Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA): Planning and Review Meetings for Kondoa and Kiteto Districts, Tanzania

A one-day planning and review meeting took place on December 14th 2016 for the Kondoa District and on December 15th for the Kiteto District. Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) training aims to build the capacity of end users of climate services in the agriculture and food security sectors to enable them make better decisions and become more resilient to risks arising from climate variability. This meeting was a follow up to the PICSA intermediary training that was held in September and October 2016, after which the intermediary or extension workers returned to their villages to implement PICSA. This planning and review meeting evaluated the success of PICSA implementation and attempted to tackle the challenges that extension workers faced by revising the difficult areas of the PICSA manual and making recommendations that can be taken up by decision makers and hence make PICSA more sustainable. The experiences of the extensions workers demonstrate that PICSA can be integrated in the package of support to farmers and pastoralists

Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) Intermediary Training, Kiteto District, Tanzania

A Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) training workshop for extension workers from Kiteto District of Tanzania was conducted in Arusha town from 3rd to 7th October 2016. The aim of the workshop was to equip 35 extension workers with skills to implement PICSA in their villages and wards during the October-November-December season of 2016-2017. The training consisted of short presentations by facilitators, group discussions and presentations by participants, a field practice session and a planning session. The extension workers learnt how to use local climate information from historical data to seasonal forecasts to reduce risks associate with climate variability. Each of the extension workers was expected to go back to their duty stations and train farmers how to use climate information to make better decisions in the farms. In this way, the agricultural productivity would be increased and farmers would become more resilient to future climate change

The Yokes of Gender and Class: The Policy Reforms and Implications for Equitable Access to Education in Kenya

Kenya, a former British colony, attained its political independence in 1963. Despite its political independence, Kenya inherited a colonial education system that was based on segregation and exclusion because of race, culture, class, and gender. This is a qualitative analysis examining the education system in Kenya. In the analysis, we explore gender and class barriers that may inhibit education for women in Kenya. We review existing secondary literature on policy documents; reflect on our experiences and observations; and also reflect on interviews with Njeri and Nyokavi, who live in the 21st century ‘post-colonial’ Kenya. As Kenyan women from subsistence-farming backgrounds, we, the authors, seemed destined to remain at the very bottom of the hierarchical education structure established during the colonial period. We explore the impact of contemporary, globally and locally mandated education policy reforms and emerging social service provision partnerships. These are often packaged as policy reforms and viable strategies of a just, equitable, and fair distribution of opportunities for all, meant to correct the colonial disparities. Our arguments are informed by the system's discursive framework (Wane 2000b) and the anti-colonial discursive framework (Amadiume 1989, 1997; Dei 1999, 2000; Oyewumi 1997; Wane 2002). The analysis authenticates that, since independence, Kenya has realized tremendous educational growth at all levels. However, such educational reforms have resulted in the exclusion of many children who are from low socio-economic groups, in essence replacing the racial segregation of the colonial system with cultural and class-based inequities of the post-colonial society.

Climate change adaptation strategies in Sub-Saharan Africa: foundations for the future

Many institutions across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and many funding agencies that support them are currently engaged in initiatives that are targeted towards adapting rainfed agriculture to climate change. This does, however, present some very real and complex research and policy challenges. Given to date the generally low impact of agricultural research across SSA on improving the welfare of rainfed farmers under current climatic conditions, a comprehensive strategy is required if the considerably more complex challenge of adapting agriculture to future climate change is to bear fruit. In articulating such a strategy, it is useful to consider the criteria by which current successful initiatives should be judged

Role of Inventory Management on Customer Satisfaction among the Manufacturing Firms in Kenya: A Case Study of Delmonte Kenya

Inventory management plays a vital role in enhancing customer satisfaction among the manufacturing firms in Kenya. The study sought to carry out an investigation on the role of inventory management on customer satisfaction among the manufacturing firms in Kenya. Customer satisfaction is crucial since manufacturing firms contribute greatly to the economic development of a country. The research was carried out at Delmonte Kenya since the company has a well laid down supply chain inventory information sharing system that is linked to the customers in real time to enhance inventory management. A census was carried out on all the 50 employees at Delomonte Kenya who were directly and indirectly involved in the supply chain management activities. A questionnaire, interview guide and observation guide were used to collect the data. A response rate of 90% was obtained. Based on the research findings, all the respondents (100%) indicated that the company experienced shortages in inventory. The study concluded that manufacturing firms have poor inventory management systems and this has greatly impacted on their ability to satisfy the customer. Keywords: Inventory management, Customer satisfactio

Overall seasonal energy cost analysis of smallholder pumped irrigation systems in the arid and semi-arid lands of Kenya

