Flower Farm Research Articles

Perancangan Sistem Penjualan Online Berbasis Web Untuk Petani Tanaman Bunga Di Desa Cihideung

Salah satu kendala petani tanaman bunga adalah bagaimana memasarkan produk tanaman yang dihasilkan, dan hal tersebut yang menjadi landasan penelitian mengenai perancangan sistem penjualan berbasis web untuk petani tanaman bunga di desa Cihideung. Adapun alasan dirancangnya sistem penjualan online adalah karena para petani di desa Cihideung belum menggunakan sistem yang dapat membantu dalam proses penjualan. Tujuan perancangan sistem penjualan online adalah untuk dapat membantu petani tanaman bunga dalam mengelola data penjualan agar lebih efektif. Perancangan sistem penjualan ini menerapkan model air terjun (waterfall model), yang melakukan pendekatan proses perancangan secara sistematis, yang dimulai pada tingkat analisa sistem, desain, kode, dan pengujian. Hasil dari perancangan sistem tersebut menjadikan suatu sistem penjualan online yang dapat membantu petani tanaman bunga dalam menjual hasil dan meningkatkan fleksibilitas bagi customer yang ingin berbelanja tanpa harus datang ke tempat. Namun sistem tersebut masih memiliki kekurangan, yaitu tidak memliki sistem keamanan untuk transaksi pembayaran online, karena sistem pembayaran yang dilakukan hanya dengan melalui transfer rekening antar bank pembeli dan penjual. Oleh sebab itu, disarankan agar ada penelitian berikutnya yang dapat meningkatkan fungsi sistem keamanan untuk sistem pembayaran transaksi online, sehingga dapat memudahkan bagi pengunjung web yang berada di luar negeri yang ingin bertransaksi atau membeli tanaman bunga.

Residual effects of bioslurry and amino acids plant biostimulant on carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) flower quality.

A greenhouse experiment was conducted in Finlays, Lemotit Flower Farm in Kenya to determine the residual effect of bioslurry and an amino acids plant biostimulant on carnation flower quality. A second flush of carnation plants growing in previous experimental plots was used. This experiment was laid out in a split plot design with three replications. Four levels of bioslurry: 0, 0.125, 0.25 and 0.5 L m-2 were applied in the main plots while four levels of plant biostimulant: 0, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 L ha-1 were used in the sub-plots. Results showed that there was no significant residual effect of bioslurry on studied parameters. Residual effects of plant biostimulant applied at 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 L ha-1 resulted in a significant increase in carnation flower stalk length by 1.08 to 1.72 cm compared to control. However, there was negligible reduction of the flower stalk diameter (0.1 mm) and no significant residual effect of plant biostimulant on flower head size. Moreover, there were no residual interactive effects of bioslurry and plant biostimulant on studied parameters. These results suggest that plant biostimulant can be used to improve the flower stem length in the subsequent flush of carnation plants supplied with a full dose of inorganic fertilizers.

Drivers of Labour Productivity in Flower Farms in Naivasha, Kenya

Although Kenya is the most successful producer and exporter of fresh produce and flowers in sub-Saharan Africa, other countries both in Africa and elsewhere, offer strong competition that could erode export market share in future. Increased labor productivity is crucial for Kenya’s competitiveness. This study aimed at examining the key drivers of labour productivity in flower farms in Naivasha, Kenya. Descriptive survey design was employed and stratified proportionate random sampling technique used to select 381 respondents from who data was collected using a questionnaire. A log-linearized Cobb-Douglas model was used examine determinants of labour productivity. The results showed that workers’ participation in Labor unions, Information & Communication Technology and workers’ skills acquired through training were the major factors that determined labour productivity by 35.4 percent, 19 percent and 14.7 percent respectively. While worker’s wage increase and tools used by a worker influenced labour productivity by 9 percent and 11.4 percent respectively. Worker’s level of education and worker’s experience also increased labour productivity by 5.1 percent and 4 percent respectively. The study recommends that; the Kenyan government should give special attention to education to produce skilled and innovative workers. Flower Farms should invest more in training of workers to acquire relevant skills, acquisition of appropriate tools; improve ICT infrastructure and support labor union in the flower farms.

