'Linkages between livelihood opportunities and refugee-host relations : learning from the experiences of Liberian camp-based refugees in Ghana.', Journal of refugee studies., 21 (2). pp. 230-252. Further information on publisher's website:http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fen015Publisher's copyright statement:Additional information: Use policyThe full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-pro t purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. Linkages between livelihood opportunities and refugee-host relations: learning from the experiences of Liberian camp-based refugees in Ghana AbstractMeans of achieving productive relationships between long-term refugees and their local host populations continue to tax governments, international agencies, development practitioners and academics. The common problems of tension, animosity, even outright conflict, in refugee-host relations add a substantial burden to the numerous other logistical difficulties faced by those engaged in refugee relief. Moreover, attitudes are hardening in many countries where the refugee problem shows little sign of abating. This paper combines recent livelihoods approaches to refugee studies with a social resilience framework to explore the interlinkages between refugee-host relations and refugee coping strategies in the Buduburam camp in Ghana. The reported experiences of camp residents and of the people with whom they interact in their efforts to make a living (NGO staff, government officials, traders etc.) illustrate the complex interplay between personal networks, livelihoods and broader relations between refugee and host populations. We draw particular attention to language skills, diaspora linkages and the impact of illicit and/or innovative livelihood strategies of refugees. Despite the enormous emphasis refugees in the camp place on earning their own living, some groups are less able or less willing than others to build the social networks to the host population that might allow them access to regular employment. Other factors, including the massive size of the camp population, the deep poverty of Gomoa district where the camp is situated, and the mismatch between the urban character of the majority of the refugee population and local (agricultural) labour demand, contribute to less than optimal relations with the host population. IntroductionMeans of achieving productive relationships between long-term refugees and their local host populations continue to tax governments, international agencies, development practitioners and academics. The common problems of tension, animosity, even outright conflict, in refug...

A study of the floral phenology of cocoa trees was carried out between 2006 and 2008 at Kubease in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, using one hundred cocoa trees from ten farm plots. The objective was to assess the contribution of floral phenology to the productivity of cocoa. Cocoa like all tropical tree species exhibited seasonally-related phenological patterns involving overlapping cycles under both intrinsic and extrinsic controls. However, unlike most tropical plants, flowering was in the rainy season. The production of new pods or cherelles increased during the major rainy season (June, July, and August), but was evenly distributed from the minor to the dry season. Production of small and medium pods peaked in August whereas production of large pods peaked in October. There was a positive correlation between new pod production and pods abortion (r = 0.69; n = 100; P < 0.05). Temperature, light intensity, and rainfall positively affected production of floral buds and production of open flowers. However, rainfall had the greatest influence on the phenological cycle of the cocoa plant. The floral phenological pattern also coincided with the activity of the main pollinators of cocoa which resulted in enhanced reproductive capacity for increased production of cocoa.

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A comparative study was carried out to determine the most suitable substrate for breeding of midges (Forcipomyia spp.) and the implications for pollination and yield in a typical cocoa production system in the forest ecological zone of Ghana. For the field experiment, the typically available substrates in cocoa farms which were used as the treatments under cocoa trees were: 1) rotten cocoa leaf litter; 2) rotten cocoa pod husks; and 3) rotten banana pseudostem. The untreated cocoa trees served as control. The experiment was set up in a randomized complete block design with three replications. For the laboratory experiment, the design was completely randomized design with four replications. The objective was to determine which substrate best supported breeding of the midges. The rotten banana pseudostem substrate recorded the highest population (7680) of Forcipomyia spp. after 56 days of observation. The cocoa pod husk and cocoa leaf litter recorded populations of 5226 and 1920, respectively. Similar observations were recorded in the level of pollination of the cocoa trees treated with rotten banana pseudostem (95.78%), cocoa pod husks (89.05%) and cocoa leaf litter (68.42%). Application of all substrates to the cocoa tree resulted in a 77% mean reduction in flower abortion as compared to the control. Fruit abortion, on the other hand, was significantly greater in trees treated with rotten banana pseudostem (73.7%) and rotten cocoa pod husks (71.3%) than in trees treated with rotten cocoa leaf litter (54.3%). Application of banana substrate explained 88% of the variation in cherelle production (fruit set) whereas cocoa pod husks and cocoa leaf litter accounted for 71% and 94%, respectively, of the variation in cherelle production. The study concluded that although cocoa leaf litter resulted in average increases in midges population and subsequently not too high levels of pollination, there was a significantly higher number of set fruits retained which implied high cocoa pod yields. Consequently, in accordance with the observed trend cocoa leaf litter should be considered as the most appropriate substrate for midges activity in cocoa for high yields.

