Search

Many cities of developing countries experience widespread poverty due to accelerated migration of people from rural to urban areas as well as high population growth rates. The city of Jos in Plateau State is experiencing rapid population growth as well, with the attendant problems of food insecurity, insufficient income, unemployment and environmental degradation. This study assessed the role that urban vegetable production plays in providing a source of livelihood to small-scale farmers in Jos. The farmers were registered with the third Fadama Project in Nigeria. Such projects derive their name from the native Hausa word 'fadama' which means irrigable lands on flood-prone and low-lying plains. Forty percent (40%) of urban vegetable farmers were randomly selected to have a sample size of 94 participants. A mixed method approach was used and this involved questionnaire-administered interviews. The primary data obtained were transcribed and subjected to ANOVA and t-test analysis. From the results obtained, most of the vegetables farm plots are located predominantly in the southern part of the study area. Results indicated that vegetable farming is playing an important role in providing 84% part-time and 5% full-time employment opportunities as well as reducing food insecurity among the study participants. In addition, most farmers achieved an income of more than the minimum wage of [??]30, 000 (US$ 72. 24) as approved by the Nigerian Government. The results also showed that lack of credit facilities, seasonal variations and the high cost of farm inputs and equipment are the most serious problems faced by participants. Other challenges associated with small-scale urban farming entailed the negative environmental impacts that may lead to the decline of environmental quality, thus undermining long term sustainability. Furthermore, there were no statistically significant differences among participants in terms of the relationship between the type of vegetables they produce, incomes generated, environmental impacts and their demographical attributes. These attributes are the age, gender, marital status, and educational background of participants. Based on these findings, and the socio-economic importance of vegetable farming in this study area, governments and financial institutions should establish better policies in order to solve the problems faced by small-scale vegetable farmers in urban areas. Key words: Vegetable cultivation, urban farming, agriculture, Jos, employment, food security, income, INTRODUCTION It is widely recognised that most developing countries have the world's highest rates of poverty in urban areas. Moreover, the percentage of the urban poor in Africa is expected [...]

The water quality of the Kaalspruit River, situated in the Gauteng province, South Africa, has been in question over previous years with concerns about the health risks potentially posed by the level of pollution to the surrounding communities. The study aimed to conduct a physico-chemical assessment of water and sediment in the river. In-situ water quality parameters were measured in the field using a multi-parameter water quality meter, while other parameters, such as organic and inorganic constituents were analysed at SANAS accredited laboratories. Water quality results revealed generally poor conditions with minimal seasonal variations, showing low dissolved oxygen and some metal concentrations present in toxic levels. Furthermore, the levels of faecal coliforms and E. coli were beyond the detectable levels in sampling areas of close proximity to informal settlements. Overall, this study revealed that the river system is of poor quality as a result of anthropogenic activities surrounding the Kaalspruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change constitutes one of the greatest threats to human health globally and there have been increasing interests in understanding the dynamics of climate change consciousness particularly in less industrialised countries of Africa. Research on cross-country, sub-regional and continent differences in climate change consciousness are rare especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, to complement the existing body of literature, this study was conducted on cross-national predictors of public climate change consciousness. Data from the Afrobarometer round 7 for thirty-four [34] African countries, collected between 2017 and 2020, were used to investigate the influence of geographical, socio-demographics, and source of information on public consciousness of climate change. Statistical analyses of t -test, ANOVA and multiple regression were conducted to test the formulated hypotheses. Results showed a low level of climate change consciousness (CCC) among participants. Radio news was the major source of information for the sampled African citizens. There were significant differences in the CCC of male and female as well as between urban and rural respondents. Significant differences were also found among the sub-regions, educational levels, age groups and occupations. Sources of information and demographic variables significantly influenced the level of CCC among participating citizens. Educational attainment was the single most potent predictor of climate change consciousness. The study recommends that African citizens need capacity building on climate change awareness and initiatives which would assist in mitigating the effects of climate change., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Environmental impact assessment reports meant for proposed development actions can be evaluated to reveal their quality and fitness for the purpose of environmental decision-making. Therefore, this study evaluated the quality and identified strengths and weaknesses in environmental impact assessment reports of telecommunications infrastructure proposed for Plateau State in Nigeria. To this end, 80 reports were evaluated using the modified version of the Lee and Colley review package. The results revealed the following points. In Review Area 1.0 (Description of the proposed telecommunications facilities) and Review Area 5.0 (Communication of results), the quality of environmental impact assessment reports was found to be generally satisfactory. However, the quality of all reports was considered 'very unsatisfactory' ('F') regarding their overall legal compliance with the requirements stipulated in the remaining three Review Areas, namely, Review Area 2.0 (Terrain susceptibility in the proposed project areas), Review Area 3.0 (Associated and potential environmental impacts), and Review Area 4.0 (Mitigation measures/alternatives). This 'F' rating was assigned to 65% (52/80) of reports regarding Review Area 3.0 because the information provided was 'very unsatisfactory'; important tasks were poorly carried out or not attempted at all. Moreover, in review areas such as Review Area 2.0 and Review Area 4.0, all reports in the evaluation were assigned an 'F' quality. Such an unsatisfactory quality rating is ascribable to the very unsatisfactory manner in which the reports were populated, especially as important task(s) were poorly performed or not attempted at all. Historically, only Review Area 1.0 and Review Area 5.0 indicated improvements in quality over time, whereas the remaining three review areas (Review Area 2.0, Review Area 3.0 and Review Area 4.0) did not improve. Based on the results obtained from the study, we recommend that there should be periodic reviews of environmental impact assessment reports by independent reviewers and environmental consultants should adhere to the sectoral guidelines for telecommunication infrastructure during the production of these reports. Moreover, in order to build technical capacity, more studies on report quality must be conducted in all sectors in Nigeria.