ANALISIS RISIKO USAHATANI BUNGA KRISAN POTONG (Chrysanthenum indicum L) (Studi kasus di PT Alam Indah Bunga Nusantara)

Horticulture is one of the sub-sectors in agriculture that have the potential to be developed asit has a high economic value. One of the featured plants that have good prospects for development in Indonesia is the chrysanthemum. In the process of cultivation of chrysanthemums, required skills and intensive treatment of the chrysanthemum. therefore at high risk of cultivation process. PT Alam Indah Bunga Nusantara is one of the companies engaged in the agribusiness plants located in West Java. The purpose of this research was to determine factors that will influence the risk in chrysanthemum cut flower farm, to determine the extent of risk management which conducted in PT Alam Indah Bunga Nusantara, and know the strategies to improve risk conducted in PT Alam Indah Bunga Nusantara. The study design used was a qualitative design using FMEA analysis (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis). Engineering research is tostudy the case. The result was the risks faced in PT Alam Indah Bunga Nusantara is the weather and the climate change problem that occurs is uncertain. In addition, pests and diseases is also a risk that must be covered by the company. This can lead to a lot of things that could detrimental to the company in the business of chrysanthemums. In addition to natural factors, uncertainty in consumer tastes is a cause of risk faced by PT Alam Indah Bunga Nusantara. The new effort conducted by PT Alam Indah Bunga Nusantara in improving the quality of human resources in the company is to conduct junior secondary education program. The strategy must do for PT Alam Indah Bunga Nusantara for improve the risk is repair the greenhouse to be more optimized than previous, adding a thermostat in the greenhouse.

Heterorhabditis amazonensis for biological control of fungus gnats Bradysia difformis in Daisy gerberas

Fungus gnats (FG) have been reported in Venezuelan greenhouses recently. Bradysia difformis Frey (Diptera, Mycetophilidae) was found attacking Daisy gerbera plants [Gerbera sp. L. (Asterales: Asteraceae)] and many other crops in the country causing serious damages. Heterorhabditis amazonensis Andalo et al. (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae), was used to assess the mortality of larvae and adults of FG, number of invader nematodes per larvae and to compare the mortality of FG using nematodes and/or ciromazine under laboratory conditions. In a commercial flower farm, different doses of these nematodes were applied for eight weeks to control FG. The results showed 95% of mortality of the B. difformis larvae under laboratory conditions and performed better in the field when 50,000 nematodes were applied in every pot as a base dose to initiate a control programme. According to our results, H. amazonensis has the potential to become a regular organism for controlling fungus gnat larvae in tropical greenhouses.

Role of Floriculture Sector in Livelihood Security of Small Scale Family Farming in Intermediate Region of Jammu

The study was conducted in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir state (J&K) with 30 marigold growers to examine the production practices being practised. Ten flower growing farmers were selected randomly each from three blocks of district for collection of primary data by personal interview schedule method. The results revealed that majority of the farmers were young having age less than 45 years and are matriculate. The main occupation of majority (73.33%) of the respondents was flower farming with crop production and animal husbandry enterprises. Flower farming as a sole source of occupation was practised by none of the farmer. The average quantity of urea, DAP and MOP applied by the flower farmers was 0.84, 0.38 and 0.24 q/ha, respectively that was far less than recommendations. Very less number of farmers know about the diseases in marigold crop whereas only 13.3% farmers have knowledge of sucking pests and 10 percent each know about leaf eaters and stem borer insects. This study recommends that for encouraging results to improve farmer's socioeconomic condition, increase self-employment opportunity and to promote entrepreneurship as potential tool for poverty alleviation, more number of extension training programmes and exposure visits of the floriculturists should be organised on regular intervals.

Economic Benefits and Ecological Sustainability: The Ethical Dilemma Involving Flower Companies

