Successful companies recognize that improved career growth will maintain and boost their competitiveness. For all workers, promotion in one’s career is a necessary phase. Each employee of every company hopes to advance quickly in their careers because this allows them the opportunity to develop and motivates them to participate. The objective of this study was to establish the influence of career progression guidelines on employee performance in the Kenyan civil service: a case of State Department for Livestock. The study was anchored on the trait and factor theory and Vroom’s (1964) expectancy theory. This study was designed as a descriptive survey. In order to show a correct profile of people and situational events, a descriptive survey research design was used. The target population of this study was 531 employees of the State Department for Livestock. As the primary data collection tool, the researcher used a questionnaire. Drop-and-pick method was administered as it is cheap and allows respondents to complete the tool conveniently. The data collected was analyzed by quantitative methods of data analysis. The questionnaire data was encoded and logged onto the computer with the Statistical Social Science Package (SPSS version 25.0). So as to perform simple descriptive analyzes to obtain reports about data status, this involved code for open and closed data items. The analysis involved the use of descriptive statistical tools which included mean, standard deviation, frequencies and percentages. Simple linear regression analysis was conducted to establish the career progression guidelines influence on performance of employees. The study established that the educational level of an officer determines their entry grade in the career progression guideline. The study showed that proactive workers are much more likely to develop their careers because proactivity is considered to be a sign of leadership abilities. The study concluded that career progression guidelines (educational and professional experiences, personality of employees, job performance and evaluation of supervisor and recruitment and selection criteria) significantly influences employee performance in the State Department for Livestock. The study recommends that management staff at State Department for Livestock need to ensure that their employees have the required educational and professional experiences. The study recommends that State Department for Livestock encourage their employees to enroll in short courses offered by government or private institutions to enhance their education. The study recommends that there should be frequent evaluation of the performance of employees.

Drought is an important abiotic stress in the tropics that highly constrains sorghum production. Sorghum landraces and wild relatives have been known to harbor sources of novel genes but there is hardly any information about their drought tolerance performance during the post flowering period based on the stay green trait. There is need to characterize this stay green expressed drought tolerance and transfer the mapped QTLs into drought susceptible farmer preferred varieties. This research aimed at identifying sorghum genotypes that have the stay green trait through phenotypic and molecular characterization and subsequently, introgress the stay green QTL from mapped donor lines into farmer preferred varieties. This characterization was done phenotypically and also with Diversity array technology (DArT) molecular markers in genotypes grown under well irrigated and induced drought stress conditions. The trials in the field were set in an alpha lattice design of 12*8 replicated three times. The backcross progenies were genotyped using DArT markers. The genotypes and water regimes used had effects on various traits and helped to identify stay green genotypes. Nine genotypes, namely OKABIR, LODOKA, IESV92043 DL, IESV21400 DL, IESV23010 DL, IESV23006 DL, AKUOR-ACHOT, GBK 016109, GBK 048156 outperformed the check varieties, B35 and E36-1 and in their relative chlorophyll content, whereas the genotypes namely, IBUSAR, LODOKA, GBK 047293 AKUOR-ACHOT, OKABIR, F6YQ212, GBK 048917 had more green leaves at maturity than B35 and E36-1 in drought induced conditions. Ten genotypes, namely, AKUOR-ACHOT, LODOKA, GBK 045827, GBK 047293, WAHI IESV23010 DL, IESV23006 DL, IESV92043 DL, GBK 016114, OKABIR that outperformed B35 when ranked using Relative chlorophyll content measurements yielded higher than both B35 and E36-1 which were the check varieties. LODOKA a landrace, recorded the highest chlorophyll content, highest number of green leaves at maturity and a yielded 2.2 tons ha-1. The accessions whose yield was higher than B35 and E36-1 and B35 and also had higher GLAM and RCC values were chosen as novel sources of stay green. The results also indicated the possibility of finding stay-green alleles from wild genotypes with five wild genotypes, namely, GBK016114, GBK045827, GBK016109, GBK048922, GBK047293 that also clustered separately from B35 and E36-1 in the Neighbor Joining tree. The high significant positive correlation coefficients observed between the relative chlorophyll content and number of green leaves at maturity