Wealth Categories Research Articles

The Language of Inequality: Evidence Economic Inequality Increases Wealth Category Salience.

There is evidence that in more economically unequal societies, social relations are more strained. We argue that this may reflect the tendency for wealth to become a more fitting lens for seeing the world, so that in economically more unequal circumstances, people more readily divide the world into “the haves” and “have nots.” Our argument is supported by archival and experimental evidence. Two archival analyses reveal that at times of greater inequality, books in the United Kingdom and the United States and news media in English-speaking countries were more likely to mention the rich and poor. Three experiments, two preregistered, provided evidence for the causal role of economic inequality in people’s use of wealth categories when describing life in a fictional society; effects were weaker when examining real economic contexts. Thus, one way in which inequality changes the world may be by changing how we see it.

Establishing zakat on oil and gas in Malaysia: a new insight

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to deliberate on the establishment of zakat (Islamic alms) on oil and gas in Malaysia. Being one of the five Islamic pillars, zakat contributes significantly to the country’s socio-economic development and prosperity. However, in Malaysia and other Islamic countries, there is not yet a proper mechanism for calculating zakat on extracted minerals. Similar to gold and silver, oil and gas are valuable minerals, which, upon extraction, are subject to zakat payment. In Malaysia, however, this is not the case.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a qualitative method. It presents a thorough review on the stipulation for paying zakat on minerals, specifically oil and gas. The deliberation is based on secondary data entailing a comprehensive content analysis of prominent books on the subject, current zakat rulings and legal acts on oil and gas.FindingsOil and gas are subject to zakat payment, as indicated in several Qurʾānic verses and based on the academic reasoning of Muslim scholars. The zakat calculation for oil and gas entails the nisāb (minimum threshold value of the assets) but not the ḥawl (the requirement for one full Islamic year of ownership for the assets), by analogy with zakat on agricultural produce. Despite the obligation to pay zakat on minerals under the zakāt al-māl (alms due on wealth) category, oil and gas is yet to be fully subject to this practice in Malaysia, although the country is known as an oil-producing Muslim country. Several legislative acts covering the managerial and business side of oil and gas operations have long been established, but the provision on zakat remains unclear. Hence, comprehensive legislation is needed to fine-tune the Malaysian oil and gas system, particularly with regard to zakat.Research limitations/implicationsThis study relies mainly on secondary data and literature without performing any empirical investigations.Practical implicationsIn terms of academic implication, this study enriches the existing body of knowledge on zakat. Practical implications would include enhanced decision-making concerning zakat on oil and gas on the part of zakat institutions, policymakers and the government of Malaysia.Originality/valueThis study provides practical and academic contributions to the deep understanding of zakat on oil and gas, which has received very little attention in the existing body of literature. Despite being limited in literature, this is a breakthrough study that sheds light on zakat on oil and gas.

Synthetic MRI in Neurofibromatosis Type 1.

Synthetic MRI enables the generation of various contrast-weighted images and quantitative data in a reasonable scanning time. We aimed to use synthetic MRI to assess the detection and underlying tissue characteristics of focal areas of signal intensity and normal-appearing brain parenchyma and morphometric alterations in the brains of patients with neurofibromatosis type 1. Conventional MR imaging and synthetic MRI were prospectively obtained from 19 patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 and 18 healthy controls. Two neuroradiologists independently evaluated focal areas of signal intensity on both conventional MR imaging and synthetic MRI. Additionally, automatically segmented volume calculations of the brain in both groups and quantitative analysis of myelin, including the focal areas of signal intensity and normal-appearing brain parenchyma, of patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 were performed using synthetic MRI. The comparison of conventional MR imaging and synthetic MRI showed good correlation in the supratentorial region of the brain (κ = 0.82-1). Automatically segmented brain parenchymal volume, intracranial volume, and GM volumes were significantly increased in the patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (P < .05). The myelin-correlated compound, myelin fraction volume, WM fraction volume, transverse relaxation rate, and longitudinal relaxation rate values were significantly decreased in focal areas of signal intensity on myelin and WM maps (P < .001); however, GM, GM fraction volume, and proton density values were significantly increased on the GM map (P < .001). Synthetic MRI is a potential tool for the assessment of morphometric and tissue alterations as well as the detection of focal areas of signal intensity in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 in a reasonable scan time.

