scholarly journals Data gaps in evidence-based research on small water enterprises in developing countries

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 609-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa C. Opryszko ◽  
Haiou Huang ◽  
Kurt Soderlund ◽  
Kellogg J. Schwab
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Small Water ◽  
Point Of Use ◽  
Large Populations

Small water enterprises (SWEs) are water delivery operations that predominantly provide water at the community level. SWEs operate beyond the reach of piped water systems, selling water to households throughout the world. Their ubiquity in the developing world and access to vulnerable populations suggests that these small-scale water vendors may prove valuable in improving potable water availability. This paper assesses the current literature on SWEs to evaluate previous studies and determine gaps in the evidence base. Piped systems and point-of-use products were not included in this assessment. Results indicate that SWEs are active in urban, peri-urban and rural areas of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Benefits of SWEs include: no upfront connection fees; demand-driven and flexible to local conditions; and service to large populations without high costs of utility infrastructure. Disadvantages of SWEs include: higher charges for water per unit of volume compared with infrastructure-based utilities; lack of regulation; operation often outside legal structures; no water quality monitoring; increased potential for conflict with local utilities; and potential for extortion by local officials. No rigorous, evidence-based, peer-reviewed scientific studies that control for confounders examining the effectiveness of SWEs in providing potable water were identified.

Electrifying Rural Guatemala: Central Policy and Rural Reality

10.1068/c14r ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Rural Families ◽  
Rural Electrification ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Light At Night ◽  
Electricity Grid ◽  
Hydroelectric Plants ◽  
Depth Interviews

Towards the end of the 20th century Guatemala embarked on an ambitious rural electrification plan: central planners in the Ministry of Energy and Mines hope to connect 90% of homes to the national electricity grid by 2004. Energy for the increased demand comes from floating power plants anchored in Guatemala's Pacific port, a new coal-fired power plant, and numerous small-scale hydroelectric plants. So far, rural electrification, in terms of connected households, has proceeded to plan. However, the success of the rural electrification program belies energy realities and the development needs of rural Guatemala. Data from in-depth interviews and household surveys in Ixcán, Guatemala, show that rural residents prefer other forms of development—like the introduction of potable water, or improved schooling. Electricity, farmers state, only provides rural families with a few hours of light at night because they cannot afford to pay for appliances or for increased consumption of electricity. Fieldwork in rural areas also reveals that the introduction of electricity will not change patterns of firewood consumption; firewood is the basic survival fuel for most rural Guatemalans. Development funds may be better spent on locally run and organized forestry initiatives to ensure reliable sources of firewood for the future.

scholarly journals OPTIMIZATION OF SMALL-SCALE LAND USE

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 136-145
Author(s):  
Victoria A. Pavlova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Optimal Size ◽  
Industrial Complex ◽  
Agricultural Producers ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
Hierarchy Analysis ◽  
Production Area

In the course of the work on the presented study, the scientific works of leading scientists in the field of land management were analyzed. In the course of their analysis, it was determined that the leading role in the development of the agro-industrial complex and the formation of new relations in rural areas belongs to agriculture. Accordingly, to ensure the proper functioning of small agricultural producers, it is necessary to solve the problem of optimizing their land use. The authors believe that one of the key positions in optimizing the use of territories should be played by "smart land use" and the process of its creation. The paper reveals the process of determining the most significant factors in the formation and functioning of small forms of management, since it is small forms of management that are the most flexible and easily adaptable to the rapidly changing modern economic, legal and so-cial conditions.The evidence base was a statistical analysis of the formation and development of small forms of agriculture of the Russian Federation on a number of indicators: the composition of land, agricultural production, area. The authors propose to identify several groups of factors that affect the optimal parameters of land use. Groups of factors are designated as limiting, optimizing, and support-ing. The study also determined the weights of factors that affect the optimal size of land use within each group using the hierarchy analysis method. The proposed factors and the identified dependencies are embedded in the "smart land use" model.

