The aim of the research was to assess the current trend and variation in rainfall and temperature in the Upper East Region, Ghana, using time series moving average analysis and decomposition methods. Meteorological data obtained from the Ghana Meteorological Agency in Accra, Ghana, from 1954 to 2014 were used in the models. The additive decomposition model was used to analyze the rainfall because the seasonal variation was relatively constant over time, while the multiplicative model was used for both the daytime and nighttime temperatures because their seasonal variations increase over time. The monthly maximum and the minimum values for the entire period were as follows: rainfall 455.50 and 0.00 mm, nighttime temperature 29.10°C and 13.25°C and daytime temperature 41.10°C and 26.10°C, respectively. Also, while rainfall was decreasing, nighttime and daytime temperatures were increasing in decadal times. Since both the daytime and nighttime temperatures were increasing and rainfall was decreasing, climate extreme events such as droughts could result and affect agriculture in the region, which is predominantly rain fed. Also, rivers, dams, and dugouts are likely to dry up in the region. It was also observed that there was much variation in rainfall making prediction difficult. Day temperatures were generally high with the months of March and April have been the highest. The months of December recorded the lowest night temperature. Inhabitants are therefore advised to sleep in well-ventilated rooms during the warmest months and wear protective clothing during the cold months to avoid contracting climate-related diseases.
Field experiments were conducted in the field at Nyankpala in the Northern Region of Ghana to determine the appropriate time of intercropping soybean, cowpea and groundnut with maize for optimum yield; and to compare the weed suppression abilities, vis-à-vis maize yields, of these legumes. The legumes were intercropped with the cereal 0, 2 and 4 weeks after planting (WAP) the maize. The intercrop components were arranged in a 1:1 spatial arrangement. The nonintercropped treatments served as sole crops. The experimental plots were laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications for each treatment. Results showed that leaf area index, shoot biomass, nodule number, pod number, grain yield and land equivalent ratio (LER) decreased with delay in intercropping. However, LER values indicated that the intercrops had yield advantage over the sole crop maize. The appropriate time of intercropping maize with the legumes for optimum maize yield is very early (before or at 2 WAP maize). Results also showed that cowpea suppressed more weeds in the maize field than groundnut and soybean. Cowpea-maize intercrop gave a maize yield of 2988 kg/ha which was not significantly different from the sole maize yield of 3291 kg/ha at 2 WAP maize.
Illegal logging of rosewood has become an environmental concern in the Northern Region of Ghana. Some affected districts in the region include; West Gonja, Central Gonja, East Gonja and Kpandai Districts. This study was conducted on illegal logging of Rosewood in Northern Ghana using Kabonwule in the Kpandai district as a case study because of the varied domestic uses of rosewood and the implications of its depletion. The study design adopted was a combination of qualitative and quantitative research approaches while the research methodology was case study and descriptive survey. The sample frame was 350 with a sample size of 70. Data was collected using interview guides, analyzed and presented in tables using Statistical Package for Social Scientist (SPSS) version 16. Results of the study indicated that illegal logging of Rosewood was a major environmental problem in the study area. Estimates by affected farmers indicated large scale destruction of farm lands by illegal logging of rosewood. High demand for Rosewood and corruption were concluded as the main causes of the illegal logging activity. Government should review existing laws to ensure that punishments for illegal logging activities are severe enough to discourage perpetrators.
The goal of this study was to assess water‐ and sanitation‐related diseases in the Kassena Nankana municipality using surveys and laboratory analyses. A total of 152 heads of households were contacted for both quantitative and qualitative research analysis. The study showed that the causes of water and sanitation diseases in the municipality were open defecation, 78 (51%); indiscriminate solid waste disposal, 31 (20%); closeness of households to refuse dumps (within 50 meters [m]), 89 (59%), and lack of access to pipe‐borne water, 93 (61%). Further analysis of water samples from pipes, boreholes, and wells revealed that out of the 20 samples, 15 (75%) tested positive for both total and fecal coliforms with values between1 and 6 colony‐forming units (CFU) per 100 milliliter (mL) sample. There is also increasing evidence that malaria contributes the greatest disease burden in the municipality, being responsible for around 23.1% of all disability adjusted life years (DALYs) between 2009 and 2013. Diarrhea and typhoid have the second and third highest disease burden rates and were responsible for approximately 19.5% and 1.2% of all DALYs between 2009 and 2013, respectively. A major recommendation of this study is that education on good sanitation be intensified, as 75 (49%) of the respondents did not attend child care programs where education on how to maintain good sanitation is given.
The study was conducted in the Mion District of the Northern Region with the objective of evaluating the impact of community-led total sanitation (CLTS) and the sustainability of WASH services. The study design was mainly quantitative, in which a sample of 225 was employed to collect the data. The study found that 73.4% indicated that their toilets have hand washing facilities for washing their hands after defecating, and 62.2% of the respondents indicated that their toilets had hand washing facilities, running water, and soap for people who use their toilets. Before CLTS in the Mion District, 84.0 percent of the respondents indicated that besides the cost of constructing toilets, other factors made it difficult for them not to have toilets in their homes. Over eighty-four (84.4%) percent of the respondents indicated that they needed technical support from the government and other benevolent organizations to help them construct toilets. The study recommends that government should ensure the harmonization of CLTS activities by non-governmental organizations in the Mion District in the implementation of CLTS. Further education of community members and cooperation between governmental, non-governmental, and chiefs are essential to ensure sustainability.
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