Browsing by Author "Okia, Clement Akais"

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    Provisional classification of wild edible fruits based on their nutrient profiles
    (Acta Scientific, 2022-12-07) Omujal, Francis; Ochan, Peter; Okullo, Paul; Ogwang, Patrick E; Okia, Clement Akais; Natukunda, Sheilla; Olupot, William
    Nutritional analyses of food have mainly focused on determining the nutritional composition. Few concentrate on their nutritional value. This study provisionally classified ten wild edible fruits (WEF) growing in the Teso sub region in eastern Uganda by their nutritional value. Fruit pulps of Carissa spinarum, Saba comorensis, Sclerocarya birrea. Flacourtia indica, Vitex doniana, Strychnos spinosa Ximenia americana, Vangueria infausta, Vitellaria paradoxa and Physalis minima were analyzed for proximate and mineral composition, and their recommended dietary allowance (RDA) per 100g calculated. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HLA), Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Canonical Discriminant Analysis (CDA) were used to classify the fruits based on their nutrient compositions. Nutrient density profiling was used to evaluate the nutritional value using the Nutrient Food Index (NFI). The HLA returned two and three clusters at linkage distances of <25 and 15 respectively, showing that these clusters were nutritionally distinct from each other. The PCA returned five components which accounted for 86.27% of the variability in the nutritional composition. The variability in Principle Component I was explained primarily by differences in moisture, total energy and total carbohydrates and that in Principle Component 2 mainly by dissimilarities in amounts of Zn and Fe. Canonical Discriminant Analysis (CDA) generated three Canonical Discriminant Functions (CDF), the first of which explained 99.2% of the total variation of the clusters with total carbohydrate and potassium content as the major contributors (Wilks’ lambda: Λ = 0.173 and 0.041 for carbohydrates and potassium respectively). The nutrient density profiles had F. indica and P. minima as the top-ranked with their overall nutritional values largely contributed by protein, potassium and dietary fibre. These results suggest that classification of WEF based on nutritional composition is possible, and these could be used in their promotion among communities in public health and nutrition education.
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    Social and environmental transformation of refugee and hosting community landscapes in Central and Eastern Africa.
    (Center for International Forestry Research, 2022) Laird, Sarah; Awono, Abdon; Okia, Clement Akais; Anaya, Gabriela Alvarez; Ingram, Verina; Sola, Phosiso; Watson, Catharine; Muthuri, Catherine; Gilruth, Peter; Mendum, Ruth; Njenga, Mary
    Sub-Saharan Africa hosts more than 26% of the world’s refugee population, with 6.3 million refugees – which represents a 186% increase in the last decade, from 2.2 million. There has been an increase in internally displaced persons (IDPs) following conflicts and violence in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR), and the Lake Chad basin. The population of refugee settlements disproportionately comprises women and children, and is characterized by highly diverse cultural backgrounds, with some settlements having people from approximately 10 nationalities. In many areas, refugees and IDPs add pressure to already vulnerable ecosystems and existing social tensions, leading to land use and resource conflicts among displaced people and host communities. Overharvesting of natural resources, competition over resources, and entering host communities’ common or private lands without consent are the main drivers of conflict between host communities and refugees. These conflict situations are aggravated by the impact of climate change, deforestation, and environmental degradation, which are recognized by humanitarian organizations and are placed at the centre of their agendas. This document synthesises the challenges in environmental sustainability facing refugee-hosting landscapes, on-going initiatives, and gaps. It also presents transformative science plans by CIFORICRAF to address exiting gaps towards resilient landscapes and livelihoods. CIFOR-ICRAF is a research institution in forestry and landscape management, which has evolved out of an effective merger between CIFOR and ICRAF. Resilience, sustainability, and environmental health in host landscapes are multi-faceted and complex, with cultural, ecological, economic, social, and political dimensions. Therefore, despite various organisations working in refugee-hosting landscapes, there are still challenges in achieving holistic, long-term and sustainable solutions [...]