Wealth distribution in modern societies: Collected data and a master equation approach

A mean-field like stochastic evolution equation with growth and reset terms (LGGR model) is used to model wealth distribution in modern societies. The stationary solution of the model leads to an analytical form for the density function that is successful in describing the observed data for all wealth categories. In the limit of high wealth values the proposed density function has the accepted Tsallis–Pareto shape. Our results are in agreement with the predictions of an earlier approach based on a mean-field like wealth exchange process.

Maternal Empowerment Indicators Predict Health Care Seeking Behavior during Pregnancy: Evidence from Ethiopian National Data

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine the leverage of women’s empowerment status and their living context in healthcare-seeking behavior during pregnancy. The study used the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys (EDHS). In addition, the frequency of Antenatal Care (ANC) was used as an outcome variable to gauge women’s health seeking behavior. The negative binomial regression analysis results showed that the expected mean number of ANC visits was lower for mothers with lower education levels and for women living with husbands having poor education. On the other hand, the expected mean number of ANC visits was much higher for younger women, working women, for those with some household decision making autonomy, women living in better household wealth category, women living in smaller households, and those who had reasonable access to media (radio). Given the significant contribution of women’s status and living contexts, aggressive moves should be made to reduce the demand-side barriers to health care services, mainly promoting women’s education and participation in decisionmaking at household and community levels

Distribution and Regeneration Status of Cordia africana (Lam.) Tree in Agroforestry Practices along Agroecology and Farmers' Wealth Status in Sidama Zone Southern Ethiopia

Cordia africana (Lam.) is one of the indigenous multipurpose tree species which is being endangered and suffering a lot from overexploitation. Nowadays agroforestry is taken as potential ecosystem for counteracting extinction of this tree through providing complementary habitat in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to identify distribution and regeneration status of Cordia africana tree in agroforestry practices with respect to agroecologies and farmers wealth status. Selection of respondents was done based on the wealth status of households for tree inventory. The total households were categorized into three main wealth categories as wealthy, medium and poor. Accordingly, 72 households were selected by taking three households randomly across wealth categories from eight different villages. Then, tree inventory was done from three different agroforestry practices in each 72 households with big plot size of 20mx20m and 5mx5m nested subplots. The results of the study revealed that mean stems of trees were significantly higher (p<0.05) in enset- tree based agroforestry practice followed by coffee-tree based practice in two agroecological setting. The study also found that the number of stems per plot and per hectare was significantly higher (p=0.0001) in midland agroecology than lowland agroecology. The results also showed that the mean stems of trees were significantly higher (p<0.05) from rich wealth classes in two agroecological settings. There is also significant variation of regeneration status of Cordia africana tree with respected to agroecology and different agroforestry practices. Finally, the study suggests that regeneration status of Cordia africana tree should be assisted and facilitated for the sustainability of this valuable tree species.

TREE SPECIES CULTIVATION ON SUBSISTENCE AGRICULTURAL FIELDS IN NORTHWESTERN ETHIOPIA

The study was intended to identify species preferences, the relationship between livelihood status and tree planting, and the major tree growing patterns of smallholder subsistence farmers in rural Ethiopia. Data was collected through household interviews and the total enumeration of all tree species on respondents’ landholdings. A total of 23 tree species were recorded integrated within the farming landscape as boundary plantings, scattered on crop fields, around the homestead and woodlots. There was a significant difference in the mean number of trees per household across the three wealth classes. Among the three wealth classes, the medium wealth category households have a relatively higher number of tree species than rich and poor households. Considering the ever-increasing population and the resulting demand for construction poles, fuelwood, household utensils, farm implements, and the fast-growing performance of the species, Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. was the first preferred tree species to households for planting. Tree integration in the farming landscape should be recognized since it will be invaluable in developing plans for agroforestry interventions. However, exotic tree species have dominated the status of indigenous tree species. Then, there should be a continuous and detailed extension system to upgrade the traditional management system and the tree selection to be integrated.

