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Article
Publication date: 1 February 2004

K. Saharan, N. Khetarpaul and S. Bishnoi

Ricebean (RB‐32) contained significantly (p < 0.05) higher amounts of total soluble (5.6g/100g) and non‐reducing sugars (5.0g/100g) than fababean (VH‐82‐1). On the other hand, the…

368

Abstract

Ricebean (RB‐32) contained significantly (p < 0.05) higher amounts of total soluble (5.6g/100g) and non‐reducing sugars (5.0g/100g) than fababean (VH‐82‐1). On the other hand, the contents of starch and reducing sugars were more in fababean (53.2g/100g; 608.7mg/100g) than those in ricebean (50.7g/100g; 547.3mg/100g). The starch digestibility (mg maltose released/g meal) of whole raw seeds and husk of ricebean and fababean was 30.8; 6.3 and 42.1; 6.3, respectively. Due to soaking, sprouting and dehulling, a significant (p < 0.05) improvement occurred in in vitro starch digestibility of both ricebean and fababean. Germination for 24 hours in ricebean and 48 hours in fababean was found to be the best as it could improve the starch digestibility to the extent of 100 to 90 per cent over the control.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science, vol. 34 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

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Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 29 January 2024

Clement Olalekan Olaniyi and Nicholas M. Odhiambo

This study examines the roles of cross-sectional dependence, asymmetric structure and country-to-country policy variations in the inflation-poverty reduction causal nexus in…

1621

Abstract

Purpose

This study examines the roles of cross-sectional dependence, asymmetric structure and country-to-country policy variations in the inflation-poverty reduction causal nexus in selected sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries from 1981 to 2019.

Design/methodology/approach

To account for cross-sectional dependence, heterogeneity and policy variations across countries in the inflation-poverty reduction causal nexus, this study uses robust Hatemi-J data decomposition procedures and a battery of second-generation techniques. These techniques include cross-sectional dependency tests, panel unit root tests, slope homogeneity tests and the Dumitrescu-Hurlin panel Granger non-causality approach.

Findings

Unlike existing studies, the panel and country-specific findings exhibit several dimensions of asymmetric causality in the inflation-poverty nexus. Positive inflationary shocks Granger-causes poverty reduction through investment and employment opportunities that benefit the impoverished in SSA. These findings align with country-specific analyses of Botswana, Cameroon, Gabon, Mauritania, South Africa and Togo. Also, a decline in poverty causes inflation to increase in the Congo Republic, Madagascar, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo. All panel and country-specific analyses reveal at least one dimension of asymmetric causality or another.

Practical implications

All stakeholders and policymakers must pay adequate attention to issues of asymmetric structures, nonlinearities and country-to-country policy variations to address country-specific issues and the socioeconomic problems in the probable causal nexus between the high incidence of extreme poverty and double-digit inflation rates in most SSA countries.

Originality/value

Studies on the inflation-poverty nexus are not uncommon in economic literature. Most existing studies focus on inflation’s effect on poverty. Existing studies that examine the inflation-poverty causal relationship covertly assume no asymmetric structure and nonlinearity. Also, the issues of cross-sectional dependence and heterogeneity are unexplored in the causal link in existing studies. All panel studies covertly impose homogeneous policies on countries in the causality. This study relaxes this supposition by allowing policies to vary across countries in the panel framework. Thus, this study makes three-dimensional contributions to increasing understanding of the inflation-poverty nexus.

Details

International Trade, Politics and Development, vol. 8 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2586-3932

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Article
Publication date: 29 September 2020

Carol A. Tilt, Wei Qian, Sanjaya Kuruppu and Dinithi Dissanayake

Developing countries experience their own social, political and environmental issues, but surprisingly limited papers have examined sustainability reporting in these regions…

2381

Abstract

Purpose

Developing countries experience their own social, political and environmental issues, but surprisingly limited papers have examined sustainability reporting in these regions, notably in sub-Saharan Africa. To fill this gap and understand the state of sustainability reporting in sub-Saharan Africa, this paper aims to investigate the current state of reporting, identifies the major motivations and barriers for reporting and suggests an agenda of future issues that need to be considered by firms, policymakers and academics.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper includes analysis of reporting practices in 48 sub-Saharan African countries using the lens of New Institutional Economics. It comprises three phases of data collection and analysis: presentation of overall reporting data collected and provided by Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). analysis of stand-alone sustainability reports using qualitative data analysis and interviews with key report producers.