confirmed that the stay green trait was exhibited as functional stay green. High broad sense heritability estimates of the relative chlorophyll content (0.61) and the number of green leaves at maturity (0.64), indicated the influence of additive gene effects. The narrow sense heritability estimates for the quantity of green leaves at maturity (0.52) and for the relative chlorophyll content (0.45) also indicated the likelihood of a high positive response to selection. This study also identified 20 informative SNP markers that were highly polymorphic and were well distributed across the genome. The F2 genotypes from parental lines, ICSV 111 IN and LODOKA gave high general combining ability (GCA) for relative chlorophyll content and number of green leaves at maturity. Backcrossing for the stay green trait from mapped donor lines into farmer preferred varieties was successful with over 50% of the genotypes having greater than 75% recovery of the genome of the recurrent parent in the first backcross. These genotypes will form a strong basis for selection of superior drought tolerant sorghum varieties and the potential of improving susceptible sorghum genotypes for drought tolerance through marker assisted breeding

Pain and inflammation are the commonest manifestations of various pathologies, and are associated with high morbidities, debility, and economic strife globally, especially in underdeveloped regions of sub-Saharan Africa. The currently available conventional analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs cause serious side effects, some of which are life threatening, are unaffordable, and unavailable to all patients, especially in low-income countries, hence the need for better alternatives. In the current study, the in vivo anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and in vitro cytotoxic activities of the Phytexponent preparation comprising the ethanolic extracts of Viola tricolor, Echinacea purpurea, Allium sativum, Matricaria chamomilla, and Triticum repens were investigated. The carrageenaninduced paw oedema technique was adopted to investigate the anti-inflammatory activity of the Phytexponent in experimental mice, at doses of 15.625 mg/Kg BW, 31.25 mg/Kg BW, 62.5 mg/Kg BW, 125 mg/Kg BW, 250 mg/Kg BW and 500 mg/Kg BW, with Indomethacin (10 mg/Kg BW) as positive control drug. The paw sizes of respective animals were measured using a plethysmographic technique, and the values used to calculate the percentage reduction in oedematous paw size, as an indicator of anti-inflammatory activity of the Phytexponent. The acetic acid-induced writhing technique was used to determine the analgesic activity of the Phytexponent in experimental Swiss albino mice at similar doses as those used for anti-inflammatory assay and indomethacin (4 mg/Kg BW) as the reference drug. Then, the number of wriths were recorded and expressed as the percentage inhibition of writhing. The standard 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay technique was used to investigate the in vitro cytotoxic effects of the Phytexponent in Vero E6 cell line with cyclophosphamide as a positive cytotoxic agent. The percentage inhibitions of cell proliferation (percentage cytotoxicity) were determined according to a standard procedure. The study findings revealed that the Phytexponent preparation exerted significant anti-inflammatory effects in carrageenan-induced paw oedema mouse model, which ranged from 1.117±0.193% at the first hour to 11.162±0.091% at the fourth hour, at a dose of 31.25 mg/Kg BW, 6.240±0.242 % at the first hour to 17.407±0.186% at the fourth hour at a dose of 62.60 mg/Kg BW, 9.645±0.020% at the first hour to 31.795±0.090% at the fourth hourat a dose of 125 ,g/Kg BW, and 14.000±0.102% at the first hour to 37.931±0.133% in the fourth hour, at a dose of 250 mg/Kg BW (p<0.05). Notably, the Phytexponent significantly inhibited inflammation in a doseand time-dependent manner (p<0.05). The Phytexponent preparation exhibited significant analgesic activity (p<0.05) in experimental mice as depicted by reduced writhing frequencies (high percentage inhibitions of acetic acid-induced writhing), which increased from 55.054±0.174% at a dose of 31.25 mg/Kg BW to 94.982±0.098% at a dose of 250 mg/Kg BW, in a dose-dependent manner (p<0.05). The Phytexponent exhibited significantly higher analgesic activity at doses of 125 mg/Kg BW (75.924±0.253%) and 250 mg/Kg BW (94.982±0.098%) than indomethacin (64.786±0.098%), indicating higher analgesic efficacy. The Phytexponent preparation was not cytotoxic to Vero E6 cells as indicated by high CC50 value (>1000 µg/ml) compared to cyclophosphamide (CC50= 2.48µg/ml). The present study indicated that the Phytexponent formulation has significant in vivo anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities in mice models and is not cytotoxic to Vero E6 cell line. Therefore, based on the study findings, the Phytexponent formulation is a potential source of safe analgesic and anti-inflammatory associated phytocompounds. Further empirical studies, determination of mode(s) of anti-inflammatory and analgesic efficacy, and safety of the Phytexponent and its bioactive phytochemicals should be undertaken.

