The Impact of Community-Based Breeding Programs on Indigenous Breed Genetic Improvement and Farmers’ Livelihoods in Ethiopia: A Case Study

It is essential to manage genetic resources, especially in local livestock breeds, to establish an equilibrium among livestock, humans, and the environment for sustainable development in conservation. Genetic resource management is necessary to overcome challenges to increasing productivity while ensuring environmental sustainability and climate resilience. Attempts to overcome these challenges have led to the threat of genetic erosion through uncontrolled crossbreeding, particularly threatening the hybrid vigor of indigenous breeds, such as Indonesian Ongole cattle. Considering community-based breeding as a viable management strategy for systematic livestock breeding, this study aimed to design a community-based breeding program for Indonesian Ongole cattle. The profile of socio-ecological community and genetic resources were studied using a purposive random sampling technique within an effective population size as a case study; both the respondents and the objects of the study were investigated. The study revealed that indigenous knowledge and livelihood-supported institutions are crucial to genetic resource management practices in cattle breeding. These factors are shown to be strategic priorities when designing community-based breeding programs. This approach to design empowers local cooperatives to operate a community-based breeding program for Indonesian Ongole cattle by standardizing an integrated system for selecting incentive initiatives using big data.

Small ruminants, particularly sheep and goats, are integral to the agricultural and socio-economic landscapes of the Middle East. Strategic breeding plans have emerged as crucial tools to enhance productivity, resilience, and profitability of small ruminant systems in arid and semi-arid regions. This article outlines the successes achieved through these breeding strategies, focusing on genetic improvement, adaptation to harsh environments, and sustainability in Jordan. Case studies and empirical findings highlight progress in genetic resource management, breeding program implementation, and capacity building. Jordan’s small ruminant sector—dominated by Awassi sheep and Baladi (Local) and Shami (Damascus) goats—is vital to rural livelihoods, food security, and cultural heritage. The outcomes showed breed diversity, genetic structure, and improvement strategies, highlighting challenges and proposing a strategic roadmap encompassing conservation, genomic tools, community-based breeding programs (CBBPs), and institutional coordination. Jordan’s small ruminant sector offers immense genetic potential but requires formalization and integration of advanced breeding approaches. It is recommended that strategic plan combining breed conservation, genomic-enabled selection, CBBPs, smart and reproductive technologies, institutional frameworks, and capacity building to drive sustainable improvements in productivity, resilience, and livelihood of farmers.

BackgroundThe RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) framework is a useful tool for evaluating the impact of programs in community settings. RE-AIM has been applied to evaluate individual programs but seldom used to evaluate the collective impact of community-based, public health programming developed and delivered by multiple autonomous organizations. The purposes of this paper were to (a) demonstrate how RE-AIM can be operationalized and applied to evaluate the collective impact of similar autonomous programs that promote health and well-being and (b) provide preliminary data on the collective impact of Canadian spinal cord injury (SCI) peer mentorship programs on the delivery of peer mentorship services.MethodsCriteria from all five RE-AIM dimensions were operationalized to evaluate multiple similar community-based programs. For this study, nine provincial organizations that serve people with SCI were recruited from across Canada. Organizations completed a structured self-report questionnaire and participated in a qualitative telephone interview to examine different elements of their peer mentorship program. Data were analyzed using summary statistics.ResultsHaving multiple indicators to assess RE-AIM dimensions provided a broad evaluation of the impact of Canadian SCI peer mentorship programs. Peer mentorship programs reached 1.63% of the estimated Canadian SCI population. The majority (67%) of organizations tracked the effectiveness of peer mentorship through testimonials and reports. Setting-level adoption rates were high with 100% of organizations offering peer mentorship in community and hospital settings. On average, organizations allocated 10.4% of their operating budget and 9.8% of their staff to implement peer mentorship and 89% had maintained their programming for over 10 years. Full interpretation of the collective impact of peer mentorship programs was limited as complete data were only collected for 52% of survey questions.ConclusionsThe lack of available organizational data highlights a significant challenge when using RE-AIM to evaluate the collective impact of multiple programs that promote health and well-being. Although researchers are encouraged to use RE-AIM to evaluate the collective impact of programs delivered by different organizations, documenting limitations and providing recommendations should be done to further the understanding of how best to operationalize RE-AIM in these contexts.