In Kenya, there has been a tremendous increase in the number of smallholder farmers using motorized pumps in their farming operations. The recent increase in uptake of pumps in irrigated agriculture is as a result of need to increase food production to meet the rising demand as well as modernize farming operations and has been met by various challenges. Among the challenges facing adoption of pumps is rising cost of energy particularly fuel used, diminishing energy reserves as well as lack of technical knowledge in selection, design and operation of these pumps. The result has been significant rise in cost of crop production in pumped irrigated agriculture. Combined with other factors such as market competition for agricultural produce and low market prices, the operation costs of smallholder pumped irrigated agriculture has as a result tremendously increased. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the uptake rate as well as the cost of production due to pumps use in smallholder agriculture. This study was hence carried out in Kakuzi and Yatta divisions both located in the Arid and Semi Arid Lands and 80 smallholder farmers growing various horticultural crops such as French beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L), Tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum L) and Water melons (Citrullus lanatus) were considered. Face to face questionnaire as well as observational study was used to gather information. Detailed analysis of 10 pumps used in 10 sample farms was done to evaluate pumps working efficiency, fuel consumption rate and pumps water discharge under different operating conditions. This analysis helped in computing the overall seasonal energy cost of pumped irrigation. The study found out that despite the increase in cost of production as a result of pumping, farmers still adopted it with 80% of the studied population engaged in it. It emerged that high cost of fuel was the most limiting factor for 65% of the sampled population practicing pumped irrigation. Results indicated a big variation in fuel used to irrigate a unit piece of land from one farm setup to the other. In some farms growing similar crops, mean fuel (petrol) amount used to irrigate 1 hectare of land was in excess of 60L while in others, fuel used was as low as 5L. The overall seasonal energy cost in nearly all the farms investigated was over 50% of the total cost of production. The high value for overall seasonal energy cost could be attributed to several factors such as pump operating efficiency, fuel consumption rate and farm operating conditions (elevation, water conveyance distance and time of irrigation).Key words: Energy use, pump performance, pumped irrigation, overall seasonal energy, cost (OSEC), Keny

EFFECT OF MATERIAL FLOW SYSTEMS\u27 AUTOMATION ON THE PERFORMANCE OF FINANCIAL MARKET INTERMEDIARIES IN KENYA

Purpose: To establish the effect of material flow systems\u27 automation on the performance of financial market intermediaries in Kenya.Methodology: The study adopted a longitudinal approach, with study population being 218 employees in 109 financial market intermediary firms. The study used a census approach which greatly helps deal with the sampling errors involved in most studies of this kind. Additionally the study employed both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected through questionnaire while secondary data was obtained from the firm\u27s financial records. A pilot study was conducted to measure the research instruments reliability and validity. Descriptive and inferential analysis was conducted to analyze the data while multiple and simple regression analysis was used to measure firms\u27 performance as influenced by supply chain automation. The data was presented using tables, graphs and charts.Results: Based on the findings the study concluded that material flow processes influenced the performance of financial market intermediaries in Kenya. This can be explained by the regression results which showed that the influence was positive and also showed the magnitude by which material flow processes influenced the performance of financial market intermediaries. The regression results showed that material flow processes influenced the performance of financial market intermediaries by 0.426units.Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study recommended for fully automation of material flow systems in the financial market intermediaries. This is because management and control of material flow systems is an important method of increasing firms\u27 profitability, more so given the process\u27 centrality in matching supply of materials, production of goods, warehousing on the one hand, and consumer demand and marketing on the other.

Evaluation of the relationship between internet accessibility and students performance: case study of Strathmore University

Full Length Research paper - Educational Research (ISSN: 2141-5161) Vol. 3(2) pp. 137-144 February 2012Performance can be described as the level of achievement expressible by an individual, as a relationship of an independent variable. In the educational sector performance can be described as a reflection of the total involvement of a student in the learning environment. It includes social and emotional development, communication skills and participation in the learning activities as well as academic achievement. This research addressed the relationship between internet connectivity and the performance of students. The students found the internet very useful as far as their studies are concerned since they were in a position to access a very wide range of information.Performance can be described as the level of achievement expressible by an individual, as a relationship of an independent variable. In the educational sector performance can be described as a reflection of the total involvement of a student in the learning environment. It includes social and emotional development, communication skills and participation in the learning activities as well as academic achievement. This research addressed the relationship between internet connectivity and the performance of students. The students found the internet very useful as far as their studies are concerned since they were in a position to access a very wide range of information

Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) Intermediary Training, Zomba District, Malawi

A Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) intermediary training workshop was held in Zomba District, Malawi in July 2016. The workshop aimed to train intermediaries to understand the PICSA approach so they can train other intermediaries. The intermediaries are expected to integrate the PICSA approach in their normal work routines so that PICSA can be scaled out, with minimal resources. Once trained, farmers would be able to use participatory planning tools to make informed decisions based on accurate, location-specific, climate and weather information and locally relevant crop, livestock and livelihood options