African Trypanosomosis is a major neglected tropical disease of animals and humans in low resource settings in Africa. The disease is cyclically transmitted by Glossina (tsetse flies) spp. and mechanically by biting flies such as Tabanus spp. and Stomoxys spp. and has enormous negative effects on the health and life of both humans and animals. The socio-economic and health impact of the disease is often felt at the edge of protected, tsetse-infested wildlife areas. In Rwanda, tsetse flies and trypanosomosis are reported in areas around the Akagera National Park but the situation has previously not been well documented. This study aimed at determining (i) the distribution of species of Glossina (ii) the Trypanosoma species circulating in tsetse flies, their infection rate, and the endosymbionts, (iii) the hosts’ preference for the tsetse flies, and (iv) the Trypanosoma species circulating in cattle, at the wildlife-livestock interface of Akagera National Park in Rwanda. To determine the distribution of Glossina, a longitudinal stratified sampling entomological survey was carried out inside the park and its surroundings. Biconical traps were deployed in 55 sites for six consecutive days of each study month from May 2018 to June 2019 and emptied every 48hours. Flies caught in the traps were identified using FAO keys for entomological taxonomy. The number of flies per trap per day (FTD) was used to determine the apparent density (AD) of the flies. Pearson chi-square (χ2) and parametrical tests (t-test and ANOVA) were used to determine the variability between the variables. Logistic regression was used to determine the association between predictors of tsetse flies occurrence. A selected sample of 1101 tsetse flies, recovered from the traps, was analysed for trypanosome species and endosymbionts using PCR, and 2-gene High Resolution Melting analysis for blood meal source. A total of 1037 blood samples collected between March and July 2019 from randomly selected cattle (local and local x Friesian breeds) in four districts neighboring the National Park, and were examined for species of Trypanosoma. Four districts viz. Kayonza, Gatsibo, Nyagatare and Kirehe were selected for their proximity to the park and for being adjacent to protected game reserves in Tanzania. The presence of trypanosomes in the blood samples was determined by microscopy, immunological rapid test, and PCR coupled with High-Resolution Melt (HRM) analysis. Sanger sequencing was done on the amplicons to complement the analysis. The Cohen Kappa test was used to compare the level of agreement between the diagnostic methods. Thirty-nine thousands and five hundreds sixteen (39,516) tsetse flies were collected using the traps, of which 73.4% (29,019) and 26.6% (10,497) were from inside the park and the interface area, respectively. Female flies accounted for 61.3% (24,223) while 38.7% (15,293) were males. Two species of Glossina, i.e. G. pallidipes [n=29,121, 7.4 flies/trap/day (FTD)] and G. morsitans centralis (n=10,395; 2.6 FTD) were identified. The statistical difference was significant between the two species (p=0.000). The flies were more abundant during the wet season (15.8 FTD) than the dry season (4.2 FTD) [p=0.000]. Large numbers of flies were trapped around the swamp areas (69.1 FTD) inside the park and in Nyagatare District (11.2 FTD) at the interface [p=0.000]. One thousand and one hundred and one (1101) tsetse flies (771 Glossina pallidipes and 330 Glossina morsitans centralis) were analysed for trypanosome infections. The overall infection rate was 13.9% (153/1101) in the head and proboscis (HP) and 24.3% (268/1101) in thorax and abdomen (TA) of the flies. Eight species of trypanosomes were identified. For each species, head +proboscis and thorax+ abdomen were analyzed in parallel and are presented as HP/TA. Of these species, Trypanosoma (T.) brucei brucei accounted for 4.1/7.1%, T.congolense Kilifi (2.2/2.1%), T.congolense savannah (1.6/1.2%), T. evansi (0/0.9%), T.godefreyi (1.2/3.1%), T. grayi (0/1.08%), T.simiae (2.08/3.7%), T.theileri (0/2.08%) and T.vivax (5.2/3.7%). Mixed infections were 2.2/0.8% (25/9). No T.brucei rhodesiense was found in tsetse flies analyzed. The endosymbionts found in tsetse flies were the bacteria Sodalis (2.8%; 31/1101) and Wolbachia (4.8%; 53/1101). No Spiroplasma and SGH Virus were found in all samples analyzed. The preferred hosts for blood meal by the tsetse flies were buffalo (36.5%), warthog (14.1%), cattle (10.6%), savannah elephant (8.7%), bushbuck (7.3%), and human (5.7%). The overall prevalence of trypanosome infections in cattle was 5.6%, 7.1%, and 18.7% by thin blood smear, Buffy coat technique, and PCR/HRM, respectively. Microscopy showed a low sensitivity (28.9%) while the rapid test (VerY Diag) showed a low specificity (32.5%). Trypanosomes were detected in cattle blood, including species that are pathogenic to cattle (i.e. T. brucei brucei, T. congolense savannah, T. evansi and T. vivax) and T. theileri which is nonpathogenic. T. congolense was the most prevalent (10.7%), followed by T. vivax 5.2%, T. brucei brucei 