The aim of this project is to study the nitrate levels of the treated water flowing into Jakkur Lake in Bangalore, from the treatment plant situated at the inlet to the lake, and thereby evaluate the function of the lake as for secondary and tertiary wastewater treatment as well as an infiltration basin. Obtained nitrate levels are used as indicators to study the wastewater flow in the lake, and to find other possible inflows of sewage which can affect the lakes’ total treatment efficiency. A literature study is done on wetlands and on groundwater recharge through infiltration basins, and the possibility of recharging groundwater below Jakkur Lake is evaluated. Water samples are collected around and in the lake and the samples are tested for nitrate, pH and total dissolved solids. Extra focus is put on research on nitrates in water.The risks of groundwater recharge in Jakkur Lake include pollution of wells by bacteria, viruses, parasites and traces of medicine. Further geotechnical investigations need to be pursued mainly on the soil structure under and around the lake, and studies need to be performed on the retention time of the water in the lake. The technical limitations such as fluctuations in efficiency and pollutant migration must be minimized, which initially could be done by building a constructed wetland and controlling the inflow to the lake.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the gender equality in Mpasa Community in Malawi by measuring the access to work, education, health, and political empowerment as measurements. An investigation of how the pre-colonial social structure, based on matriarchy, will determine to what extent the cultural factors affects gender equality. This thesis is based on observations made possible through a minor field study scholarship financed by SIDA in 2013. Previous research and theories are used as framework for the thesis. The Malawian Parliament, consisting of mainly men, passing a gender equality bill hoping to empower women and increase female political representation is evidence of willingness to improve the current living situation of women and girls. It turns out the degree of gender equality is high for such an underdeveloped country as Malawi and the cultural factors do have a big impact on the political development. Inequality does occur in the field of political participation investigated at chief level in the district and matriarchy seems to be the underlying social structure that sets the norms and rules.

Participation has become a crucial aspect for development and development aid thus it ensures empowerment and appropriate gain for the stakeholders. Participation is important especially for managing natural resources like water but the participatory approach is not always satisfying. This Minor field study has looked at two different projects participation from the stakeholders view and tried to answer what the stakeholders gain is for from participatory projects. This is done by interviewing the initiators of the projects and the villagers involved in it. The interviews showed a difference between the projects where the local development project had a more constant participation from start to finish while the research project stationed in Sweden had participation at times and in a different way. The study showed that more efforts need to be done to define participation thus it is now used in many different ways. There is also a need for improved documentation on the participatory process to assure participation and improve the procedures.

<p>Participation has become a crucial aspect for development and development aid thus it ensures empowerment and appropriate gain for the stakeholders. Participation is important especially for managing natural resources like water but the participatory approach is not always satisfying. This Minor field study has looked at two different projects participation from the stakeholders view and tried to answer what the stakeholders gain is for from participatory projects. This is done by interviewing the initiators of the projects and the villagers involved in it. The interviews showed a difference between the projects where the local development project had a more constant participation from start to finish while the research project stationed in Sweden had participation at times and in a different way. The study showed that more efforts need to be done to define participation thus it is now used in many different ways. There is also a need for improved documentation on the participatory process to assure participation and improve the procedures.</p>

This study has been conducted as a Minor Field Study (MFS). It focuses on solar water pumping for small-scale farmers in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania. The purpose is to investigate the possibilities for rural farmers to operate their irrigation with solar power instead of their current option: fossil fuels, primarily petrol. The study was conducted in three phases, starting with pre-study in Sweden, followed by field study in Tanzania from January to March 2015 and finishing with summarizing and calculating in Sweden. Fuel powered water pumping has a cheap capital cost; however, it is expensive and problematic to maintain and operate. Solar powered water pumping is almost completely opposite. It has a higher initial cost; however, it is considerably cheaper to run. The results indicate that the investment in solar power might be too expensive for the farmers, as long as they do not receive external financial and educational support. Assuming that the farmers are able to obtain a solar water pumping system, results show that they will benefit and save a considerably amount of money over a long period of time. Also, solar water pumping is environmentally friendly compared to the systems in Tanzania today.

