In late 2010, city authorities in Ghana began to call attention to the looming danger associated with the expansion of Ghanaian cities-the result of both peri-urban land-use changes and livelihood adaptations. In an attempt to debate the rising phenomenon, scholars have tried to approach the issue from the perspective that connects cause and symptoms. In this article, we move beyond the rhetoric of symptoms to examine how peri-urban farmers who are most affected by the expansion of Wa, an emerging city in Ghana to reconfigure livelihood activities. The article is based on Erdas image 2010 and complemented with other research methods. The results show that the city's expansion has severely altered land use and existing farming practices. Farmers have therefore been forced to re-organize farming strategies to include the application of both organic and inorganic fertilizers, tree cropping, and crop rotation, albeit at a high cost. Concluding, we argue that urban expansion is an index of transformation and naturally peri-urban agrarian communities are the first to undergo major land use and livelihood transformations. The situation in Wa calls for the need to re-define the urban-peri-urban relationships such that the opportunities associated with urban expansion are collectively shared.
The COVID-19 pandemic compelled many African countries to make decisions that limited livelihood choices. This article examines how informal traders (IT) in Kumasi, Ghana responded to the COVID-19. It explores the livelihood capacities, socioeconomic, sociocultural, and sociopolitical values of informal economics. Using data from multiple sources, the purchase and sale of personal protective equipment (PPE) emerged as the dominant livelihood activity. The results show that IT innovated their way of trading, realigned livelihood activities, and created cross-sectoral networks that enhanced social cohesion. The emerging informal market catalyzed spin-off activities that linked values of the informal sector to the public, distributing agencies, producing companies, and the government. We argue that IT constitute a “natural” and “indispensable” share of Ghana's urban economic, cultural, and governance space. The values of IT expressed within and between these distinct societal spheres should be amplified in the development discourses of countries like Ghana.
Objectives
To improve the nutritional values of corn flakes enriched with edible mushrooms
Methods
Corn was processed into grit flour by cleaning, cooking and blending while oyster mushrooms was cultivated using substrate such as palm bunches, cocoa waste and wheat bran which was then roasted, dried and milled to produce mushrooms flour. A blend of corn grit and mushrooms was prepared in various proportions for the production of flakes using the extrusion process, with blending ratios of corn grit: mushroom as follows: MDX (95:5); DMX (90:10); XYZ (85:15); UPX (75:25); and control 100% corn grit. The samples were produced at the same temperature and speed. The corn grit and mushroom blends were subjected to functional and sensory evaluation. Proximate analysis was carried out on the flakes.
Results
Result of proximate analysis showed that protein, fat and fiber contents increased significantly in some samples with increased mushroom inclusion while carbohydrate decreased with increase in mushroom inclusion. For protein, values ranged from 0.98% in control sample to 5.55% in sample UPX (75:25); fat content ranged from 1.11% in control sample to 5.27% in sample UPX (75:25). Carbohydrate content ranged from 83.59% in control samples to 72.49% in sample UPX. There was also an increase in ash content with values ranging from 0.33% in control sample to 1.79% in sample UPX. Fiber increased from 6.17% in control sample to 8.26% in sample UPX. However overall acceptability evaluation showed that sample DMX (90:10) had the best in terms of acceptability. Functional properties for water absorption capacity, bulk density and swelling index indicate values ranging from 5.77 in control sample and 4.42 in sample UPX. Bulk density had values of 0.69 to 0.8; for swelling index it ranged from 4.53 to 4.72 for the various tests respectively
Conclusions
Increased mushroom inclusions decreased dough strength in flakes produced. However, edible mushrooms have shown tremendous potentials for complimenting the diet of toddlers at appropriate inclusion ratios for optimal growth
Funding Sources
Self funding.
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