2%, and T. evansi 0.7% by PCR/HRM analysis. Lower trypanosome infections were observed in Ankole Friesian cross-breeds than indigenous Ankole. No human-infective T. brucei rhodesiense was detected. There was no significant difference between the mean PCV of infected and non-infected animals (p>0.162). The study results on tsetse distribution, endosymbionts, hosts preference, and trypanosomes infections, corroborate other similar regional findings. Glossina pallidipes were found in higher numbers and therefore conceivably the most important vectors of trypanosomes. This study confirms that the cattle reared around the Akagera NP are infected by Trypanosoma species causing African Animal Trypanosomiasis (AAT), and the area should, therefore, be targeted in control activities. Future studies should focus on the AAT impact assessment on cattle production and information on the use of trypanocides to help policymakers prioritize target areas and optimize intervention strategies.

An effective records retention and disposition program is essential to successful records management, which is an integral part of information resources management. Ministry’s like any other organizations and government agencies, need to retain records beyond current use needs, according to regulatory, legal, financial and operational requirements. A records retention and disposal schedule also known as a records disposal schedule is a systematic listing or description of an organizations records which indicates the arrangements to be made for their custody, retention and final disposition. Good records management practices and the provision of retention and disposition schedules in an organization is very important and the ability of government departments to sustain effective service delivery, accountability and good governance is largely determined by their records management practices. The main aim of the project was to review the existing retention and disposition schedule, find out its defects in order to design and implement an effective records retention and disposition schedule for the registry at the ministry of local government. To achieve the above aim, the study was guided by the project objectives which included; to identify the various types of records at the ministry of local government, to examine the effectiveness of the retention and disposition schedule at the ministry of local government and to design and implement an effective retention and disposition schedule for the registry at the ministry of local government. The project involved processes of gathering data through interaction with records management staff at the ministry. Information was gathered using tools such as the interview guide and observation guide. The data collected was very comprehensive and thus led to the design of a proper retention and disposition schedule

Maize (Zea mays var. indentata L.) is the most important food security crop in Kenya and plays an important role in human nutrition. Over the years, there has been increased concern over the rising cases of aflatoxin poisoning in Kenya due to contaminated maize especially in Eastern and North Rift parts of the country. This has led to huge losses not only in the country’s breadbasket areas but also in the national grain reserves. Aflatoxins are fungal toxic metabolites that naturally contaminate food and feed. Exposure to aflatoxins is associated with various cancers, suppressed immunity, retarded growth, mutations, and aggravation of other existing conditions such as HIV among others. Plasma technology presents a possible solution. Plasma is electrically energized matter in gaseous form that is generated at different conditions of temperature, pressure and ionization power. Low temperature plasma is an emerging technology that is finding space in the food industry particularly in decontamination processes. Use of plasma at low temperature makes the decontamination process practical, inexpensive and suitable for products where high temperatures are not desired. The main objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of plasma technology in destroying fungi and aflatoxins in maize in Makueni and Baringo counties in Kenya. The specific objectives were: to determine the influence of knowledge, attitude and practices of farmers on aflatoxin contamination of maize in Makueni and Baringo counties in Kenya, to determine the influence of postharvest practices and storage conditions on aflatoxin contamination in maize in the two counties, to isolate and characterize the fungi responsible for contamination in both counties and finally to determine the efficacy of plasma technology in destroying fungi and aflatoxin in maize. A convergent mixed method study design that combined quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques was used for the knowledge, attitude and practices study. The data collection methods included interviewing, using a pretested questionnaire, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. To screen the aflatoxin levels in the maize samples from both counties, 144 samples