Agriculture is facing many challenges, such as decreased biodiversity, soil erosion, water scarcity, and social inequality, because of industrial farming and its focus on high yields at the expense of sustainability. This also includes Thailand and the province of Ratchaburi. There are, however, some farmers that have pursued sustainable agriculture in the region. The purpose of the study is therefore to investigate how these sustainable farming practices can contribute to increased prosperity, self-sufficiency, and an improved environment in Ratchaburi. Specifically, the study examines the strengths and weaknesses of sustainable agriculture in the region, as well as the opportunities and threats they face. Qualitative interviews were completed with farmers from three sustainable farms in the region. The results were analyzed with the help of PESTLE to describe the macro-factors that influence the agricultural environment .Thereafter a SWOT analysis was performed to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each farm as well as relate these to the opportunities and threats identified in the PESTLE analysis. The study found that the key strengths were multi-crop cultivation, product development, self-sufficiency and broad knowledge combined with collaboration. Several weaknesses arose from small-scale operations, which also made it challenging to make use of the opportunity of niche markets. A major challenge is the relatively low demand for sustainable products. Future studies could further examine how organic certifications can impact the demand for sustainable products, as well as how small sustainable farms can effectively reach niche markets. / Jordbruk står inför många utmaningar, så som minskad biologisk mångfald, erodering, vattenbrist och social ojämlikhet, till följd av det industriella jordbruket och dess fokus på stora skördar på bekostnad av hållbarhet. Detta innefattar även Thailand och provinsen Ratchaburi. Däremot finns det en del bönder som trotsat de konventionella metoderna och bedriver hållbara jordbruk, främst genom diversifierade grödor och skapandet av naturliga ekosystem. Syftet med studien är därför att undersöka hur dessa hållbara jordbruk kan bidra till ökat välstånd, självförsörjning och förbättrad miljö i Ratchaburi. Mer specifikt undersöker studien vilka styrkor och svagheter hållbara jordbruk i regionen har, samt vilka möjligheter och hot de ställs inför. Metoden som användes var kvalitativa intervjuer med bönder från tre hållbara jordbruk i regionen för att sedan skapa en gemensam PESTEL-analys för gårdarna samt en SWOT analys för respektive gård. PESTEL-analysen beskriver och analyserar vilka makro-faktorer som påverkar deras omgivning, medan SWOT analysen lyfter fram styrkorna och svagheterna för gårdarna och analyserar deras möjligheter och hot, dels utifrån deras svar, dels utifrån PESTEL-analysen. Studien fann att de viktigaste styrkorna var bred kunskap, självförsörjning, samverkan, produktframtagning och en mångfald av grödor och produkter. De övergripande svagheterna var dålig tillgång till marknader samt småskalighet. Möjligheterna var att nå nya marknader, i samband med en ökad medvetenhet och efterfrågan på hållbara produkter, samt utnyttjande av subventioner och ökad användning av e-handel. De främsta hoten var konkurrens med andra jordbruk och stora industrier, kapital- och teknologiska begränsningar. Framtida studier kan vidare undersöka hur ekologiska certifieringar kan påverka efterfrågan på hållbara produkter, samt hur hållbara jordbruk kan nå till nischade marknader för deras produkter på bästa sätt.

This study was funded by a scholarship from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) as a Minor Field Study. The social economic development in Tanzania is a major challenge due to a continuing high rate of population growth. A growing   population   puts   increased   strain   on   healthcare,   food   supply   and   the environment.  Early childbearing limits women’s ability to educate themselves and contribute to society. The definition of family planning (FP) is to keep a sustainable population growth through reducing the family size. The government of Tanzania has developed  a  plan  for  FP,  which  includes  a  goal  that  60  percent  of  women  in reproductive age will use contraceptives in 2015. Healthcare professionals have a great potential to encourage lifestyles changes. It is therefore important to investigate the nurses’ experiences of teaching FP to increase the knowledge about their experiences. The aim of the study is to investigate nurses’ experiences of education about FP in the Rufiji district in Tanzania. This is a qualitative study and the data was collected through interviews using a semi structured open-ended question guide. The nurses’ experiences of teaching patients in FP concerns four different areas. Firstly, they have a variety of strategies to execute the education. Secondly, they describe what is necessary to create a meeting with the patient. Thirdly, the patients have needs that have to be met in a learning situation. Finally, even though it’s subtle, they empower the patient, which lays the foundation for making lifestyle changes. The key finding that the nurses spoke of as the  most  important  factor  when  teaching  is  the  importance  of  creating  a  good relationship with the patient.

