Prototyping a Knowledge-Based System to Identify Botanical Extracts for Plant Health in Sub-Saharan Africa

Replacing synthetic pesticides and antimicrobials with plant-based extracts is a current alternative adopted by traditional and family farmers and many organic farming pioneers. A range of natural extracts are already being marketed for agricultural use, but many other plants are prepared and used empirically. A further range of plant species that could be effective in protecting different crops against pests and diseases in Africa could be culled from the large volume of knowledge available in the scientific literature. To meet this challenge, data on plant uses have been compiled in a knowledge base and a software prototype was developed to navigate this trove of information. The present paper introduces this so-called Knomana Knowledge-Based System, while providing outputs related to Spodoptera frugiperda and Tuta absoluta, two invasive insect species in Africa. In early October 2020, the knowledge base hosted data obtained from 342 documents. From these articles, 11,816 uses—experimental or applied by farmers—were identified in the plant health field. In total, 384 crop pest species are currently reported in the knowledge base, in addition to 1547 botanical species used for crop protection. Future prospects for applying this interdisciplinary output to applications under the One Health approach are presented.

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The Future of Low-emission Sustainable Cereal Intensification in SSA

10.31235/osf.io/h6j4f ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kindie Tesfaye ◽

Marloes van Loon ◽

Hein ten Berge ◽

Renske Hijbeek ◽

Dawit Solomon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nutrient Management ◽

Crop Protection ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Ghg Emission ◽

Pests And Diseases ◽

Low Emission ◽

Cereal Production ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Area Expansion

This brief summarizes results of three recent studies that assessed whether Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) can be self-sufficient in cereals (maize, rice, wheat, sorghum, and millet) while minimizing GHG emission by 2050 under different scenarios of intensification on existing cereal area, as opposed to crop land area expansion. The results from three studies suggest that intensification of cereal production with sufficient and efficient use of fertilizers could lead to the lowest GHG emissions among the scenarios studied in future cereal productions in SSA. However, this requires excellent agronomy, including the use of well-adapted cultivars, proper planting densities, good nutrient management and crop protection against weeds, pests, and diseases. It should also be noted that intensification of cereal production may also have additional benefits, including improving the economic profitability for smallholders in SSA.

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Knowledge-Based System supported by Chatbot to assist the Risk Classification Process of Patients in Hospital Emergency care (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.33665 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Marciane Mueller ◽

Rejane Frozza ◽

Liane Mählmann Kipper ◽

Ana Carolina Kessler

Keyword(s):

Medical Care ◽

Knowledge Base ◽

Language Processing ◽

Emergency Care ◽

Risk Classification ◽

Conversational Agent ◽

Conversational Agents ◽

Hospital Emergency ◽

Knowledge Based System ◽

Knowledge Based

BACKGROUND This article presents the modeling and development of a Knowledge Based System, supported by the use of a virtual conversational agent called Dóris. Using natural language processing resources, Dóris collects the clinical data of patients in care in the context of urgency and hospital emergency. OBJECTIVE The main objective is to validate the use of virtual conversational agents to properly and accurately collect the data necessary to perform the evaluation flowcharts used to classify the degree of urgency of patients and determine the priority for medical care. METHODS The agent's knowledge base was modeled using the rules provided for in the evaluation flowcharts comprised by the Manchester Triage System. It also allows the establishment of a simple, objective and complete communication, through dialogues to assess signs and symptoms that obey the criteria established by a standardized, validated and internationally recognized system. RESULTS Thus, in addition to verifying the applicability of Artificial Intelligence techniques in a complex domain of health care, a tool is presented that helps not only in the perspective of improving organizational processes, but also in improving human relationships, bringing professionals and patients closer. The system's knowledge base was modeled on the IBM Watson platform. CONCLUSIONS The results obtained from simulations carried out by the human specialist allowed us to verify that a knowledge-based system supported by a virtual conversational agent is feasible for the domain of risk classification and priority determination of medical care for patients in the context of emergency care and hospital emergency.

