Improving the sustainability of an appropriate technology solution; bone char defluoridation filters in Arusha, Tanzania

High concentrations of fluoride naturally occurring in the ground water in the Arusha region of Tanzania cause dental, skeletal and non-skeletal fluorosis in up to 90% of the region’s population [1]. Symptoms of this incurable but completely preventable disease include brittle, discolored teeth, malformed bones and stiff and swollen joints. The consumption of high fluoride water has also been proven to cause headaches and insomnia [2] and adversely affect the development of children’s intelligence [3, 4]. Despite the fact that this array of symptoms may significantly impact a society’s development and the citizens’ ability to perform work and enjoy a reasonable quality of life, little is offered in the Arusha region in the form of solutions for the poor, those hardest hit by the problem. Multiple defluoridation technologies do exist, yet none are successfully reaching the Tanzanian public. This report takes a closer look at the efforts of one local organization, the Defluoridation Technology Project (DTP), to address the region’s fluorosis problem through the production and dissemination of bone char defluoridation filters, an appropriate technology solution that is proven to work. The goal of this research is to improve the sustainability of DTP’s operations and help them reach a wider range of clients so that they may reduce the occurrence of fluorosis more effectively. This was done first through laboratory testing of current products. Results of this testing show a wide range in uptake capacity across batches of bone char emphasizing the need to modify kiln design in order to produce a more consistent and high quality product. The issue of filter dissemination was addressed through the development of a multi-level, customerfunded business model promoting the availability of filters to Tanzanians of all socioeconomic levels. Central to this model is the recommendation to focus on community managed, institutional sized filters in order to make fluoride free water available to lower income clients and to increase Tanzanian involvement at the management level.

Local Use and Management of Tasba (Senna obtusifolia) in the Traditional Food System of Sanguere Paul, North Cameroon

The purpose of this study is to examine the importance of the wild edible weed tasba (Senna obtusifolia) in Sanguéré Paul, Cameroon by examining how households use and manage the plant. This study found that local management of tasba is minimal compared to other traditional vegetables. Tasba was collected most frequently from en brousse or the communal, fallowed land which is often too degraded for traditional field crops to grow. Women subsistence farmers were closely involved with tasba as they are the ones responsible for food production within the family. Socioeconomic differences between women affects how they manage tasba and other vegetables to form a livelihood strategy to achieve food security within the family. Modifications and changes in management and use of tasba are influenced by time, proximity and income based on her perspective, preferences and resources available. Overall, tasba is an integral part of the traditional food system in Sanguéré Paul, and can play a role in the uncertain ecological and social setting of northern Cameroon.