Development and evaluation of a small scale water disinfection system

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorcas Alfa ◽  
Sudesh Rathilal ◽  
V. L. Pillay ◽  
Kumnandi Pikwa ◽  
Martha N. Chollom
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Water Disinfection ◽  
Woven Fabric ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Point Of Use ◽  
Quality Of Water ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Gravity Driven ◽  
High Turbidity

Provision of microbiologically safe drinking water for people living in the rural areas of developing countries remains a major challenge to date. A simple gravity-driven membrane point of use system was developed based on woven fabric microfiltration (WFMF) membranes. The WFMF is a loose type of membrane (0.45 μm). However, complete disinfection is not achieved with the WFMF, hence it was incorporated with two disinfectants. This study aimed to combine the WFMF with two disinfectants (WaterGuard and bromochlor tablets) to bring the water to the accepted quality for drinking. Four different types of water were sourced, considering two factors: E. coli and turbidity content. The WFMF demonstrated excellent filtration performance by producing permeates with turbidity less than 1 NTU for feed turbidity ranging between 10 and 200 NTU. There was 95–99.8% E. coli removal for raw feeds with influent E. coli ranging between 500 and 44,500 CFU/100 mL. Total disinfection was achieved with both disinfectants; however, the effectiveness of the chemical disinfectants in E. coli removal was affected by the quality of water to be disinfected. The study showed that turbidity plays a major role in disinfection performances by increasing chlorine demand on water sources with high turbidity levels.

Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Evidence Base ◽  
Dissemination And Implementation ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Collaborative Partnerships ◽  
Social Service Agencies ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Health Related Research ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Dissemination And Implementation Research ◽  
Policies And Programs

Fifteen to twenty years is how long it takes for the billions of dollars of health-related research to translate into evidence-based policies and programs suitable for public use. Over the past 15 years, an exciting science has emerged that seeks to narrow the gap between the discovery of new knowledge and its application in public health, mental health, and health care settings. Dissemination and implementation (D&I) research seeks to understand how to best apply scientific advances in the real world, by focusing on pushing the evidence-based knowledge base out into routine use. To help propel this crucial field forward, leading D&I scholars and researchers have collaborated to put together this volume to address a number of key issues, including: how to evaluate the evidence base on effective interventions; which strategies will produce the greatest impact; how to design an appropriate study; and how to track a set of essential outcomes. D&I studies must also take into account the barriers to uptake of evidence-based interventions in the communities where people live their lives and the social service agencies, hospitals, and clinics where they receive care. The challenges of moving research to practice and policy are universal, and future progress calls for collaborative partnerships and cross-country research. The fundamental tenet of D&I research—taking what we know about improving health and putting it into practice—must be the highest priority. This book is nothing less than a roadmap that will have broad appeal to researchers and practitioners across many disciplines.

scholarly journals SPEAR (Solar Pyrolysis Energy Access Reactor): Theoretical Design and Evaluation of a Small-Scale Low-Cost Pyrolysis Unit for Implementation in Rural Communities

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 2189
Author(s):  
Cesare Caputo ◽  
Ondřej Mašek
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Agricultural Waste ◽  
Tracking Error ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Energy Access ◽  
Efficient System ◽  
Pyrolysis Unit

Energy access and waste management are two of the most pressing developmental and environmental issues on a global level to help mitigate the accelerating impacts of climate change. They are particularly relevant in Sub–Saharan Africa where electrification rates are significantly below global averages and rural areas are lacking a formal waste management sector. This paper explores the potential of integrating solar energy into a biomass pyrolysis unit as a potentially synergetic solution to both issues. The full design of a slow pyrolysis batch reactor targeted at biochar production, following a strict cost minimization approach, is presented in light of the relevant considerations. SPEAR is powered using a Cassegrain optics parabolic dish system, integrated into the reactor via a manual tracking system and optically optimized with a Monte-Carlo ray tracing methodology. The design approach employed has led to the development an overall cost efficient system, with the potential to achieve optical efficiencies up 72% under a 1.5° tracking error. The outputs of the system are biochar and electricity, to be used for soil amendment and energy access purposes, respectively. There is potential to pyrolyze a number of agricultural waste streams for the region, producing at least 5 kg of biochar per unit per day depending on the feedstock employed. Financial assessment of SPEAR yields a positive Net Present Value (NPV) in nearly all scenarios evaluated and a reasonable competitiveness with small scale solar for electrification objectives. Finally, SPEAR presents important positive social and environmental externalities and should be feasibly implementable in the region in the near term.

scholarly journals What Are the Impacts of Social Innovation? A Synthetic Review and Case Study of Community Forestry in the Scottish Highlands

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4359
Author(s):  
Carla Barlagne ◽  
Mariana Melnykovych ◽  
David Miller ◽  
Richard J. Hewitt ◽  
Laura Secco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Community Forestry ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Study Approach

