Browsing by Author "Harouna, Difo"

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Development of a practical framework for sustainable surveillance and control of ticks and tick-borne diseases in Africa
(Veterinary World, 2020-09-19) Nchu, Felix; Nyangiwe, Nkululeko; Muhanguzi, Dennis; Nzalawahe, Jahashi; Nagagi, Yakob; Nagagi, Yakob; Msalya, George; Joseph, Natala; Kimaro, Esther; Mollel, Margaret; Temba, Violet; Harouna, Difo
A workshop on ticks and tick-borne diseases (T&TBDs) was held on June 25 and 26, 2019, at the Tropical Pesticides Research Institute, Division of Livestock and Human Diseases Vector Control, Arusha, Tanzania. The objectives of the workshop were to discuss the current situation and to formulate actionable strategies to improve surveillance and control of T&TBDs in Africa. The workshop was funded by the National Research Foundation and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and attended by livestock health providers, farmers, and researchers from East, West, and Southern African countries. During the workshop, experts presented recent surveillance data focused on T&TBDs; participants discussed research opportunities and community engagement. The primary outcome of the workshop was the creation of a new research consortium known as The African Consortium for T&TBDs. The consortium is intended to function as a community for researchers, students, farmers, policymakers, extension workers, and community members who are interested in the advancement of T&TBD control. The consortium will engage in research activities that focus on comprehensive surveillance of T&TBDs, developing tick acaricide resistance, alternative tick control programs, and policy development and education. These areas were identified as top priorities to be developed to improve T&TBD control on the continent
Exploring the nutritional potentials of wild Vigna legume species for neo-domestication prospects
(Cambridge University Press, 2024-02-14) Harouna, Difo; Ndakidem, Patrick; Venkataramana, Pavithravani; Matemu, Athanasia
Projected increases in human population suggest that 70% more food will be needed in the near future, this makes it imperative to search for alternative food and feed sources for human and animal nutrition to feed the exponentially growing human population. According to the FAO 2019 report, the immense challenge of achieving the Zero Hunger target by 2030 is persistent. Exploring the unexplored, refining unrefined traits, cultivating the uncultivated, and popularizing the unpopular remain the most adequate steps proposed by researchers to achieve the domestication of the undomesticated for food and nutrition security. In that line of thought, this study explored the proximate composition of 87 accessions of four wild unexplored Vigna species (V. racemosa, V. ambacensis, V. reticulata, V. vexillata) in order to reveal information leading to their future domestication and utilization. Standard procedures and methods approved by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists were used in carrying out the proximate composition (%protein, %lipid, %fibre, %ash and % moisture and % carbohydrate) of the wild Vigna legumes. The study revealed that the wild Vigna species possess a large variation range of nutrient characteristics which could be exploited in the improvement of domesticated species or guide their domestication. It was also found that some individual wild accessions have higher nutrient, content as compared with domesticated ones which could be advantageous for bio-fortification or domestication. Indications relating to the candidate accessions favourable for dom
Vigna Legumes: Exploring Some Biochemical Constituents of the Wild Species for Potential Neo-Domestication Candidates
(Research Square, 2022-09-14) Harouna, Difo; Ndakidemi, Patrick; Venkataramana, Pavithravani; Matemu, Athanasia
Due to the foresight of food system collapse, the search for alternative food and feed sources for human and animal nutrition becomes a daunting task. In addition, achieving Zero Hunger target by the year 2030 as set by the FAO is challenging. Re-exploring the less explored foods, coupled to refining less refined traits, cultivating the uncultivated, and popularizing the unpopular food crops are steps to achieve the domestication of wild plants for food and nutrition security. In that line of thought, this study explored the proximate composition of 87 accessions of four wild unexplored Vigna species in order to reveal information leading to their future domestication and utilization. Standard procedures and methods approved by AOAC were used in carrying out the proximate composition of the wild Vigna legumes. The study revealed that the wild Vigna species possess a large variation range of nutrient characteristics which could be exploited in the improvement of domesticated species or guide their domestication. It was also found that some individual wild accessions have higher nutrient, content as compared with domesticated ones which could be advantageous for bio-fortification or domestication. Indications relating to the candidate accessions favorable for domestication, based on the nutrient characteristics were revealed.