Objectives:This study aims to show how a leadership coaching programme for Nurse Ward Managers may be implemented in a general hospital with the following objectives:clarify the Nurse Ward Managers’ idealised leadership attributes (ILA);identify any perceived gaps in leadership skills;develop and provide a comprehensive coaching programme; andidentify the impact of the programme.Design:An Action Research (AR) was adopted to involve the participants in a collaborative partnership and influence both the implementation process and outcome of the programme. It incorporated two iterative Plan-Act-Reflect cycles.Methods:The sample consisted of 12 randomly chosen Nurse Ward Managers. The coaching methods used in the Action stages include a range of eclectic coaching psychology approaches. The analytical tools used in the Reflective stages included thematic analyses and a systems approach. The impact of the programme was identified using Law et al.’s (2007) Universal Integrative Framework.Results:27 idealised leadership attributes were identified. Both group and individual coaching sessions were found to be effective in helping the participants identify areas of development and goals. The impact of the coaching programme included enhanced self-awareness, feelings of support, ability to take decisions and keep to time frames and achievement of organisational and personal goals.Conclusions:The structured coaching programmes had a substantive impact on developing Nurse Ward Managers’ leadership skills, providing them with an on-going support, and helping them achieve both personal and organisational goals.

The health sector in Bangladesh is thriving, and the Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) program has been in place to investigate the causes of maternal and perinatal death. This study aimed to investigate the availability of information systems for measuring the status of an MPDSR program and the planning process and actions developed based on real-time information. This study delved into innovative information systems that can be used to monitor and measure the impact of health programs. The study included both the primary and secondary data. A total of six key informant interviews were conducted to explore the enablers and strengths of information systems. Secondary data were collected from government websites and MPDSR action plans. This study highlights the potential and challenges of governmental health information systems in notifying maternal and neonatal deaths. While the current notification rates are not up to national standards, it is encouraging to see health managers develop action plans and address this issue. The MPDSR information system is a valuable tool to help health managers measure changes in maternal and perinatal mortality rates and design locally targeted interventions. However, several obstacles must be addressed, such as insufficient data, lack of monitoring, and irregularities in MPDSR review meetings. By finding ways to overcome these challenges, we can unlock the full potential of MPDSR and improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes. The success of an MPDSR program relies on how the information is utilized to take action and measure the outcome. Advanced information systems, such as health dashboards, scorecards, and administrative data, can play a vital role in measuring the progress and impact of a program. The primary challenge lies in capturing all deaths, including their causes, and having the capacity to analyze the data effectively to develop action plans for health managers.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a community-based food education program on nutrition-related knowledge in middle-aged and older patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Participants (n = 36; 65.9 ± 6.0 years old) were recruited in primary health care to a 9-month community-based lifestyle intervention program for patients with T2D and randomly assigned to an exercise program (control group; n = 16) or an exercise program plus a food education program (experimental group; n = 20). Nutrition-related knowledge was assessed through a modified version of the General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire. The increase in total nutrition-related knowledge score and sources of nutrients area score was significantly higher in the experimental group compared to the control group. No significant changes in nutrition-related knowledge were found between groups in dietary recommendations and diet-disease relationship areas, although improvements were observed. This community-based food education program, with the use of easy to implement strategies (short-duration lectures and dual-task problem solving activities during exercise), had a positive and encouraging impact on nutrition-related knowledge in middle-aged and older patients with T2D.

Farming practices and breeding objectives identification of farmer in north shoa and south wello zones of Amhara region

Abstracts from theCenter to Advance Palliative Care National Seminar Pathways to Quality Palliative Care<i>November 13–15, 2014</i><i>Orlando, Florida</i>

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of Community-Based Sheep Breeding Program (CBSBP) on gross profit and lamb mortality by comparing participated farms and non-participated farms by focusing on the case of Akkaraman breed in Niğde province of Turkey. The primary data were collected from 108 sheep farms, 54 farms participated and 54 farms those did not participate in the sheep breeding program. According to average treatment effect results derived by utilizing propensity score matching method, if all farms would participate to CBSBP, each farm acquired 6209.13 Turkish Lira (1094.92 USD) more gross profit and would be 3.47% less lamb mortality rate in the farms. The study indicated that CBSBP provided significant economic benefit and welfare of animal. Hence, further supporting and scaling up of community-based small ruminant breeding programs appears to be one of the best solutions for improving livestock genetic resources of rural communities in developing countries. Accordingly, incentive mechanisms for participating in breeding programs should be more focused on small-scale family farms and especially the young people in the rural area. Keywords: sheep farming, propensity score matching, counterfactual impact analysis, genetic improvement, profitability.