Findings

The analysis identifies key issues that companies in selected sub-Saharan African countries are grappling within their contexts. There are significant barriers to reporting but institutional mechanisms, such as voluntary reporting frameworks, provide an important bridge between embedding informal norms and changes to regulatory requirements. These are important for the development of better governance and accountability mechanisms.

Research limitations/implications

Findings have important implications for policymakers and institutions such as GRI in terms of regulation, outreach and localised training. More broadly, global bodies such as GRI and IIRC in a developing country context may require more local knowledge and support. Limitations include limited data availability, particularly for interviews, which means that these results are preliminary and provide a basis for further work.

Practical implications

The findings of this paper contribute to the knowledge of sustainability reporting in this region, and provide some policy implications for firms, governments and regulators.

Originality/value

This paper is one of only a handful looking at the emerging phenomenon of sustainability reporting in sub-Saharan African countries.

Details

Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8021

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Article
Publication date: 9 May 2016

Rejaul Hoque Bepary, Dadasaheb D. Wadikar and Prakash E. Patki

The purpose of this paper was to analyse the present status of the information available on rice bean [Vigna umbellata (Thunb.)] cultivars with respect to its nutritional and…

256

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper was to analyse the present status of the information available on rice bean [Vigna umbellata (Thunb.)] cultivars with respect to its nutritional and functional characteristics. It is one of the non-conventional and under-utilized beans of South and Southeast Asia. In northeastern regions of India, it is an important crop for shifting cultivation or kitchen garden which is consumed as vegetable (tender pod) and pulse. The information gaps filling could be useful for several work proposals and for consumers and cultivators to know the nutritional strength and varied usability of the grain which in-turn can help in its commercialization.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach to information collection was emphasized on nutritional strength of the grain compared to other beans of Vigna family and the varied usability among the rice bean varieties of the Himalayan Belt.

Findings

The average carbohydrate, protein, fat, crude fibre and ash content of 75 genotypes of rice bean was found 59.96 ± 2.81, 20.78 ± 2.65, 1.74 ± 1.42, 5.07 ± 1.17 and 4.44 ± 1.03 per cent, respectively. It has high quality protein with all essential amino acid in balance manner. Among the minerals, it contains calcium, iron, zinc and potassium with high bio-availability of calcium (59.8 ± 0.3 per cent). The factors such as flatulence producing saccharides, trypsin inhibitors, polyphenols, phytic acid, saponin and tannins of rice bean were reported to be in the range of 3.28-5.87 per cent, 55.12-163.98 TIU/g, 0.58-1.82 1.88-8.17, 1.2-3.1 and 0.24-1.55 per cent, respectively. The toxic compounds such as hydrogen cyanide (0.09 mg/100 g) and L-3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (0.36 mg/100 g) is lowest in rice bean. The nutritional advantages of rice bean over the other beans of Vigna family were required to emphasize to induce interest among the researchers, producers and consumers.

Research limitations/implications

In view of the recommended daily requirements with respect of amino acids, vitamin-B and minerals, rice bean could be a major component of the diet to fulfill them. However, the scanty information available on nutritional and functional components of rice bean varieties grown in northeastern India calls for the gap filing research to explore full potential of the bean.

Originality/value

The information about differences among the northeastern varieties of rice bean available on nutritional functional components essentially required the updating of research data to explore full potential and utility of the bean.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science, vol. 46 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

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Article
Publication date: 1 October 2011

George Kararach, Kobena T. Hanson and Frannie A. Léautier

Africa is going through a youth bulge with more people under 25 than above 50 in all of its countries. Creating opportunities for the burgeoning number of youth is a challenge…

633

Abstract

Africa is going through a youth bulge with more people under 25 than above 50 in all of its countries. Creating opportunities for the burgeoning number of youth is a challenge that cannot be solved only at the country level. Regional integration policies that expand the opportunity space by increasing the size of economies and markets will be critical. Also needed are regional policies that can support the development and enhancement of innovation systems including investment in science and technology education to speed up the creation of a cadre of young people that can lead the transformation of stages of production from dependencies on primary products and extraction. Policies and Programs that can modernize agriculture and support effective creation of value chains that enhance the value added from agriculture that can excite youth back to the rural areas would also be needed. This paper explores the challenges facing countries in Africa in relation to it’s demographic transition, investigating the type of policies that would be most effective to address the challenge. The subsets of policies at the regional level are given special attention due to their opportunity expanding nature. Concrete examples of what has potential from observed results in other regions of the world are provided.