Purpose This study set out to investigate the relationship between economic benefits and ecological sustainability with specific reference to flower companies in Uganda. Background In a search for economic benefits, Uganda allowed investors to open up commercial flower farms. Consequently there are over 20 companies growing flowers on a large scale around the shores of Lake Victoria. Flowers exports fetched economic benefits like (a) increased revenue through export of flowers; (b) employment of approximately 13,600 people; and (c) corporate social responsibility. Whereas economic benefits were welcome, there arose cases of discontent because flower farms used chemicals which killed off essential insects including bees, destroyed wetland and reduced fish in Lake Victoria. In that way ecological sustainability was jeopardised. Methods The objectives of this study were: (1) to analyse the relationship between economic benefits and ecological awareness; (2) to assess the relationship between ecological awareness and ecological sustainability; and (3) to analyse the relationship between economic benefits and ecological sustainability. In order to obtain data for analysis, the study used survey method and interviews. The main research tool used was a questionnaire. Findings Flowers farms in Uganda exported approximately 103,501 metric tonnes of flowers between 1994 and 2015. This export fetched about $460 million. For a low income country, the above earnings were a boon. It was found that: (a) there was no significant relationship between economic benefits and ecological awareness [r (108) =.008, p>0.05]. To achieve substantial economic benefits flowers companies ignored ecological degradation. (b) There was a clear relationship between ecological awareness and ecological sustainability [r (108)=.257, p 0.05]. Since wetlands and essential insects were destroyed in order for flower farms to thrive, the relationship could not have been congenial. Conclusion What emerged out the flower companies activities was an ethical dilemma for the country. Should flower farms be permitted to operate and bring in economic benefits but disorganise the ecological sustainability or should ecological sustainability be maintained and forego the economic benefits. The observation of above dilemma made this study important and urgent. Recommendation To resolve the above dilemma, this study advocated the adoption of an ethic of communitarian servership so that it would be possible to grow flowers while at the same time uphold ecological sustainability. In that way the study successfully resolved the ethical dilemma of ecological sustainability and economic benefits.

Predicting job satisfaction and workers’ intentions to leave at the bottom of the high value agricultural chain: evidence from the Ethiopian cut flower industry

While there is a large body of research focusing on working conditions in labour-intensive industries, none has yet considered how workers themselves perceive their own working conditions. This paper draws on a sample of workers from the cut flower sector industry in Ethiopia to examine the extent to which workers are satisfied with their jobs and to explore the relationship between job satisfaction and intention to leave. Results suggest that a positive evaluation of extrinsic organizational rewards (wage, job security and healthy environment) contributes to workers’ job satisfaction. Dissatisfied workers report higher intentions to leave their job in the flower farms. In addition to low levels of job satisfaction, having alternative livelihood strategies is a key determining factor in the intention to leave. Interestingly, being a member of an informal savings net organized at the work floor mitigates the intention to leave. The paper ends with some implications for managers and policy-makers, along with limitations and suggestions for future research.

Breeding for sterility in invasive ornamental plants©

INTRODUCTION Invasive plants are introduced species that can thrive in areas beyond their natural range of dispersal (USDA-NISIC, 2014). They naturalize over large areas, displace native plants, and disrupt natural ecosystems (Ranney, 2004). In Florida, over 1.5 million acres (approximately 600,000 ha) of public conservation lands have been invaded by introduced plant species (Fig. 1), and approximately USA$7 million was spent on management and control of invasive upland plants in 2011 (FFWCC, 2011). In the USA, control costs and production losses due to weeds was estimated at US $30.6 billion per year (Cusack et al., 2009). For example, purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), was introduced from Europe to USA in the early 1800s. Purple loosestrife is now found in all continental states except Florida (Blossey, 2002) and accounts for USA$50 million per year in control costs and forage losses. Mexican petunia, Ruellia simplex (previously also known as R. brittoniana, R. coerulea, R. malacosperma, and R. tweediana), was introduced to Florida from Mexico sometime before 1940 (Hupp et al., 2009) and has now naturalized throughout the state, plus six other southern USA states, Puerto Rico, the USA Virgin Islands and Hawaii (USDA-NRCS, 2014). It is considered as a Category I invasive species in Florida because it is altering native plant communities by displacing native species and changing community structures or ecological functions (FLEPPC, 2013). However, there is no evidence that it is hybridizing with native species (Freyre and Tripp, 2014). Sales of R. simplex ‘Purple Showers’ in Florida were ranked third for herbaceous perennials after pentas and lantana (Rick Brown, Riverview Flower Farms, pers. comm.), so a breeding program aiming to develop sterile, non-invasive cultivars was established at the University of Florida in 2007 (Freyre et al., 2012a). This species will be described in more detail in this paper.

