ABSTRACT Integration of legumes into farming systems is one of the Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) options for improving soil fertility. Farmers can save their cost of production by using legumes, which, in association with rhizobia, can fix atmospheric nitrogen. Soybean is an important legume compatible with the smallholder farming systems in Tharaka Nithi and Meru counties. However, low P and N, a situation prevalent in the two counties can limit its performance. The study was...
ABSTRACT Does the settings where learning occurs matter? Research in North America and Western Europe shows that learning outcomes are hampered in physical environments where extreme climatic conditions are experienced.The settings and climatic conditions differ significantly in Sub-Saharan Africa as they are not as extreme. In fact leading rresearchers in Kenya offer mixed signals on the role of the school environment on achievement. This study sought to contribute to factors that explain le...
ABSTRACT Horticulture industry sustains millions of livelihoods in Kenya. Over the last decade, passion fruit has emerged as an important high market value horticultural crop following the establishment of new and expansion of existing large scale beverage producers that use local fruits for juice extraction. There has also been growing export markets and increasing numbers of health conscious consumers. Currently, the productivity levels are low, at 8 ton ha-1 compared to potential of 24 to...
ABSTRACT Coffee farming in Rwanda is an important sector that contributes significantly to the economy in terms of employment and income, especially for the smallholder coffee farmers in rural areas. In order to improve coffee production in terms of quality and quantity, farmers are encouraged to form and join cooperatives so that they can increase their vertical integration within the coffee value chain. Despite this strategy, level of participation of farmers in cooperatives is still low (...
ABSTRACT Rice is an increasingly important cereal crop in Kenya with the major production being done in Mwea, Kirinyaga County. Rice farming faces notable challenges such as; erratic rainfall, waterscarcity, mismanaged irrigation and low soil phosphorus. In that view, therefore, an experiment was conducted at KALRO-Mwea for two seasons to investigate the effect of irrigation scheduling and phosphorus levels on growth, yield and yield yield components of two Nerica rice varieties. The experim...
ABSTRACT Mango is the third most important fruit in Kenya in terms of area and total production. Nutritionally, mango fruit is important for vitamins and mineral provision in the daily diet of Kenyans. As an export crop, mango earns the country foreign exchange, acts as source of food and household income especially for resource poor farmers, contributing to poverty alleviation and achievement of Millennium Development Goal number one. However, mango production and marketing is constrained by...
Abstract This technical note aims to describe the market incentives and disincentives for cotton producers in the United Republic of Tanzania. The note is a technical document and serves as input for the MAFAP Country Report. For this purpose, yearly averages of farm gate and wholesale prices are compared with reference prices calculated on the basis of the price of the commodity in the international market. The price gaps between the reference prices and the prices along the value chain indi...
ABSTRACT Agricultural value chain development programs must result in lasting change in order to be deemed effective. The programs initiated either by public or private organizations may meet their objectives while in operation by improving agricultural development in terms of increased crop or animal productivity, improved competitiveness, performance of agri-food chains and poverty reduction. However, sustainability of these development initiatives for impact over time has been a challenge...
ABSTRACT According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics 2020 economic survey, 75 % of the total population in Kenya is youthful 36% of this are between 15-34 years and 38.1% of them are unemployed. Agribusiness has a huge potential in offering employment to the youth considering its wider labor absorptive capacity. Despite this, youth involvement in agribusiness is low due to existing inequalities in the value chain. In Kakamega County, there is a large percentage of unemployed young p...
ABSTRACT Agriculture plays a major role in the Kenyan economy through its significant contribution to the GDP, a foreign currency earner, supplier of raw materials to the processing and manufacturing sector as well as contributing to the food security in the country. In addition, the sector supports rural livelihoods through farm entrepreneurship and farm-generated employment thereby alleviating poverty levels in the rural population. Beekeeping is an important form of farming especially in ...
ABSTRACT Information and communication technology (ICT) is increasingly playing an important role in the economies of all nations. Educationists are advocating for the use of ICT in teaching and learning due to its potential to overcome many education problems such as, low learning achievement, and motivation. The performance of agriculture students in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations has not been satisfactory. Computer based-instruction has been shown to positively ...
ABSTRACT Agribusiness in Malawi is still in the early stages of development and is associated with insufficient value addition. Farmers‟ ability to produce outputs in quantities and quality forms that are marketable and commercially viable is limited by a number of factors. Lack of sufficient storage and processing facilities as well as inadequate skills are some of the notable constraints. As a way of enhancing the competitiveness of the rural agribusiness actors and ultimately raising th...
ABSTRACT Malawi’s agricultural sector contributes 30% to the GDP and provides employment to more than 85% of the total rural population. The sector is dominated by smallholder farmers who are challenged with lack of access to reliable markets and poor infrastructure. To address this, the Malawian government has encouraged formation of Farmer-Based Organisations in its national development framework. Although Farmer-Based Organisations have been in existence in the country since 1978, acces...
ABSTRACT The Kenyan Seed potato production sector has failed to meet the high and growing demand for high quality seed. Enhanced participation and investments of more private seed potato multipliers could help increase availability and accessibility of quality seed and bridge the supply gap that meets less than 5% of the demand. However, factors that influence agripreneurs’ participation and level of investment in the multiplication of clean potato seed are not well known. The overall obje...
ABSTRACT The assessment of the K.C.S.E agriculture project work has been plagued by disparities between the school and the external based assessments; with the inception of the 8-4-4 education system in Kenya the problem has become worse. The purpose of this study was to investigate the Determinants of Quality Assessment of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Agriculture Projects in selected secondary schools of Kakamega County from 1999 to 2003. The study endeavored to achieve the foll...