Abstract: Understanding the impact of climate variability (CV) on milk yield and composition is essential to appreciate the need for adoption climate smart dairy adaptation practices. A study was conducted in Mbarara district, Uganda to generate information about climate variability and livestock management adaptation options employed by smallholder dairy farmers using a survey, monitoring and laboratory analysis. Monitoring was used to quantify effects of wet and dry season on cow milk yiel...
Abstract/Overview Temporal rainfall variability phenomenon is the degree to which rainfall amounts change at a given area through time either from month to month, season to season or year to year in relation to long-term average. The associated extreme events such as increase in rainfall amounts or drought adversely affect agricultural production resulting in low yields. Rainfall in Mumias Sub County varies from season to season or year to years such that, between 1982 and 2012 Mumias experi...
Abstract/Overview Forest fragmentation occurs when large continuous forests are perforated by small holes or broken up into edges and smaller patches to form a non-perforated matrix of open spaces. Global researches have shown that primary attributes of the remnant forest fragment that may influence patterns of species richness include: fragment area, fragment isolation, fragment edge to interior ratio, and the fragment shape complexity. In Sub Saharan Africa, for example, high human populat...
The primary objective of this study is to examine the effects of natural disasters on students’ educational attainment. Additionally, it aims to explore strategies for mitigating the challenges that hinder learning and provide solutions to help students recover from possible traumatic experiences and resume their interrupted education following unpredictable calamities.
Abstract Natural resources are essential for human well-being, providing clean air, food, shelter, and more. However, over-exploitation harms ecosystems and exacerbates inequality. To address this, we must strike a balance between resource use, social benefits, and environmental impacts. The United Nations recognizes the right of nations to sovereignty over their natural wealth, but this must be exercised in the interest of national development and people’s well-being. Achieving sustainabl...
Water safety and quality are fundamental to the well-being of humans, and hence providing access to safe water is one of the most effective ways of promoting good health. Contaminated water requires appropriate treatment to remove disease-causing agents. The study examined the effects of floods on water supply from the Jambusie Water Treatment Plant in the Wa West District of the Upper West Region of Ghana. The study adopted a cross-sectional design. The mixed-method approach (quantitative an...
The Community Resources Management Areas (CREMA) mechanism which is Ghana’s version of the Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) concept was introduced in the country by the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Division to ensure sustainable conservation and natural resources management. Since then, over 40 CREMAs has been established in Ghana. Three of these CREMAs were established in the Black Volta Basin, north of the Bui National Park to ensure sustainable conservation of th...
Ghana like many other developing countries is faced with the challenge of waste management due to rapidly urbanizing cities and inefficient waste management systems. Many researchers have focused their work on the effect of land use and spatial planning on solid waste management and hardly on the perceptions and behavioural dimensions. This research was done to identify and assess the perceptions and attitudes that influence waste management in the Wa Municipality. The research used a mixed m...
The Ghana Water Company (GWCL), until 2017 had relied on mechanized boreholes with daily production of 1,400m3 against a demand of 6,432m3 for people in the Wa township resulting in huge water supply deficit. The Wa township currently relies on a 15,500m3 capacity Jambuse Water Treatment Plant for water supply. This study sought to assess the effects of water service quality of GWCL on customer satisfaction in the Wa township with the introduction of this new plant. The specifics included the...
The application of appropriate EIA procedure on the various environmental categories is imperative for realizing quality and sustainable environment at all levels. This could be achieved through effective collaboration among the key actors or stakeholders and clear delineation of roles and responsibilities assigned to the respective players who are mandated to ensuring the realization of this course. This research assessed the application of EIA procedure on siting filling stations in the Wa ...
Academic institutions have come under criticism for not living up to their research expectations. In response, the University for Development Studies (UDS) in Ghana runs a student-community engagement programme termed the Third Trimester Field Practical Programme (TTFPP), where students stay in and research with rural communities on development issues as part of their academic work. This paper analyses communities and students’ assessment of the TTFPP in relation to its core objectives. Dat...
The urban lifestyle which depends heavily on electronic gadgets has consequently increased the generation of e-waste significantly in urbanizing Tamale in recent years. Despite the dire environmental and health effects associated with this waste stream, Tamale currently has no formal strategy for its disposal. The aim of the study was thus to uncover current disposal practices to possibly inform the design of an appropriate disposal strategy. Using an interview schedule, data were collected f...
Literature on energy recognizes the electrification of rural areas as an important economic development trigger. As the impact of rural electrification begins to manifest, rural areas begin to look different. The change becomes difficult to recognize in retrospect and also to foresee even before the intervention. The impact of electrification varies among various sectors of the rural economy. This paper examines rural electrification in the Dormaa District of Ghana by highlighting its linkage...
Abstract Uncertainty in rainfall pattern has put rain-fed agriculture in jeopardy, even for the regions considered high rainfall potential like the Central Highlands of Kenya (CHK). The rainfall pattern in the CHK is spatially and temporally variable in terms of onset and cessation dates, frequency and occurrence of dry spells, and seasonal distribution. Appraisal of the variability is further confounded by the lack of sufficient observational data that can enable accurate characterisation o...
Abstract Soil organic matter (SOM) fractions were determined using extraction-, incubation-, and density-based fractionation techniques on samples collected from a range of furrow-irrigated sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) based rotations on the same soil series on farmers’ fields in Wyoming. We hypothesized that extending the period of time between sugar beet crops in rotations beyond the 2-yr sugar beet–barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) (SB-BA) rotation by adding perennial or annual legumes wou...