Urban Communes Research Articles

Urban food availability and consumption in Grand Lomé, Togo: A household perception analysis

Introduction: Food well-being of the population is one of the priorities of the Togolese government, which relies on the agricultural investment and food security Programme to increase national food production. In addition, the country relies on food imports to make up the shortfall. At the same time undernourishment and malnutrition remain high among the country’s population. This research analyzes food supply and its implications for household consumption in Grand Lomé, Togo. [Methods] The methodology used documents, a survey of 963 heads of household randomly sampled households and semi-structured interviews with 10 households and with Togolese food safety agency (ANSAT). Quantitative data were processed and analyzed using Excel spreadsheets R and R-Studio, while content analysis was applied to the verbal applied to the verbal statements collected. Results: Firstly, the results show that domestic agricultural production contributed an average of 91% of food supply between 2014–2017. The deficit is made up by food imports, which rose from 13.5% in 2014 to 15.4% in 2017. This translated into an acceptable food energy consumption of 2337 Kcal/head/day in 2017. Secondly, 81% of respondents recognize a strong food presence at consumer markets, except that the chi-square test applied to the data at the 5% threshold shows (p-value < 2.2 × 10−16), indicates that this satisfaction is a function of place of residence. Despite this, persistent shortages affect more staple crops, livestock and dairy products, leading households to deprive themselves and buy food at affordable prices. Finally, we observe non-diversified diets marked by regular consumption of “cereals/legumes”, vegetables and beverages to the detriment of “tubers/roots”, “meat/fish”, “fruit” and “dairy products”. Conclusion: This research shows that food supply, although adequate, is not sufficient to ensure balanced, nutritious and culturally appropriate food consumption by urban households. Recommendations: To meet these challenges, the central government, in collaboration with urban communes and consumer advocates, must mobilize resources to create urban agricultural farms, strengthen food protection systems, distribute staple products directly to households and limit the importation of food that is hazardous to health.

Problem of mobilizing local financial resources for grassroots development: Case of CDL and CP in the urban commune of Kissidougou

Insufficient mobilization of local financial resources in Kissidougou hinders its development, requiring strategies for fundraising, management and governance. Our work took place from June 4 to August 20, 2023; The general objective is to identify the various factors that undermine the effective mobilization of local financial resources through the CDL and the CP. The specific objectives aim to: · -Identify the various resources mobilized in the municipality from 2021 to 2023; · -Evaluate and analyze the level of mobilization of the CDL and the CP; · -Identify the various obstacles that limit this mobilization with a view to considering suitable solutions. To achieve these objectives, we adopted the following methodology: -Planning of activities; -Consultations of documents, frameworks and archives; -Surveys: (sampling, development of survey sheets, data collection); -Processing, analysis and interpretation of the data collected. Our surveys focused on a sample of 100 people including 10 local elected officials, 10 SPI agents and 80 taxpayers. At the end of our work, we arrived at the following results: o In 2021, on a forecast of 156.552.000 GNF, 63.181.000 GNF was recovered, i.e. an achievement rate of 40.35%; o In 2022, on a forecast of 222.190.000 GNF, 162.751.345 GNF was recovered, i.e. an achievement rate of 73.24%; o In 2023, on a forecast of 368.880.000 GNF, 282.093.253 GNF was recovered, i.e. an achievement rate of 76.47%. This gap between forecasts and achievements is due to the problems that hinder mobilization. This is why solutions and decision-making must be immediately applied to resolve these problems.

Impact of cocoa variety on merchant quality and physicochemical characteristics of raw cocoa beans and roasted cocoa mass

Cocoa, a widely cultivated crop in tropical countries, is a crucial raw material in the food industry, particularly in chocolate production. Its quality is influenced by various factors, including variety, cultivation practices, fermentation, and drying. The aim of this work was to investigate the impact of the cocoa variety on the merchant quality and the physicochemical properties of raw cocoa beans and roasted cocoa mass produced in the urban commune of Pokola (Republic of the Congo) . Cocoa pods were sorted into three varieties (Criollo, Forastero, and Trinitario) according to the physical identification criteria given in the literature. Cocoa samples were prepared according to the same process: each variety was separated into three 50-kg samples placed in cubic crates with 40 cm edges covered with banana leaves for 6 days of fermentation, then sun-dried at 28–32 °C for 7 days, leading to dried cocoa beans. Roasted cocoa masses were obtained by roasting at 140 °C followed by grinding. Merchant quality analyses were carried out on raw cocoa beans and physicochemical analyses were performed on raw cocoa beans and roasted cocoa masses. Cocoa variety had the greatest impact on graining, Villtrop swelling index, proportion of brown beans, pH, total acidity, and protein content. The beans of all cocoa varieties were of intermediate merchant quality (grade II). Roasting resulted in an increase in pH and total carbohydrate content, and a decrease in water content, total acidity, protein content, and colorimetric parameters. Overall, the cocoa variety had a weaker influence on the quality and physicochemical properties of raw and roasted cocoa than roasting.