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Participatory potato seed production: a breakthrough for food security and income generation in the central highlands of Ethiopia

Open Agriculture ◽

10.1515/opag-2017-0021 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Abebe Chindi ◽

Egata Shunka ◽

Atsede Solomon ◽

W. Giorgis Gebremedhin ◽

Ebrahim Seid ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Information Dissemination ◽

Agricultural Research ◽

Crop Protection ◽

Potato Production ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Potato Seed ◽

Protection Measures ◽

Potato Varieties ◽

Production Technologies ◽

Sub Saharan

AbstractQuality seed is one of the major bottlenecks hampering the production and productivity of potato not only in Ethiopia but also in Sub-Saharan Africa. Since the 1970’s, the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research has generated a number of improved potato production technologies such as improved varieties with accompanying agronomic practices, crop protection measures, postharvest handling techniques and utilization options. The developed technologies were promoted from 2013-2015 via technology promotion and popularization to the Wolmera, Adea-Bera and Ejere districts with the objective of creating awareness and up scaling of improved potato production and utilization technologies. The Potato Improvement Research Program and the Research and Extension Division of Holetta Research Center in collaboration with extension staff of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) undertake this activity. The farmers were selected and organized in Farmer Field Schools and all stakeholders were engaged before distributing potato seeds and planting on selected farmers’ fields for demonstrating of potato production technologies. A total of 899 farmers and 40 agricultural experts were trained and 27.7, 9 and 5.5 tons of quality seeds of Gudanie, Jalenie and Belete potato varieties, respectively, were delivered as a revolving seed with their recommended agronomic packages; this amount of seed covered 21.1 ha. A total of 16 farmer groups from Wolmera, 7 from Adea-Berga, and 11 from Ejere participated. They produced over 434 tons of relatively clean seed and constructed 8 diffused light stores. In addition to the demonstration of improved potato varieties, information dissemination was also an important component of the program to raise awareness for a large numbers of potato growers through farmers’ field days, pamphlets, and mass media. Each year about three field days were organized and more than 1500 pamphlets were distributed to farmers invited from neighboring districts and ‘Kebeles’ to enhance speed. Through this intervention farmers are now harvesting a yield of about 26-34 t/ha up from 8t/ha when they were using inferior quality potato seed; this has made the farmers in the intervention area more food secure especially during the usually food scarce months of August to October when cereal crops are generally yet to mature. The farmers are also getting additional income from the sale of excess potato and are able to better meet other necessary costs like school fees, for their children.

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Conclusion

How China is Reshaping the Global Economy ◽

10.1093/oso/9780198738510.003.0013 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 337-346

Author(s):

Rhys Jenkins

Keyword(s):

Economic Growth ◽

Chinese Economy ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Domestic Consumption ◽

Economic Relations ◽

Investment Projects ◽

One Belt One Road ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The One

By way of conclusion, this chapter focusses on two issues. The first is how China’s relations with Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are likely to be affected in the future by recent changes in the Chinese economy and its internationalization. Since 2012, the Chinese economy has been characterized by a ‘New Normal’ of slower economic growth and a rebalancing of the economy towards increased domestic consumption and less reliance on investment and exports. China also launched the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative in 2013, which seeks to link China with other Asian countries and Europe through major investment projects. The second issue concerns the continuing tensions that derive from the asymmetric economic relations between China and the two regions and whether steps will be taken to resolve them.

