The activity was proposed with the objective of determining the combined application rate of inorganic NPSB and N fertilizer that maximizes the yield and yield components of sweet potato. Sweet Potato variety Naspot-13, was used for the experiment. The experiment was arranged in factorial combination of four level of NPSB (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg ha-1) with four level of N2 (0, 23, 46 and 69 kg ha-1) in RCBD with 3 replications. The analysis of variance showed that the combination of 100 kg ha-...
Abstract: Livestock is a key asset and a primary livelihood resource for rural households in most parts of the world and accounts for nearly 95 per cent of family income in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) in Kenya. Despite high economic importance of livestock, inadequate nutrition results to low livestock productivity in Kenya. Ruminant feeding in the ASALs is mainly based on the exploitation of range feed resources. Grazing ruminants forage on different plant species with varying leve...
Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate effect of transportation on welfare of indigenous chicken. A sample of 8 hens were randomly selected from the target population. Each treatment had an equal number of mature indigenous chicken hens weighing between 1.25 and 2.4 kg. The first batch of 4 birds were tied together and loaded on to an open vehicle roof top. The second batch of 4 birds was loaded into traditional transport cages and the cage loaded on top of the transport vehicle....
Abstract: There has been an increased human population in arid and semi-arid areas. However, these areas are characterized by harsh climatic conditions hence low agricultural productivity, environmental degradation and over exploitation of natural resources. There's need to understand the best agronomic crop requirements for high value trees and shrubs like Moringa oleifera (Lamark) through climate smart agriculture. Limited studies on Moringa oleifera provenance trials, use of micro-catchme...
Abstract: The typical dry bean, Phaseolus vulgaris, is the essential food legume for direct human consumption. They play a significant role in food security and nutrition. Despite their nutritional importance, its production growth rates have declined in Kenya due to diseases, insect pests, plant nutritional deficiencies, and drought. Therefore, this study's main objective was to determine whether there are differences in bean varieties' tolerance to whitefly transmitted viral diseases. The ...
Abstract: Dairy farming complements both food and cash crop farming in Kenya. Due to limited land sizes, smallholder dairy farming is popular and dominates the dairy sector in terms of milk production. Low milk production is a major constraint in Tigania East SubCounty despite the fact that the surrounding Sub-Counties produce high amounts of milk. A survey was carried out in Tigania East Sub-County involving 156 smallholder farmers randomly selected across three agro-ecological zones (AEZ1,...
Abstract: Water is an essential natural resource, vital for any development to take place. However, not more than one percent of the water is freely available for human needs including agricultural production in the entire world. Arid and semi-arid lands globally are facing water scarcity challenges. Rain- fed agricultural system is the major farming method in these areas, but this has been challenged greatly by aridity and climatic uncertainty. Kitui County is an ASAL where farmers are expe...
Abstract: Agroforestry presents a promising option to sustainable agricultural productivity by providing a buffer to climate variability through permanent tree cover and varied ecological niches. Thus, agroforestry can be used as a strategy to adapt to climate change and variability challenges for smallholder farmers. Success of this strategy in adapting to climate change calls for active participation of men and women in agroforestry technologies. This study aimed to establish roles women p...
Abstract: Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa is predominantly subsistence and perennial food deficits, cyclic famines characterize it, and poverty is prompted largely by erratic rainfall patterns, declining soil fertility, and pests and diseases. In Kitui County, farmers are largely small-scale and face various challenges: from poor soil fertility to erratic rainfall. The farmers, too, have not been spared by the pest menace. Consequently, they have resorted to unwarranted and unregulated app...
Abstract: Giant bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper) is a very fast growing plant in the family of Poaceae (Gramineae) with great potential in environmental conservation and poverty alleviation. It has over 1500 documented uses. However, with the reducing sizes and productivity of land in Kenya especially in high potential areas where bamboo is grown, there is a need to identify options of cultivating bamboo as an agroforestry crop. Therefore, the main objective of the study was to establish factors...
Abstract: Loss of fertility in soil is the main limiting factor that affects production of crops in Kenya, especially in the Arid and Semi-arid regions. In the lower parts of Eastern Kenya, unreliable and low rainfall has led to the low yields in crop production. Lack of the use of commercial fertilizers is also a contributing factor to low crop yields. Amongst new solutions that can assist farmers facing this challenge of low yields includes the emerged potential role of rhizobia in crop pe...
Abstract: Fish farmers are a vulnerable group to climate variability and extreme climate events effects as their production heavily relies on precipitation and temperature. However, previous studies on vulnerability of fish farmers to climate variability and extreme events have been done on global, regional and national scales, thus failing to capture the local realities on spatial variability. The current study was carried out to assess the householdlevel vulnerability of fish farmers to cl...
Abstract: Climate variability and extreme events are some of the most pressing environmental challenges occurring in the contemporary world. Farming communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Kenya are more vulnerable to climate variability and extreme events due to high dependence on weather patterns in their farming activities. There is little understanding of the vulnerability to climate variability and extreme events among farmers in Kitui County based on the agro-ecological zone...
Abstract: Dairy production is a biologically efficient system that converts large quantities of roughage in the tropics to milk. Milk production levels are determined by the levels of technologies applied to the dairy enterprise. However, information on levels of adoption of dairy technologies especially in the arid and semi-arid areas (ASALs) of Kenya is scanty. This study thus sought to evaluate the extent of adoption of modern dairy technologies and its impact on milk production in Nzaui ...
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of a microcomputer as a tool of information handling. Specifically, this involved developing software packages for use on an Apple II Plus microcomputer. The Willow Bend Demonstrational Farm in Union, West Virginia, was chosen. A farm records and budgets model was developed. Receipts and expenses from the Electronic Farm Accounting records were used to test the model for use by the farm operators in West Virginia. Enterpris...