Purpose All children have the right to inclusion across contexts, yet Autistic children are often excluded from community-based programs. We aimed to understand how inclusion is conceptualized and enacted within community-based programs from the perspectives of parents of Autistic children and program staff. Methods A collective case study across three community-based recreation programs that all identified as inclusive was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five program staff and seven parents of Autistic children. Program documents, researcher observations and reflexive notes were also data. Reflexive thematic analysis was used. Findings Two themes that influenced experiences of in/exclusion were identified: (1) Inclusion as Culture—Feeling Welcomed, reflected a program’s culture of acceptance, opportunity and belonging, and (2) Inclusion as Practice—Being Welcomed, described approaches used to support equal and active participation and the influence of front-line staff. Conclusion Experiences of inclusion reflected the culture and practices of each organization, centered on equal and active participation with others, and feelings of belonging and being valued. These experiences were desired, but not common. Rather, othering and ableism were prominent, even in programs that identified as inclusive. Findings can be used to shift how inclusion is envisioned and enacted in community programs.

Community-based comprehensive primary healthcare programmes are a widely-promoted strategy for improving child survival in less-developed countries, but limited documentation exists concerning their effectiveness in actually reducing child mortality. This study examined the impact of a community-based comprehensive primary healthcare programme on child survival in Bolivia. Mortality rates from two intervention areas where Andean Rural Health Care (ARHC) had been conducting child-survival activities for 5-9 years were compared with those from two geographically-adjacent comparison areas that lacked such activities and that were virtually identical to the intervention areas in socioeconomic characteristics. Vital events were registered at the time of regular visit to all homes. In the comparison areas, limited services were available which reached only a small percentage of the population, while in the intervention areas, prenatal care, immunizations, growth monitoring, nutrition rehabilitation, and acute curative services were readily available to the entire population. In 1992-1993, the annual rates of mortality of children, aged less than five years, were 205.5 per 1,000 and 98.5 per 1,000 in the comparison and intervention areas respectively. The absolute difference in mortality of 107.0 deaths per 1,000 (95% confidence interval [CI], 72.7-141.3 per 1,000) represented 52.1% (95% CI, 35.2-68.8%) lower mortality of children aged less than five years in the intervention areas compared to the control communities. These results suggest that the provision of community-based, integrated health services can significantly improve child survival in poor countries. Better-designed and larger field trials of community-based comprehensive primary healthcare programmes in multiple regions of the world are needed to provide a stronger scientific basis for developing this approach further in developing countries.

This study sought to evaluate the impact of participation in a 6-month community-based participatory arts program on mental health recovery. Using a case study methodology, a total of nine recent graduates from one of five separate groups held during the study period (2012-2015) were interviewed. All but one of the nine participants reported positive personal, emotional, physical and/or mental health changes as a result of her or his participation in the program. Voices of all participants are explored. Analysis of the interviews revealed four key themes: safe space to create, change in identity, biggest impact, and program-related challenges. This study supports community-based arts programming as a positive experience for people living with mental illness. Employing staff and volunteers with lived experience of mental health problemsenhanced the overall participant experience.

Objectives: Evaluate changes in underweight and wasting, feeding patterns, water use, sanitation, immunisation, disease episodes, deworming and vitamin A supplementation in children aged 6-23 months in returnee villages benefiting from a community-based supplementary feeding programme in northern Uganda. Community perceptions on the causes and effects of childhood malnutrition, the use of community volunteers, the involvement of the men in the promotion of child nutrition and changes in childhood nutrition and feeding practices were also assessed.Design: Programme impact evaluation.Setting: The study was carried out in the districts of Pader and Agago in northern Uganda.Subjects: Children aged 6-23 months (207), and adult men and women.Outcome measures: Weight and mid-upper-arm circumference were used to determine underweight and wasting, respectively. Immunisation, deworming and vitamin A supplementation status was assessed. Oedema and morbidity or disease episodes were also determined. Community perceptions on the quality, utilisation and types of supplementary feeding services offered, understanding of malnutrition and the involvement of the men were also assessed. Finally, the impact of mother care groups and village health teams, as well as changes in child nutrition status and feeding, were assessed.Results: The prevalence of wasting (11.1%) and underweight (22.7%) is higher than the baseline of 11% and 17.8%, respectively. Eighty-six per cent of the children were still breastfeeding. A high percentage (79.2%) of children were exclusively breastfed. The largest proportion of children (42.3%) ate two times a day, and 55.6% of them consumed food from their own plates. Over three quarters (75.8%) and 93.7% of the children had received measles and diphtheria, pertussis and tuberculosis vaccines (DPT3), respectively. Ninety-five per cent and 66.7% had received vitamin A supplements and deworming tablets, respectively. The water usage rate was 19.2 l/person/day. Sixty per cent of the households had their own pit latrines. The programme was perceived to have improved the nutritional knowledge and feeding practices of the community. The use of volunteer mothers for nutrition education encouraged other community members to take childhood nutrition seriously.Conclusion: Childhood wasting and underweight rates have remained high in the two districts, despite an improvement in nutrition-related knowledge and practices. Advances in complementary feeding and related sanitation practices were recorded. An increase in vitamin A supplementation, with reductions in DPT3 immunisation and deworming were observed at the end of this community-based supplementary feeding programme. Community volunteers, through the provision of education and the identification of malnourished children, were pivotal in changing nutrition knowledge and the attitudes of community members. The support of volunteers with savings, loans and seeds were important incentives when promoting nutrition. Given the reliance of the volunteers on incentives from the project, we are sceptical as to whether nutrition education and the screening of acutely malnourished children will continue in these communities post the project.