Self-reported acute pesticide intoxications in Ethiopia

BackgroundPesticide exposure is an important public health concern in Ethiopia, but there is limited information on pesticide intoxications. Residents may have an increased risk of pesticide exposure through proximity of their homes to farms using pesticides. Also the pesticide exposure might be related to employment at these farms. This study investigated the prevalence of acute pesticide intoxications (API) by residence proximity to a nearby flower farm and assessed if intoxications were related to working in these farms or not.MethodsA cross-sectional survey involving 516 persons was conducted. Participants were grouped according to their residence proximity from a large flower farm; living within 5 kilometers and 5–12 kilometers away, respectively. In a structured interview, participants were asked if they had health symptoms within 48 h of pesticide exposure in the past year. Those who had experienced this, and reported two or more typical pesticide intoxication symptoms, were considered as having had API. Chi-square and independent t-tests were used to compare categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Confounding variables were adjusted by using binomial regression model.ResultsThe prevalence of API in the past year among the residents in the study area was 26 %, and it was higher in the population living close to the flower farm (42 %) compared to those living far away (11 %), prevalence ratio (PR) = 3.2, 95 % CI: 2.2-4.8, adjusted for age, gender & education. A subgroup living close to the farm & working there had significantly more API (56 %) than those living close & didn’t work there (16 %), adjusted PR = 3.0, 95 % CI: 1.8-4.9. Flower farm workers reported more API (56 %) than those not working in the flower farm (13 %,), adjusted PR = 4.0, 95 % CI: 2.9-5.6.ConclusionOur study indicates a 26 % prevalence of self-reported symptoms attributable to API. The residents living closer than 5 kilometers to the flower farm reported significantly higher prevalence of self-reported API than those living 5–12 kilometers away. This increased risk of API was associated with work at the flower farm.

Feminist Anthropology, Migrant Sex Work, and Transformation in East Africa

The recent anti-trafficking fervour as well as the moral panic surrounding prostitution has given rise to large gaps within migrant sex work research, especially in Africa. Bringing feminist anthropology, gender, and sexuality to the forefront of discussions surrounding transformation in Africa, at the heart of this paper is how the most excluded female sex worker – the internally displaced, labour migrant, or sex worker in transit – exists in her everyday experience within the global political economy. Drawing on feminist ethnography and migration stories, this paper challenges listeners to understand the sex worker migrant as a complete person, focusing on her mobile sociality and worldliness rather than only her morality, calling for a gendered rescaling of African sex work research beyond the street level. Focusing on how sexual-economic transactions are made meaningful through multi-scalar processes and power dynamics across time, space, and place from one ethnographic location, this paper takes the listener across the topography of sexual commerce in Naivasha, Kenya. Naivasha is a unique site from which to study the sex worker migrant across East Africa. Naivasha has a large street-based sex economy and a tourist industry second only to Mombasa, and is a place where unique migration patterns and types of sexual commerce converge. This is because it is home to one of the largest internally displaced person (IDP) camps in the Rift Valley, where sex worker IDPs engage in survival sex, transactional sex, and sex work with both the camp residents and the host community. The global cut flower industry is also concentrated in Naivasha, where women labour migrants exchange sex for work in flower farms and supplement their low incomes with transactional sex and part-time sex work. Naivasha is also a major stop along the East African highway, and itinerant female sex workers often travel long distances with truck drivers, pursuing cosmopolitan identities, learning languages, and encountering different cultures. Furthermore, the rapid explosion of mobile phone use has had a huge impact on the nature of sex work here (and across East Africa), especially the use of the mobile money transfer system known as M-Pesa, which has contributed significantly to the active restructuring of traditional gendered norms and relationships. While the street persists as an important space of sexual-economic exchange in Kenya, globalization is fundamentally and forever changing the street corner as both a space and idea in contemporary Kenya. In fiction, scholarly work, and policy discussions, the street, street corners, and red light districts remain at the very heart of the imaginary of where sex work takes place and who female sex workers are. Despite this, this paper argues street level transactions are inextricably linked to broader local, regional, and global processes across time, space, place, and scale far beyond red light districts. Most importantly, an examination of these migrant sex work spaces, including the IDP camp, flower farms, highways, and even mobile phones, reveal how female sex workers too are part of the innovative, transformative, and sustainable in East Africa today.

