Browsing by Author "Sanga, C"

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Algorithm for the evaluation of Free and Open Source Software when the Evaluator is "Uncertain"
(North American Institute of Science and Information Technology (NAISIT), 2015-09) Sanga, C; Venter, I. M
Free and Open Source Software is freely available on the Internet and making use of it, could benefit many higher learning institutions in developing countries. However, before adoption, it is necessary to evaluate the software to see if it meets the requirements of the institution. The evaluation of software involves considering the quality attributes of the software, which can either be evaluated objectively or subjectively, depending on whether the attributes are measured directly or indirectly. To handle the subjectivity of qualitative evaluation an algorithm with inherent computational intelligence was developed. The algorithm, Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process incorporates a modified version of extent analysis. It can tolerate fuzziness, ambiguity, imprecision, uncertainty and ill-illustrated judgements. In addition to the improved Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process development, the Group Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process was developed. Using a specially derived set of end-user centric metrics, the algorithm provides the means for evaluating software according to quality attributes. Software developers, to predict end-user requirements, and to more accurately measure end-user satisfaction can use these quality attributes. Soft Systems Methodology was the preferred research methodology in this investigation as it is well suited for fuzzy problems. The algorithm was validated by evaluating Moodle, a free and open source e-learning system, adopted by a University in Tanzania. Students and staff from the university were involved in providing the subjective opinions about the software. The data collected from the subjective evaluation was captured and using Soft System Methodology, the data was analysed cyclically, improving the algorithm with each cycle. The advantages of the proposed final algorithm are: it is efficient, simple to use and cost-effective. It guides the end user to form an informed decision based on the evaluation results of software. The evaluation results determine whether the outlook is pessimistic, moderate or optimistic.
Assessing the impacts of climate variability and change on agricultural systems in Eastern Africa while enhancing the region’s capacity to undertake integrated assessment of vulnerabilities to future changes in climate
(ICRISAT, 2015-02) Sanga, C; Sumari, Neema; Tumbo, Siza; Mourice, Sixbert K; Kadigi, Ibrahim; Kahimba, Frederick
One of the key messages emerging out of the recent IPCC reports is that the climate change is real, happening and will continue to happen for the foreseeable future , irrespective of what happens to future greenhouse gas emissions . The report also estimates wi th high confidence that the negative impacts on agriculture outweigh the positives which makes adaptation an urgent and pressing challenge. However, adaptation planning requires accurate information about where, when and how the impacts are going to be fel t and who will be more vulnerable. Among the regions, Africa is considered as more vulnerable due to its high dependence on agriculture for subsistence, employment and income. In Eastern Africa, agriculture accounts for 43% of GDP and contributes to more than 80% employment (Omano et al. 20 06). Within Africa, Eastern Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions due to its high dependence on rain - fed agriculture for subsistence, employment and income. The region experiences high variability in rainfall (Webster et al., 1999, Hastenrath et al. , 2007) which has a direct bearing on the performance of agriculture. Generally the region experiences prolonged and highly destructive droughts covering large areas at least once every decade and more localized events even more frequently. The region reco rded severe droughts and/or famines in 1973 - 74, 1984 - 85, 1987, 1992 - 94, 1999 - 2000, 2005 - 2006 and more recently in 2010 - 11. According to UNDP (2006), a single drought event in a 12 - year period will lower GDP by 7% – 10% and increase poverty by 12% – 14%. Extrem e events, including floods and droughts, are becoming increasingly frequent and severe (IPCC 2007). Based on the analysis of data from the international Disaster Database (EM - DAT), Shongwe et al. (2009) concluded that there has been an increase in the numb er of reported disasters in the region, from an average of less than 3 events per year in the 1980s to over 7 events per year in the 1990s and 10 events per year from 2000 to 2006. The negative impacts of climate are not limited to the years with extreme c limatic conditions. Even with normal rainfall, the countries in the region do not produce enough food to meet their people’s needs. Left unmanaged, these impacts can have far - reaching consequences on the local food security, economy, and poverty. Over the past few years, climate research has contributed significantly to increased understanding of how the climate in the region is var ying on inter - annual and decadal time scales and on how the climate is changing in response to global warming and other factors . The impacts of this variability and changes in climate on various sectors including agriculture have also received considerable attention . These studies