were randomly collected and subjected to the ELISA technique for quantitative detection of aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G2. Confirmatory test for the ELISA positive samples was carried out using HPLC analysis. Isolation of fungal strains was done using rose bengal selective media which contained chloramphenicol thereby suppressing bacterial growth. Isolated strains were characterised based on their phenotypic characteristics on the plate and microscopic techniques. Finally, the efficacy of Low temperature nitrogen plasma (LTNP) in destroying fungi and aflatoxin was studied using an experimental design generated using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) of the Box Benken Design (BBD) of the Design Expert software (StatEase, 2020). Independent factors were exposure time, pressure and ionization power whilst percent reduction in both the fungal load and aflatoxin level were the response variables. The results of the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) study revealed a significant difference in the knowledge of factors contributing to aflatoxin contamination in maize. Socioeconomic and demographic factors were linear predictors of knowledge (R2=0.76, p<0.001), whereas they had no effect (R2=0.043, p=0.076) on the attitude of the maize farmers. Farmers indicated poorly dried maize and poor storage conditions as the main causes of aflatoxin contamination. The aflatoxin analysis on the maize showed that Makueni County had the highest percentage of aflatoxin positive samples with up to 174 ppb. The type of storage condition had a significant effect on the extent of contamination and accounted for 11% of the variation (R2 =0.11). Gunny bags were the most common type of storage condition and had the highest level of contamination in both counties whilst metallic bins had the lowest contamination. Strains of Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus terreus and Aspergillus parasitucus were positively identified after characterization of the isolated strains. Finally the RSM linear model predicted the reduction in fungal load and aflatoxin content with F-values of 7.22 and 15.89 respectively (P ≤ 0.01). An increase in exposure time and pressure lead to a corresponding decrease in the fungal load and aflatoxin content. Ionization power did not have a significant effect on both response variables. For optimisation of the detoxification process, the RSM model supported process settings of time at 153.58 seconds, pressure of 0.98 Pascals and ionization power of 194.82 Watts. The findings lead to the conclusion that more awareness creation, training of farmers on good agricultural practices, enhanced market surveillance and laboratory services are needed to educate farmers and the general public on dangers related to exposure to aflatoxins. The type of storage condition significantly affects the aflatoxin level in stored maize, proper drying of maize and storage in hermetic structures offers the best method to prevent aflatoxin contamination. Finally, plasma is efficacious in destroying aflatoxins and fungi in the maize to a reduction of 68.78% and 33.89 log (cfu/g) for aflatoxin content and fungal load, respectively. Further the research recommends encompassing temperature as an independent variable in the RSM model to fine tune optimisation parameters

Feed accounts for at least 70 percent of chicken production costs due to the expensive protein ingredients of soybean and fishmeal (SFM) that are key in commercial feed formulation. Expensive feed has seen chicken farmers scale down production or abandon the enterprise despite the current high and projected increased demand for chicken products of 121 percent by the year 2050. Insect protein from the black soldier fly (BSF) larvae has been identified as the best alternative source of protein that will reduce production costs by at least 17 percent. Previous studies have focused on the nutritional profile of the BSF and consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for the end-products of chicken reared on insect-based feed (IBF). Little is known on farmers’ perceptions and WTP for IBF in chicken production in Kenya. To address this gap, this study examined farmers’ perceptions of commercial IBF and their WTP for commercial IBF attributes. Cross-sectional data was collected through a series of multi-stage sampling from 314 predominantly chicken farmers in Kiambu County, Kenya. To assess farmers’ perceptions of commercial IBF, the study employed the principal component analysis (PCA) to develop perception indices that were subsequently used in multiple regression analyses. The choice experiment (CE) valuation method and the random parameter logit (RPL) empirical model were used to evaluate famers’ WTP for commercial IBF attributes. The results show that over 90 percent of the farmers were ready and willing to use IBF. The PCA identified feed performance, social acceptability of the use of insects in feed formulation, feed versatility and marketability of products reared on IBF as the key attributes that would inform