Assessment of the Vulnerability of Populations Bordering the Tile Watercourse to Flooding in the Urban Commune of N'Zerekore - Republic of Guinea

Assessment of the Vulnerability of Populations Bordering the Tile Watercourse to Flooding in the Urban Commune of N'Zerekore - Republic of Guinea

A MODEL OF ECOLOGICAL CHARCOAL PRODUCTION THROUGH HERBACEAOUS PLANTS IN THE URBAN COMMUNE OF NZEREKORE, REPUBLIC OF GUINEA

The world is confronted to various environmental problems caused by anthropogenic activities, mainly deforestation. This is why promoting the use of herbaceous plants in charcoal production will contribute to the fight against deforestation. In this paper we propose a simple model for producing ecological charcoal using herbaceous plants. The choice of the herbaceous species, the collection, weighing, drying, carbonization, crushing, sieving, kneading, compacting and drying of the briquettes are the different process which allowed us to produce this ecological charcoal based on herbaceous plants. 180kg of soaked weight of herbaceous gave us 90kg of dry weight, carbonized and crushed we obtained 8kg of powder and 1 kg of residue. These 8 kg of herbaceous powder allowed us to produce 156 briquettes of charcoal. A comparison of the physicochemical parameters of our ecological charcoal was made with the charcoal consumed in the urban commune of Nzerekore (wood charcoal). The Results showed that our produced charcoal model releases heat more slowly than wood charcoal, heats up more slowly than wood charcoal and its maximum temperature and heat quantity are higher than that of wood charcoal. The maximum temperature (98.9°C) is reached at 20 minutes for ecological charcoal (charcoal from herbaceous plants) and 97.9°C at 10 minutes for wood charcoal.

Determination of the Physico-Chemical Quality of the Waters of the Mamouwol River in the Urban Commune of Mamou, Republic of Guinea

Determination of the Physico-Chemical Quality of the Waters of the Mamouwol River in the Urban Commune of Mamou, Republic of Guinea

Study of Guinea Fowl (Numida meleagris) Production System in the Urban Commune of Madarounfa, Niger

The local guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) is native to Africa and belongs to the Gallinaceae family. A study was conducted among guinea fowl breeders in the urban commune of Madarounfa to determine the constraints of guinea fowl production in the area. Sixty (60) breeders were interviewed using a structured questionnaire in six (6) villages 15km apart to collect information on the conduct and practice of guinea fowl breeding. Results revealed that the guinea fowl breeders from this study are men. The production purpose of the guinea fowl in the urban commune of Madarounfa is for selling (53%), self-consumption (32%), and gift/donation (10%). Scavenging is the feeding system (100%) which is mostly used. Constraints related to guinea fowl production as identified by the study are mainly diseases (32%), lack of training (22%), lack of feed (17%), and lack of funding (17%). It is clear that the development of the sector necessarily involves strengthening the surveillance of avian diseases, coupled with veterinary monitoring and supervision of producers.

Evaluation of the Budget Management of Local Government Units in Poland Based on Methods of Multi-Criteria Analysis in 2019-2021

The idea of the present paper was to assess budget management in local government units in Poland in 2019-2021 using multi-criteria analysis methods. The evaluation was broken down by different types of LGUs using the TOPSIS method based on min-max normalization. The survey was conducted using secondary data obtained from the Ministry of Finance website, broken down by budget (per capita) and debt indicators. For all LGUs in total, the best position in 2019-2021 was found in voivodeships, whose ranking remained unchanged despite the COVID-19 pandemic. An analogous situation was observed in rural municipalities. The last position in the ranking was occupied by towns with powiat status (2019) and metropolitan areas (2020-2021). Between 2019 and 2021, the number of entities placed in financial condition class 2 was increasing only in towns with powiat status. A reduction in financial condition (in Class 2) was also evident in rural municipalities, in powiats, and metropolitan areas. Over the years 2019-2021, there was a reduction in the number of entities with financial condition class 3 in rural municipalities and towns with powiat status. The leaders in benchmarking in rural communes were Kleszczów and Godkowo; urban-rural communes: Kamieńśk and Lubniewice; urban communes: Krynica Morska and Hel; cities with county rights: Sopot and Świnoujście, metropolises: Katowice and Warsaw, voivodeships: Pomeranian and Greater Poland. The powiats were characterized by great diversity, the best places in the ranking in individual years went to the Wolsztyński, Sztumski and Golubsko-Dobrzański powiats.

