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 Got forages? Understanding potential returns on investment in Brachiaria spp. for dairy producers in Eastern Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 117-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Schiek ◽  
Carlos González ◽  
Solomon Mwendia ◽  
Steven D. Prager
Keyword(s):  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Eastern Africa ◽  
Percentage Increase ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Net Benefit ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Economic Surplus ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Returns On Investment ◽  
Positive Return

Production of livestock and dairy products in Sub-Saharan Africa struggles to keep pace with growing demand. The potential exists to close this gap in a climate-friendly way through the introduction of improved forage varieties of the Brachiaria genus. We assess the potential economic impact of the development and release of such varieties in 6 Eastern African countries using an economic surplus model. Results are presented across a range of potential scenarios involving different adoption rates and percentage increases in production. For all but the lowest levels of adoption and production increases, improved forages have the potential for positive return on investment. Using these results, we present formulae that help readers calculate the adoption rate or percentage increase in production necessary to achieve specific desired levels of net benefit. Overall, the model output suggests that investment in a forages research program related to the qualities of the forage itself as well as programs to enhance dissemination and adoption of new materials would be low risk and have high likelihood for positive outcomes, generating discounted net benefits in the order of multiple tens of millions of dollars over a 30-year time horizon.

scholarly journals Environmental impact and genetic expressions of new drought tolerant maize genotypes in derived savannah agro-ecology

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 10691
Author(s):  
Paul INYANG ◽  
Chikezie O. ENE ◽  
Ankrumah EMMANUEL ◽  
Uchechukwu P. CHUKWUDI ◽  
Ugochukwu N. IKEOGU
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
International Institute ◽  
Improvement Program ◽  
Yield Data ◽  
Drought Tolerant ◽  
Maize Genotypes ◽  
Maize Varieties ◽  
Sub Saharan

Reduced water resources in sub-Saharan Africa will not only pose threat to the livelihood of poor resource farmers, but also food security in the region. Drought tolerant (DT) maize varieties hold promise to reducing poor resourced farmers’ vulnerability and improve food security in sub-Saharan Africa. Ten maize genotypes obtained from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), were evaluated in 2015 and 2016 using a randomized complete block design experiment with three replications to estimate their genetic variability and predict their genetic advances in the derived savannah agro-ecology. Growth, phenological and yield data were collected from 10 middle row plants. Genetic advance, genotypic, phenotypic and environmental coefficients of variations and their variances were estimated. Principal component and hierarchical cluster analyses were also performed. The dendrogram showed that at 80% dissimilarity point, the genotypes were grouped into clusters A, B and C in both years. The first two principal components explained 91.8% and 93.3% of the total variation in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Number of grains cob-1, plant height and number of days to physiological maturity were consistent in explaining the variations observed in the maize population. Heritability estimates in broad sense ranged from 1.35% for number of leaves to 87.43% for grain yield per hectare. The genetic parameters studied showed significant variations among the growth, phenological and yield data collected that warrants selection and maize improvement program using the DT maize inbred lines in derived savannah agro-ecology.

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 BioLPG for Clean Cooking in Sub-Saharan Africa: Present and Future Feasibility of Technologies, Feedstocks, Enabling Conditions and Financing

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 3916
Author(s):  
Kimball C. Chen ◽  
Matthew Leach ◽  
Mairi J. Black ◽  
Meron Tesfamichael ◽  
Francis Kemausuor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Waste ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Green Economy ◽  
Energy Access ◽  
Liquefied Petroleum Gas ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Private Sector Investment ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Public And Private Sector

Energy supply for clean cooking is a priority for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG, i.e., propane or butane or a mixture of both) is an economically efficient, cooking energy solution used by over 2.5 billion people worldwide and scaled up in numerous low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Investigation of the technical, policy, economic and physical requirements of producing LPG from renewable feedstocks (bioLPG) finds feasibility at scale in Africa. Biogas and syngas from the circular economic repurposing of municipal solid waste and agricultural waste can be used in two groundbreaking new chemical processes (Cool LPG or Integrated Hydropyrolysis and Hydroconversion (IH2)) to selectively produce bioLPG. Evidence about the nature and scale potential of bioLPG presented in this study justifies further investment in the development of bioLPG as a fuel that can make a major contribution toward enabling an SSA green economy and universal energy access. Techno-economic assessments of five potential projects from Ghana, Kenya and Rwanda illustrate what might be possible. BioLPG technology is in the early days of development, so normal technology piloting and de-risking need to be undertaken. However, fully developed bioLPG production could greatly reduce the public and private sector investment required to significantly increase SSA clean cooking capacity.

Poultry Production in Sub-Saharan Africa

1986 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 121-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. T. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Poultry Production ◽  
Traditional Methods ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Small Producers ◽  
Meat And Eggs

The importance of poultry as a source of meat and eggs in developing countries is generally recognised, but present levels of production and consumption in Africa are disappointing. This article reviews the factors involved and concludes that there is a need for research designed to improve the traditional methods of small producers rather than seeking to impose modern Western methods on communities too backward to make effective use of them.

