Abstract: This study analyzed the malt barley value chain in Angolalla Tera Woreda, North Shewa Zone of Amhara Region. The study used cross sectional data collected from 120 farm households selected through two-stage sampling techniques, 22 traders, 2 processors, 1 union and 4 cooperatives. Malt barley value chain actors in the study area include input suppliers, producers, cooperatives, union, wholesalers, processors, retailers, and consumers. The malt barley market concentration ratio in t...
Abstract: Scarcity of water is the most severe constraint for traditional agriculture in semi-arid areas of Ethiopia. Precipitation is extremely variable, thus water harvesting is crucial for ensuring improved crop production. A study was carried out to identify potential rainwater harvesting systems for improved crop production under climate variability in Adulala watershed, central rift valley of Ethiopia. Primary and secondary data together with other relevant information through a well-s...
Abstract: The negative impact of climate change has been striking the agricultural sector in Africa. For countries like Ethiopia, whose livelihood occupation of the nation is mainly based on subsistence agriculture that highly rely on rainfall, making an adjustment to adapt to the changing situation is very crucial. Therefore, designing contextual specific adaptation strategies are essential to moderate the negative effect of climate change. This study was intended to answer identify the agr...
Abstract: An experiment was conducted at Haramaya University, eastern Ethiopia in 2016 main cropping season, to assess the response of chickpea varieties to Rhizobium and P fertilizer rate. Factorial combinations of three ‘Kabuli’ chickpea varieties (Arerti, Ejere and Habru), four rates of phosphorus (0, 10, 20 and 30 kg P ha-1) with and without rhizobium inoculants were laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The main effects of variety had significant ef...
Abstract: The experiment was undertaken to assess Rhodes grass yield and nutritional quality at different harvesting days and levels of N fertilizer application grown under irrigation at Gewane, Afar region. The field experiment was arranged in a 3 x 4 factorial randomized complete block design with three replications. The treatments were three levels of harvesting days (60, 90 and 120 days) and four level of N fertilizer application (0, 23, 46 and 69 kg ha-1 ). Plant height (PHT), number of...
Abstract: Maize and faba bean are cultivated as both sole and intercropping systems by smallholder farmers in eastern Ethiopia. The farmers have been recently practicing intercropping of the two crops. However, productivity of the crops is low and evidence-based information is lacking on on-farm diversity of faba bean and productivity of faba bean-maize intercropping system. The general objective of this research was to investigate on-farm diversity and agro-morphological variability of farm...
Abstract: A transdisciplinary research approach requires that different scientists with their discipline-specific theories, concepts and methods find ways to work together with other societal players to address a real-life problem. In this study, the push–pull technology (PPT) was used as a boundary object to enable interactions among stakeholders across science-practice boundaries engaged in the control of stemborer pest in maize crops in Bako Tibe, Jimma Arjo and Yayu Woredas in Ethiopia...
Abstract: Invasive alien species (IAS) rank among the most significant drivers of species extinction and ecosystem degradation resulting in significant impacts on socio-economic development. The recent exponential spread of IAS in most of Africa is attributed to poor border biosecurity due to porous borders that have failed to prevent initial introductions. In addition, countries lack adequate information about potential invasions and have limited capacity to reduce the risk of invasions. Ho...
Abstract: Pest management in major cropping systems has long been dominated by chemical pesticides in Africa. Smallholder farmers have perceived pesticides as insurance to protect their crops. Consumers are less aware of pesticide-related food-safety issues, and markets providing economic incentives to producers who adopt alternatives to pesticides have been slow to emerge. Hence, overuse of pesticides has been constantly increasing. Although African countries have a number of pesticide-rela...
Abstract: One health’ (OH) is a cross-sectoral approach that addresses human, plant, animal, and environmental health problems. The initiative stems from recognition of the convoluted linkages among global health risks and the need for coherent multipronged countermeasures. For agriculture, environmental degradation and biodiversity depletion wrought by heavy reliance on inorganic inputs to meet the needs of the ever-growing human population, are a matter of societal concern. Agroecologica...
Abstract: Landscape fragmentation and habitat loss at multiple scales directly affect species abundance, diversity, and productivity. There is a paucity of information about the effect of the landscape structure and diversity on honey bee colony strength in Africa. Here, we present new insights into the relationship between landscape metrics such as patch size, shape, connectivity, composition, and configuration and honey bee (Apis mellifera) colony strength characteristics. Remote-sensing-b...
Abstract: Agriculture has done more damage to nature than any other human activity, and yet food production could need to be doubled by the middle of this century. As agricultural land is expanded and intensified, critical thresholds in the loss of natural habitats are crossed. This loss of non-crop habitats can have negative feedback on crop production,because it can cause a loss of “ecosystem services” that support and regulate crop production, such as the pollination of crops by bees ...
The right to adequate food is a universal human right that is realized when all people have physical and economic access at all times to adequate food or the means for its procurement, without discrimination of any kind (FAO, United Nations). However, in a rapidly growing population, finite resources, environmental damage, climate change, and global inequality makes this an incredibly complex issue.
The soybean cyst nematode is a major contributor to decreased soybean yields every year, and this pest is hard to identify since there are no visible signs of sickness. The only way to detect the nematode is to extract cysts from soil, extract the eggs, and count them. To help alleviate this problem, a robotic instrument has been created to perform the tasks of the conventional manual extraction method. The instrument is managed by a touchscreen software, and its performance is evaluated usin...
Natural pollination and the physical impairments on plant leaves, as well as plant diseases are indicators of the presence of aboveground insects. However, there is less evidence to describe the presence of such insects in Rwanda. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the abundance of the aboveground insect species in Musanze district, in the Northern part of Rwanda. Insect traps were laid in agricultural fields ten sectors of Musanze district; Busogo, Cyuve, Gacaca, Gataraga, K...