Contribution to the Management and Valorization of Fecal Sludge in the Urban Commune of Kissidougou, Mamou, Republic of Guinea

Background and Aim : This research is a continuation of our work on the management and recovery of domestic waste. Its general objective is to take stock of the fecal sludge in the urban commune of Kissidougou, with a view to proposing appropriate treatment techniques. So, to achieve this objective, we carried out a field survey in the twenty-four neighborhoods of the urban commune, where we met ten households per neighborhood, or two hundred and forty households. Method : The specific production methods, characteristics of sanitation works, demand for mechanical emptying, and turnover of the emptying operator were used Results : The results obtained show that the housing typology of Kissidougou is characterized by a dominance of low standing estimated at 61%, followed by 37% of medium standing compared to only 2% of traditional type. Wastewater and excreta sanitation works are mainly traditional with 61%, followed by septic tanks with 14%, 13% improved latrines, 10% without specific purpose and only 1% VIP. The frequency of emptying is estimated at 40% for between 2 to 5 years, 29% (more than 2 years), 19% of the population surveyed, once the latrines are full, they give up; 7% have not changed their oil for 10 years; Likewise, 51% of the population do manual emptying; while 43% have an imprecise method of emptying their works; 4% empty their works mechanically and only 1% (other and not yet emptied). For a population of nearly 110000 inhabitants, the estimated annual specific production of faecal sludge is 64240 m3/year, or a specific production depending on households of 3014 m3/year. The quantity of sludge mechanically drained per year is 0.4m3/year; that manually is 6.24 m3/year. Thus, the characteristic of the sanitation works gives 314.12 m3/year and that of the operation of the mechanical emptying operator is 730 m3/year. Conclusion : The results show that 30% of the population do not know how much they paid to empty their latrines ; while 18% say they paid 300000 GNF, 13% paid 350000 GNF ; 10% invested 450000 GNF for emptying their latrines, 8% of the population paid 400000 GNF and others 500000 GNF ; 6% of respondents said nothing about the emptying situation ; 5% pay 650000 GNF and 4% do their emptying at 600000 GNF. Keywords: Faecal sludge, sanitation works, Management and recovery

Investigation of Anthropogenic Activities along the Mamouwol River in the Urban Commune of Mamou (Republic of Guinea)

Investigation of Anthropogenic Activities along the Mamouwol River in the Urban Commune of Mamou (Republic of Guinea)

Open-Air Quarries in the Urban Commune of Zinder (South-East Niger): An Opportunity with Strong Externalities

Open-Air Quarries in the Urban Commune of Zinder (South-East Niger): An Opportunity with Strong Externalities

Distribution and Characterization of Culicids (Diptera: Culicidae) in Two Urban Communes of Estuaire Province of Gabon

Distribution and Characterization of Culicids (Diptera: Culicidae) in Two Urban Communes of Estuaire Province of Gabon

State of play of odontophobia in the urban commune of Toliara

Introduction: Dental anxiety is omnipresent in our society. “Fear of the dentist” often leads patients to let their teeth deteriorate rather than go to a dental office. The objective of this study was to evaluate odontophobia among dental consultants at University Hospital Toliara as well as associated factors Methods: This is a prospective, analytical study carried out with dental consultants at Antanambao Toliara University Hospital. The Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) was used to determine the presence of dental phobia. Results: 96.92% of patients were included in the study, the age of the patients varied between 18 to 71 years, 39.68% were in the age group 18 to 25 years; 67.46% were of the feminine gender. The patients presented dental phobia in 39.68% of cases. Socio-professional status was associated with the occurrence of dental phobia (p=0.008). The anxiety-provoking factors observed were: anesthesia (p=0.000), fear of pain (p=0.001), noise from instruments (p=0.003), drilling (p=0.04), extraction dental (p=0.000) and view of instruments (p=0.000). A significant statistical difference was observed between avoidance of oral check-ups, avoidance of dental care, negative effects on oral health and the MDSA scale. Conclusion: Odontophobia is a reality. Identifying patients as early as possible as well as knowing the factors associated with its occurrence could improve the quality of care in the dental environment.