A phenomenological study of time concept and management and productivity in a sub–Saharan African context

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
James B Abugre
Keyword(s):  
Time Management ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Phenomenological Psychology ◽  
Private Organizations ◽  
African Context ◽  
Flexible Resource ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Study Participants

The purpose of this article was to investigate the concept of time and its management in relation to productivity. Consequently, this work employed phenomenological psychology to unearth the experiences of employees on the concept of time management and its impact on productivity using Ghana as a study. Participants involved both local and expatriate workers sharing their experiences on the subject matter in a conversational style. Results indicated that clock time is considered a flexible resource in both social and professional settings. Findings also revealed that time management drives productivity, and its orientation is consequential to the cultural behaviors of local employees in both public and private organizations based on the quality of their corporate cultures. Hence, rigid timelines can turn around public organizations in sub-Saharan Africa and the world as a whole.

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.

scholarly journals The Africa weather enterprise : filling a large gap

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Copping
Keyword(s):  
Private Sector ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
End User ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Single Person ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
National Economies ◽  
Private Actors ◽  
Warning Services

<p>The study focuses on the role of the private sector in the development and delivery of hydromet and early warning services (EWS) in sub-Saharan Africa, within the current landscape of the Africa Regional Weather Enterprise (ARWE).</p><p>The study was sponsored by the World Bank and conducted through interviews with 28 National Hydro­Meteorological Services (NMHS) and 87 participating companies who either work in or have interest in the region’s hydromet market, varying in size from single-person entities to large multinationals. Less than 4% of companies have their headquarters (and solely operate) in Africa. 157 projects were identified from the 65 most active donors financing hydromet projects in sub-Saharan Africa, and classified by sector and complexity, from niche to “full-chain” solutions.</p><p>The study analyses which and how private sector actors operate within the framework of national, regional and international hydromet projects, in which countries, which products and services they provide and in which end-user categories, from research and development, to innovation and capacity building initiatives.</p><p>The study further analyses the success rates of international companies winning tenders in sub-Saharan Africa , and the patterns leading to success.</p><p>The report concludes by drawing on lessons from the positive dynamics and gaps in partnerships and engagements between public and private actors. The results of the study create the need for sixteen recommendations to further improve the ARWE, with a key emphasis on PPE, to successfully complete African hydromet programs, and in turn satisfy end-user needs, to protect lives, property, and to support their national economies for the prosperity of all.</p>

scholarly journals Achieving the 4IR University Library in Sub-Saharan Africa: Trends, Opportunities and Challenges

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 121-140
Author(s):  
Christopher Nkiko ◽  
Omorodion Okuonghae
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Resistance To Change ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Library Management ◽  
University Library ◽  
Comprehensive Collection ◽  
Social Mediation ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Returns On Investment

Aim: The paper examined the university library in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the preconditions for achieving and sustaining the same in Nigeria. 4IR is characterized by a level of automation, deployment of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence, internet connectivity and accessibility to the global information network, subscription to reputable online databases, quality and comprehensive collection in diverse formats, preponderance of digital natives among patrons, increased demand for seamless access to online resources and virtual operations, new library spaces (learning commons, research commons and makerspace), open scholarly communication, research data management, social mediation applications, digital curation and preservation. The challenges militating against effective crystallization of 4IR university libraries include: financial constraints, inadequate infrastructure, resistance to change, inadequate skills and competencies, security and intrusion issues, lack of exposure to international standards. Conclusions: The paper recommended the following as requisite panacea: leadership, demonstrating and justifying returns on investment, benchmarking practices, anti-intrusion and back-up systems, adequate power supply and bandwidth, endowment and corporate social responsibility, indigenous library management software, and capacity building initiatives.

scholarly journals Higher Education and Economic Growth in Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Bloom ◽  
David Canning ◽  
Kevin Chan ◽  
Dara Lee Luca
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Economic Growth ◽  
International Development ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Développement Économique ◽  
Education And Economic Growth

Enrollment rates for higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa are by far the lowest in the world at 6%. Yet because of conventional beliefs that tertiary education is less important for poverty reduction, the international development community has encouraged African governments’ relative neglect of higher education. This article challenges beliefs that tertiary education has little role in promoting economic growth and alleviating poverty. First, we review recent evidence that higher education can produce significant public and private benefits. Next, we analyze the relationship between tertiary education and economic growth. We find evidence that tertiary education improves technological catch-up and, in doing so, may help to maximize Africa’s potential to achieve more rapid economic growth given current constraints. Investing in tertiary education in Africa may accelerate technological diffusion, which would in turn decrease knowledge gaps and help reduce poverty in the region. We also review new developments and trends in the higher education scene in Africa. Le taux d’inscription dans l’enseignement supérieur en Afrique sub-saharienne est de loin le plus faible du monde, atteignant seulement 6%. Pourtant, parce que l’enseignement supérieur est perçu comme moins important que les enseignements primaire et secondaire pour lutter contre la pauvreté, la communauté internationale a encouragé les gouvernements africains à moins y prêter attention. Cet article conteste l’idée que l’enseignement supérieur joue un rôle peu important dans le développement économique et la lutte contre la pauvreté. Tout d’abord, nous nous intéressons à de récents résultats qui montrent que l’enseignement supérieur crée des bénéfices publics et privés. Ensuite, nous analysons la relation entre l’enseignement supérieur et la croissance économique. Nous montrons que l’enseignement supérieur permet de rattraper le retard technologique et, ce faisant, pourrait aider l’Afrique à maximiser sa capacité à accélérer sa croissance économique dans les conditions actuelles. Investir dans l’enseignement supérieur en Afrique pourrait permettre une diffusion plus rapide des avancées technologiques, qui pourrait à son tour réduire la disparité de savoir et participer à la réduction de la pauvreté dans la région. Nous passons aussi en revue les nouveautés et tendances dans l’enseignement supérieur africain.

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