Sub-national analysis and determinants of numbers of antenatal care contacts in Nigeria: assessing the compliance with the WHO recommended standard guidelines

BackgroundNigeria has unimpressive maternal and child health indicators. Compliance with the WHO guidelines on the minimum number of antenatal care (ANC) contacts could improve these indicators. We assessed the compliance with WHO recommended standards on ANC contacts in Nigeria and identify the associated factors.MethodsNationally representative cross-sectional data during pregnancy of 21,785 most recent births within five years preceding the 2018 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey was used. The number of ANC contacts was categorised into “None”, “1–3”, “4–7” and “8 or more” contacts based on subsequent WHO guidelines. Descriptive statistics, bivariable and multivariable multinomial logistic regression was used at p = 0.05.ResultsAbout 25 % of the women had no ANC contact, 58 % had at least 4 contacts while only 20 % had 8 or more ANC contacts. The highest rate of 8 or more ANC contacts was in Osun (80.2 %), Lagos (76.8 %), and Imo (72.0 %) while the lowest rates were in Kebbi (0.2 %), Zamfara (1.1 %) and Yobe (1.3 %). Respondents with higher education were twelve times (adjusted relative risk (aRR): 12.46, 95 % CI: 7.33–21.2), having secondary education was thrice (aRR: 2.91, 95 % CI: 2.35–3.60), and having primary education was twice (aRR: 2.17, 95 % CI: 1.77–2.66) more likely to make at least 8 contacts than those with no education. Respondents from households in the richest and middle wealth categories were 129 and 67 % more likely to make 8 or more ANC contacts compared to those from households in the lowest wealth category respectively. The likelihood of making 8 ANC contacts was 89 and 47 % higher among respondents from communities in the least and middle disadvantaged groups, respectively, compared to the most disadvantaged group. Other significant variables were spouse education, health care decision making, media access, ethnicity, religion, and other community factors.ConclusionsCompliance with WHO guidelines on the minimum number of ANC contacts in Nigeria is poor. Thus, Nigeria has a long walk to attaining sustainable development goal’s targets on child and maternal health. We recommend that the maternal and child health programmers should review existing policies and develop new policies to adopt, implement and tackle the challenges of adherence to the WHO recommended minimum of 8 ANC contacts. Women's education, socioeconomic status and adequate mobilization of families should be prioritized. There is a need for urgent intervention to narrow the identified inequalities and substantial disparities in the characteristics of pregnant women across the regions and states.

Education can modify the long term impact of early childhood famine exposure on adulthood economic achievement: a historical cohort study among the survivors of the great Ethiopian famine 1983\u201385

BackgroundPrevious famine studies reported the inverse link between early life nutritional deprivation and adulthood optimal health outcomes. However, there remain sparse data on the impact of early life famine exposure in later life economic achievement. Hence, we set out to examine the association of early life famine exposure on economic achievement among survivors of the 1983–85 great Ethiopian famine.MethodA historical cohort study design was employed among 968 adult men and women in the Raya Kobo district, Northern Ethiopia. Participants were categorized into in utero exposed, postnatal exposed and unexposed groups based on self-reported age and birthdate. Structured questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic and individual assets. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to determine wealth index as proxy for economic achievement. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were employed to examine the independent effect of early life famine exposure on the outcome.ResultsIn unadjusted model, compared to unexposed cohorts, in utero and postnatal famine exposed cohorts were nearly twice more likely to fall in the lowest wealth category (OR: 1.93, 95% CI: 1.40, 2.64) and (OR: 2.12, 95%CI: 1.45, 3.08), respectively. However, these associations became non-significant when adjusted for biologic and demographic variables (P > 0.05). Instead, educational status appeared to have significant association with wealth; those who can’t read or write among in utero and postnatal exposed group were three times more likely to fall in low wealth index category than those who achieved secondary and above level of education (OR = 3.00 95% CI: 1.74, 5.18) and (OR = 2.92, 95% CI: 1.48, 5.76), respectively. Similarly, those with primary education among in uero and postnatal famine exposed cohorts were twice more likely to fall in the low wealth index than compared to those secondary and above level of education (OR = 2.04 95% CI: (1.18, 3.54) and (OR = 2.17 95% CI: 1.12, 4.22), respectively.ConclusionEducation appears to be a significant independent factor to determine one’s economic achievement in the studied famine cohort. This may imply, the possible impact of early life famine exposure on economic achievement later in adult life could be modified through better education. Our findings justify the need of expanding education in hunger spots in general and in famine settings in particular.

Spatial variations and determinants of anemia among under-five children in Ethiopia, EDHS 2005-2016.