Jordan is a developing country which is taking measures to make the situation in the society more equal between males and females. Former research has showed that it, worldwide, sometimes is great differences between the genders in the health care. This thesis illuminates how it is to work in an intensive care unit and if there are differences between male and female intensive care nurses influencing on the provided care. Twenty intensive care nurses from four intensive care units at Jordan University Hospital were included in the study. Both field notes and an observation schedule were used to gather data. The field notes captured the overall experience of working in the intensive care area and were analyzed by thematic content analyze. The observation schedule concentrated on how long time was spent and which activities were performed bedside. Data from the schedule was compared between the units and between male and female intensive care nurses caring for male and female intensive care patients. The field notes showed that even if the units were busy and crowed the silence and calmness were present. Cooperation was essential and trust and knowledge were spread. Often a warm and comfortable feeling surrounded the personnel and they seemed to like it at work. The observation schedule showed that in the medical and surgical intensive care units the intensive care nurses spent more time and performed a greater number of bedside activities compared to the pediatric and main intensive care units. Female intensive care nurses who cared for male intensive care patients performed less bedside activities and when they cared for a female intensive care patient they spent less time bedside compared to the other groups. In all the units and all the groups the most frequent performed activity was to have a look at the equipment, followed by have a look at the patient. The results can however be questioned since it is a small study accomplished by a single researcher, in some few intensive care units at one hospital. / Program: Specialistsjuksköterskeutbildning med inriktning mot intensivvård

Malaria is a big problem and a major cause of death and illness among children and adults in tropical countries (World Health Organization, 2010). It is the biggest threat for children in Kenya and leads to death in approximately 36,000 children (&lt;5 yrs) every year. When infected with malaria; the patient ends up with some kind of self-care deficit and need access to health care.Research about how nurses can support self-care in patients with malaria is lacking. If no plan for how to take care of a patient with malaria exits, treatment can differ, which in turn can result in poorer outcome for the patient. The aim of the study was to investigate how the nurses at Moi District Hospital in Voi support self-care in patients diagnosed with malaria. The study was carried out with five qualitative semi-structured interviews. Data was analyzed with a deductive content analysis. The result showed that nurses teached and encouraged patients to perform self-care; they identified patient status, they acted for the patient, guided him or her and tried to provide a developmental environment. Teaching was the most common way to support self-care, probably because of lack of recourses. / Program: Sjuksköterskeutbildning

In recent years ICT has gotten sustained interest in which it’s seen as a tool for development andsocial transformation. There have been a rise of ICT4D (ICT for development) initiatives in theinternational arena. The Philippine organization Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) isworking with the intersection of ICT and women’s empowerment to advocate women’s rights andissues in the online space as well as increasing women’s strategic use of ICT. This paper is aMinor Field Study conducted in Quezon City, the Philippines, which explores FMA’s Gender andICT program. The aim of the study is to examine the strategies and practices for womenempowerment through ICT as well as mapping the major challenges in their work. The study wasconducted through observations and interviews with the members of FMA as well as women froman assisted urban poor community. The result outlines the main practices taken in the program toreach an understanding of the work done for women’s empowerment. Furthermore, the studyportrays that the full potential of the practices can’t be fulfilled due to the current environmentFMA are operating in. The experienced challenges in their work have been characterized into fivecommon areas; funding, the political environment, the cooperation, the unsafe online space andlastly the socioeconomical divide in the society.