ABSTRACT Efforts to transform smallholder agriculture and improve productivity have yielded some positive results. Yet, smallholder productivity in Africa remains low relative to America, Asia, and elsewhere, threatening food security and livelihoods. A major reason is the slow pace of transformation in the agricultural production, research and development processes, and the effects of climate change impacts. This thesis examined smallholder transformational change processes using the Transth...
Abstract Information is a key resource for agricultural and rural development. Farmers require agricultural extension services to improve their agricultural productivity. However, this does not appear to happen as agricultural extension is constraint with limited number of agricultural extension agents, inadequate logistics for extension agents and late release of funds for extension activities. To contribute to improving agricultural extension services, this study seeks to determine the inf...
ABSTRACT Changes of conservation policy from fortress to community conservation aimed at balancing sustainable conservation and rural livelihoods. However, little is known as to how much Community Based Forest Management (CBFM) approach contributed to livelihoods enhancement. Similarly, impacts of wildlife conflicts as a result of successful conservation, and causes of poverty among local communities are poorly known. This study aimed at assessing poverty traps and wildlife conflicts in Mgor...
ABSTRACT In recent decades, the main and potential contribution of agriculture to economic growth has been a subject of much controversy among development economists. Assome contend that agricultural development is a pre—condition forindustrialization, others strongly object it and argue for a different path. Takingadvantage of ordinary least square method (OLS), the research carried out bymeans of secondary data and using the, independent variables. Real grossdomestic product (RGDP), Agric...
ABSTRACT Land fragmentation is a major problem in most parts of the world as it restricts agricultural development, reduces productivity and opportunities for rural development. Kisii County shows a clear case of land fragmentation due to high population pressure and poverty. This study was conducted with the aim of examining the effect of land fragmentation on agricultural productivity by examining the technical efficiency of households in the area. The specific objectives were to determine ...
Women are responsible for the bulk of agricultural processing activities in rural areas. Dearth of effective processing facilities has limited their productivity, thus predisposing them to low welfare status. Development Partnership in Higher Education (DELPHE) intervention sought to enhance women processors‟ capacity, however, its effect on their welfare status is yet to be ascertained. Therefore, the effects of DELPHE project on welfare status of rural women processors in Oyo and Osu...
ABSTRACT Global economy, trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) has grown by approximately 20 times since 1980. Developing countries receive about a third of world FDI inflows. Tanzania has been receiving an average of US $ 489 million FDI inflows for the past 10 years. Sectoral distribution of Tanzanian FDI favors mining, trade and manufacturing sectors. However agriculture sector, which contributes about 26% of GDP in 2008 and employs 74% of the population, is among the sectors receivin...
ABSTRACT Commercialization of agriculture refers to shift from subsistence oriented production to an increasing complex production and consumption system based on market; apart from marketing agricultural output it also includes product choice, input use and decisions making based on profit maximization. It has been documented that agriculture commercialization in Tanzania remains to be marginal and less than one third of farmers’ produce might possibly reach commercial market; very few fa...
Abstract The study was an evaluation of microfinance bank lending to agriculture in Imo State, Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study were to (i) to analyse the institutional features of the microfinance banks in the study area (ii) analyses the socioeconomic characteristics of the loan beneficiaries, (iii) determine the amount of credit supplied by microfinance banks to farmers and their repayment performance, (iv) determine the factors influencing credit supply by microfinance banks...
ABSTRACT Development practitioners are constantly in search of appropriate media to reach specific target groups in the development process. Newspapers are relatively more suitable for the /iterates. This study therefore investigated-the readership of newspapers among college of agriculture students in Oyo state. A total of 162 respondents were randomly selected and administered with questionnaire on areas such as newspapers reading status, types of newspapers read, frequency of reading of ne...
INTRODUCTION The beauty of agriculture is that every waste product from a sector can be recycled and used for the benefit of another sector, thereby leading to profit maximization and cost minimization. This can also be applicable in fisheries where aquaculture; which is the rearing or farming of economically important aquatic plants and animal in a confined environment is combined with any other form of agriculture like crop science, animal science, soil science amongst others which are cult...
Abstract: Homegarden agroforestry is commonly defined as a land use system involving deliberate management of multipurpose trees and shrubs in intimate association with annual and perennial agricultural crops and invariably livestock within the compounds of individual houses, the whole tree-crop, and animal unit are being intensively managed by family labor. The aim of this study was to investigate diversity and composition of homegardens agroforestry (HGAF) and its benefits for rural househ...
ABSTRACT Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in agriculture have the potential to facilitate greater access to market information and it can connect the rural poor farmers with well-established markets. The aim of this study was to assess the factors influencing the use of Information and Communication Technologies in accessing market information among smallholder farmers in Kilombero District. A cross-sectional research design was used and data were collected using structured ...
Abstract Agricultural mechanization embraces the use of tools, implements, and machines for a wide range of farm operations from land preparation to planting, harvesting, omfarm processing, storage, and marketing of products while soil degradation is defined as the process which lowersthe current and/or the potential capability of soil. This study was therefore to assess the degree of mechanized agriculture and its role in soil degradation in Moiben division in Uasin Gishu district, Rift Va...
The study assessed the contribution of Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) to participatory rural development in Ondo State from 2009-2014. Despite the various effort of government to address the problem of rural development in Ondo State, the level of rural amenities has not improved. The objective of the study is to assess the contribution of Community and Social Development Project on Participatory Rural Development in Ondo State. Three hypotheses were formulated for the study....