BackgroundAnemia has severe public health significance in sub-Saharan Africa. In Ethiopia, anemia has been increasing in the last two decades, reaching the highest national level in 2016, however, the geospatial distribution and determinants of anemia in children weren’t well explored at a national level.MethodsWe used the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey(EDHS) data from 2005–2016. The data consists of samples of households (HHs) obtained through a two-stage stratified sampling procedure. Our analysis included 19,699 children. Descriptive statistics, geospatial analysis, and Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMMs) were used.ResultsThe overall prevalence of anemia was 51.5%; the spatial distribution of anemia significantly different across clusters in each survey. Children from 6 to 11 months had higher odds of anemia compared to 24–59 months (Adjusted Odds ratio (AOR) = 3.4, 95%Confidence level (CI): 2.99–3.76). Children with the first and second birth order were less likely to be anemic compared to fifth and above (AOR = 0.60, 95%CI: 0.38–0.95, and AOR = 0.83, 95%C: 0.73–0.93) respectively. Mothers’ age 15 to 24 years was associated with higher odds of anemia compared to 35 to 49 years (AOR = 1.37, 95%CI: 1.20–1.55). Children from HHs with the poorest and poorer wealth category showed a higher odds of anemia compared to the richest (AOR = 1.67, 95%CI: 1.45–1.93, and AOR = 1.25, 95%CI: 1.08–1.45) respectively. Moreover, children from HHs with one to two under-five children were less likely to be anemic compared to those three and more (AOR = 0.83, 95%CI: 0.76–0.91).ConclusionsThe geospatial distribution of anemia among children varies in Ethiopia; it was highest in the East, Northeast, and Western regions of the country. Several factors were associated with anemia; therefore, interventions targeting the hotspots areas and specific determinant factors should be implemented by the concerned bodies to reduce the consequences of anemia on the generation.

Infant and young child feeding practices in Ethiopia: analysis of socioeconomic disparities based on nationally representative data

BackgroundUndernutrition among children is a priority area of public health concern in Ethiopia. The purpose of this study was to examine disparities in Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices among children 6–23 months.MethodData were drawn from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys (EDHS). A total of 3240 children aged 6–23 months were used for the present analysis. The outcome variable was IYCF practice score (ranging 0–7) which was constructed based on the linear and combined effects of four sets of variables: breastfeeding, avoidance of bottle feeding, diet diversity score and minimum feeding frequency. IYCF practice score was further recoded into three categories. Proportional odds regression was used to assess the determinants of IYCF category.ResultsThe proportional odds regression analysis showed that IYCF scores significantly decreased by 5% (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 0.95; 95% CI: 0.93–0.97) for every unit increase in the child’s age. Households with fathers of primary and secondary and above level education were 1.37 times (95% CI: 1.14–1.66) and 1.67 times (95% CI: 1.26–2.23) more likely to be in the high IYCF category than in the poor IYCF category. The likelihood of being in the high IYCF practice category decreased for non-working mothers by 30% (AOR = 0.70; 95% CI: 0.59–0.83) compared to those working in gainful employment. The chance of being in the high IYCF practice category decreased by 29% for households with no access to radio (AOR = 0.71; 95% CI: 0.59–0.85). Those with medium and rich/richer wealth category were 1.54 times (95% CI: 1.22–1.94) and 1.40 times (95% CI: 1.11–1.75) more likely to belong to high IYCF practice category than being in poor IYCF category. For every unit increase in health service utilization, the chance of falling in higher IYCF category increases by 1.15 times (95% CI: 1.08–1.23). The chance of falling in higher IYCF practice category decreases for rural residents by 37% (AOR = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.47–0.84) compared to those residing in urban areas.ConclusionFor a child, the first two years is the time span during which linear faltering of growth is most prevalent and the period when the process of becoming stunted is almost complete. This study recommends improving access to women for gainful employment, provision of economic support to poor rural women, education and promotion of nutrition messages using most accessible media and boosting the positive role of fathers in child feeding practices.