Recovery of Crop Residues in the Feed of N'Dama Dairy Cows in Periods of Last Food in Modiya Urban Commune of Faranah

In order to evaluate the effects of supplementation of N'Dama dairy cows through potato vines (V1 = 366 kg) and rice straw (V2 = 366 kg) in times of scarcity, a trial was set up in Modiya, from March 3 to April 28, 2023 with 18 dairy cows from the 4th and 5th lactation divided into three (3) variants (V0; V1 = supplemented with potato vines; V2 = supplemented with straw rice) with (3) repetitions (R1, R2, R3) in a random block with simple classification. Each animal received its supplementary ration once a day after milking. A weekly milk sample for eight (8) weeks provided the average production: V0 = 13.67; V1 = 16.20 and V2 = 18.44 liters. A chemical analysis of the milk gave the protein and fat levels which are respectively for V0: 4.48 and 3.20%; V1: 7.10 and 3.90%; V2: 5.60 and 3.89 %. The results show that in Modiya supplementation increased the quantity and quality of the milk of the cows which received the supplement compared to the control group.

Physico-Chemical Studies of the Bricks in Mud Raw Used in the Construction of Century-Old Huts (Straw Huts): Case of the Urban Commune of Kouroussa

Physico-Chemical Studies of the Bricks in Mud Raw Used in the Construction of Century-Old Huts (Straw Huts): Case of the Urban Commune of Kouroussa

Contribution to the Management of Fecal Sludge in the Urban Commune of Mamou (Republic of Guinea)

Contribution to the Management of Fecal Sludge in the Urban Commune of Mamou (Republic of Guinea)

The Size of Tax Jurisdiction and Tax Density

Theoretical background: Theory of public finance theory quite widely recognized that the purest indicator of government size is to observe the determinants and trend of level of public spending. It could be easy translates into the statement that following demand of government for money, first satisfied by taxes, enables to conclude, in particular, that the ratio of tax revenues to gross domestic product is the most appropriate indicator of the fiscal efficiency of the tax system. Purpose of the article: The very aim of paper is to determine, on the basis of constructed original taxation density rate, the diversification of the spatial economics of local revenues from taxation of land and developments. The supplementary goal comes from the identification of attributes of tax jurisdiction size shaping density of taxation. In particular, it is undertaken to determine whether there is a statistically significant difference in the rudimentary statistics of the correlation between the size of tax jurisdiction and intensity of land and development taxation measured by brand new index: tax density. Research methods: The research methods, apart from the query and analysis of the literature on the subject, are descriptive statistics of the population of 2,477 communes in Poland in terms of taxation density and the strength of the correlation between taxation density and attributes of tax jurisdiction defined by its size in both fiscal perspective (total tax revenues, tax revenues per capita) and demographic indexes (population, population density). The area of tax jurisdiction is correspondingly discussed. There is also employed OLS method for study correlation between tax density and indexes of tax jurisdiction size. The data are for the fiscal year of 2021. Main findings: Taxation density is, on average, the highest in urban communes, which results from a significant share of land and improvements subject to property tax. In urban communes, the share of real estate tax is on average 98.91% of total revenues from taxation of land and improvements. While in rural communes, where the lowest average level density of taxation has been recorded, the share in question is on average 73.73%. Examination of taxation density statistics for each of three subpopulations of communes (urban ones, urban-rural ones, and rural ones) indicates that in each case statistics of the distribution of tax density is attributed by positive skew and has sharper peak around the mean, but kurtosis is the highest for rural communes. It has been observed that the shapes of the distribution of total tax revenues, tax revenues per capita and population density are most similar to the shape of the distribution of taxation density in rural communes. The crucial conclusion is that the most significance for tax density growth is the increase of population in accordance with population density. The greater tax jurisdiction measured by population the greater intensity of fiscal exploitation of land occurs. Empirics of tax density for Polish communes fails to observe diseconomies of scale according to population density. There is a very parallel structure of elasticity of tax density for different features of tax jurisdiction, excluding for urban tax jurisdiction two attributes: tax revenues per capita (no statistical significant evidence of elasticity) and area (in contrast to another types of communes elasticity is positive).