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Current Perspectives onMycobacterium farcinogenesandMycobacterium senegalense, the Causal Agents of Bovine Farcy

Veterinary Medicine International ◽

10.1155/2014/247906 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Mohamed E. Hamid

Keyword(s):

Progressive Disease ◽

Rapid Diagnosis ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

23S Rrna ◽

Neglected Diseases ◽

Zebu Cattle ◽

Major Development ◽

Chronic Progressive Disease ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The One

Mycobacterium farcinogenesandM. senegalenseare the causal agents of bovine farcy, a chronic, progressive disease of the skin and lymphatics of zebu cattle. The disease, which is prevalent mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, was in earlier times thought to be caused byNocardia farcinicaand can be described as one of the neglected diseases in cattle. Some aspects of the disease have been investigated during the last five decades but the major development had been in the bacteriological, chemotaxonomic, and phylogenetic aspects. Molecular analyses confirmed thatM. farcinogenesandM. senegalensefall in a subclade together withM. houstonenseandM. fortuitum. This subclade is closely related to the one accommodatingM. peregrinum,M. porcinum,M. septicum,M. neworleansense, andM. alvei. DNA probes were designed from 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer and could be used for the rapid diagnosis of bovine farcy. An ELISA assay has been evaluated for the serodiagnosis of the disease. The zoonotic potentials ofM. farcinogenesandM. senegalenseare unknown; few studies reported the isolation ofM. senegalenseandM. farcinogenesfrom human clinical sources but not from environmental sources or from other domestic or wild animals.

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Angola - an Oil Dependant Country in Sub-Saharan Africa

Studia commercialia Bratislavensia ◽

10.1515/stcb-2016-0023 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 9 (35) ◽

pp. 233-242

Author(s):

Boris Baumgartner

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

World Economy ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

African Countries ◽

The Third ◽

The World ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The One ◽

Rich Countries ◽

Essential Problem

Abstract The Sub-Saharan Africa belongs to the most underdeveloped regions in the world economy. This region consists of forty nine countries but it’s world GDP share is only a small percentage. There are some very resource rich countries in this region. One of them is Angola. This former Portuguese colony has one of the largest inventories of oil among all African countries. Angola recorded one of the highest growth of GDP between 2004-2008 from all countries in the world economy and nowadays is the third biggest economy in Sub-Saharan Africa after Nigeria and South Africa. The essential problem of Angola is the one-way oriented economy on oil and general on natural resources. Angola will be forced to change their one-way oriented economy to be more diversified and competitive in the future.

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PPMaP: Reproducible and Extensible Open-Source Software for Plant Phenological Phase Duration Prediction and Mapping in Sub-Saharan Africa

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture10110515 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 515

Author(s):

Henri E. Z. Tonnang ◽

Ritter A. Guimapi ◽

Anani Y. Bruce ◽

Dan Makumbi ◽

Bester T. Mudereri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Open Source ◽

Open Source Software ◽

Field Experiments ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Crop Protection ◽

Plant Phenology ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Phase Duration ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Landscape Level

Understanding the detailed timing of crop phenology and their variability enhances grain yield and quality by providing precise scheduling of irrigation, fertilization, and crop protection mechanisms. Advances in information and communication technology (ICT) provide a unique opportunity to develop agriculture-related tools that enhance wall-to-wall upscaling of data outputs from point-location data to wide-area spatial scales. Because of the heterogeneity of the worldwide agro-ecological zones where crops are cultivated, it is unproductive to perform plant phenology research without providing means to upscale results to landscape-level while safeguarding field-scale relevance. This paper presents an advanced, reproducible, and open-source software for plant phenology prediction and mapping (PPMaP) that inputs data obtained from multi-location field experiments to derive models for any crop variety. This information can then be applied consecutively at a localized grid within a spatial framework to produce plant phenology predictions at the landscape level. This software runs on the ‘Windows’ platform and supports the development of process-oriented and temperature-driven plant phenology models by intuitively and interactively leading the user through a step-by-step progression to the production of spatial maps for any region of interest in sub-Saharan Africa. Maize (Zea mays L.) was used to demonstrate the robustness, versatility, and high computing efficiency of the resulting modeling outputs of the PPMaP. The framework was implemented in R, providing a flexible and easy-to-use GUI interface. Since this allows for appropriate scaling to the larger spatial domain, the software can effectively be used to determine the spatially explicit length of growing period (LGP) of any variety.