indicate that a griculture, especially the one practiced under rainfed conditions in moisture limiting environments such as semi - arid tropics , is one of the most vulnerable sectors since these are relatively warmer places and rainfall is the only source of water. There is a rapidly growing literature on vulnerability and adaptation to climatic variability and change , but most of these studies are based on assessments made using statistical and empirical models that fail to account for the full range of complex interactions and their effects on agricultural systems (Parry et al., 2004; Cline, 2007; Lobell e t al., 2008). Evidence available to date indicate s that w ith 1°C of warming, roughly 65% of current maize growing areas in Africa will experience yield losses (Lobell et al., 2011) and the average predicted production loss es by 2050 for most crops are in t he ra n ge of 10 - 25% (Schlenker and Lobell, 2010) . For developing and implementing adaptation programs, more detailed information about the impacts of climate change on various components of the smallholder farming systems such as which crops and varieties are more vulnerable and which management practices are unviable is required . This requires a comprehensive assessment using site and location specific climate and crop management information. However, s everal problems constrain such an assessment. Firstly, downscaled local level climate change projections that are required to make such assessments are not readily available . While climate models provide various scenarios with high levels of confidence at global and sub - regional level, there are challenges in downscaling them to local level (IPCC, 2007) . Secondly, lack of information on the sensitivity of smallholder agricultural systems to changes in climate . Though process based crop simulation models can serve as important tools to make a more realistic assessment of impacts of climate variability and change on agricultural systems, application of the same is limited to few location specific studies mainly because of the intensive data requirements and practical limitations including capaci ty to calibrate, validate and perform detailed analyses. Thirdly, there is scarcity of information on how the impacts of climate change on the production and productivity of agriculture translate into economic impacts including food security at household a nd national levels. This assessment is aimed at developing more accurate information on how the projected changes in climate impact the productivity and profitability of agricultural systems that are widely adopted by smallholder farmers in Eastern Africa using the protocols and methods developed by Agricultural Model Intercomparision and Improvement Project (AgMIP) (Rosenzweig et al., 2013) . One key aspect of this assessment is the attention paid to captur e the complexity and diversity that exists in the s mallholder farm ing systems including the different ways in which th e system is managed. The study is an attempt to make a comprehensive assessment of climate change on crop growth and performance under conditions that interactions as well as related economic impacts by integrat ing state of the art downscal ed climate scenarios with crop and economic models. Th e assessment was carried out in contrasting agro - ecological zones spread over the four major countries in eastern Africa – Ethiopia, Keny a, Tanzania and Uganda. This report summarizes the findings that include trends and changes in the observed and downscaled climate scenarios, quantified information on impacts of these trends and changes on performance of maize under a range of environment al and management conditions, implication of these changes in crop performance on in come, poverty and food security of smallholder farmers and potential adaptation strategies that can assist smallholder farmers in minimizing negative impacts .
Bridging gender gaps in provision of agricultural extension service using ICT: experiences from Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) Farmer Voice Radio (FVR) project in Tanzania
(IGI Global Publishing, 2014-06) Sanga, C; Msuya, C.P; Kalungwizi, V.J
This article was designed to present the assessment of the effectiveness of radio - based, impact driven smallholder farmer extension service system provided by FVR to enhance accessibility of extension services to women and men in the project areas of Tanzania. Specifically, this paper assessed women and men farmers’ access to ICT and factors in- fluencing the utilization of ICT to deliver agricultural information and knowledge. The paper used data from impact assessment survey of the project conducted between April 2012 and June 2012. These data were complemented by focus group discussion involving members of gender advisory panel that had been established in the selected project sites. Quantitative data were analyzed to yield frequencies and percentages. Qualitative data were analyzed by content analysis. Even though ownership of mobile phones and radio was higher among women in all study areas both men and women farmers’ had almost the same percentage in accessibility to agricultural extension information. The factors that affected women and men farmers to get quality agricultural information via these ICT tools were namely: poor radio signal reception, power outrage and poor timing of radio programs among others. This is important evidence that careful use of ICT can reduce gender imbalance in agricultural extension services and information delivery.
