Abstract The element of risk taking in entrepreneurial orientation reflects calculated and manageable risks. Risk taking is a dominant attribute of entrepreneurship as the higher the risk-taking orientation, the higher a firm’s profitability and growth. This purpose of this paper was to establish the influence of entrepreneurial risk taking and firm performance of agro processing small and medium enterprises in Kenya. The study findings revealed that risk taking has a positive impact on fi...
Abstract In semi-arid regions, climate change has affected crop growing season length and sowing time, potentially causing low yield of the rainfed staple crop pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) and food insecurity among smallholder farmers. In this study, we used 1994–2023 rainfall data from Namibia’s semi-arid North-Central Region (NCR), receiving November–April summer rainfall, to analyze rainfall patterns and trends and their implications on the growing season to propose climate ...
Abstract/Overview Energy availability at domestic level is a challenge across the world and especially in Africa. Firewood is the major source of energy for cooking for households in Kenya and there is need for a friendly sustainable environmental fuel. Carbonized biomass materials (briquettes) are considered a substitute. This study thus evaluated effect of selected briquetting techniques on briquettes’ performance properties. Milled charcoal dusts mixed in a ratio of 1:1:1 (Rice husk,...
Wastewater sludge has garnered global interest since its generation in terms of source, volume, quality, treatment, disposal, or reuse. It has an impact on human life and other natural resources, most notably fragile ecosystems. The study was carried out at the Savannah Research Institute (SARI) in the Tolon District of the Northern Region of Ghana. The main objective was to design, construct and test the performance of a filter for the treatment of wastewater sludge for irrigation. The filte...
Animal proteins are becoming largely expensive, hence the daily protein needs of low-income earners are unmet. This has triggered the need to explore rich but less expensive protein sources of plant origin such as okara, a soy residue to meet the protein needs of the consumer. One effective way of ensuring that consumers benefit from these less-expensive protein sources is their incorporation into frequently consumed diets. Therefore, this study sought to assess the effect of pretreatments (n...
A producer and a buyer enter into a two-party contract when they practice contract farming. A buyer commits to purchasing output from a producer at a predetermined price, quality and timing (Bellemare & Bloem, 2018). In many nations around the globe, contract farming is used to link smallholders’ farmers to profitable markets for higher incomes and better living conditions (Barrett et al., 2012). Early in the nineteenth century, the North American agricultural sector saw the introduction of...
The study assessed the performance of irrigation schemes in the Transition Agro-ecological Zone of Ghana using a set of comparative performance indicators. The study was conducted on two (2) functioning schemes and two (2) defunct schemes. It was carried out in Akumadan, Tanoso, Kaniago and Subinja irrigation schemes in the Transition Agro-ecological zone of Ghana. The performance of the functioning schemes (Akumadan and Kaniago) spanning the years of 2018 – 2022 were evaluated using select...
Performance of a solar powered irrigation systems in the Northern Ghana was evaluated in this study. Solar powered water application systems (drip, spray tube and sprinkler irrigation systems) were evaluated using performance indicators. Coefficient of variation (CV), emission uniformity (EU), emitter flow variation (Qvar) and mean application rate (MAR) were evaluated for the drip irrigation system for different water levels in the tank. Uniformity Coefficient of (CU), Distribution Uniformit...
Groundwater resources have been heavily dependent on for domestic and agricultural purposes since the beginning of time. This study was therefore aimed to evaluate the significance of physical and environment factors on groundwater potential, delineate the groundwater potential zones and determine the water quality in the Wa Municipality of Ghana for irrigated agriculture. Nine (9) layers namely; Geology, lineament density, rainfall, drainage density, soil, landuse and landcover (LULC), topog...
Abstract: Biogas is eco-friendly alternative renewable energy source produced through anaerobic digestion of organic compounds. In this study, biogas production was evaluated from Prosopis juliflora leaves(PJ) and cow manure (CM) co-digestion in five mix ratios under mesophilic conditions (38ºC) using batch digesters in the Botany Laboratory of Haramaya University to evaluate biogas production potential of Prosopis juliflora leaves through anaerobic digestion alone or in combination with co...
Abstract: Bio- ethanol is suggested as a sustainable fuel which can be produced from renewable resources and reduce the level of greenhouse gases. Therefore, this study was focused on producing bio ethanol fuel from teff (Eragrostis tef) straws in batch fermentation using yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Fifty grams of acid pretreated and untreated teff straw were incubated with10ml of 1% of yeast under three different temperature (20℃, 30℃ and 40℃) treatments and allowed to ferment o...
Abstract: Biogas is a clean and renewable form of energy and well substitute for conventional sources of energy especially in the rural sector. In response to the need for addressing the adverse impacts of the increasing trend in biomass energy consumption in Ethiopia, the last three recent decades development of more efficient cooking stove technologies and alternative sources of household energy had been realized. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal mix ratio for biogas prod...
Abstract: Biogas is an alternative renewable energy sources and a mixture of different gases, mainly methane and carbon dioxide, resulting from anaerobic digestion of organic matter. In this study, production of biogas from Vernonia amygdalina leaves co-digested with cow dung in anaerobic condition were evaluated under mesophilic condition at 38ºC using a batch mode digester. Biogas production was evaluated from treatments with different mix ratios A (100%VA) B (75%VA+25%CD), C (75%CD+25%VA...
Abstract: Biogas is a well-established fuel that can replace firewood and electricity as an energy source for cooking, lighting, heating and for other purposes in developing countries. Moreover, biogas is a clean, environmental friendly and renewable form of energy generated when micro-organisms degrade organic materials in the absence of oxygen. The aim of this study was to evaluate biogas production potential of avocado fruit peel wastes and goat manure in combination or separately under a...
Abstract: Production of biogas through anaerobic digestion of organic waste materials provides an alternative environmentally eco-friendly renewable energy. In this study, biogas production from co-digestion of cow manure (CM) and Datura stramonium leaves (DSL) in five mix ratios (100%CM, 60%CM:40%DSL, 50%CM:50%DSL, 40%CM:60%DSL and 100%DSL) were evaluated under mesophilic condition at 38ºC using a batch mode digester over 30 days fermentation. In all the treatments, physico-chemical parame...