Food or flowers? Contested transformations of community food security and water use priorities under new legal and market regimes in Ecuador's highlands

During the past three decades, the Pisque watershed in Ecuador's Northern Andes has become the country's principal export-roses producing area. Recently, a new boom of local smallholders have established small rose greenhouses and joined the flower-export business. This has intensified water scarcity and material/discursive conflicts over water use priorities: water to defend local-national food sovereignty or production for export. This paper examines how including peasant flower farms in the capitalist dream – driven by a ‘mimetic desire’ and copying large-scale capitalist flower-farm practices and technologies – generates new intra-community conflicts over collective water rights, extending traditional class-based water conflicts. New allocation principles in Ecuador's progressive 2008 Constitution and 2014 Water Law prioritising food production over flowers' industrial water use are unlikely to benefit smallholder communities. Instead, decision-making power for peasant communities and their water users' associations on water use priority would enable water user prioritization according to smallholders' own preferences.

Effect of Flower Farm Effluents on Diversity and Composition of Macro Invertebrates in Marura Wetland

Wetlands are important sites for biological conservation due to their rich biodiversity which possess high productivity. They also offer shelter to many organisms and offers services such as water purification and flood control. However, biodiversity in wetlands has been reduced due to human activities that cause pollution like, flower farm effluents which are discharged directly to wetlands or river systems. Four water quality parameters; DO, BOD, pH, TDS, TSS and macro-invertebrates composition were investigated at four different stations (S1, S2, S3, S4) adjacent to Equator Flower Farm along the Marura wetland. PAST program was used to calculate diversity indices and richness in the macroinvertebrates communities. Station S2 had the highest temperature (22.6°C), whereas S4 had the lowest temperature (19.6°C). The pH value did not vary along the stations (8.3-6.3). The DO level fluctuated along the river, station S1 had highest level of 3.6 m/l and lowest station S3 had 0.8mg/l. TSS and TDS did not show significant variations, while BOD levels varied with different stations. The highest value of TN was recorded at Station 3 (0.33±0.045mgl-1). There was no significant difference (p=0.055) in three stations (S1, S2, S4) except S3. In total 10 orders, 30 genera and 30 families of macroinvertebrates were identified. The orders; Odonata, Coleoptera, Hemiptera and Diptera were the main macroinvertebrates found in all station, while the members of orders; Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera, Oligochaeta Mollusca, Gnathobellidae and Isopoda were few in all sampling stations. Station S2 and S4 had the highest species diversity compared to station S1 and S3 which had the lowest diversity. DO, BOD and temperature were found to have a significant effect on abundance and composition of benthic organisms with S3 having less abundance due to its proximity to the flower farm.

Zoe in Wonderland by Brenda Woods

Reviewed by: Zoe in Wonderland by Brenda Woods Jeannette Hulick Woods, Brenda Zoe in Wonderland. Paulsen/Penguin, 2016 [208p] ISBN 978-0-399-17097-3 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 4-7 Shy but imaginative middle-schooler Zoe G. Reindeer pals around with her friend Quincy, a movie buff, and enjoys helping out at her dad’s plant nursery, Doc Rein-deer’s Exotic Plant Wonderland. Her curiosity sparked by a stranger’s request, Zoe buys and plants a few seeds of the rare baobab tree as a surprise for her dad, who is passionate about endangered plants, and in hope of bringing more business to the financially flailing nursery. What happens first is some bad fortune—Quincy and his family are moving out of town—and then tragedy hits when a fire burns down the Reindeer house and the nursery. However, one of Zoe’s baobab seeds [End Page 55] sprouts, and its container (a Kona Hawaiian Coffee can) seems to point the way to a new adventure for the family: a flower farm in Hawaii. African-American Zoe is a sympathetic character, and many kids will find connection points in the friendship and family dynamics that play out in her story. Her thoughtful narration of her everyday problems, her frequent, brief flights of fancy (in which a Walter-Mitty-esque “Imaginary Zoe” triumphs in various situations), and her voice and her trajectory of inner growth are credible for her age. Fans of Jacqueline Kelly’s Calpurnia Tate books and of Rita Williams-Garcia’s trilogy about the Gaither sisters will find Zoe a worthy companion. Copyright © 2016 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

When the farmgate becomes a revolving door: an institutional approach to functional labour turnover (WITHDRAWN)

Until now, the literature on labour turnover has primarily focused on costs and benefits. While this approach has increased our understanding of the objective differences between functional and dysfunctional turnover, only a few studies have considered the subjective conceptions of managers. We adopted a qualitative approach to analyse the conceptions of managers operating in the cut-flower industry in Ethiopia, focusing on how they make sense of functional turnover and how they legitimize practices aiming to sustain rather than reduce labour turnover. Building on institutional theory, our results show how the institutional systems -regulative, normative and cultural-cognitive elements- affect managers’ mindsets and thereby their practices with regard to labour turnover on flower farms. These managers feel caught in a deadlock, unable to change an unsatisfactory situation. This study extends current research by studying functional turnover through a subjective lens.

