Abstract: Mango is an important fruit crop in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including Zambia, due to its nutritional value and contribution to food security. However, the invasive and mango-infesting fruit fly is a significant constraint in mango production. Therefore, icipe and partners developed and disseminated the integrated pest management package to curb this menace. The current study uses household-level data from 325 smallholder mango-growing households from selected regions in Zambia to...
Abstract: The negative effects of pest infestation on agricultural production cannot be underestimated. There have been several efforts to control these pests, chiefly through the use of synthetic pesticides. However, the continuous use of the chemicals causes pest resistance and resurgence and presents high human and environmental risks. This study examines the economic, health, and environmental impacts of Tuta absoluta (Meyrick 1917), an economically important pest in tomato production, a...
Abstract: The growing scarcity of resources for feed production and environmental concerns highlight the unsustainability of conventional feed sources. Insect farming is considered as an alternative feed due to its low land and water requirements, its low ecological footprint, and circular economy contribution by converting biowaste into high-quality feed ingredients. While there is growing research on the technical feasibility and nutritional performance of insect-based feed, its potential ...
Abstract: This paper uses a translog cost function approach to study the farm-level demand for poultry feed in Kenya. The study estimates the demand elasticities of the three common types of poultry feed; mixed feed, grain, and leafy vegetables. The estimated model was used to obtain estimates of Marshallian demand elasticities for poultry feed in Kenya for male-headed and female-headed households. The elasticities reported can be used by researchers and policy analysts to evaluate policy ef...
Abstract: Classical biological control (CBC) has been exploited as a safer alternative for suppressing the oriental fruit fy, Bactrocera dorsalis, by importing, rearing, and releasing the larval parasitoid, Diachasmimorpha longicaudata. Although D. longicaudata has been released in Kenya through the Africa Fruit Fly Programme, the extent of its dispersal and subsequent economic benefts have not yet been established. This paper models the spatio-temporal dispersal of the parasitoid using the ...
Abstract: The sustainable utilisation of black soldier fly (BSF) for recycling organic waste into high-quality protein feed and organic fertiliser with a low environmental footprint is gaining momentum worldwide. Although BSF farming is becoming a rapidly growing agribusiness, studies on the BSF farming’s economic aspects are limited. This study analysed the economic benefits of farming BSF for animal feeds and composted frass, called frass fertiliser (FF) production using experimental dat...
Abstract: The push-pull technology (PPT) is considered as an alternative integrated pest management strategy for the control of fall armyworm and stemborer, among smallholder maize farmers in sub-Sahara African to conventional pesticides. However, the extent of PPT use in Rwanda where the technology was introduced in 2017 remains largely unexplored. This paper employed a fractional logit model to assess the factors influencing the intensity of adoption of PPT among smallholder maize farmers ...
Abstract: The article “The Dynamics and Role of Gender in High-Value Avocado Farming in Kenya”, written by Beatrice Muriithi, Jane Kabubo-Mariara, was originally pub- lished electronically on the publisher’s internet portal on 12 November 2021 without open access. With the author(s)’ decision to opt for Open Choice the copyright of the article changed on 21 of December to © The Author(s) 2021 and the article is forthwith distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internati...
Abstract: Cereals particularly maize, are the most essential food and cash crops for majority of smallholder households in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In maize production, small-sized producers are confronted with different constraints including stemborers, Striga and degraded soil leading to poor crop yields. In response to these challenges, the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) and collaborators came up with a habitat management approach; the Push-pull Technology ...
Abstract: The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), undertook a biological control (BC) programme for control of stemborers from 1993 to 2008, to reduce cereal yield losses due to stemborer attack in East and Southern Africa. The programme released four biological control agents—Cotesia flavipes, Cotesia sesamiae, Telenomus isis and Xanthopimpla stemmator—to control the economically important stemborer pests Busseola fusca, Chilo partellus and Sesamia calamistis....
Abstract: Citrus is a major source of income in Kenya for both large and small scale farmers. However, citrus productivity has been declining over the years mainly due to pests and diseases, particularly the African Citrus Triozid (ACT), Huanglongbing (HLB) and False Codling Moth (FCM). Management of pests and diseases is sorely dependent on synthetic pesticides, which not only increases production costs but also are associated with high health and environmental risks. Use of integrated pest...
Abstract: Poultry and fish are important sub-sectors in Kenya providing rural farmer households with income and contributing to their food and nutritional security. Although ownership of these enterprises is not gender specific women are the ones involved in taking care of them. The study utilized cross-section data from a sample of 386 poultry farmers and 278 fish farmers randomly selected from three counties which are Nakuru, Kisii and Kirinyaga Counties. The feed demand for both poultry a...
Abstract: This study aimed at comparing the economics of rice production for two different groups of farmers in Mwea Irrigation Scheme (MIS). One group is under the management of Mwea Multi-Purpose Rice Growers (MMRG) and grows a single crop of rice in a year without rotation. The other group is composed of the sons and daughters of MMRG tenant farmers and grows a double crop of rice in a year. It is however not clear which of the two production systems is efficient or realises higher return...
Description: Msc. Thesis
Abstract: Mango is the third most important fruit in Kenya in terms of area and total production. nutritionally, mango fruit is important for vitamins and mineral provision in the dail diet of Kenyans. as an export.....(continue from the attached PDF)