Details

World Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, vol. 7 no. 2/3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-5961

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Article
Publication date: 10 October 2016

Oasis Kodila-Tedika and Asongu Simplice

The purpose of this paper is to assess the determinants of state fragility in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) using hitherto unexplored variables in the literature.

357

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the determinants of state fragility in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) using hitherto unexplored variables in the literature.

Design/methodology/approach

The previously missing dimension of nation building is integrated and the hypothesis of state fragility being a function of rent seeking and/or lobbying by de facto power holders is tested.

Findings

The resulting interesting finding is that political interference, rent seeking and lobbying increase the probability of state fragility by mitigating the effectiveness of governance capacity. This relationship (after controlling for a range of economic, institutional and demographic factors) is consistent with a plethora of models and specifications. The validity of the hypothesis is confirmed in a scenario of extreme state fragility. Moreover, the interaction between political interferences and revolutions mitigates the probability of state fragility while the interaction between natural resources and political interferences breeds the probability of extreme state fragility.

Practical implications

There are two main policy implications. First, political interference, rent seeking and lobbying are likely to increase the fragility of SSA nations. Second, there is a “Sub-Saharan African specificity” in “nation building” and prevention of conflicts. Blanket fragility-oriented policies will be misplaced unless they are contingent on the degree of fragility, since “fragile” and “extreme fragile” countries respond differently to economic, institutional and demographic characteristics of state fragility.

Originality/value

The study is timely given the political strife, violence and conflicts issues currently affecting African development.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 43 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

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Article
Publication date: 30 September 2022

Opeyemi Afolabi Femi-Oladunni, María Pilar Martínez-Ruiz, Pablo Ruiz-Palomino and Ana Isabel Muro-Rodríguez

Given food industry manufacturers and retailers' growing economic interest in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), this research aims to contribute to the understanding of consumer food…

101

Abstract

Purpose

Given food industry manufacturers and retailers' growing economic interest in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), this research aims to contribute to the understanding of consumer food decisions in this specific geographical area. Thus, the intention is to analyze whether there are significant differences in the appreciation of food values according to certain key demographics of consumers (related to the individual and the context) in one of the largest SSA economies: Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

The review of the relevant literature enabled us to propose a series of hypotheses regarding potential significant differences in the appreciation of a series of food values (in particular, price, safety, environmental impact, nutrition and weight and measures) according to variables related to the individual and the economic and social context. In order to test the hypotheses, a structured questionnaire was personally administered to 500 Lagos residents between June and July 2020. The questionnaire contained, as well as diverse questions related to the appreciation of food values selected for this study, a group of questions about the consumers' sociodemographic characteristics – at both the individual and context level. The database was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Kruskal–Wallis tests.

Findings

The results show that nutrition and weight and measurement values are the most and least appreciated food values, respectively. However, these values differ across segments determined by the chosen sociodemographic variables.

Research limitations/implications

The results of this study are preliminary and not a complete representation of the Lagos State population, and, consequently, of the Nigerian population. Additional studies in the same and other countries in SSA are needed to confirm the authors’ findings. The results, however, provide an insight into what the most likely outcomes are. A field survey was used as respondents tend not to answer online surveys spontaneously.

Practical implications

Food manufacturers and retailers should encourage consumer-operator feedback mechanisms to improve product characteristics and development. The variations found across each segment can be capitalized upon for advertising and branding food products.

Originality/value

Having selected a country in SSA for the study is an important contribution, given that few studies have focused on this geographical area.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 125 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

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Article
Publication date: 24 May 2022

Anthony Nkrumah Agyabeng, Justice Nyigmah Bawole, Albert Ahenkan, James Kwame Mensah and Alexander Preko

Slum discourse has attracted significant research interest among scholars. The study examined the policy framework for slum governance in Ghana with the goal of offering…

195

Abstract

Purpose

Slum discourse has attracted significant research interest among scholars. The study examined the policy framework for slum governance in Ghana with the goal of offering recommendations to structure slum management.

Design/methodology/approach

Anchored on exploratory qualitative methodology, the study utilized a purposive sampling technique to select 18 respondents from the major ministries for in-depth interviews.