Community-based breeding programs (CBBPs) are promoted as an ideal model for farmer-focused research and as an improvement strategy of indigenous goats in various developing countries. The Agricultural Research Council - Biotechnology Platform (ARC-BTP), in collaboration with the Kaonafatso ya Dikgomo (KyD) recording scheme, initiated two CBBP sites to improve animal recording and goat production in these regions. The aim of this effort was to identify community-level interventions on kid mortality, which is one of the key limitations for market competitiveness in numbers and quality of the animals produced in these communities. Individual interviews were conducted on 195 goat farmers from Anders Mission, Giff, Mxhaxho, Mantlaneni and Ncera villages in the Eastern Cape province (n = 150), and Ophande, Ezinkunini, Machibini and Majozini villages in the KwaZulu-Natal province (n = 45), covering neighboring villages in Buffalo City and uMkhanyakude Districts, respectively. The study used semi-structured questionnaires to determine the farmers’ perceptions on the causes of mortality, drawing from focus group discussions and questionnaire surveys. Majority of the participants were males (68%) aged between 30 to 82 years. Of these goat farmers, 42.1% had primary formal school, but all could read and write. Majority (56.4%) relied on old age pension as source of income, followed by livestock sales (24.1%). The average number of years in farming was 15.48 ± 14.58, and other animal species kept included chickens, cattle, sheep, pigs and dogs. The animals were extensively managed on communal land. The average goat herd sizes were 17.71 ± 11.52 in Buffalo City and 13.06 ± 11.52 in uMkhanyakude, with 22% made up of kids across the regions, respectively. Diarrhea, heartwater and starvation were the strongest ( p&amp;lt;0.001 ) farmer-identified predictors of pre-weaning kid mortality with incidence rate ratios of 1.93, 1.58 and 2.52, respectively. These causes may stem from the low-input extensive production systems u. Intervention programs such as CBBPs, which integrate farmer training, resource sharing, and access to expert technical guidance, can address both primary and secondary causes of pre-weaning goat kid mortality, thereby improving productivity under the current and future production systems while conserving important South African goat genetic resources.

With increased emphasis on prevention in recent healthcare reform initiatives, more information is needed to validate the effectiveness of programs designed to diagnose and treat individuals at high risk for cardiac events and increased mortality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate early and late outcomes of a community-based cardiovascular risk reduction program (CRRP). Methods: Individuals at high risk for cardiovascular events were referred from community primary care physicians for advanced diagnostic testing and medication management at a hospital-based CRRP. Between March 1, 2005 and August 1, 2007, 182 participants were enrolled and had advanced lipid testing, chemistry panels, stress testing, CT calcium scoring, vascular elasticity studies, and comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular risk factors, family history, diet, activity level and psychological status. Participants had on average 4 visits. Mortality and need for hospitalization were assessed at a mean follow-up time of 45±14 months. Results: On CRRP entry, 84% had elevated lipids, 70% had hypertension, 31% had diabetes, 32% had metabolic syndrome, 10% were current smokers, 17% had an abnormal stress test, 36% had depression, 44% had sleep disturbances, and over 50% were not exercising. Over 30% had conditions that had not been recognized or were left undertreated. By last visit, over 95% of participants were on appropriate medications and had received life-style interventions. Late mortality occurred in 9 (5%) participants and 15 (8%) had at least one hospitalization for cardiac reasons. Those who died were older (67 vs. 56; p=0.007), had significantly higher CT calcium scores (998 vs. 114; p&lt;0.0001) and elevated homocysteine levels (14 vs. 9; p&lt;0.0001). Multivariate analyses showed that homocysteine level was the only independent predictor of mortality. No one with metabolic syndrome died (p=0.038). The only factor related to hospitalization was higher NCEP Framingham Age/Sex-adjusted risk score (18 vs. 12; p=0.037). Conclusions: A comprehensive community-based risk reduction program can provide enhanced evaluation and treatment for individuals who are at high risk for cardiovascular events. Appropriate medications and risk modification may impact late events.