Entrepreneurship Drivers in the Non-farming Sector: Rural-Urban Contrast

Using data from 5262 households, we explored entrepreneurial drivers in the non-farm sector. Marital status, religion, ethnicity, education type and the size of the household plays different roles for rural and urban households’ engagement in non-farm enterprises. In both urban and rural areas, household size is a driver to non-farm enterprise engagement. Shocks in the household such as illness drive rural households to engage in the non-farm enterprise sector. However, drought restrains the participation of rural households in nonfarm businesses. Divorced households engage more in enterprises. Unmarried households, however, witnessed less involvement in the sector and it is significant for rural households. Urban illiteracy and rural primary education significantly determine households’ involvement in the non-formal sectors. Moreover, the study identified a non-linear relationship between age and enterprise engagement where engagement in non-farm enterprises increases with age up to 58 years and then declines and it is significant for urban households. In the case of urban households, male-headed households are driven to non-farm engagement. Understanding variations in marital status, socio-economic make-ups, entrepreneurial training, and education can be plausible areas of intervention to adequately understand both the entrepreneurial ecosystem and strengthen the non-farming entrepreneurial sector livelihood

Performance Evaluation of Engine Operated Potato Grader

 አህፅሮት ድንችን በባህላዊ መንገድ በመጠን የመለየት ስራ ብዙ ሰዓትና የሰው ጉልበት የሚፈልግ በጣም አድካሚና አነስተኛ ውጤት የሚያስገኝ ስራ ነው። ስለሆነም ድንችን ወደ ተለያየ መጠን የሚለይ በሞተር ኃይል የሚሰራ ማሽን ፍተሻ እና የመገምገም ስራ ተሰርቷል። የመለያ ማሽኑ በተለያየ መጠን የሚለየውን ድንች ማስገቢያ፣መለያ ሲሊንደር፣ኃይል ማስተላለፊያ ዘንግና መቀበያ አሉት። ሙከራው በተለያየ ጡዘት (10፣15 እና 20 ጡዘት በደቂቃ)፣ ዘዌ (5፣10 እና 15 ዲግሪ) እና በተለያየ የድንች አጨማመር በደቂቃ (20፣ 30 እና 40ኪ.ግ) በስፕሊት ስፕሊት ፕሎት የሙከራ ዲዛይን (split split plot design)ተከናውኗል። የማሽኑን የድንች የመለየት አቅም፣ የመለየት ስርዓት ውጤታማነት፣የነዳጅ ፍጆታ እና መካኒካዊ ጉዳት ከግምት ውስጥ በማስገባት የመገምገም ስራ ተከናውኗል። የፍተሻ ውጤቶቹ እንደሚያሳዩት የማሽኑ የመለየት አቅም እና የነዳጅ ፍጆታው የመለያ ሲሊንደሩ ፍጥነት እና የሚለየው የድንች መጠን ሲጨምር አብሮ የሚጨምር ሲሆን የድንች ሜካኒካዊ ጉዳት እና የመለየት ስርዓት ውጤታማነት ደግሞ የዘዌ መጠን ሲጨምር እየቀነሰ ይሔዳል። ከፍተኛው የማሽኑ የመለየት ስርዓት ውጤታማነት የተገኘው ማሽኑ በ15 ጡዘት በደቂቃ እና በ5 ዲግሪ ዘዌ፤ 20 እና 30 ኪ.ግ. በደቂቃ ድንችን በተለያየ ጊዜ በመጨመር በሚለይበት ጊዜ 97.57 እና 97.67% በቅደም ተከተል ሆኖ ተመዝግቧል። ይህ የድንች መለያ ማሽን የኢኮኖሚ አዋጭነቱ ተጠንቶ በሀገር ውስጥ አምራቾች ተባዝቶ ለተጠቃሚዎች ቢቅርብ የድንች አምራቾችና በምርት እሴት ሰንሰለት ላይ የተሰማሩ ባለድርሻ አካላትን ውጤታማነትን ያሳድጋል። Abstract  Traditional methods of grading potato tubers require high labor-hour, cause fatigue to workers, and have low output. Hence, an engine-driven machine capable of grading potato tubers into different size classes was evaluated. The grader prototype consisted of a feeding table, grading cylinder, and catchment tray. Grading capacity, grading system efficiency, mechanical damage, and fuel consumption were used to determine the performance of the machine. Split-split-plot experimental design where grading cylinder speeds (10, 15, 20 rpm) were the main plots, angle of inclinations (5, 10, and 15°) as sub-plots, and feeding rates (20, 30, 40 Kg.min-1)as sub-sub-plots with three replications were used. The results indicated that grading capacity and fuel consumption increased with increasing cylinder speed and feed rate while percentage mechanical damage and grading system efficiency decreased with increasing angle of inclination. The maximum grading system efficiency of 97.57% and 97.67 % was observed when the machine was operated at speed of 15rpm, angle of inclination of 5°, and feed rate of 20 and 30 kg.min-1, respectively. From the performance indices, it can be concluded that the performance of the machine is very much acceptable with a high prospect for extending the technology for small and medium-scale farmers and potato whole sellers along the value chain

