Effects Of Adoption Of Improved Varieties Of Cassava Stem On Income In Cassava-Based Farm Holdings In Delta State, Nigeria

The study examines the adoption of improved varieties of cassava on income generation and factors that influence adoption process. Purposive sampling was used in the collection of primary data. Ten local Government Areas (LGAs) were identified as major cassava growers in the state out of which 4 LGAs were randomly selected. Questionnaire was used to obtain data from 370 cassava growers. However, 350 observations were found useful for subsequentanalysis. The result of the finding shows that awareness level of improved varieties was high (88.6%) while 250 (80.7%) respondents adopted the improved varieties. Farmers that adopted the improved varieties received revenue of N46330 higher than non-adopters. Cassava growers adoption score, education, access to marketing facilities and extension facilities identified as factors influencing higher income and facilitates adoption process. Hence, increase use of these factors can facilitate adoption process and enhanced increase income

Poverty and Poverty Status in Oil Producing Communities of Ondo State, Nigeria.

This paper examined poverty and poverty status in the oil producing communities of Nigeria; using oil-producing communities of Ondo state, Nigeria as a case study. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to collect data on economic characteristics of the household. In the first stage, oil-producing communities were identified. Three communities from coastalareas and three communities from freshwater areas were purposively selected. In each of this area, one hundred and eighty households were randomly picked. This gave the same size of 360 households and where 300 households were successfully and used for further analysis. Twenty-seven percent of the households' consumed 100% of their farm/fish output. Some 50.34% often sold less than 50% of their outputs and 22.33% sold above 50%. Revenue from farming/fishing was estimated to be N159, 624.00 and loss of N175, 350.00. Households that made incomelosses from farming/fishing activities were 22.66% more than the number of those who did not lose. The results revealed that 60.18 percent of the households fell below the poverty line. Poverty gap index revealed 26.8% and 11.1% for severity of poverty. The majority of the identified poor households depended more on income from farming/fishing livelihoodactivities. The findings thus, revealed that majority of the households that do not diversified to non-farm livelihood activities were in the poor category. The different poverty levels were attributed to the intervention of oil pollution that led to decrease or loss of livelihood activities in farming/fishing, leading to poor incomes earned. Development of non farm rural activities (NFRA), education, improved health care facilities among other things are recommended as a way of alleviating extreme poverty situations in the area of study

Determinants Of Poverty And Household Livelihood Diversification Strategies In Crude-Oil Producing Areas Of Ondo State Nigeria

This paper seeks to address the question: why does poverty persist in crude-oil producing areas of Nigeria where the bulk of her revenue is being derived? We argue that it is due to lack of right to control fundamental livelihood assets of land and water resources. In addition, the interference of oil exploration and consequent of oil-spills on agricultural land and incursion into freshwater have led to reduction in crop and fish outputs. This study therefore, assesses this impact of this intervention on the profitability of crop-farming and fishing enterprises, poverty levels, and estimates the effect of diversifications on income. This study bases its findings on empirical work, which was build on information gathered from atwo-round survey of 590 farming households in the crude-oil producing communities of Ondo State, Nigeria. The result of the analysis indicated that intervention of oil exploitation has reduced profitability of farm enterprises. Poverty analysis shows that 40% of the sample household heads live below poverty line with an average poverty gap of 0.047. The study further shows that poor household heads attempt to augment their consumption and income through livelihood diversification, among which are; petty trading, mat weaving, palm wine tapping and fuel wood gathering for sale, local gin brewing and craftsmanship. Income earned from diversifications to non-farm activities has helped majority of the households to meet basic needs.Key words: Poverty, livelihood diversifications, oil-spillage, assets depletio

Trends in hepatitis B virus testing practices and management in HIV clinics across sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract Background Approximately 8% of HIV-infected individuals are co-infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Knowledge of HBV status is important to guide optimal selection of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and monitor/prevent liver-related complications. We describe changes in testing practices and management of HBV infection over a 3-year period in HIV clinics across SSA. Methods A medical chart review was conducted in large urban HIV treatment centers in Côte d’Ivoire (3 sites), Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, Togo, Uganda and Zambia (1 site each). Of the patients who started ART between 2010 and 2012, 100 per year were randomly selected from each clinic. Demographic, clinical and laboratory information as well as individual treatment histories were collected using a standardized questionnaire. We examined changes over time in the proportion of patients screened for HBV infection (HBV surface antigen [HBsAg]-positivity), identified predictors of HBV testing using logistic regression, and assessed the proportion of patients initiating a tenofovir (TDF)-containing ART regimen. Results Overall, 3579 charts of patients initiating ART (64.4% female, median age 37 years) were reviewed in 12 clinics. The proportion of patients screened for HBsAg increased from 17.8% in 2010 to 24.4% in 2012 overall, and ranged from 0.7% in Kenya to 96% in South Africa. In multivariable analyses, age and region were associated with HBsAg screening. Among 759 individuals tested, 88 (11.6%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 9.4–14.1) were HBV-infected, of whom 71 (80.7%) received a TDF-containing ART regimen. HBsAg-positive individuals were twice as likely to receive a TDF-containing first-line ART regimen compared to HBsAg-negative patients (80.7% vs. 40.3%, p < 0.001). The proportion of patients on TDF-containing ART increased from 57.9% in 2010 to 90.2% in 2012 in HIV/HBV-co-infected patients (Chi-2 test for trend: p = 0.01). Only 114 (5.0%) patients were screened for anti-HCV antibodies and one of them (0.9%, 95% CI 0.02–4.79) had a confirmed HCV infection. Conclusions The systematic screening for HBV infection in HIV-positive patients before ART initiation was limited in most African countries and its uptake varied widely across clinics. Overall, the prescription of TDF increased over time, with 90% of HIV/HBV-coinfected patients receiving this drug in 2012