In a context of political and economic austerity, social innovation has been presented as a solution to many social challenges, old and new. It aims to support the introduction of new ideas in response to the current urgent needs and challenges of vulnerable groups and seems to offer promising solutions to the challenges faced by rural areas. Yet the evidence base of the impacts on the sustainable development of rural communities remains scarce. In this paper, we explore social innovation in the context of community forestry and provide a brief synthetic review of key themes linking the two concepts. We examine a case of social innovation in the context of community forestry and analyse its type, extent, and scale of impact in a marginalized rural area of Scotland. Using an in-depth case study approach, we apply a mixed research methodology using quantitative indicators of impact as well as qualitative data. Our results show that social innovation reinforces the social dimension of community forestry. Impacts are highlighted across domains (environmental, social, economic, and institutional/governance) but are mainly limited to local territory. We discuss the significance of those results in the context of community forestry as well as for local development. We formulate policy recommendations to foster and sustain social innovation in rural areas.

scholarly journals Developing information literacy skills in nursing and rehabilitation therapy students

2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Durando ◽  
Patricia Oakley
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Physical Therapists ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
Rehabilitation Therapy ◽  
Entry Level ◽  
New Graduates ◽  
Advanced Search

The environment in which nurses and rehabilitation therapists practice is rapidly evolving, resulting in changes in the skill sets and competencies required of new graduates. Evidence-based practice models, for example, require that entry-level nurses, physical therapists, and occupational therapists have the ability to identify, locate, and critically appraise research findings. This paper will describe curriculum-integrated, for-credit information literacy programs developed by the authors in collaboration with faculty members from the Schools of Nursing and Rehabilitation Therapy at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. The short-term goal of these programs is to teach undergraduate and graduate students advanced search strategy skills and critical appraisal techniques that will enable them to explore the implications of their literature findings. The long-term goal is to graduate practitioners who not only will have the skills to practice evidence-based health care but also will participate in scholarly activities and thus contribute to the evidence base in their disciplines.

Evidence-Based Podiatric Medicine

2009 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 260-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Hawke ◽  
Joshua Burns ◽  
Karl B. Landorf
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Reviews ◽  
Medical Literature ◽  
Cochrane Collaboration ◽  
The United States ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
User Friendliness ◽  
The Cochrane Library

Due to the exponential increase in the quantity and quality of podiatric medicine–related research during the past decade, podiatric physicians are inundated with an insurmountable volume of research relevant to clinical practice. Systematic reviews can refine this literature by using explicit, rigorous, and reproducible methods to identify, critically appraise, and synthesize the best evidence from all clinical trials to answer clearly defined clinical questions. The Cochrane Collaboration is an international not-for-profit organization created to improve the user-friendliness and accessibility of medical literature mainly through preparing and maintaining systematic reviews of health-care interventions. The Cochrane Library currently contains more than 50 podiatric medicine–relevant systematic reviews summarizing and synthesizing evidence from many hundreds of randomized controlled trials evaluating interventions for foot problems. Although more than 60 countries worldwide have open online access to The Cochrane Library, in the United States, only the state of Wyoming has free access to full-text reviews. In an era demanding an evidence-based approach for every clinical intervention, high-quality systematic reviews streamline podiatric medical literature by reducing the time, cost, and training necessary to establish a solid evidence base for practice. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 99(3): 260–266, 2009)

Reflections on Ecological and Environmental Construction of New Rural Program in Underdeveloped Areas

2011 ◽  
Vol 368-373 ◽  
pp. 3602-3606
Author(s):  
Ze Xin Li ◽  
Min Chen
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Rural Economy ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Ecological Environment ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Environment Protection ◽  
Underdeveloped Areas ◽  
Rural Program ◽  
Rural Construction ◽  
New Rural Construction

Underdeveloped rural areas have good but very vulnerable ecological environment, so the environment protection should be given priority in new rural construction. Based on the problems that rural areas have faced in ecological environment, some thoughts are given in this paper on ecological and environmental: ①To solve the conflicts between the development of rural economy and ecological environment protection, the development of eco-industry can be a key solution. ② For the point that people of underdeveloped areas live in scattered and small scale groups, which leads to difficulty in facility arrangements, some proposals are put forward on the construction of living environment in underdeveloped new rural areas.

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