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Geographic Monitoring of Insecticide Resistance Mutations in Native and Invasive Populations of the Fall Armyworm

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12050468 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 468

Author(s):

Sudeeptha Yainna ◽

Nicolas Nègre ◽

Pierre J. Silvie ◽

Thierry Brévault ◽

Wee Tek Tay ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Insecticide Resistance ◽

Fall Armyworm ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Pest Species ◽

Resistance Mutations ◽

Chinese Populations ◽

Bt Resistance ◽

Native Populations ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Lepidopteran Pest

Field evolved resistance to insecticides is one of the main challenges in pest control. The fall armyworm (FAW) is a lepidopteran pest species causing severe crop losses, especially corn. While native to the Americas, the presence of FAW was confirmed in West Africa in 2016. Since then, the FAW has been detected in over 70 countries covering sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. In this study, we tested whether this invasion was accompanied by the spread of resistance mutations from native to invasive areas. We observed that mutations causing Bt resistance at ABCC2 genes were observed only in native populations where the mutations were initially reported. Invasive populations were found to have higher gene numbers of cytochrome P450 genes than native populations and a higher proportion of multiple resistance mutations at acetylcholinesterase genes, supporting strong selective pressure for resistance against synthetic insecticides. This result explains the susceptibility to Bt insecticides and resistance to various synthetic insecticides in Chinese populations. These results highlight the necessity of regular and standardized monitoring of insecticide resistance in invasive populations using both genomic approaches and bioassay experiments.

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Improving Electronic Information Literacy in West African Higher Education

Online and Distance Learning ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-935-9.ch171 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 2121-2129

Author(s):

Ibrahima Poda ◽

William F. Brescia

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Information Literacy ◽

Information Society ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Electronic Information ◽

Knowledge Based ◽

Knowledge Based Economy ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Sub Saharan

Electronic information literacy has gained increased importance with the advent of the new information and communication technologies which, driven by the convergence of computers and telecommunications media, are crucial for facilitating, supporting, and enhancing learning and for the knowledge-based economy of the future. In “Africa’s Information Society Initiative (AISI): An Action Framework to Build Africa’s Information and Communication Infrastructure,” African ICT experts appointed by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), have described the potential of the Internet to improve learning in higher education and established the foundation for this to become a reality in Sub-Saharan Africa. The AISI document that the group of experts produced was adopted by the ECA Conference of Ministers as the African Information Society Initiative (AISI) in 1996.

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How China is Reshaping the Global Economy

10.1093/oso/9780198738510.001.0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Rhys Jenkins

Keyword(s):

Global Economy ◽

First Century ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Local Conditions ◽

Global Capital ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The One ◽

Global Commodity Markets

The growth of China and its re-emergence as a major economic power has been a key feature of globalization in the twenty-first century. China has become an increasingly significant actor in the global economy, and this is likely to continue in the foreseeable future. The implications of this for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have been a source of major debate. This book examines the arguments drawing on a growing body of research on China’s economic involvement in SSA and LAC. It begins by considering the process of economic reform in China from the late 1970s that provided the basis for China’s growing integration with the global economy. It considers four aspects of this integration: the growth of China as a global manufacturing centre, its impact on global commodity markets, the overseas expansion of Chinese firms as part of the ‘Go Global’ policy, and the increased role of China in global capital flows. Discussion of China’s impact on SSA and LAC is characterized by disagreements over both the extent of its presence and the underlying drivers. The book documents the different forms of Chinese economic involvement and clarifies some of the confusion that has arisen over the extent of China’s presence. It then analyzes the economic, social, political, and environmental impacts of China on both regions, to show a much more varied picture than the one that is often presented. These impacts depend to a significant extent on local conditions and actors, and cannot simply be read off as a consequence of Chinese expansion.

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