Species diversity, composition, structure and management in agroforestry systems: the case of Kachabira district, Southern Ethiopia

Agroforestry is increasingly being identified as an integrated land use enhancing plant diversity while reducing habitat loss and fragmentation. This paper examined species diversity, composition, structure and management in agroforestry systems. Two Kebeles (Kachabira and Mesafe) were purposively selected for this study. Then, farmers who dominantly practiced agroforestry practices such as home garden, parkland and live fence were stratified based on wealth categories. Ten percent of the sample households were randomly selected from each wealth category. Accordingly, a total of 83 households were selected. Inventories of plant species were done by sampling one plot of each farm management type. A total of 59 plant species, belonging to 56 genera and 36 families were recorded across the home gardens, parklands and live fences in the study area. Among the plant species, trees constituted 42%, shrubs 27%, herbs 29% and climber 2%. From recorded plant species, 66% were native and the remainders 34% were introduced species. From the native species recorded in this study, Lippia adoensis and Millettia ferruginea were endemic to Ethiopia. The mean Shannon diversity index of rich, medium and poor households in the three different agroforestry practices were 1.75, 1.57 and 1.62 in home garden, 0.36, 0.30 and 0.49 in parkland and 0.84, 0.99 and 1.00 in live fence respectively. The largest tree basal area was recorded in the live fence (14.7 m2ha-1), followed by home garden and parkland. The study revealed that agroforestry plays an important role in the conservation of biodiversity, and also by providing food, income and a wide range of other products such as fuel wood, construction material, fodder, spices and medicinal plants. Farm household landholding size, species preference and management found to be the most important influencing factors that affect the diversity of plant species. Further detailed study of explicit examining of the factors such as socio-ecological effects that determine species diversity and the contribution of different functional groups to livelihood is needed to fully understand the agroforestry system.

The polychoric dual-component wealth index as an alternative to the DHS index: Addressing the urban bias.

BackgroundThe DHS wealth index − based on a statistical technique known as principal component analysis − is used extensively in mainstream surveys and epidemiological studies to assign individuals to wealth categories from information collected on common assets and household characteristics. Since its development in the late nineties, the index has established itself as a standard and, due to its ease of use, has led to a large and welcome increase in the analysis of inequalities. The index is, however, known to present some serious limitations, one being a bias towards patterns of urban wealth: the so-called “urban bias”.MethodsWe use 10 data sets − 5 MICS (Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey), 4 DHS (Demographic and Health Survey) and one HBS (Household Budget Survey) − to demonstrate that urban bias continues to be a prominent and worrying feature of the wealth index, even after several methodological changes implemented in recent years to try to reduce it. We then propose and investigate an approach to improve the performance of the index and reduce the urban bias. This approach involves the use of ordinal rather than dummy variables, of a polychoric instead of a product-moment correlation matrix, and the use of two principal components rather than one. These approaches are used jointly to produce the polychoric dual-component wealth index (P2C).ResultsThe P2C index enables a larger proportion of the variance of the asset variables to be accounted for, results in all assets contributing positively to the wealth score, exploits added analytical power from ordinal variables, and incorporates the extra dimension of wealth expressed by the second principal component. It results in a better representation of typically rural characteristics of wealth and leads to the identification of more plausible distributions of both the urban and rural populations across wealth quintiles, which are closer to expenditure quintiles than the standard DHS index.ConclusionsThe P2C wealth index can be easily applied to mainstream surveys, such as the MICS and DHS, and to epidemiological studies; it yields more credible distributions of rural and urban subpopulations across wealth quintiles. It is proposed as an alternative to the DHS wealth index.

Importance of Trees Outside Forest (TOF) for immediate earthquake response

A study was carried out in Thulosirubari village of Chautara Sangachowkgadi municipality of Sindhupalchok district, Nepal to analyse the importance of TOF for immediate earthquake response and recovery. More than 80% of the households have trees in their own land with species such as Chilaune (Schima wallichii), Kutmiro (Litsea monopetala), Khote Salla (Pinus roxburghii) and Bamboo are common. Among surveyed households (134), more than 75% respondents reported that they used Schima wallichii for pillar (Khaba) to make temporary houses, whereas bamboo was used for all kind of poles (Dada/Vata/Balo) in more than 80% of temporary houses. Both Bamboo and Schima wallichii were either extracted from their own land or from neighbour's land, i.e. TOF which were easily available and collected as required. We could not draw any statistical conclusion in choice of species to construct temporary houses by wealth categories. However, we have observed that people who have sufficient and varieties of trees in own land, have selected strong and hard wood for permanent house construction whereas those who do not have choice, are limited to use any of the available tree species. People were highly aware about importance of trees to cope with disaster; however selection of species was still debatable because of limited knowledge and researches.&#x0D; J. Biodivers. Conserv. Bioresour. Manag. 2020, 6(1): 9-16