Evaluation of Steam and Soil Solarization for Meloidogyne arenaria Control in Florida Floriculture Crops.

Steam and soil solarization were investigated for control of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne arenaria in 2 yr of field trials on a commercial flower farm in Florida. The objective was to determine if preplant steam treatments in combination with solarization, or solarization alone effectively controlled nematodes compared to methyl bromide (MeBr). Trials were conducted in a field with naturally occurring populations of M. arenaria. Treatments were solarization alone, steam treatment after solarization using standard 7.6-cm-diameter perforated plastic drain tile (steam 1), steam treatment following solarization using custom-drilled plastic drain tile with 1.6-mm holes spaced every 3.8 cm (steam 2), and MeBr applied at 392 kg/ha 80:20 MeBr:chloropicrin. Drain tiles were buried approximately 35 cm deep with four tiles per 1.8 by 30 m plot. Steam application followed a 4-wk solarization period concluding in mid-October. All steam was generated using a Sioux propane boiler system. Plots were steamed for sufficient time to reach the target temperature of 70°C for 20 min. Solarization plastic was retained on the plots during steaming and plots were covered with a single layer of carpet padding to provide additional insulation. The floriculture crops larkspur (Delphinium elatum and Delphinium × belladonna), snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus), and sunflower (Helianthus annuus) were produced according to standard commercial practices. One month after treatment in both years of the study, soil populations of M. arenaria were lower in both steam treatments and in MeBr compared to solarization alone. At the end of the season in both years, galling on larkspur, snapdragon, and sunflowers was lower in both steam treatments than in solarization. Both steam treatments also provided control of M. arenaria in soil at the end of the season comparable to, or exceeding that provided by MeBr. Both steam treatments also reduced M. arenaria in snapdragon roots comparable to, or exceeding control with MeBr. Meloidogyne arenaria in soil increased in solarization alone. Solarization alone also had higher gall ratings on larkspur, snapdragon, and sunflower than all other treatments. Steam provided excellent control of M. arenaria in this study.

Design of Tropical Flowers Environmental Parameters Wireless Monitoring System Based on MSP430

Considering the importance of real-time monitoring tropical flower environment parameters, the paper designs a wireless monitoring system based on MSP430F149 for tropical flower growing parameters. The proposed system uses sensor nodes to obtain data of temperature, humidity and light intensity, sink node to collect data from sensor nodes through wireless sensor network, and monitoring center to process data downloaded from the sink node through RS232 serial port. The node hardware platform is composed of a MSP430F149 processor, AM2306 and NHZD10AI sensors used to adopt temperature, humidity and light intensity data, and an nRF905 RF chip used to receive and send data. The node software, operated in IAR Embedded Workbench, adopts C Language to do node data collection and process, wireless transmission and serial port communication. The software of monitoring center develops in VB6.0, which can provide vivid and explicit real-time monitoring platform for flower farmers.

Degradation of Lake Ziway, Ethiopia: A study of the environmental perceptions of school students

AbstractLake Ziway in Ethiopia is a freshwater lake supporting multitude uses, including irrigation, fishing, water supply and recreation. However, the lake is being degraded primarily because of various land‐ and water‐use activities in its watershed. Recognizing these human impacts on the lake's water quality and quantity, the perceptions of school students were surveyed under the belief that the future of the lake is largely dependent on this younger generation. The goal of this study was to better understand how students actually recognize the extent to which various human activities impact the water quantity and quality of Lake Ziway. As major stakeholders in their communities, the perceptions of school students from four high schools regarding the changes to the lake over time were investigated. Students were contacted by purposive sampling, based on criteria of student academic performances, and their proximity to the lake. Their perceptions were studied on the basis of an interview survey. The majority of students indicated that high levels of human activities, especially water abstractions and water pollution, were the main lake impacts. Students believe there is a lack of sustainable utilization and protection of the lake. They suggested coordinated activities among all lake stakeholders in the participation and decision‐making process to properly manage the lake. Provision of awareness to both local administrations and local communities, concern for establishing an appropriate regulatory body and allocating a sufficient budget, and strict controls on flower farm practices in the lakeshore, also was considered to be of high priority as a means of conserving the sustainability of the lake. The result derived from this survey has important implications for facilitating improved school curricula, and for federal, regional and district level water resource management authorities, in setting priorities and developing policies for the sustainability of Lake Ziway.

