Browsing by Author "Nantongo, M."

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Lessons Learned from REDD+ Pilot Projects in Kondoa and Rungwe Districts, Tanzania
(Climate Change Iimpacts and Adaptation and Mitigation Project (CCIAM) - Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), 2016) George C. Kajembe, G. C.; Silayo, D. A.; Mutabazi, K. J.; Massawe, F.; Nantongo, M.; Vatn, A.
Reduced deforestation and forest degradation ‘plus’ the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhanced carbon stock (REDD+) has been singled out as one of the core strategies against climate change. At the same time, forests offer important livelihoods. To acquire experience on how to establish REDD+ ‘on the ground’, REDD+ pilot projects were established in Tanzania. The pilots were expected to provide valuable insights on many issues that will likely be encountered by both the government and local communities as REDD+ develops to assist in future REDD+ initiative. This study was conducted to draw lessons from two REDD+ pilot projects in Kondoa and Rungwe districts in Dodoma and Mbeya regions, respectively. Structured questionnaires for households with both closed and open ended questions were used to collect socio-economic, institutional and livelihoods-related information. Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) techniques, participant observation and focus group discussions (FGDs) were also employed. Results show that land and forests are the main livelihood assets in the two pilot project areas. Although REDD+ was generally accepted by most communities in the pilots, there were some levels of scepticism based on their past land use history. For example, the introduction of REDD+ in Kondoa faced rejection from some villages due to fears over land grabbing and exclusion from forest access. On the contrary, villages which depend solely on state-owned forests did not object to REDD+ as they are used to resource use exclusion mechanisms from such tenure systems. Assessment of the trial payments showed that most of the people would consider stopping deforestation and forests degradation if they get compensation relative to the losses of income they will encounter. Communities prefer payments in form of community investments rather than paying cash to individuals. It was observed as well that at the local level parallel governance structures for REDD+ have increasingly become a source of intra-village conflicts. In fact, the livelihood of the poor inhabitants is directly hooked to surrounding forests and natural services with growing future needs of land per household that threaten the future of REDD+. On the other hand, land use plans go through a relatively too long process and are costly. Thus, the government should consider preparing plans for all villages to reduce the costs of planning for natural resource management and use.
Molecular characterization of Edwardsiella species isolated from African catfish (Clarias Gariepinus) and Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis Niloticus) in Wakiso district, Uganda
(Sokoine University of Agriculture, 2017) Nantongo, M.
Edwardsiella tarda is an opportunistic pathogenic bacterium that causes Edwardsiellosis in cultured and wild fish. It is among the most important bacterial diseases causing severe economic losses in fish worldwide. This study was carried out to determine the occurrence and characterize E. tarda in cultured Nile tilapia and African catfish from selected fish farms in Wakiso district, Uganda. A total of 111 fish samples were collected from 17 fish farms between September 2016 and February 2017. Clinical and post mortem examination of sampled fish was done followed by bacteriological examination of the collected internal organs (spleen, kidney and liver), gills and skin swabs. Identification of the bacterium was done using conventional biochemical tests, API 20E kits and sequencing of 16S rRNA. Phylogenetic analysis was done by Neighbor-Joining method in MEGA 7.0.2 against the 16SrRNA gene sequences retrieved from the GenBank. The isolate was screened for presence of selected virulence genes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). From this study, one isolate from O. niloticus was identified and confirmed to be E. tarda by the 16S rRNA sequencing. The isolate gave an identity rate of 99.9% to other members of E. tarda on comparison with known 16S rRNA sequences in the GenBank database. In phylogenetic analysis, the isolate did not cluster with any of the E. tarda isolates suggesting a distant relationship with the isolates whose sequences were included in this study. Six virulence genes were detected in the isolate that enhance bacterial survival and pathogenesis in the host including; CitC, muk, gadB, katB, esaV and fimA. Although the study confirmed only one E. tarda isolate, the isolate tested positive for several virulence genes indicating their potential to cause disease in fish and since the bacterium is of public health importance, awareness should be created amongst fish farmers and stakeholders to take precaution to avoid disease outbreak.