farmers’ purchase decisions. Awareness of IBF benefits, group membership, off-farm income, wealth status and education significantly influenced farmers’ perceptions of IBF. Results from the RPL revealed that farmers were willing to pay premium prices between Ksh 35 and Ksh 345 for IBF in the form of either pellets or mash, x feed explicitly labelled as containing insects, feed mixed with SFM and dark-colored feed. Further analysis generated the compensating surplus whereby policy scenarios that consider farmers’ profits, environmental sustainability and chicken welfare aspects are preferred. The findings established here underscore the importance of conducting ex-ante behavioral analysis for innovations prior to their commercial release for successful uptake. Hence, interventions such as experimental demonstrations that increase farmers’ technical knowledge on the productivity of chicken fed on IBF are crucial to reducing farmers’ uncertainties towards acceptability of IBF. Partnerships with resource-endowed farmers and farmer groups are recommended to provide wider sensitization to improve knowledge sharing on IBF. Collaborations to open communication platforms between local artisans and feed regulators and millers to facilitate the use of local machinery for feed pelleting and efficient grounding of fatty IBF are suggested, among strategies of developing certified logos for ease of IBF identification and researching on the appropriate proportions of insect and SFM protein for optimal chicken performance. The study provides empirical evidence for the harmonization of the infant regulatory framework by the Kenya Bureau of Standards to guide the standardization process of use of insects in commercial feed. The national government could implement a nation-wide value chain mapping exercise for the poultry subsector to update the contribution of poultry to the economy and to also identify opportunities and challenges faced by other poultry breeds like the indigenous chicken.

Microbial contamination on poultry meat poses safety concerns to consumers and on commercial view, spoilage bacteria also play a bigger role towards economic losses. Control may depend on the awareness and behavioral traits of the processors. This study aimed at exploring knowledge, attitudes and practices related to microbial safety among poultry processors in Embakasi, Nairobi County, Kenya. The study was based on a cross sectional design using a structured questionnaire that was administered to 136 randomly selected street poultry processors in Embakasi, Nairobi County, Kenya. Thirty samples were collected at different processing stages and from different processors for total viable count microbial tests. The majority of respondents (82%) were aged 25-30 years, mean age was 28.9 (SD = 5.4). Everyone in the study was aware that consumption of unsafe food can cause illness. In general, the processors had high knowledge (90.8%) on microbial safety. The three least knowledgeable respondents scored 44.4% correct answers on knowledge on food safety of the administered questions. The respondents had positive attitude towards food safety with 74.6% being the average of the right attitude. The lowest score on attitude on food safety was 62.5% for two respondents. The respondents had an average of 74.6% on the right practices’ questions asked. Having participated in food safety training, higher experience in poultry processing and higher education level as compared to level of knowledge was associated with practising more preventive behaviours and having the right attitude. For the processors with knowledge of more than half (>50%) the microbial results show that the total viable count on the final product was within the allowed limit for ready to eat products. Processors with knowledge slightly less than half (<45%) the end product was found to have total viable count more than the allowed limit for ready to eat products. Attitude and Practices were found to have little significance on the microbial load; however, it was noted they were directly proportional to the knowledge level. The total viable count was found to decrease by average rate of 76% during processing with washing after evisceration being critical stage towards the reduction. Temperature of more than 750C for 1 minute was found to be critical in elimination of the microorganisms. The elimination of microorganisms was more effective in events where chlorinated water was used. PH was of little significance as there was minor deviation of PH of the water used during processing for most of poultry processors. This study provides information about knowledge, attitude and practices regarding microbial safety among poultry processors in Embakasi, Nairobi. It is clearly evident in this study that level of knowledge has positive impact on the practices, attitude of processors and eventually microbial contamination. It highlights the importance of targeting lack of knowledge for improving on food safety among the processors. The results of this study will form a useful base for training for poultry processors.