Lost & Found: Intellectual Property of the Fragrance Industry; From Trade Secret to Trade Dress

The foundations of the modern fragrance industry can be traced to fragrance producers established in the south of France during the sixteenth century. Through the nineteenth century, French flower farms, essential oil extractors, and manufacturers of branded fragrances, were family enterprises, and it was relatively easy for these businesses to maintain proprietary information about distillation techniques, the composition of branded perfumes, etc. The inexorable consolidation in the fragrance manufacturing industry over the past century has resulted in an industry now dominated by a handful of large fragrance multinationals that are increasingly vulnerable to misappropriation of their intellectual property, and particularly of their fragrance formulas developed at significant expense. The itinerancy of perfumers today has engendered unease among these fragrance houses as to the security of their most valuable assets: formulas and other trade secrets that can now be readily obtained, copied, and shared by employees with access to relevant information stored on the company’s servers. Even more disconcerting today to the fragrance industry is the potential of analytic technologies to reveal the chemical composition of fragrances. Unlike digital technologies that have similarly discombobulated the media industry because they enable surreptitious copyright infringement, chemical analytic technologies do not enable the illegal acquisition or distribution of intellectual property. In fact it is generally lawful not only to use these technologies to obtain the fragrance formulas of competitors, but also to use the acquired information to develop competing products.Concurrent with the erosion of the fragrance industry’s trade secrets has been the increasingly widespread deployment of fragrances as a component of multi-sensory trade dress used to brand a wide range of commercial spaces including retail stores, cinemas, hotels, etc. This article proposes that while trade secrets underlying the creation of fragrances have lost much of their efficacy, trademark and unfair competition law may offer a hitherto mostly unrealized legal protection of the deployment of fragrances as trade dress. After considering the limited efficacy of copyright and patent protection for fragrances the article canvasses the growing use of fragrance as a component of trade dress, and the potential legal protection, and financial implications, of trademark and unfair competition law.

Effects of Selected Cultural, Financial, and School-Based Factors on Girl-Child’s Educational Access and Socioeconomic Development in Sarkish Flower Farm, Nakuru County, Kenya

This paper sought to establish the effects of selected cultural, financial, and school-based factors on the girl-child’s access to educational and socioeconomic development in Kenya. It is arguably observed that various local and international conventions, treaties, commissions, and state actors have strived to promote the development of girl-child education. Specifically, Kenya’s National Goals of Education arguably observed that education should foster social equality and responsibility irrespective of gender. The same has been articulated within the Dakar Framework for Education for All, the Millennium Development Goals, Kenya’s Vision 2030, and in the Jubilee Manifesto (2013–2017). It is therefore crucial for any government to invest substantially in resources that enhance access to quality education for meaningful socioeconomic development of its citizens. Despite this surge forward, most developing countries, including Kenya, face serious challenges in equitably providing educational opportunities to their citizens. This often results in many conservative societies rationing the scarce educational opportunities to disproportionately favor the boy-child to the disadvantage of the girl-child. The study employed patriarchy and gender equality frameworks as theoretical conceptualization. A case study design was utilized in which a single unit was used to draw the subjects from whom the data was collected and analyzed. The sampling process involved a snowball strategy after the key respondents were purposively selected. The data collection was done using a structured questionnaire and an interview schedule. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the interview data were qualitatively done. Contrary to the general belief that most girl-children drop out of school because of cultural, social, or economic reasons, the study established that most of these factors played peripheral roles in determining the level of schooling among girls and therefore suggested that when the selected factors are compared, the financial and school-based factors are more critical in determining a girl-child’s access to education. The study therefore concludes that on the whole, the financial background of the girl-child with respect to family support and school-based factors have significant influence on their access to education. Any effort to promote girl-child development through education needs to focus on these factors.