ABSTRACT This study analysed the economics of smallholder organic farmers in the Muleba district. Specifically, the study was conducted to identify the costs associated with organic and conventional coffee production, to assess the profitability of the two farming system and to determine the effect of premium price in compensation of yield in organic coffee. The study also addressed the coffee organic standard demanded by importers. Multistage, purposive and simple random sampling procedures...
Abstract This research work presents the results of analytical studies of effects of pressure and adhesion energy on the interfacial properties of cold welded and laminated surfaces in organic and Hybrid Organic/Inorganic electronic structures. The analytical modeling is based on the physics of elastic behaviour of a cantilever beam. The energy balance approach was employed to model the surface contacts in Hybrid Organic/Inorganic structures, HOISOLs, and Organic Light Emitting Diodes, OLEDs...
Abstract In Kenya, there are more than 200,000 farmers who have been trained on organic farming technologies and systems. Currently certified land under organic management in Kenya stands at 104,211 ha while the organic sub sector employs 12,647 farmers who are directly involved in production of different organic products. