BackgroundOnly a few studies to evaluate groundwater fluoride in Eastern Africa have been undertaken outside the volcanic belt of the Great Eastern Africa Rift Valley. The extent and impact of water fluoride outside these regions therefore remain unclear. The current study evaluated fluoride levels in household water sources in Bondo-Rarieda Area in the Kenyan part of the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) and highlighted the risk posed by water fluoride to the resident communities. The results, it was anticipated, will contribute to in-depth understanding of the fluoride problem in the region.MethodsA total of 128 water samples were collected from different water sources from the entire study area and analyzed for fluoride content using ion-selective electrodes.ResultsLake Victoria was the main water source in the area but dams and open pans (39.5%), boreholes and shallow wells (23.5%), and streams (18.5%) were the principal water sources outside walking distances from the lake. The overall mean fluoride content of the water exceeded recommended limits for drinking water. The mean water fluoride was highest in Uyoma (1.39±0.84 ppm), Nyang’oma (1.00±0.59 ppm) and Asembo (0.92±0.46 ppm) and lowest in Maranda Division (0.69±0.42 ppm). Ponds (1.41±0.82 ppm), springs (1.25±0.43 ppm), dams and open pans (0.96±0.79 ppm), and streams (0.95±0.41 ppm) had highest fluoride levels but lake and river water did not have elevated fluoride levels. Groundwater fluoride decreased with increasing distance from the lake indicating that water fluoride may have hydro-geologically been translocated into the region from geochemical sources outside the area.ConclusionsLake Victoria was the main water source for the residents of Bondo-Rarieda Area. Majority of in-land residents however used water from dams, open pans, boreholes, shallow wells, ponds and streams, which was generally saline and fluoridated. It was estimated that 36% of children living in this area, who consume water from ground sources from the area could be at the risk of dental fluorosis.

There is no doubt about the nutritional value and environmental impact of edible insects; they are a good substitute for source of protein. However, incorporating them in the human daily diets requires an intense change in mentality of youth in Kenya. People’s attitude towards a food product is important when it comes to its acceptance. Therefore, the aim of the research was to explore the perception and attitude of young people in Kenya on the utilization of insects as food and feed. The findings showed that Kenyan youth have a neutral to a possible positive perception and attitude regarding the use of edible insects as food and feed. The findings of a logistic regression analysis show that education level is associated with low likelihood of consuming and using insects as livestock feed. The perceived benefits, feelings and intentions were also associated with low probability of insects consumption and use as livestock feed. However, 79.9% of respondents were willing to incorporate insects in their food diets and 75.6% were willing to use them as a source of income.

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The utilization of edible insects as food and feed is not a new concept, it is a practice that has been part of the tradition of many communities around the world. They have been primarily used as supplementary food in most African countries. However, there has been a significant decline in the consumption of insects over the years, especially among young people. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the knowledge on entomophagy and the utilization of insects among the youth. The study revealed that the majority of youth had limited knowledge about consumption, nutrition, harvesting, preparation and use of edible insects as livestock feed. From the Chi-square analysis it was observed that age and education level have a significant relationship to the familiarity of consumption of edible insects, P=0.014 and P=0.009 respectively. The results also show that there is a significant association between awareness on the nutritional value of insects with age and education level, P=0.001 and P=0.009 respectively. Logistic regression analysis was used to find the association between demographic characteristics, knowledge and the utilization of edible insects. The results revealed that education level, age and knowledge have an impact on the utilization of edible insects. Lack of knowledge contribute to the unwillingness of youth to consume insects. It is noticeable that indigenous knowledge on entomophagy is slowly disappearing with the shift in eating habits and changes in the socio-economic environments. As such, it is imperative that indigenous knowledge is preserved and educational interventions are done to raise awareness on the benefits of entomophagy in order to improve the utilization of insects among the youth.

Simple, production processes involving local community labour provide useful cottage fuel products. Such conversion of waste or intrusive bio mass to fuel briquettes is more about know-how than large capital infrastructure and funding. This paper describes up scaling a pilot process that converted water hyacinth to briquettes by hands on training of Kendu Beach Community Unit members, in situ, over a two week period. System and target knowledge, before training, and transformational knowledge, post training, were elicited and the results analyzed. Briquettes produced from five plant bio mass types and their respective blends vide carbonization, were tested in a laboratory. Water hyacinth briquettes produced during up scaling were much better than those produced during the pilot production due to machine compaction refinements. Blending five dried biomass types with each other before carbonization yielded higher calorific values despite the labour intensive and relatively low technology mediated process. User acceptance tests were conducted on site. The uptake of the easy to follow; labour intensive process using simple briquetting machines was a success with the community producing briquettes on their own after an initial three day, post drying production run. Such cottage solutions for domestic consumption and sale should be promoted as a sustainable substitute for fossil or wood based fuel. Confidence building measures between the community and their devolved representatives such as ward administrators and members of Constituent Assemblies under the 2012 Constitutional dispensation should be undertaken. The East African Community project LVEMP-II should, through greater stakeholder engagement, have a greater impact on Lake Victoria's ecosystem in order to enhance the livelihoods of the beach communities.