ABSTRACT The study examined the Performance of Farmers’ Multipurpose Cooperative Societies (FMCS) in Enugu North Agricultural zone of Enugu State, Nigeria. Purposive and proportional sampling techniques were used to collect primary data from 30 FMCS through their chairmen. The analytical techniques involved both descriptive and inferential statistics. It was revealed that 46.7% of the cooperative had between 31 and 50 members (i.e. cooperators). About 47% of FMCS had less than N 200,000.00 ...
ABSTRACT Currently, the cassava crop is transiting from a staple food commodity into an industrial crop for the production of starch and ethanol and this suggests probable changes in marketing arrangements and conditions. The present study analyzed the cassava chains and the economic implications on actors in Southern Ghana. The value chain actors interviewed include cassava farmers and small-scale (gari and agbelima) processors who were selected randomly and large-scale cassava processors, ...
CHAPTER ONE IN T R O D U C T IO N 1.0 The setting The amount of money a household is willing to devote to malaria care is related to the behaviour of the household towards general malaria care. Knowledge of such behaviour is useful in designing malaria control programmes and cost sharing schemes. Although malaria is the major health problem in Africa, there is very little research on its economic impact. Factors promoting certain patterns of health care seeking behaviour such as the user ch...
ABSTRACTThe study was conducted to analyze the impact of physical and social capital asset holdings on poverty among farm households in Nigeria as a contribution towards finding a panacea to the poverty plague in the agricultural sector. The study used secondary data obtained from the Nigeria living Standard Survey data conducted in 2003/2004. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Forster-Greer- Thorbeck poverty measures and Propensity score matching. Results showed that 90% of the...
ABSTRACT The study assesses credit use and its effect on profitability among smallholder maize farmers in the Brong Ahafo Region. A multistage sampling technique involving purposive sampling, stratified sampling and simple random sampling technique were employed to select the region, two municipalities from the region and 200 smallholder maize farmers respectively for the survey using well-structured questionnaires. The study took into consideration a description of the sources of credit...
ABSTRACT The study assesses the effect of nucleus farmer-outgrower schemes on input use efficiency and profitability among smallholder farmers in the Northern Region of Ghana. Simple random sampling technique was employed to sample three districts from the Northern Region and a total of 330 smallholder farmers made up of 150 outgrowers and 180 non-outgrowers were interviewed using structured questionnaires. A comparative analysis is made between outgrowers and non-outgrowers. The study emp...
This study was carried out to examine the role of agriculture in the economic development of Kericho district. The findings showed that due to farming among the people of Ainamoi, agricultural practices in Ainamoi is still very low. The results also showed a positive significant improvement of people's standard of living. The researcher focused on the proper importance, problems and solutions of agriculture in the economic development of Kericho district. A longitudinal design was developed...
Agriculture is the dominant source of livelihood in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. However, in semi-arid eastern Kenya, smallholder farm productivity has been diminishing due to declining soil fertility and frequent droughts. Nitrogen (N) is the principal nutrient element limiting crop productivity in the region, followed by phosphorus (P). The use of N fixing legumes in intercrop with cereal crops is among the cheaper-viable options available for the resource-constraint farmers to enhanc...
Pumpkin is an indigenous vegetable with huge potential to provide nutrition, food security and income to households in Kenya but its production remains low. The crop has been given little attention in research and has not been promoted as a viable enterprise. Literature indicates that socio-economic factors and farming constraints in pumpkin production, consumption and marketing by smallholder farmers in Eastern and Central Kenya have not been studied nor documented. This research was carrie...
Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicun L) is a very important vegetable grown mainly by small scale farmers in most arable areas in Kenya. Tomato production has declined drastically due to attack by Ralstonia solanacearum, a soil borne pathogen which causes bacterial wilt. Transmission of pathogen occurs when bacterial ooze from the plant enters the surrounding water or soil, contaminates farming equipment or by insect vectors. The disease has not yet been effectively managed. Grafting is an asexual pl...
Sudan is a large country with a great diversity of climatic and agro-ecological zones.The horticultural acreage in the Sudan is estimated at 273,000 hectares, representing about 3% of the total crop area. The area under horticultural crops is on the increasing for it is fetching good money for the farmers. Horticultural crops comprise the groups of vegetables,fresh legumes, fruit trees, ornamental plants, plantation crops, medicinal and aromatic plants and spices. The present study was co...
Despite being a culture-centred livelihood activity, pastoralism alone has not guaranteed food and nutrition security for households in Turkana, Kenya. The frequency of droughts and their negative impact on livestock production in the County translate into reduced purchasing power of the pastoral households; causing perennial food insecurity and consequent human indignity. As a growing response to this perennial situation, rain-fed crop production has been introduced in the County at sub...
Dairy farming is a significant economic activity in Kenya as it accounts for four percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and fourteen percent of total value of agricultural output. Market-oriented smallholder dairy farms in the country tend to be concentrated close to urban centres because the effects of market forces over-ride many production factors. Urbanization creates competition for alternative land uses thus leading to land fragmentation which has a potential nega...
ABSTRACT Constraints to soil productivity include reduction in soil fertility and lack of adequate soil water conservation techniques due to erratic rainfall in central highlands of Kenya. This study evaluated effects of combining integrated soil fertility management options and tied-ridging on maize-soybean yields and selected soil properties during short rains in 2014 and long rains in 2015 seasons. The study was carried out in Kigogo primary school in Tharaka- Nithi County. The experimenta...
ABSTRACT Drought has become a major contributor to food insecurity in sub-Sahara Africa. Drought-tolerant crops such as cassava and sweet potato can help alleviate this situation. However, lack of affordable healthy planting materials of farmer-preferred varieties is a major constraint to sweet potato and cassava production. Conventional tissue culture technology offers an important solution to this but it is very costly, making plantlets out of reach for resource poor farmers. Hence, it is n...