Crop and varietal diversification are essential for African smallholder farmers to adapt to the complex and unprecedented challenges posed by climate change. Although African genebanks maintain seed collections of numerous crops, with thousands of varieties collected from their countries' farmers, the direct use of these collections by farmers is very limited. Five African national genebanks therefore explored ways to strengthen farmers' access to and use of these collections through a longer-term collaborative process. The genebanks and their partners engaged with 'Germplasm User Groups' as a basis for facilitating sustained joint learning with farmers for use of conserved germplasm. The structure of these groups and the methods they used for identifying and testing germplasm accessions, although differing by country context, all enabled a diversity of farmers to learn about a wide range of germplasm under relevant field conditions. The large number of accessions that farmers selected, their diverse advantages and the requests by numerous farmer groups to continue exploring additional crops and varieties indicated the usefulness of these approaches. These experiences revealed the feasibility and unique roles and opportunities for national genebanks to facilitate farmers' direct use of the diversity conserved in their crop collections. National genebanks thus have unique responsibilities for adapting their operating procedures and partnering with research and development practitioners to facilitate farmers' discovery and use of their conserved crop diversity.
Effective health records management is essential for efficient healthcare systems. However, outdated infrastructure, limited user integration, and inefficient data retrieval continue to impede healthcare service delivery in Kenyan hospitals, raising the question: to what extent do records management practices predict archival workflow functionality in public hospitals? This study was grounded in Records Management Theory, which conceptualizes records as assets moving through a defined lifecycle creation, use, maintenance, and disposition governed by policies and standards to ensure accessibility, integrity, and accountability. Building on this lens, the study's conceptual framework positions records management practices, retrieval speed and ease, records handling, and archival software use as independent variables predicting archival workflow functionality as the dependent variable, with government policies and standard operating procedures as intervening variables consistent with the theory's emphasis on regulatory oversight across the records lifecycle. The framework further incorporates system reliability, user acceptance, and user requirements, including data confidentiality and security, as dimensions shaping user trust and satisfaction, thereby identifying where adjustments are needed. A cross-sectional survey of 265 healthcare workers at Kisumu and Migori referral hospitals, sampled proportionately across professional cadres using Slovin's formula, tested these relationships using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression. Findings showed generally favorable standard operating procedures compliance (64.4%), retrievability (57.8%), and software evaluations (65.1–73.1%), alongside strong support for system modernization (87.9–91.5%), though user feedback integration remained moderate. Regular disposal of outdated records, a core lifecycle stage under Records Management Theory, was significantly associated with workflow functionality (χ²=33.25, p=0.032), while standard operating procedures compliance (OR=1.52, p=0.045) and user-friendly, secure archival software (OR=1.84, p=0.011) emerged as significant predictors, affirming the theory's premise that structured, policy-governed management of records across their lifecycle drives system functionality. These results underscore the need to modernize archival workflow systems, strengthen data security, and deepen user participation. The study recommends standardized, automated archival workflows supported by ongoing capacity building and routine system reviews in Kenyan public hospitals.
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a powerful analytical tool for determining community-level exposure to legal and illicit chemicals by analysing parent materials and human metabolites in sewage influent. In this work, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was utilised to quantify seven drug biomarkers in weekly influent samples collected over a 16-week period (February-May) from a major wastewater treatment facility in Nairobi, Kenya. The target analytes were amphetamine (AMP), methamphetamine marker (MAMP), benzoylecgonine (BE), cocaine (COC), morphine (MOR), codeine (COD), and 11-nor-9-carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol (THCCOOH). Concentrations were measured in the ng L-1 range and analysed using descriptive statistics and short-term temporal trends. BE was regularly found at moderate levels (mean 15.3 ng L-1), while AMP and THC-COOH had the highest mean concentrations (31.9 and 19.8 ng L-1, respectively). The pooled standard deviations (0.46-2.72 ng L-1) showed low week-to-week variability. Linear regression indicated mostly stable temporal patterns, with very small positive trends in AMP and MAMP. Overall, the findings illustrate the analytical feasibility of LC-MS/MS-based WBE in an urban African setting, taking into account population normalisation, influent flow variability, analytical recovery, and in-sewer transformation.
This study examined students’ perceptions of grade repetition in CBE comprehensive schools in rural Kenya. Grade repetition, also known as grade retention, requires learners to remain in the same grade for an additional academic year. Although intended to improve mastery of learning outcomes, its educational value remains contested, particularly within Competency-Based Education (CBE), which emphasises continuous assessment and timely intervention. A descriptive survey design employing quantitative and qualitative approaches was used. The study involved 367 students from 14 rural comprehensive schools. Questionnaires were administered to students, while semi-structured interviews were conducted with selected teachers and school administrators. Quantitative data were analysed using frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, and a one-sample t-test. Qualitative data were analysed thematically. Findings indicated that students recognised some academic benefits of grade repetition but generally preferred remedial support, individualised intervention, and continued progression. The overall perception score was 3.68 on a five-point scale, significantly different from the neutral midpoint, t(366) = 18.32, p < .001. Interview participants considered repetition potentially beneficial in exceptional circumstances but raised concerns about learner motivation, stigma, peer relationships, and educational costs. The study concludes that grade repetition should not be a routine response to low achievement in CBE comprehensive schools. Instead, schools should prioritise continuous assessment, differentiated instruction, remedial teaching, and individualised learner support. Where repetition is necessary, decisions should be evidence-based, carefully monitored, and accompanied by specific intervention plans.
This paper makes the case for the regional scale as a space for resilient, sustainable food system transformation. Drawing from the literature and using the example of the Food Learning and Growing (FLOW) Partnership, we propose a hybrid methodology to explore, monitor and track enablers, barriers and changes over time. FLOW includes ten food regions where we are tracking various dimensions of transformation. The regional food systems capacities framework introduced herein is the theoretical basis for our work and frames our research. This framework underpins our research approach that includes developing multi-actor groups to guide our research and using collective visioning and impact pathways to map changes. Impact pathway maps help identify indicators to monitor and track changes and follow the paths to transformation. The indicators are brought to life through stories of change that will be shared across the research project to inform and catalyze ideas between regions. The stories will also be shared outside the FLOW partnership to inform and inspire others who seek to transform their food systems. Our goal is to understand the socio-ecological, economic, human and governance capacities that facilitate transformation from industrial food systems to ones that realize fair livelihoods, the right to food, food security, and ecological integrity.
