ABSTRACT The main objective of the study was to assess the effect of certified organic production systems on the livelihood of smallholder producers in Kenya. The study followed explanatory research design using two purposively pro-poor chosen case studies (honey production in Mwingi district and vegetables production in Ngong district). Collection of primary data was through face-to-face interviews using pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. Collection of contextual data was through focu...
ABSTRACT Botswana’s agricultural backbone the beef subsector, is threatened by recurrent foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks. The current study was generally carried out to contribute towards better livelihoods of smallholder beef producers through enhanced resilience of their production systems to FMD in North East district, Botswana. Specifically, the study intended to; determine smallholder producers’ perceived risk factors of the 2011 FMD outbreak, determine economic losses, and fu...
ABSTRACT East Africa region has imbalances in the supply and demand of common bean. This can be offset by improving marketing infrastructure. The objectives of the study were to determine the characteristics of common bean traders, to determine the constraints to the observed trade in common bean varieties and finally to assess the extent to which markets have integrated in key selected markets. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to obtain a sample of 240 respondents (120 traders from th...
ABSTRACT With increasing population in the main consumption regions of Zambia, there is a persistent shortage in the supply of groundnuts especially in Lusaka and the Copperbelt regions. This is despite the major producing areas of Eastern and Northern regions having significant surpluses. This is a clear indication of market failure to stimulate groundnut production and distribution in addition to excessive price volatility, information asymmetry, and lack of organized and consistent markets...
ABSTRACT Vegetable production is of great importance in terms of nutrition improvement, income generation and food security. Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation (Africa RISNG) action research project actively integrates vegetable farming and marketing practices in order to reduce the vulnerability of indigenous populations of Babati district located in the Manyara region of Tanzania. In Tanzania smallholder vegetable famers receive asymmetrical and incomplet...
ABSTRACT Commercialization has potential of enabling rural households to advance in vegetable production through better access to financial services, and enriched market coordination and participation. In recent years, there have been efforts to boost vegetable commercialization particularly among smallholder female farmers in Kilifi County. Since risk attitudes vary from male to female farmers, the differences in risks and risk perceptions of farmers may in part explain the unwillingness of ...
EXTENDED ABSTRACT The objectives of this study were to (i) determine the social networks of the main actors in the organic food value chain in the tourism sector (ii) determine governance in the value chain of organic tomatoes and sweet peppers for the tourism sector in Arusha and Unguja and (iii) to evaluate production and transaction costs of actors in the organic tomatoes and sweet peppers value chain in Arusha and Unguja. The study was conducted in Arusha and Unguja. A preliminary survey...
ABSTRACT The study examined cocoyam marketing in Rivers State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to describe the systems of cocoyam marketing in the area; identify the market structure and conduct for cocoyam; determine marketing margin along with the profit efficiencies of cocoyam middlemen; determine the influence of socio-economic attributes of cocoyam marketers on their profit efficiencies; assess the effects of marketing costs and other factors on price of cocoyam at the wholesale a...
ABSTRACT Despite Ethiopia possessing the highest number of livestock in Africa, its benefit to the country and smallholder farmers is small. This is to a large extent attributed to the dominance of low producing local cattle breeds. Though the government introduced Artificial Insemination (AI) technology to improve this condition, the adoption rate by smallholder farmers is still low. The main objective of this study was, therefore, to examine the adoption of AI technology by smallholder dair...
ABSTRACT Despite Ethiopia possessing the highest number of livestock in Africa, its benefit to the country and smallholder farmers is small. This is to a large extent attributed to the dominance of low producing local cattle breeds. Though the government introduced Artificial Insemination (AI) technology to improve this condition, the adoption rate by smallholder farmers is still low. The main objective of this study was, therefore, to examine the adoption of AI technology by smallholder dair...
ABSTRACT Increasing demand for food and the diminishing agricultural land has resulted in farmers putting great efforts to increase crop yields by using more fertilizer and pesticides. Pesticide use in agricultural production has, however, produced undesirable effects on human health and the environment. Thus, the study aimed at contributing to sustainable agricultural intensification through safe pesticide use and uptake of alternative pest control methods among small-scale tomato farmers in...
ABSTRACT Credit constraints hinder development of agriculture in developing countries, yet access is mainly associated with increased farm productivity and crop incomes. For over a decade, Mozambican smallholders have accessed a decoupled credit subsidy under the seven million program for agricultural development. However, little is known about the influence of the program on crop productivity and farm incomes in rural areas. This study therefore, examined whether there are productivity and i...
ABSTRACT This study was conducted to examine the possibilities of integrating smallholder broiler producers into the niche market supply chains for improving their efficiency and incomes. Specifically the study: i) characterize the broiler supply chains with particular emphasis on requirements of participating in the niche market supply chain; ii) analyse technical and cost efficiency of broiler producers; iii) compare the level of benefits realized by broiler producers supplying to niche an...
ABSTRACT Rice is staple food in Liberia and therefore self-sufficiency in rice production remains a major concern. However, Liberia is experiencing insufficiency in rice production due to high production cost and low national average output of 1.2 t/ha, which is significantly low as compared to other West African countries. This has resulted in the increased importation of rice in the country consequently taking significant portion of the nation’s foreign exchange. Rice production and suppl...
ABSTRACT Climate variability and change pose serious challenges to smallholder farmers and agro-pastoralists. Nonetheless, their trends and impacts on rain-fed farming system (RFFS) in semi-arid areas of Tanzania have not sufficiently been explored. This study was conducted in Iramba and Meatu districts to contribute to this knowledge gap. The study specifically (i) assessed meteorological data trends of rainfall and temperature between 1994 and 2011; (ii) determined farmers’ perception of ...