This study investigated the position of staminodes around the style of cocoa flowers and the stability of cocoa flowers relative to pollination and seasonality. Cocoa flowers were categorized into converging, ≤1.20 mm; parallel, 1.21–2.40 mm, and splay ≥2.41 mm, depending on the distance between the staminode and style. Some flowers were hand pollinated while others were not and were excluded from insect visitors. Proportions of flowers of converging (56.0%), parallel (37.5%), and splay (6.5%) remained similar along the vertical plane of cocoa trees. Although pollination rates of flowers with splay staminodes were the lowest, the overall pollination success of cocoa trees was not significantly affected because of the small proportion of splay flowers.The stability of the cocoa flowers depended on both the season and pollination. During the dry season, unpollinated flowers of cocoa trees showed a flower-stability ratio of 72% on the second day, while the flower-stability ratio was 94% in the wet season. Pollinated (senescent) flowers had a stability ratio of 95% after 5 days during the wet season, but all pollinated flowers dropped after 5 days in the dry season, indicating that seasonal factors, such as water stress, can have dramatic effects on cocoa yields.

Concentrations of pesticides residues in honey sampled from the major honey producing forest belts in Ghana were determined. Samples were purposively collected and extracted using the QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) method and analysed for synthetic pyrethroids, organochlorine, and organophosphate pesticide residues. Aldrin, γ-HCH, β-HCH, ∑endosulfan, cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, permethrin methoxychlor, ∑DDT, chlorpyrifos, fenvalerate, malathion, dimethoate, and diazinon were all detected at the concentration of 0.01 mg/kg, while cyfluthrin and permethrin were detected at mean concentrations of 0.02 and 0.04 mg/kg, respectively. All the pesticide residues detected were very low and below their respective maximum residue limits set by the European Union. Hence, pesticide residues in honey samples analyzed do not pose any health risk to consumers.

Honey is a natural source of food with countless health benefits. This study was to investigate the quality of honey from well-known honey extraction modes in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. 24 honey samples were taken from bee farms in two districts in the region and subjected to physicochemical and microbiology analysis. Moisture content of the honeys, their pH, water insoluble solids, and sugar were determined. ISO/IEC 17025, ISO 16140-1: 2016 methods of microbial assays were done to determine the presence of aerobes, coliforms, E.coli and fungi. Statistical analysis was carried out using the GraphPad Prism 5. The results indicated that moisture content of the honeys ranged from 14.46%-22.31%. The pH values were within the acidity range (4.1-4.3), whiles water insoluble solids ranged from 0.56% to 8.50%; sucrose level ranged from 2.64%-3.12%, but the pressed honey had the highest glucose+fructose (90%). There was significant differences (p<0.05) in the microbial quality of the honeys from the two districts, and under the different treatments. Cold extracted honeys recorded the highest bacterial count of 4.614 × 10 3 cfu/g, honey from pressed method had the least count of 3.30 × 10 2 cfu/g. Food pathogens were not detected. Aerobes were within safe limits; hence, these honeys were classified as safe for consumption. The results indicated that the best mode of honey extraction was by honey press. All the detected counts fell within the acceptable limits. The study concluded that generally, honey produced locally is safe for consumption.

The purpose of this study is to establish optimum extraction temperature, moisture content, particle size and the effect of roasting of shea kernels on extraction efficiency for optimum shea butter yield using low pressure (45kg/cm2) manual screw press. Extraction of shea butter is a major income generating activity in Ghana, particularly in the Northern Regions. It is estimated that about 80% of the shea butter produced in Ghana is processed by women using traditional aqueous extraction method. Commercial extraction using continuous screw press accounts for about 20% of production. Oil extraction rates for the traditional aqueous extraction method are relatively low. The traditional aqueous method involves roasting, milling, creaming and boiling, and relies on very low pressure, high moisture of 65-68% and temperatures of 100-140°C. In this study Intermediate Moisture Content (IMC) method was employed. The IMC method involves the use of a low pressure manual screw press to extract butter from shea kernels. The study established an optimum extraction temperature of 60°C and moisture content of 12% at which butter extraction efficiency was between 65.9% and 68.5%. The results revealed that oil extraction efficiency depends on the fineness of paste to be processed and that roasted kernels do not give higher butter yield than unroasted kernels. This is against the traditional belief that high shea butter yield can only be achieved when the kernels are roasted.