Can e-learning promote participation of female students in STEM disciplines in higher learning institutions of Tanzania?
(International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology, 2013) Sanga, C; Magesa, M.M; Chingonikaya, E; Kayunze, K.A
The recent development of ICTs has brought many changes in different sectors. In Higher Learning Institutions, there are a number of positive changes. ICTs have brought efficiency, effectiveness and efficacy in the provision of the core functions namely: teaching, outreach, research and consultancy. Previous studies showed that even though there is improvement in teaching and learning through e-learning but few studies researched e-learning as tool for promoting female students to participate in science, technology and mathematics disciplines. This study was done to evaluate if the e-learning can promote the participation of female students in science, technology and mathematics subjects in different Higher Learning Institutions of Tanzania. The mixed research methodology was used in this study. The results showed that the potential benefits of e-learning as tool for promoting students uptake for science, technology and mathematics subjects was not fully exploited in Tanzania. Thus, this calls different stakeholders to fully implement and mainstream e-learning in Higher Learning value chain to make it a reality and not myth in promoting female students participation is science, technology and engineering.
Contribution of Information and Communication Technology in Improving Access to Market Information among Smallholder Farmers: The case study of Kilosa District
(North American Institute of Science and Information Technology (NAISIT), 2015-09) Njelekela, C; Sanga, C
This study investigates the contribution of information and communication technology in improving access to market information among smallholder farmers. The study was conducted at Kilosa District. The representative sample involved 50 smallholder farmers from two villages. A structured questionnaire was used to collect relevant information from random selected respondents. Data were analysed using statistical software. The overall findings revealed that there were great disparities in gender division of labour at the market process. Men participate much in access market information because they are the one who made decision. In other hand, women were performing more activities in the farm production compared to men who engaged themselves in market. The research concludes that there is unequal gender division of labour in the farm activities and also, on the access and use of the market information. Based on this, it is recommended that massive education campaign for mainstreaming gender is needed to both men and women who are actively engaged in smallholder farmers.
Delivery of agricultural extension service can be improved through mobile phones
(Sokoine University of Agriculture, 2016) Mlozi, MRS; Sanga, C; Tumbo, S; Mussa, M; Kadeghe, F; Haug, R
Experts’ assignment algorithm for Cloud-based Agro-advisory Service Information System (CASIS) using weighted sum model: piloting CASIS
(UbuntuNet Alliance, 2015) Fue, Kadeghe G; Tumbo, Siza; Sanga, C
A Cloud-based Agro-advisory Service Information System (CASIS) uses interactive operating mode where assignment of questions from farmers to experts is done manually. Questions as input to the system are received randomly in a day and experts are supposed to respond within a specified time. The system has 20 experts in its database who respond to farmers questions and it can receive more than 30 questions per day. If there is a significant delay in the responses to a question then the question is reassigned to another expert. Each expert behaves differently when responding to their assigned questions. In order to address the shortcomings, the experts’ assignment algorithm was developed utilizing the respondents’ response probabilities and time of responses. Assignment decision is based on using a model that trains ‘CASIS’ on the determination of best experts. CASIS training algorithm is developed to complement current weakness. The algorithm doesn’t omit experts who respond late but complements them with active ones. The decision boundary is homogeneity and numerical so as to give a single output quickly. The input (x1, x2) and output (y) variables are numeric. The main concept is that the output is generated using linear combination or weighted sum model The algorithm considers response time as best criteria to satisfy the farmers who send the questions. This algorithm provides a great chance of finding a quick answer within a short period of time. Automatic expert assignment is essential to achieve high adoption of the system that satisfies the on-time farmer advisories demand and promote efficiency as well as effective extension services for rural development.
