Heat Alert and Response Systems (HARS) are currently undergoing testing and implementation in Canada. These programs seek to reduce the adverse health effects of heat waves on human health by issuing weather forecasts and warnings, informing individuals about possible protections from excessive heat, and providing such protections to vulnerable subpopulations and individuals at risk. For these programs to be designed effectively, it is important to know how individuals perceive the heat, what their experience with heat-related illness is, how they protect themselves from excessive heat, and how they acquire information about such protections. In September 2010, we conducted a survey of households in 5 cities in Canada to study these issues. At the time of the survey, these cities had not implemented heat outreach and response systems. The study results indicate that individuals’ recollections of recent heat wave events were generally accurate. About 21% of the sample reported feeling unwell during the most recent heat spell, but these illnesses were generally minor. Only in 25 cases out of 243, these illnesses were confirmed or diagnosed by a health care professional. The rate at which our respondents reported heat-related illnesses was higher among those with cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses, was higher among younger respondents and bore no relationship with the availability of air conditioning at home. Most of the respondents indicated that they would not dismiss themselves as “not at risk” and that they would cope with excessive heat by staying in air conditioned environments and keeping well hydrated. Despite the absence of heat outreach and education programs in their city, our respondents at least a rough idea of how to take care of themselves. The presence of air conditioning and knowledge of cooling centers is location-specific, which provides opportunities for targeting HARS interventions.

Method (CVM) was used in this study and farmers were randomly selected for interviewing based on the location of their farms (upstream, middle, and downstream) within the scheme. The payment card elicitation format was used and the data were analyzed using Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) procedure that is capable of accommodating the intervals in payment card data. The mean willingness to pay was found to be GHC 16.32 (US$ 8.50) per ha per year and the median was GHC 14.00 (US$ 7.29) per ha per year.Tobit regression model was also used to estimate the mean number of labor days farmers under the scheme would be willing to contribute to improve the project. The mean labor days was found to be 5.26 days per year and the median was 5.28 days per year.iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Without the guidance of my advisor, co-advisor, committee members, help from friends, and support from my family and wife, this thesis would not have reached the completion stage.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) yield and financial returns are often low for smallholder farmers in Ghana.  Additionally, aflatoxin concentration in foods derived from peanut can be high enough to adversely affect human health.  Eight experiments were conducted in 2016 and 2017 in northern Ghana to compare yield, financial returns, pest reaction, and aflatoxin contamination at harvest with traditional farmer versus improved practices.  Relative to the farmer practice, the improved practice consisted of weeding one extra time, applying local potassium-based soaps to suppress arthropods and pathogens, and application of either homogenized oyster shells or a commercial blend of fertilizer containing calcium.  Each of these field treatments were followed by either drying peanut on the soil surface and storing in traditional poly bags or drying peanut on tarps and storing in hermetically-sealed bags for 4 months.  Peanut yield and financial returns were significantly greater when a commercial blend of fertilizer or oyster shells were applied compared to the farmer practice of not applying any fertilizer.  Yield and financial returns were greater when a commercial fertilizer blend was applied compared with oyster shells.  Severity of early leaf spot [caused by <em>Passalora arachidicola</em> (Hori) U. Braun] and late leaf spot [caused by <em>Nothopassalora personata</em> (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) U. Braun, C. Nakash., Videira & Crous], scarring and penetration of pods by arthropods, and the number of arthropods at harvest were higher for the farmer practice than for either fertility treatment; no difference was noted when comparing across fertility treatments.  Less aflatoxin was observed for both improved practices in the field compared with the farmer practice.  Drying peanut on tarps resulted in less aflatoxin compared to drying peanut on the ground regardless of treatments in the field.  Aflatoxin concentration after storage was similar when comparing post-harvest treatments of drying on soil surface and storing in poly bags vs. drying on tarps and storing in hermetically-sealed bags. These results demonstrate that substantial financial gain can be realized when management in the field is increased compared with the traditional farmer practice.

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