA, the cost per DALY averted and the benefit-cost ratio of 1 year's treatment of hydrocephalus in infants were determined. Results In 2005, 297 patients (median age 4 months) were treated at CCHU. The total cost of neurosurgical intervention was $350,410, and the cost per DALY averted ranged from $59 to $126. The CCHU's economic benefit to Uganda was estimated to be between $3.1 million and $5.2 million using a human capital approach and $4.6 million–$188 million using a value of a statistical life (VSL) approach. The total economic benefit of treating the conservatively estimated 82,000 annual cases of hydrocephalus in infants in SSA ranged from $930 million to $1.6 billion using a human capital approach and $1.4 billion–$56 billion using a VSL approach. The minimum benefit-cost ratio of treating hydrocephalus in infants was estimated to be 7:1. Conclusions Untreated hydrocephalus in infants exacts an enormous price from SSA. The results of this study suggest that neurosurgical intervention has a cost/DALY averted comparable to other surgical interventions that have been evaluated, as well as a favorable benefit-cost ratio. The prevention and treatment of hydrocephalus in SSA should be recognized as a major public health priority.

scholarly journals Potential impact of scaling adaptation strategies for drought stress: a case of drought-tolerant maize varieties in Tanzania

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dil Bahadur Rahut ◽  
Jeetendra Prakash Aryal ◽  
Girma Gesimu ◽  
Harriet Mawia ◽  
Late Franklin Simtowe
Keyword(s):  
Adaptation Strategy ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Economic Surplus ◽  
Drought Tolerant ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
Maize Varieties ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Returns On Investment

Abstract Drought-tolerant maize varieties (DTMVs) offer hope as an adaptation strategy for farmers facing increasing frequency of droughts in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, these varieties are not yet widely cultivated, and the potential economic benefits not fully understood. Using predicted potential levels of scalability of DTMVs, we assess the potential economic impacts of investing in drought-tolerant maize varieties in Tanzania. The study uses household production and consumption data from major regions in Tanzania. The results from the economic surplus model indicate that by 2032, the adoption of DTMVs could generate between US$ 373 million and US$ 499 million in cumulative benefits for both producers and consumers. Such benefits could potentially lift up to 1.6 million people out of poverty by 2032. It is estimated that consumers would get 40% of the benefits and producers 60%, with the largest benefits occurring in the major maize-producing regions of Mbeya, Rukwa, Ruvuma, Mwanza, Arusha, and Kagera. Consumers in Dar es Salaam would also benefit significantly from the price reductions resulting from increased production. The largest returns on investment would occur in Dodoma, Geita, Simiyu, Singida, and Kagera. These findings justify the investment of both public and private funds to support the scaling of DTMVs in Tanzania.

scholarly journals Techno-Economic Analysis of a Crossflow Column Dryer for Maize Drying in Ghana

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 568
Author(s):  
George Obeng-Akrofi ◽  
Joseph O. Akowuah ◽  
Dirk E. Maier ◽  
Ahmad Addo
Keyword(s):  
Net Present Value ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cost Ratio ◽  
Drying Rate ◽  
Maize Production ◽  
Benefit Cost Ratio ◽  
Technical Performance ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Drying Efficiency

In Ghana, smallholder maize farmers continue to serve as the primary contributor to maize production. These farmers, however, still face challenges of access to appropriate, effective, and efficient drying systems. They continue to depend on open sun drying, which leads to high post-harvest losses. In this study, a 500 kg portable column dryer with a biomass burner heat source was evaluated using maize. Indicators such as drying rate, drying efficiency, and moisture extraction rate were used to assess its technical performance. The economic performance of the drying system was appraised using Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR), and Payback Period (PBP). The results showed that the moisture content of maize was reduced from 22.3% to 13.4 ± 2.6% in 5 h at an average drying rate of 1.81%/h and drying efficiency of 64.7%. Utilization of the column dryer for the provision of drying services in a maize-growing community over a 10-year utilization period proved viable with an NPV and IRR of $1633 and 71%, respectively, PBP of less than two years, and BCR of 2.82. Adoption of such low-capacity mobile grain dryers in sub-Saharan Africa would be beneficial in providing timely drying services and improve the socio-economic status of smallholder maize farmers in the region.

The urgent need for health impact assessment: proposing a transdisciplinary approach to the e-waste crisis in sub-Saharan Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dinah Tetteh ◽  
Lara Lengel
Keyword(s):  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Health Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Concern ◽  
Electronic Waste ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Environmental Communication ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Region ◽  
Sub Saharan

Electronic waste (e-waste) is a growing health and environmental concern in developing countries. In the sub-Saharan African region e-waste is considered a crisis with no end in sight yet; there is lack of structures and regulations to manage the problem. In this article, we discuss the potential of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) in addressing the health, environmental, and social impacts of e-waste in sub-Saharan Africa. We draw from environmental policy, environmental communication, global health policy, and health communication to argue that managing e-waste could be framed as ongoing HIA where all the steps of HIA are performed on a rolling basis with input from local communities. Further, we suggest that HIA should be infused into recycling legislation to help streamline the practice in order to make it safe for health and the environment and to maximize the economic benefits.

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