Wealth and wealth inequality in adult HIV prevalence

Background Studies investigating a correlation between economic status of household (wealth or income) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence have shown relationships ranging from insignificant to strong-positive. Using data from over 400,000 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) respondents in 29 African low- and middle-income countries receiving assistance from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), this study was conducted on HIV prevalence as it relates to wealth and wealth inequality. Methods Individual-level Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data was obtained for 2010-2016 from 29 PEPFAR recipient countries through the DHS data portal. These data link survey responses with the HIV test results from biomarker data. To adjust for sample selection bias in the observational data, an inverse probability reweighting (IPW) technique was used to create sample weights and estimate model parameters. Results After reweighting, the wealth effects on prevalence are smaller, often statistically insignificant or inconsistent, indicating that higher levels of wealth are not associated with higher HIV prevalence. Low wealth (being poor) is associated with a higher risk for some segments of the population. The growing interest in the literature of “wealth” as a driver of the maturing HIV epidemic may be an artifact of the longer survival of wealthy people in the DHS observational data. The extent of wealth inequality in the region of residence is consistently a positive driver of higher prevalence. In all three wealth categories (tertiles of high, medium, low), more wealth inequality in a region is consistently associated with a higher HIV prevalence, other things remaining the same. Conclusions The findings of the study suggest that supply-oriented policies (e.g. distribution of providers and programs) to integrate PEPFAR activities into country health systems targeted to areas where wealth inequality is high and where pockets of low-wealth populations are found would have the greatest impact.

Forest-based livelihood choices and their determinants in Western Kenya

Forest extraction is an important livelihood activity for millions of low-income households in rural areas of developing countries. Understanding the choices households make to extract forest products can help formulate strategies for preventing livelihood strains associated with forest degradation. This article evaluates the nature, extent and determinants of forest extraction among rural households in western Kenya. Data were obtained from a survey of 924 randomly selected households in the Mt. Elgon area in western Kenya. The level of forest extraction was measured as the aggregate value of products extracted, while a Double Hurdle model was applied to assess the factors influencing forest extraction. The results show that the choice to engage in forest-based livelihood was generally higher among households with lower asset value, membership in forest user associations, and headed by males. The results further show that although the majority of households’ engaging in forest-based livelihood were of the lowest wealth category, households in the middle wealth category were found to extract higher value products. Institutional characteristics, including access to agricultural markets, credit, extension, and membership to forest user groups, increased the likelihood of households’ extracting higher value products. Overall, the results show that in addition to asset endowment, other contextual factors, such as access to markets, agricultural extension, and membership to farmer groups defined whether a household extracted forest products for survival or accumulation.

Role of Moringa stenopetala Based Agroforestry Practice on Rural Household Economy in Offa Woreda, Southern Ethiopia

<i>M.stenopetala</i> (Haleko) gained interest lately in Ethiopia due to its plentiful roles. This study aimed at evaluating the planting practice and current role of <i>M.stenopetala</i> based agroforestry in households’ economy. In order to attain these objectives three Kebeles were purposively selected. The study made use of data collected from 96 respondents across wealth categories. Then selected households’ survey was done through using semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Data analysed using Excel spread sheet where for economic profitability cost benefit analysis was generated and Net Present Value (NPV) and Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) were calculated. Statistical Package for Social Sciences(SPSS) was used for descriptive statistics, chi-square and one way ANOVA. Results revealed that majority of respondents’ (66.7) prefer planting <i>M.stenopetala</i> at homegarden agroforestry arrangement because, they perceived as, it enhances the yield of undergrowth root crops. The cost production of <i>M.stenopetala</i> planting is a profitable business with highest positive NPV and B/C which is 181678.22 ETB (US $ 6055.94) and 29.98 respectively with a discount rate of 6% through CBA aggregated over 10 years. This indicates the returns from <i>M.stenopetala</i> planting would be high and economically profitable in the study area. According to One-way ANOVA, annual income gained from <i>M.stenopetala</i> was highest for poor households than medium and rich (p< 0.05). Therefore, it is a useful multipurpose tree in the study area whose promotion should be encouraged in order to realize its full benefits in rural livelihoods since; it associated with more benefits than costs. Therefore, it could be decided that there is a great scope to improve the existing <i>M.stenopetala</i> with suitable approaches for maximizing income of farmers.