“Healing the Heart”: A Retrospective Analysis of Surgical Management of Chronic Constrictive Pericarditis at Tikur Anbessa Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background: Chronic Constrictive pericarditis is a condition that can lead to diastolic heart failure due to a thickened, scarred, and non-compliant pericardium. Surgical intervention in the form of Pericardiectomy is the mainstay of treatment. Objectives: This retrospective study aims to describe the clinical characteristics, surgical management, and outcomes of patients with Chronic constrictive pericarditis treated with Pericardiectomy at Tikur Anbessa Hospital. Methods: Medical records of 49 patients who underwent Pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis at Tikur Anbessa Hospital from January 2012 to December 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. Data was collected using a well-structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS 20. Results: Of the 49 patients, 34 were male (69.4%) and 15 were female (30.6%) with a mean age of 25.06 +/- 13.884 (range 6-80 years). The most common presenting symptoms were shortness of breath (98%), leg swelling (75.5%), abdominal swelling (65.3%), and cough (44.9%). 73.5% of the patients had a medical history of tuberculosis. Median sternotomy was performed in all patients, with 71.4% undergoing total Pericardiectomy and 28.6% undergoing partial Pericardiectomy. The most common intraoperative and immediate post-operative complications were low output syndrome (8.2%), myocardial perforation (6.1%), bleeding (6.1%), and wound infections (4.1%). Mortality within the same admission or within 30 days post-operative was 2%. Conclusion: Pericardiectomy is an effective treatment for Chronic constrictive pericarditis and associated with excellent functional outcomes. Early diagnosis and surgical intervention are crucial in reducing morbidity and mortality. Tuberculosis remains an important cause of constrictive pericarditis in our setting

Spatial distribution of Glossina sp. and Trypanosoma sp. in south-western Ethiopia

Background Accurate information on the distribution of the tsetse fly is of paramount importance to better control animal trypanosomosis. Entomological and parasitological surveys were conducted in the tsetse belt of south-western Ethiopia to describe the prevalence of trypanosomosis (PoT), the abundance of tsetse flies (AT) and to evaluate the association with potential risk factors. Methods The study was conducted between 2009 and 2012. The parasitological survey data were analysed by a random effects logistic regression model, whereas the entomological survey data were analysed by a Poisson regression model. The percentage of animals with trypanosomosis was regressed on the tsetse fly count using a random effects logistic regression model. Results The following six risk factors were evaluated for PoT (i) altitude: significant and inverse correlation with trypanosomosis, (ii) annual variation of PoT: no significant difference between years, (iii) regional state: compared to Benishangul-Gumuz (18.0 %), the three remaining regional states showed significantly lower PoT, (iv) river system: the PoT differed significantly between the river systems, (iv) sex: male animals (11.0 %) were more affected than females (9.0 %), and finally (vi) age at sampling: no difference between the considered classes. Observed trypanosome species were T. congolense (76.0 %), T. vivax (18.1 %), T. b. brucei (3.6 %), and mixed T. congolense/vivax (2.4 %). The first four risk factors listed above were also evaluated for AT, and all have a significant effect on AT. In the multivariable model only altitude was retained with AT decreasing with increasing altitude. Four different Glossina species were identified i.e. G. tachinoides (52.0 %), G. pallidipes (26.0 %), G.morsitans submorsitans (15.0 %) and G. fuscipes fuscipes (7.0 %). Significant differences in catches/trap/day between districts were observed for each species. No association could be found between the tsetse fly counts and trypanosomosis prevalence. Conclusions Trypanosomosis remains a constraint to livestock production in south-western Ethiopia. Four Glossina and three Trypanosoma species were observed. Altitude had a significant impact on AT and PoT. PoT is not associated with AT, which could be explained by the importance of mechanical transmission. This needs to be investigated further as it might jeopardize control strategies that target the tsetse fly population

Magnitude of Unintended Pregnancy and Its Associated Factors Among Female Sex Workers in Jimma Town, Southwest Ethiopia: A Mixed Method Study