Domestic Energy Consumption and Its Contribution to Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Insights from Koulikoro Urban Community, Sudano-Sahelian Zone of Mali in West Africa

The objective of this study is to estimate the carbon dioxide (CO2) released by domestic energy (firewood and charcoal) in the urban commune of Koulikoro, Mali. This study employed questionnaire survey to identify the type of energies used, their costs, the quantity consumed, and the difficulties of access to these energies and their impact on natural resources in Koulikoro. The consumption of each family per neighbourhood was extrapolated to its total population to determine the carbon emitted and the carbon dioxide released. Thus, the carbon dioxide emitted in tonnes per neighbourhood was determined. The findings revealed three types of energy in the urban commune of Koulikoro, mainly firewood 72%, charcoal 25% and Gas 3%. The use of these energy sources depends on accessibility and availability. The increase in consumption per district is a function of the number of people. Daily used charcoal was estimated at 2 kg day-1 and 7 kg day-1 for firewood. Overall, average firewood using was highest in largest household size and it was 62% higher than in small size category which recorded the lowest. Annual amount of charcoal used was 676 kg year-1 and 2294 kg year-1 for firewood. However, annual amount of fuelwood per person was higher in small size category and 178% greater than in largest household group than other household size. Carbon consumption per capita per year was greater in small household group estimate to be 477 kg pns-1 year-1. Thus, the urban commune of Koulikoro has a significant carbon dioxide emission and firewood emits more CO2 than charcoal.

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis C Virus in the Urban Commune of Kindia-Republic of Guinea

Introduction: Hepatitis C is an inflammation of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus; its spread in humans has been boosted by the emergence of parenteral use for medical purposes or drug injections, as well as its asymptomatic nature in the acute phase.
 The global prevalence of hepatitis C is estimated at 1%, with a variable distribution in different regions of the world, sometimes even within the same country.
 General objective: To help improve the biological diagnosis and prevention of HCV infections in the urban commune of Kindia.
 Methodology: The urban commune of Kindia was used as the study area. This prospective and descriptive study was carried out at the Institut de Recherche en Biologie Appliquée de Guinée (IRBAG) from June to December 2022. The biomaterial consists of 3,000 blood samples taken from patients attending consultations at health facilities. The Immuno-Enzymatic technique (ELISA) was used to test for anti-HCV antibodies.
 Results: In the course of our work, out of 3,000 samples taken from patients admitted to health facilities, 78 cases tested positive for the anti-HCV antibody, representing a carriage rate of 2.6%. Females were the most affected, with 50 positive cases (1.67%). The 31-40 age group had the highest anti-HCV antibody carriage rate, at 0.70%.
 Conclusion: All socio-professional groups are affected by this infection, but to varying degrees. Despite our efforts, hepatitis C virus infection remains a major concern, as there is currently no vaccine and existing treatments are expensive and inaccessible to middle-income countries.

FINANCIAL AUTONOMY OF SMALL TOWNS IN POLAND

The main aim of the study was to assess the level, dynamics of changes and diversification of the financial autonomy of small towns with the status of urban communes in Poland in 2011 and 2020. Two basic indicators used in the assessment of the studied phenomenon were used: the level of own income per capita, as well as and their share in the own income of the surveyed entities. The subjective scope of the research included small towns (less than 20 thousand inhabitants) with the status of urban communes (116 entities in 2020). Empirical research was carried out on the basis of secondary data from the Central Statistical Office. The empirical research conducted was aimed at answering the following research questions: is the distance between small towns and larger urban centers in terms of the level of financial autonomy high and increasing over the years, does the lowest level of financial autonomy distinguish small cities from the Eastern Macroregion, what are the most important determinants of the level of financial autonomy of small towns. The conducted research has shown that small towns are characterized by the lowest level of financial autonomy, but also the highest diversity in this respect. However, disproportions in the level of financial autonomy of small towns in relation to urban communes in general are relatively small and have decreased in the analyzed period. The highest level of the studied phenomenon is observed in small towns from the Northern and Southern Macroregions, and the lowest in the Eastern Macroregion. Disproportions in the financial autonomy of small towns in the Eastern Macroregion in relation to, among others, to small towns in Poland in general, however, decreased. However, the financial autonomy of these entities is still the result of local entrepreneurship, conditions for the development of tourism and location benefits.