Findings

The results showed an absence of a central national policy for slum governance because slums development has received less national priority. It also revealed a lack of coordination among the sector ministries in policy formulation, which tends to create a blame game among them. Further, it was found that slum programs are driven by media-political and non-governmental actors.

Research limitations/implications

The conclusion and the outcome of this study cannot be generalized as to represent the whole ministries in Ghana in the space of slums management due to the qualitative approach. A recommendation is offered for the creation of a separate authority to take charge of the slums in Ghana.

Practical implications

This study elucidates a context-specific understanding of the policy framework for slum governance, which tends to shape public knowledge and policy landscape.

Originality/value

As a novelty, the findings of the study advanced the sparse literature in the domain and, at the same time, helped politicians and policymakers understand the need for a dedicated policy for slums.

Details

International Journal of Public Leadership, vol. 18 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-4929

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Article
Publication date: 21 March 2009

Antu Grewal and Sudesh Jood

Digestibility of pulses is affected due to presence of antinutritional and toxic compounds. Various processing treatments are known to destroy heat labile toxic compounds and…

645

Abstract

Purpose

Digestibility of pulses is affected due to presence of antinutritional and toxic compounds. Various processing treatments are known to destroy heat labile toxic compounds and other enzyme inhibitors, hence, to improve the texture, palatability and nutritive value of pulses. This paper, therefore, aims to focus on improving the digestibility and availability of nutrients of green gram (Vigna radiata L.) through processing treatments.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study was undertaken to see the effect of common processing and cooking treatments on newly released green gram cultivars. To achieve this objective, green gram seeds were soaked in plain water (1:4 w/v) for 12 hours at 37°C. One portion of the soaked seeds was dried at 55°C and left‐over soaked seeds were divided into three portions. One portion of the soaked seeds was dehulled manually. The second portion of the soaked seeds was ordinary and pressure‐cooked (water two times the weight of soaked seeds) for 35 minutes at 95‐100°C and at 1.05 kg/cm2 pressure for 15 minutes, respectively. The third portion of the soaked seeds was sprouted for 24 hours at 37°C. All the processed seeds were dried at 55°C in a hot air oven and then ground in a cyclone sample mill and stored for estimation of nutritional parameters using standard methods.

Findings

Soaking and cooking treatments had no significant effect on proximate composition, whereas sugar contents increased and starch contents decreased significantly. Soaking and cooking treatments also improved in vitro starch digestibility significantly. De‐hulling of soaked seeds further improved starch digestibility and also caused significant change in protein, fat, ash, crude fibre and sugar contents. Germination decreased starch, thereby raising the level of the soluble sugars and improved starch digestibility by 49 and 48 percent, respectively, in both cultivars. Similarly, pressure‐cooking also increased starch digestibility by about 44 and 49 percent, respectively, in both cultivars. Cooking may gelatinize starch and germination may mobilize starch, resulting in improved digestibility of starch by α‐amylase.

Practical implications

Evolving high‐yielding crop varieties is one of the most important strategies to fill the gap between demand and supply of food legumes and also to improve the nutritional status of the population consuming such foods. Hence, it is imperative to judge their chemical composition and improve them through inexpensive processing techniques.

Originality/value

The paper gives an overall view of nutritive values of new and traditional varieties of vegetables and will be of value to those who supply the consumer.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 111 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

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Article
Publication date: 1 February 2023

Anthony Nkrumah Agyabeng, Justice Nyigmah Bawole, Albert Ahenkan, James Kwame Mensah and Alexander Preko

The study examined the influence of slums on policies affecting the slums' lives in Ghana.

177

Abstract

Purpose

The study examined the influence of slums on policies affecting the slums' lives in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory qualitative approach based on in-depth interviews (IDIs) was used to select 24 respondents using purposive and snowball sampling techniques.

Findings

The findings show that slum dwellers have an adequate understanding of policies that affect the dwellers' lives. Furthermore, slum dwellers use statutory, technological, media and right-to-vote-based strategies to influence government policies. This also indicates that implemented policies do not align with realities in the slums

Research limitations/implications

The outcome of this study cannot be generalised to represent the whole population of slums due to the inherent limitations associated with a qualitative design

Social implications

This study uncovers context-specific strategies through which slum residents influence policies. The study concedes that policy actors involve the slums in policies that affect their livelihoods

Originality/value

The results are unique not only to developing countries, but are also useful to other economies with similar characteristics.

Details

Open House International, vol. 48 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0168-2601

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