Pharmaceutical wastes are expected to increase given the increasing population growth rates and rapidly rising economic burden of human diseases. This challenge calls for appropriate measures for the management of such hazardous wastes. The purpose of this survey was to document and investigate existing practices for the handling, storage, and disposal of household pharmaceutical wastes (HPWs) in the Johannesburg area. Primary data were collected via online surveys with self-administered questionnaires completed by respondents. The research found that 77% ( n = 286) of respondents claimed some knowledge about HPWs. Types of medicines that contributed to HPWs included painkillers or analgesics (73%, n = 270) and drugs for treating colds and flu-related illnesses (52%; n = 193). Although there were a few exceptions, the respondents generally exhibited strong disagreements with environmentally unfriendly and health-threatening disposal practices. Moreover, most participants were willing to return expired medicines to pharmacies (40.7%, n = 151), whereas only 8.6% ( n = 32) opposed this solution. Awareness levels tended to vary with employment status, educational qualifications, and place of residence. However, place of residence and household size did not correlate with types of pharmaceutical waste. Additionally, the study found that education attainments significantly influenced the willingness of respondents to return pharmaceutical wastes. Finally, there were no significant differences amongst respondents in terms of waste disposal practices. Altogether, the findings suggest the need for targeted efforts to bring about sustainable waste management at a household level.

This paper has assessed the relationship between recycling behavior and socio-demographic variables for households in Johannesburg, South Africa. The research also identified the underlying driving factors that motivate recyclers to separate their household waste for recycling. These objectives were addressed by means of a quantitative survey research design as well as descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Based on the results, the statements that represented attitudes, subjective norms, perceived control, moral norms, situational factors, outcomes, and consequences of recycling were highly agreed to by respondents. Three factors influencing household recycling behavior were identified, namely, recycling benefits, perceived control, and situational variables. The recycling benefits construct explained 45.6% of the variance, followed by the perceived control construct (12%) and the situational variables construct explained 11% of the variance. However, the results of the EFA and multiple regression identified the situational variable as the greatest single driver of household participation in recycling. It is therefore important to overcome situational barriers that the residents of Johannesburg are currently facing if the current household waste separating program is to become successful. This would require simplifying the process of household recycling by providing appropriate knowledge, infrastructure, and the space for waste sorting and its collection.

Biosphere reserves (BRs) seek to reconcile a sustainable relationship between human welfare and environmental integrity by adopting a landscape model that distinguishes between three interdependent management zones (core, buffer, transition). Considering the increasing human influence on landscapes in BRs, the tracking land use-land cover (LULC) dynamics is crucial for the development and planning of efficient management strategies for specific management zone. This study aimed at (i) assessing biodiversity protection around the core zones to highlight the threats facing the core zones and (ii) tracking the effect of the proclamation of the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve (VBR) on the LULC dynamics in the management zones through spatio-temporal analysis using Landsat imagery acquired from1999 to 2018. Six LULC categories (water body, forest/bush, shrubs/grass, agricultural land, bare soil, and built-up/mines) were identified and mapped using the support vector machine (SVM) classification to address both objectives. Assessment of threats around the core zones using artificial buffers (0-5, 10-15, and 15-20 km radius) created around them showed agricultural activities in the most immediate buffers (0-5 km radius). The LULC dynamics showed vegetation increase in all the management zones evidenced by the reduction of bare soil as well shrub/grass lands, and by the corresponding increase in foliage-richer forest/bush lands since the proclamation of the reserve in 2009. The findings might signify a positive outcome of vegetation increase as a consequence of the proclamation of the VBR. However, firmer conservation measures must be adopted and priority must be given to the arrangement of the management zones to strengthen biodiversity protection in the core zone.

The Roodeplaat Dam and its three inflowing rivers are highly impacted by surrounding anthropogenic activities. The system is hyper-eutrophic and characterized by seasonal algal blooms and previous studies have reported levels of the hepatotoxin microcystin in the water of the impoundment. Limited information is available on the microcystin concentrations in the inflowing rivers and no information is available on the bioaccumulated levels and potential health effects in fish inhabiting these rivers. The aim of this study was to do a histopathological assessment and to determine the concentrations of bioaccumulated microcystins in the livers of two indicator fish species Clarias gariepinus and Oreochromis mossambicus. The results showed that the two species bioaccumulate microcystins at different concentrations and that their hepatic health response varied. The liver index was significantly higher for C. gariepinus compared to O. mossambicus. No significant positive correlation was found between the bioaccumulated microcystin levels and the liver histology index. It is recommended that this pilot study be followed by a controlled exposure study to confirm a possible cause and effect relationship between microcystin exposure and the specific liver alterations identified., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Beverages derived from wild plant species play an important role in local and traditional food systems in rural communities such as in the Vhembe District, South Africa. Conducting research on such foodstuffs may help to prevent loss of indigenous knowledge on potential dietary sources for needy households. Through surveys and focussed group discussions, 41 different beverage-making plant species were identified. Traditional beverage making processes are of three types. Preparing teas involve a boiling process while juices are manually extracted following overnight soaking of the fruit pulp mixture. Brewing traditional beer usually requires a spontaneous fermentation process lasting 2-3 days.