Volume 11, Issue 1 (2016)

Influence of Policy on the Transformation of Range Management from Traditional Management: A Perspective of History of Range Management in Botswana

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Influence of Policy on the Transformation of Range Management from Traditional Management: A Perspective of History of Range Management in Botswana Mphinyane, N. W.; Omphile, U. J. The government of Botswana, through an Act of parliament enacted the Tribal Land Act of 1968 which gave Land Boards the power to allocate land which previously was allocated by chiefs. Most farmers only applied for water rights, probably because grazing rights required fencing. The failure by farmers to acquire grazing rights and their apparent willingness to water more than just their own livestock resulted in considerable overstocking and overgrazing around water sources. Incentives to manage the range were lacking as farmers still thought the land was free for all and finite despite the fact that they now had water rights. Exclusive land rights such as in freehold areas had not resulted in better methods of range management. Unfortunately, it is difficult to run a ranch effectively using semi-skilled workers. There are no policy records on range management prior to the country’s 1966 independence from Britain. Government introduced the Tribal Grazing Land Policy (TGLP) in 1975 as its first attempt to transform the grazing management from traditional management. The National Policy on Agricultural Development in 1991 is a follow-up on the TGLP. There had been reluctance on the part of the Government to enforce the law which allows the prosecution of individuals who mismanage the land. If progress in rangeland management is to be made in the communal sector, weekend and absentee farmers should be given the least priority when allocating ranches. Unfortunately, only cattle slaughtered at Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) carry a levy cost yet the whole cattle herd industry is heavily subsidized. This paper focuses on the transformation of range management from tradition as influenced by government policies and the consequences therein. . Open Access

Domestication of Cartagena Protocol in Botswana

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Domestication of Cartagena Protocol in Botswana Lethola, K. K.; George, D. G. M. Genetically modified (GM) plants are currently grown in many countries in the world. These crops offer advantages such as improved nutrient composition, and resistance against viruses, fungi, bacteria and insects as well as drought. Despite the advantages that such crops offer, major concerns relating to their use have been raised and these include potential toxicity to humans and environmental impact. To safe guard against these possible adverse effects, the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB) was negotiated under Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1995 and adopted in Montreal, Canada in January, 2000. The CPB was developed to address issues related to the transboundary movement of Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) that may have adverse effect on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. Botswana government has developed the Draft National Biosafety Framework in partnership with United Nations Environmental Programme- Global Environment Facility (UNEP-GEF). The goal is to develop a framework upon which policies on conservation and sustainable use of natural resources and protection of human health would be anchored. To date the National Biosafety Policy has been approved. In this paper we report the activities that have been undertaken to domesticate Cartagena Protocol in Botswana. Open Access

Cryptosporidium infection in pigs determined by two different methods and its impact on farm environment in southern Botswana.

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Cryptosporidium infection in pigs determined by two different methods and its impact on farm environment in southern Botswana. Sharma, S.P.; Busang, M. The objective of this study was to determine cryptosporidium infection in pigs in southern Botswana. During October 2009 to April 2012, fecal samples collected from 407 animals of 12 commercial piggeries were screened for Cryptosporidium species oocysts by microscopy using Modified Ziehl-Neelsen technique and C. parvum coproantigen in Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The overall infection rates in pigs were 31 and 23% by Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and Modified Ziehl-Neelsen technique, respectively. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was significantly more sensitive than Modified Ziehl-Neelsen technique in detecting cryptosporidium infection (P = 0.01). All farms and 12 of 33 litters (36%) had at least one animal harboring Cryptosporidium species organisms. Age-wise prevalence rates in suckling piglets, weaners, sows and boars were 31.6, 34.7, 27.9 and 22%, respectively by Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Though the highest infection rate was reported in animals aged 6 to < 20 weeks, there was no statistically significant difference in the infection rates between suckling and post-weaned piglets, and male and females (P = 0.67). There was no association of neonatal diarrhea and the prevalence of cryptosporidium infection indicating its asymptomatic nature. Of 12 sampled piggeries, the highest prevalence rate of 44.8% was recorded in animals of UL farm followed by 39.7% and 32.9% on QL and BL farms, respectively. Cryptosporidium infection rate on the remaining nine farms varied from 5% to 25%. Of the 81 environmental samples collected from all 12 piggeries, 13% soil, 12% water and 24% liquid manure samples from seven farms were positive for Cryptosporidium species oocysts. No significant association was observed between the presence of oocysts in the environmental samples and the infection rates detected in animals of seven piggeries. The present study demonstrated that cryptosporidium infection is highly prevalent in pigs in southern Botswana and underlines the importance of creating awareness among animal handlers on the risks of acquiring this zoonotic infection from infected animals and environmental contamination of swine barns. Therefore, hygiene in farms is important in preventing infections. Open Access

Fatty acid profile and mineral composition of traditionally processed gibto (Lupinus albus L.) grown in Ethiopia

2026-03-17T08:54:00Z

Fatty acid profile and mineral composition of traditionally processed gibto (Lupinus albus L.) grown in Ethiopia Getachew, P.; Umeta, M.; Retta, N.; Bekele, T.; Molapisi, M.; Haki, G. D. White lupin seeds, Lupinus albus L. are known for their bitter taste due to the presence of various alkaloids and other related anti-nutritional factors which make the seeds inedible. There are some traditional processing methods that have the potential to reduce the alkaloid content and make the product safe for human consumption. However, studies on the effects of these processing techniques on other biochemical compositions of the seed are lacking. In this study, the effects of three commonly used traditional processing methods on the fatty acid profile, mineral composition and total alkaloid contents of L. albus seeds grown in Ethiopia are reported. The processing methods comprised boiling followed by soaking for five days, roasting followed by soaking for five days and germination for 48 hours, each combined with dehulling by hand, at the end of the processing treatment. The L. albus seeds were collected from two sites named Dangla and Tilili. Analysis of the seeds showed that the contents of iron, zinc, manganese and magnesium in the raw Dangla and Tilili samples were 6.01, 2.11, 58.43 and 8.93 mg/100 g and 6.73, 1.81, 59.14 and 9.46 mg/100 g, respectively. In raw seeds, an average value of 10% saturated and 75% unsaturated fatty acids were recorded. The predominant saturated fatty acids were C16:0, C18:0 and C20:0 while the unsaturated fatty acids were C18:1 (n-9) and C18:2 (n-6). All the traditional processing methods applied reduced the total alkaloid content of the seed from both sites significantly. Due to these treatments the content of iron in the seeds from both sites was reduced by between 14 and 47% and magnesium by less than 10%. However, no reduction in essential fatty acid contents was observed. Therefore, minimal processing of L. albus seeds using traditional methods can serve as a means of reducing alkaloid content and thus allow the product, which is a potential source of minerals and essential fatty acids, to be palatable to humans. Journal article