Tree Species Diversity in Smallholder Coffee Farms of Bedeno District, Eastern Hararghe Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Although, Coffee agroforestry have a considerable contribution in supporting biodiversity, yet their contribution are insufficiently documented. Thus, this study was aimed to assess the diversity tree species in small holder coffee farms in Bedeno district, East Hararghe Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. Eleven <i>kebeles</i> were selected purposively and four of them were randomly selected from which 119 households were selected, whose coffee farms used for Tree inventories in this study. The study was carried out in between October 28, 2019 and April 15, 2020. Data was analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 and Microsoft Office Excel 2010, using descriptive statistics such as means, percentages and frequency. A total of 53 tree species representing 28 families, constituting 69.8% indigenous and 30.2% exotic tree species were recorded in the current study coffee farms. The result of this study shows significant difference (p<0.05) between three wealth categories across four study <i>kebeles</i> and tree species diversity of coffee farms influenced by wealth status of the household. The rich class owned more diversified tree species. The highest and lowest mean value of richness (11.5, 3), Shannon index (2.3, 0.9) and abundance (22.8, 4.8) were recorded on the farm of rich and poor household respectively. There was no significant difference among the study <i>kebeles</i> and the position of <i>kebeles</i> was not influenced tree species diversity in this specific study. Therefore, traditional shade based coffee production system should be encouraged for tree species diversity conservation in smallholder coffee farms.

Woody species composition, structure, and diversity of homegarden agroforestry systems in southern Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

Nowadays, the conservation of biodiversity is a major environmental challenge globally. Homegarden agroforestry systems (HGAFs) have a large potential for biodiversity conservation. However, little attention has been given to the relative importance of HGAFs in terms of biodiversity conservation. The present study, therefore, aimed to estimate and compare the woody species diversity and structure of HGAFs and adjacent natural forest (NF) in Northern Ethiopia. Three sites were purposively selected based on the presence of HGAFs and NF adjacent to each other. A stratified sampling system was used to select representative homegardens from different wealth categories. In NF, a systematic transect sampling technique was employed. A total of 90 sample plots (10 m × 20 m) were used to collect vegetation data. A total of 32 species representing 26 genera and 20 families were identified from the studied HGAFs and NF. Thirty woody species belonging to 24 genera and 20 families were recorded in the HGAFs whereas, 11 species, belonging to 9 genera and 8 families were recorded in the NF. Native woody species accounted for 66% of all woody species recorded in both HGAFs and NF. Stem density, richness, and diversities of woody species were significantly higher in HGAFs than in NF (p ≤ 0.05). Trees and shrubs in the HGAFs had significantly lower stem diameters, height, and basal area than the adjacent NF (p ≤ 0.05). The results show that HGAFs complements the NF for biodiversity conservation and supports in counteracting the loss of woody species from the natural ecosystem. Hence, promoting HGAFs habitats in human-dominated landscapes should be part of the biodiversity conservation strategy.

Trends in obesity by socioeconomic status among non-pregnant women aged 15-49 y: a cross-sectional, multi-dimensional equity analysis of demographic and health surveys in 11 sub-Saharan Africa countries, 1994-2015.

BackgroundGlobal obesity estimates show a steadily increasing pattern across socioeconomic and geographical divides, especially among women. Our analysis tracked and described obesity trends across multiple equity dimensions among women of reproductive age (15–49 y) in 11 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries during 1994–2015.MethodsThis study consisted of a cross-sectional series analysis using nationally representative demographic and health surveys (DHS) data. The countries included were Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The data reported are from a reanalysis conducted using the WHO Health Equity Assessment Toolkit that assesses inter- and intra-country health inequalities across socioeconomic and geographical dimensions. We generated equiplots to display intra- and inter-country equity gaps.ResultsThere was an increasing trend in obesity among women of reproductive age across all 11 SSA countries. Obesity increased unequally across wealth categories, place of residence and educational measures of inequality. The wealthiest, most educated and urban dwellers in most countries had a higher prevalence of obesity. However, in Comoros, obesity did not increase consistently with increasing wealth or education compared with other countries. The most educated and wealthiest women in Comoros had lower obesity rates compared with their less wealthy and less well-educated counterparts.ConclusionA window of opportunity is presented to governments to act structurally and at policy level to reduce obesity generally and prevent a greater burden on disadvantaged subpopulation groups in sub-Saharan Africa.