Abstract Forests play many diverse and multifaceted roles in our life. However, there is an emerging nexus between forest and national security in many countries, especially within the sub-Saharan region of Africa. Contrary to the noble objectives for which they were constituted, many forest reserves have become a source of security concern both at the local and national scale. In the light of this, we examined the relationship between forest and national security in Nigeria, with a view to ...
Abstract Understanding relationships, opportunities and bottlenecks in a commodity value chain is crucial to the determination of the contribution of a commodity to economic development. The objective of the study was to Map Plantain Value Chain in order to identify the key players, their roles, value added along the chain as well as constraints. Personal Interview and Focus group discussions were used to collect primary data from the actors along the chain. Data were analyzed using descript...
ABSTRACT Despite the growing interest to promote agricultural commercialisation in Burkina Faso, the majority of smallholders are still mainly subsistence-oriented with generally low level of market supply. However, evidence on the key factors that influence agricultural commercialisation and the extent to which it affects rural poverty is still scanty. This study therefore analyses the determinants of smallholders’ market supply and the implications of agricultural commercialisation and fo...
ABTRACT This study investigates the technical performance efficiency (TPE) of twenty seven sawmills purposely selected and grouped into three classes :small1001ft3 /day based on their production capacities. 243 logs obtained from 20 species of wood sourced from Southwestern Nigeria were examined in 27 selected sawmills using the variables such as wood species, log sizes, shapes and sawkerf, which have direct impact on waste generated from sawn logs and log conversion efficiency. Whereas 135 s...
ABSTRACT Despite their importance, the forest resource base in most African countries has continued to dwindle. This continuous decline in Africa forest cover and the inability to stem the tide of deforestation indicate among other things the failure of the classically structured resource management institutions established during colonial administration. Consequently, there has been a paradigm shift in forestry practices throughout the world from the classical management approach to managing...
ABSTRACT Increasing cost of feedstuff due to competition between livestock and human necessitates research into Low-Cost Unconventional Feedstuffs (LCUF) for profitable fish farming. Almond kernel has been reported to be nutrient-rich feedstuff for livestock; however information on the potential of almond (Terminalia catappa) as a LCUF has not been well documented in aquaculture. Therefore, the use of almond kernel meal as a replacement for soybean meal in the diet of Clarias gariepinus was ...
ABSTRACT A study was carried out to investigate the dimensional properties of cement bonded particles board from wood waste of 3 urban trees common in University of Ibadan campus. The 3 wood species used for board production are Gmelina arborea, Delonix regia, and Samanea sena. The dimensional properties investigated are thickness swelling and water absorbtion.
ABSTRACT The limitations of conventional technology development gave birth to Farming Systems Research perspective which look at farming practices from a holistic view. This however has innate flaws in its implementation. Recent emphasis therefore is strengthening the need to appreciate a hitherto neglected indigenous knowledge systems. This indigenous knowledge for instance, has been influencing the indigenous practices associated with small-scale plantain production. Before now Plantain has...
ABSTRACT The study was carried out to assess the influence of Colletotrichum dematium one of the major causes of pepper diseases on the declining yield of pepper in the Ajumako Enyan Essiam district of the Central Region and to find the extent of transmission through different inoculation methods. Three fruit types (riped, unriped and dropped) were collected from six farms across four locations (Akuamase, Nkodwo, Esikado and Mando) and another sample which was made up of only riped fruits was...
ABSTRACT Lack of credit, especially among small-scale farmers. has been one of the factors that impede the adoption of numerous innovations recommended by Agricultural Extension services in MALI. The situation has been mainly attributed to inadequate establishment of services in areas where poor and marginalized farmers (especially women) live. An unfortunate assumption has been that poor farmers do not save and, therefore. constitute a high credit risk. To address this state of affairs, Sasa...
ABSTRACT Pasture shortage during March to July is the main constraint in cattle productivity in Niger. To alleviate this pasture shortage, farmers use dual purpose sorghum varieties where the grain is used as food and the nutritionally low quality stover as feed for their cattle during dry season. Consequently, cattle productivity is reduced. One sustainable means is to pave the way for better stover quality availability through incorporation of the brown midrib trait, which is known to impro...
ABSTRACT The study examined farmers’ perceived effect of urban vegetable production on their livelihoods in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ashanti Region of Ghana. Descriptive survey design was used for the study. Based on a simple random sampling technique, 300 urban vegetable farmers were selected and interviewed for the primary data from mid June to July 2010. The data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 15. From the study, lettuce was the most cultivated ...
ABSTRACT There have been investments in the infant food sector in Ghana in recent times. This is as a result of the introduction of cereal foods fortified appropriately for children aged five and below aimed at eradicating or reducing malnutrition. However, competition from transnational and multinational companies with branded and certified products is hindering progress of local companies in the sector. This study seeks to assess local processors’ willingness to pay (WTP) for product qual...
ABSTRACT Biochemical studies were carried out on ten cocoa types to find out their 4iffeJelit levels of resistance to Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus. The beans were inoculated via viruliferous nymphs of mealy bugs, and observed after planting for 3 months. Patches of barks of severe symptom bearing cocoa types were also tested through grafting on healthy Amelonado plants and observed for 3 months. Significant differences were observed in the cocoa types in terms of symptoms appearance and in sever...
ABSTRACT Studies were carried out on the reaction o f some oil palm tenera progenies to Fusarium oxysporum f sp elaeidis (FOFSE) isolates isolated from the Crops Research Institute and Oil Palm Research Institute plantations, in Akumadan and Kusi respectively. Four isolates, P. 38, P.50, P.459 and P.568 were obtained from Akumadan and the remaining one, P. 93 from Kusi. The growth and cultural characteristics of the isolates were studied on Dehydrated Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA), Fresh P...