The growing food demand occasioned by the rising global population is a major issue of global concern. It calls for an increase in food production to meet the global food demand. Studies have revealed that over 33% of the food produced globally get lost through postharvest operations along the food supply chain. Lack of proper storage facilities and food handling practices are among the major causes of food losses. Reducing food losses using appropriate storage technologies is therefore important to curb food losses to ensure food and nutrition security. Thus, this study aimed to examine choices and the impact of adopting hermetic maize storage technologies (HST) on smallholder maize farmers’ income in the Gatsibo district, Rwanda. Specific objectives of this study were to characterize different maize storage technologies used by farmers in terms of the level of adoption, benefits, and constraints using descriptive statistics. It also assessed the factors affecting smallholder maize farmers’ decisions about using alternative storage technologies, using the multivariate probit model. Finally, the study assessed the impact of hermetic storage technologies adoption on maize storage income among smallholder maize farmers, using an endogenous switching regression (ESR) on a random sample of 301 respondents from Gatsibo District of Rwanda. The results revealed that the common maize storage technologies used among smallholder farmers were polypropylene bags, chemicals, hermetic bags, and silos. Only 41% were HST adopters. Membership in farmer groups, access to credit, the quantity of maize produced, access to training, and selling maize immediately after harvest were the major factors influencing farmers’ adoption of alternative storage technologies. The results from the ESR model show that household size, training, access to credit, distance to input provider, and the household head’s experience in maize production influenced smallholder farmers’ decision to adopt HST. Overall, the adoption of HST had a positive and significant impact on income from stored maize among maize smallholder farmers. The study recommends that the government of Rwanda and other stakeholders should support the dissemination of HST to facilitate access. In addition, policies supporting the training of smallholder maize farmers on post-harvest loss reduction and facilitating smallholder farmers’ access to credit are highly recommended.

Heat stress is a major stressor of dairy livestock production nearly everywhere in the globe, and it is only going to get worse as the world gets warmer. The aim of the study was to map areas where dairy cattle are susceptible to experiencing heat stress under current and future projected climatic conditions in Uganda. The specific objectives included (i) Investigate the trend of heat stress for dairy cattle during the current and future periods, (ii) Map areas and dairy cattle are at risk of exposure to heat stress under current and future climate conditions, and (iii) Determine adaptation strategies and options for the impact of heat stress across the dairy value chain. The study follows a transdisciplinary approach by leveraging geoinformation techniques. Using ERA-Interim reanalysis dataset for the historical period (1981-2010) and for two periods in the future (2021-2050 and 2071-2100) climate predictions of ten global circulation models (GCMs) under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5 emission scenarios. This study demonstrates a significant rise in the historical prevalence of severe heat stress in dairy cattle (p<0.05) over time in 38 percent of the country. Much of the significant rise is concentrated in the country's northern and central regions. Under future climate conditions, simulations under both RCP scenarios predicted that the country would gradually deteriorate to increasingly severe conditions. On average, milk decline due to heat stress is anticipated to be 2.3 and 15.6 kg milk/year/dairy cow for 2021-2050 and 2071-2100 respectively based on RCP 8.5. Even though dairy farmers are already adapting to heat stress, future heat stress management techniques will necessitate informed climate smart technologies aiming at embedding resilience in current dairy production systems. The findings of this study are concerning, mainly because they show that the effects of heat stress have a substantial effect on Uganda's dairy production systems. The results can be utilized to assist stakeholders in the livestock industry in creating policies that are supported by data and planning, as well as to direct resource allocation in the industry toward the development of adaptable and flexible production systems that can survive future heat stress.