Factors influencing the adoption and use of ICT by small and medium sized enterprises in Tanzania: a case study of Kilosa district
(ResearchGate, 2013) Sanga, C
The major developments in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have transformed the world more than any other technological invention. ICTs and fisherfolk cannot be seemingly related, but not anymore these days. Fisheries have been playing significant roles in the social and economic development of the country. On the other hand, ICTs can help fisherfolk a lot. The broad objective of the study is to assess the extent of use of ICTs by fisherfolk in the Kutubdia Island. In this study, researchers have used descriptive survey methods to collect primary information. Besides, data from secondary sources have also been used. To carry out this research, 60 respondents have been selected from Kutubdia Island of Bangladesh. The socioeconomic condition of these fisherfolk is not so good. However, all of the fisherfolk use mobile phone, radio and radar while they are out in the sea. They also use other ICT tools like computer, television, Internet, newspaper, sonar, wireless and GPS. They use these tools to know, search, distribute and share information and weather updates; track fish swarm, increase income, save time and assist shipping. A minor section of the fisherfolk do not use ICTs because they still depend on the traditional ways of catching fish. The study has found out that these fisherfolk face many problems in gaining access to ICTs which include lack of uninterrupted power supply, insufficient finance, lack of enabling government policies and lack of training on ICTs.
Impacts of climate change on agriculture: What, when, where and how?
(2015) Tumbo, Siza; Sanga, C
One of the key messages emerging out of the recent IPCC reports is that the climate change is real, happening and will continue to happen for the foreseeable future. The report also estimates with high confidence that the negative impacts on agriculture outweigh the positives which makes adaptation an urgent and pressing challenge. However, adaptation planning requires accurate information about where, when and how the impacts are going to be felt and who will be more vulnerable. Eastern Africa is considered as one of the most vulnerable regions in the world due to its high dependence on agriculture for subsistence, employment and income. Generally the region experiences prolonged and highly destructive droughts covering large areas at least once every decade and more localized events more frequently. The negative impacts of climate are not limited to the years with extreme climatic conditions. Even with normal rainfall, the countries in the region do not produce enough food to meet their needs. Overlaid on this challenging scenario is the dominance of semi-arid to arid climatic conditions which are marginal for crop production, degraded soils, extreme poverty and lack of infrastructure which make the countries in the region highly vulnerable to current and future changes in climate. There is a rapidly growing literature on vulnerability and adaptation to increased climatic variability and change but most of these assessments are based on statistical and empirical models that fail to account the full range of complex interactions and their effects on agricultural systems. For developing and implementing adaptation programs, more detailed information about how the components of the prevailing farming system such as which crops and varieties are more vulnerable and which management practices are unviable under the predicted climates is needed. However, several problems such as non-availability of downscaled local level climate change projections, lack of information on how the projected changes impact agricultural systems and scarcity of information on how these changes on production and productivity of agriculture translate into economic impacts including food security at household and national levels are constraining such an assessment.
Technological factors influencing vendors’participation in public electronic procurement system in Ilala,Tanzania
(2021) Siwandeti, M. L; Sanga, C; Panga, F.
Tanzania is among countries which adopted and implemented an Electronic Procurement System (EPS) in their procurement operations. However, little attention has been given on technological factors that influence vendors’ participation in public electronic procurement system(PEPS). This study examined technological factors influencing vendors’ participation in PEPS. Ilala District was chosen as a study area and research design was cross-sectional. Simple Random sampling technique and purposive sampling technique were used to select300 respondents and three key informants respectively. Qualitative and Quantitative data were collected through Key Informants Interviews (KIIs) guide and structured questionnaire respectively. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and content analysis were used for quantitative and qualitative data analysis respectively. The study found technological factors like information transparency, creativity and innovation, data quality and management, system integration, data security; computer and IT literacy were significant at p-value<0.001. Therefore the study concluded that, technological factors have influence on the vendors’ participation in PEPS. The Study recommends to Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) to consider oversee significant technological factors(like data management, data quality, information transparency and security)for attracting vendors to participate in the system. PPRA should maximise privacy on sensitive data and allow access by levels for operation purpose only.