Abstract The concept of sustainability has become central to all sectors all over the world, from agriculture to environment to business, engineering and industrialization. The principle of sustainability is the same all over these sectors. However, the understanding of the term may vary from sector to sector depending on how it may be applied to a specific sector. Sustainable agriculture is a term that continues to gain prominence in the agricultural sector but not without lots of misunders...
Abstract: The invasive fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis poses a major threat to the production and trade of mango in sub-Saharan Africa. Farmers devise different innovations to manage the pest in an attempt to minimize yield loss and production costs while maximizing revenues. Using survey data obtained from Embu County, Kenya, we analyzed farmers’ knowledge and perception as regards the invasive fruit fly, their innovations for the management of the pest, and the determinants of their adopti...
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of land degradation on agricultural land use, planning and management in chongwe, Zambia and specifically determined farmers’ considerations of land suitability for selected types of agricultural land uses in varying cropping zones, investigated farmers’ local environmental knowledge of land degradation indicators and finally documented farmers’ land management strategies and practices for soil and sustainable Agricultural conservatio...
ABSTRACT Three field experiments to investigate the partial nutrient balance (N and K) in cassava/soybean intercrop system were conducted at University of Nigeria, Nsukka in a derived Savannah location of South Eastern Nigeria. Effect of fertilizer rate, residual fertilizer and soybean residue management on growth and yield of soybean and cassava and soil nutrient reserve were studied. Soybean growth and yield were significantly affected by their varieties, fertilizer rate and cropping syste...
The article discusses the challenges in the food supply chain systems. It distinguishes between food loss and waste, identify the causes of food loss and waste and suggests the solutions to minimize them. Finally, the article points to the SDG goals which sub-Saharan African Countries will stand to gain if they can effectively appraise these challenges.
Abstract The main purpose of this study was to determine the conditions under which sustainable agriculture functions as an effective conservation tool whereby, increasing crop production while maintaining sustainability is a priority for agricultural development projects, particularly in Tanzania. Factors contributing to the effectiveness of Conservation Agriculture (CA) technologies after project closure in improving the sustainability of cropping systems to participating and non-participat...
Abstract Mitigating nutrient loss is a prerequisite of sustainable agriculture in the tropics. We evaluated three soil and water conservation technologies (mulching, minimum tillage and tied ridging) for two cropping seasons (long rains 2011, short rains 2011) at two sites in the central highlands of Kenya. The objectives were: to determine effects of the technologies on runoff, sediment yield and nutrient loads in sediment, and to assess influence of the technologies on maize yields. Experi...
Abstract: Understanding the effects of land use types and slope positions on soil physicochemical properties is an essential for sustainable soil management. Therefore, this study was initiated to assess selected physicochemical properties of the soils under different land uses and slope positions at Gola Wachu sub-watershed, east Hararghe Zone, Ethiopia. The study area was divided in to three topographic unit based on slope positions (upper, middle and lower) and selected soil physicochemic...
Abstract: In order to meet the increasing demands from an exploding human population, sustainable agriculture relies on the availability of crop varieties with high yields and optimal defenses to pests. However, ample work has suggested that domesticated plants could have reduced defenses at the expense of increased biomass or yield, and these potential trade-offs can vary among plant species and genotypes. Herbivory coping mechanisms such as tolerance and resistance can be expressed differe...
Abstract There are indications that the domestic demand for cassava particularly as staple food may in no time outweigh that of the industrial sector, except contract and non-contract farming entrepreneurs operate within the framework of sustainable agriculture. The study thus examines the effects of contract farming scheme on cassava production in Oyo State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was used. Oyo and Ibadan/Ibarapa zones were randomly selected from the four Agricultura...
ABSTRACT Over the years, Njoro Sub-County in Kenya has become increasingly urbanized, transforming from a transcendently rustic, horticultural territory, to dominatingly urban non-agrarian locale; driven mainly by growth of population. Agriculture being the main source of livelihood for the rural and semi-urban residents is being acutely jeopardized by rapid urbanization. Despite extensive studies on agricultural land conversion, there exists a knowledge gap on the extent of agricultural land...
Abstract There are indications that the domestic demand for cassava particularly as staple food may in no time outweigh that of the industrial sector, except contract and non-contract farming entrepreneurs operate within the framework of sustainable agriculture. The study thus examines the effects of contract farming scheme on cassava production in Oyo State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was used. Oyo and Ibadan/Ibarapa zones were randomly selected from the four Agricultural Develop...
ABSTRACT Soil erosion is a major threat to sustainable agriculture in the humid tropics. Management practices adopted to control soil erosion and improve soil quality include mulching and the use of Vetiver Grass Strips (VGS). Integrating VGS with mulch could be more effective in controlling soil erosion than VGS or mulching alone. However, information on the effectiveness of combined utilisation of VGS and Vetiver Mulch (VM) in controlling soil erosion and improving crop yield is scanty. The...
ABSTRACT The need to feed the projected world population of 9.7 billion by 2050 has received much attention and increased food production has been recommended to address the problem. Soybean and pigeonpea are important global commercial and food legumes that have been recommended for food security and sustainable agriculture particularly in tropical and subtropical regions where the majority of the world’s resource poor live, and where agricultural production is constrained by low soil fert...
Soil erosion is a major threat to sustainable agriculture in the humid tropics. Management practices adopted to control soil erosion and improve soil quality include mulching and the use of Vetiver Grass Strips (VGS). Integrating VGS with mulch could be more effective in controlling soil erosion than VGS or mulching alone. However, information on the effectiveness of combined utilisation of VGS and Vetiver Mulch (VM) in controlling soil erosion and improving crop yield is scanty. Therefo...