Background: Unintended pregnancy is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pregnancy which is not wanted and/or not planned at the time of conception. Globally, unintended pregnancies are major public health problems among key population such as youths and Female Sex Workers (FSWs) with high rate of sexual risk behavior. Objective: The objective of the study was to assess magnitude of unintended pregnancy and its associated factors among female sex workers in Jimma town, southwest Ethiopia, 2022. Methods: Institutional based explanatory sequential study design was conducted. For quantitative study, participants were selected conveniently at confidentiality clinics in Jimma town from June 09 – July 30, 2022. Binary logistic regression model was used to identify variables associated with unintended pregnancy. For qualitative study, in-depth interviews were conducted until saturation of ideas occurred. Data were analyzed manually using thematic approach and the results were used to support the quantitative findings. Result: The magnitude of unintended pregnancy among female sex workers was 23.8% (95% CI: [19.3%, 28.6%]). FSWs whose age ranges ≤24 years had 4.5 times more likely to have unintended pregnancy compared to those whose age ranges ≥30 years. Those who ever had no formal education had 6.7 times more likely compared to those who completed high school grades. FSWs whose average monthly income range were ≥6,000 ETB had 4.2 times more likely to have unintended pregnancy compared to those whose average monthly income range were <3,000 ETB. FSWs who ever heard about emergency contraceptive were 70% less likely to have unintended pregnancy than those who didn’t. The results of qualitative IDIs were summarized alone for third objective as the services that need to be included being provision of reversible long acting family planning (LAFP) and comprehensive abortion care services (CAC) while the results for second objective were used to support the quantitative findings. Conclusion: Significant magnitude of unintended pregnancy was found among FSWs. Age, educational status, monthly income, male condom use as family planning method, Knowledge of emergency contraceptive and duration of sex work were positively associated with unintended pregnancy. There were needs for LAFP and CAC to be included in services provided by confidentiality clinics

Assessment of Platelet Indices and Its Predictive Value in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Adult Patients Attending At Bishoftu General Hospital, Central of Ethiopia: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Diabetes is a chronic metabolic syndrome that is becoming a global public health problem with enormous morbidity and mortality. It is a pro-inflammatory and pro thrombotic ailment characterized by increased platelet activation and alteration of platelet indices. However, the tendency to use platelet indices as predictors of poor glucoregulation is not fully evaluated in our context, and evidence forthe role of platelet indices as predictor of poor glycemic statusin diabetic patients also limited. Objective: To assess platelet indices and to determine the predictive value of PLT indices for poor glucoregulation in type 2 diabetic patients at Bishoftu General Hospital, Ethiopia. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among 261 participants (174 T2DM and 87 non-diabetic controls) from June 15 to Aug 12, 2022, and the systematic random sampling technique was used to select participants. Data were collected using structured questionnaires, physical measurements, checklists, and laboratory tests. Platelet parameters and fasting blood glucose levels were determined from blood samples using Sysm ex-XN550 and CobasC311 analyzers, respectively. Hematology analyzer output was checked and participants were also screened for malaria parasites using a prepared blood smear. Collected data were entered into Epi-data 3.1 version and exported to SPSS-25 version for analysis. Chi-square, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Post hoc test, spearman correlation, and ROC curve were used for analysis. A P-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Our data showed that PDW, MPV, PLCR, and PCT values were significantly increased in diabetic patientsthan in healthy controls (p<0.001). Moreover, these indices were significantly elevated in poor glycemic control T2DM than in good control T2DM and healthy controls. Significant correlations with anthropometric and clinical variables was also noted. The PDW at a cut-off value 15.75fl with AUC 0.803; MPV at a cut-off value 12.25fl with AUC 0.774; PLCR at a cut-off value 36.3% with AUC 0.775; and PCT at a cut-off value 0.24% with AUC 0.761; have been identified as predictors of poor glycemic in diabetes mellitus patients. Conclusions and Recommendation: A significant increase in the platelet indices in diabetic patients and their role in predicting poor glycemic in diabetes have been observed. Therefore, regular screening and platelet indices profile checks are recommended during DM follow-up

Antenatal care strengthening for improved quality of care in Jimma, Ethiopia:an effectiveness study

BACKGROUND: Interventions for curing most diseases and save lives of pregnant and delivering women exist, yet the power of health systems to deliver them to those in most need is not sufficient. The aims of this study were to design a participatory antenatal care (ANC) strengthening intervention and assess the implementation process and effectiveness on quality of ANC in Jimma, Ethiopia. METHODS: The intervention comprised trainings, supervisions, equipment, development of health education material, and adaption of guidelines. It was implemented at public facilities and control sites were included in the evaluation. Improved content of care (physical examinations, laboratory testing, tetanus toxoid (TT)-immunization, health education, conduct of health professionals, and waiting time) were defined as proximal project outcomes and increased quality of care (better identification of health problems and increased overall user satisfaction with ANC) were distal project outcomes. The process of implementation was documented in monthly supervision reports. Household surveys, before (2008) and after (2010) intervention, were conducted amongst all women who had given birth within the previous 12 months. The effect of the intervention was assessed by comparing the change in quality of care from before to after the intervention period at intervention sites, relative to control sites, using logistic mixed effect regression. RESULTS: The continued attention to the ANC provision during implementation stimulated increased priority of ANC among health care providers. The organizational structure of the facilities and lack of continuity in care provision turned out to be a major challenge for implementation. There was a positive effect of the intervention on health education on danger signs during pregnancy (OR: 3.9, 95% CI: 2.6;5.7), laboratory testing (OR for blood tests other than HIV 2.9, 95% CI: 1.9;4.5), health problem identification (OR 1.8, 95% CI: 1.1;3.1), and satisfaction with the service (OR: 0.4, 95% CI: 0.2;0.9). There was no effect of intervention on conduct of health professionals. The effect of intervention on various outcomes was significantly modified by maternal education. CONCLUSION: The quality of care can be improved in some important aspects with limited resources. Moreover, the study provides strategic perspectives on how to facilitate improved quality of ANC

Informal land access for housing and associated settlement developments in Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia

Bahir Dar city, a rapidly urbanizing city in Ethiopia, faces acute housing and urban land demand, resulting in the prevalence of informal land acquisition and housing development. Therefore, this study aims to examine the informal land acquisition for housing in Bahir Dar, resulting in informal settlement expansion, focusing on the conditions, contributing factors, participants, and procedures of informal land transaction settlements. Data were collected by interview from purposefully selected key informants, including land sellers, buyers, brokers, urban land administrators, and code enforcement officers, supplemented by field observations and desk reviews. The study reveals that informal land transactions are the primary means of urban land acquisition for housing in Bahir Dar city, especially in peri-urban rural expansion areas, because the formal system of land access lags far behind. The key causes for this are high urbanization rates, inefficient urban land administration, which fails to supply formal residential plots, and low compensation payments to peri-urban landholders. Peri-urban farmers are the leading land sellers, inner-city residents in rental homes are the primary buyers, and brokers facilitate the transactions, with local administrators often legitimizing informal acquisitions. The study recommends that the government improve the efficiency of formal urban land supply and provide affordable housing to alleviate informal land developments and settlements

Prediction of Bio-methane Potential of Fresh Human Feces for the Development of Sustainable Urban Sanitation Technology in Jimma Town, Southwest Ethiopia

Background: Recycling human excreta has become one of the alternatives for the prevention of communicable diseases related from lack of safe sanitation while generating revenue. In urban areas, sanitation-related health risks extend far beyond basic access to household sanitation. The problem is more serious in low-income countries, including Ethiopia, and particularly in urban slums where the majority of people live together. Biogas toilets are among the most resource efficient sanitation technologies, generating energy and stabilizing waste-producing biofertilizers for agricultural input. In Ethiopia, knowledge of the energy potential of human excrement is limited to optimizing the development of biogas toilet facility Therefore, the prediction of the bio methane potential of human excreta for the development of sustainable sanitation technology is one alternative way of reducing the environmental pollution. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the biogas and biofertilizer potential of human excreta in Jimma City, Ethiopia, which may contribute to the development of sustainable sanitation technologies. Methods and materials: In this study, experimental and theoretical prediction methods were used. The lab-scale batch experiment was conducted by taking composite samples of fresh human feces using Eco-San technology. Using both ultimate and proximate laboratory analysis, the theoretical yield of biogas was predicted. Then a series of anaerobic digestion batch experiments were conducted to determine the practical energy yield. The biofertilizer potential of human feces was determined by analyzing the nutrient constituents of human feces. Results: The findings of this study showed that the biogas yield from the experimental results of Experiment 1,2,&3 was, on average, 0.393 m3 /kg. Based on the energy conversion of methane to MJ by multiplying the values, the mean was 14.16 MJ/kg. The biogas meter cubes per capita per head per year were 28.71 (28.03–29.27) in the experimental result and 45.26 for the theoretical yield of methane & C/N ratio was 20.11%. In our study, the biofertilizer potential of human feces was evaluated using nutrient analysis, specifically the NPK. Accordingly, human feces contain potassium (2.29 mg/kg), phosphorus (1.12 mg/kg), and nitrogen (4.29 g/kg). This finding suggests the bio-methane potential of human feces can satisfy energy recovery and alternative sanitation options, providing a positive remedy for the sanitation crisis in urban setting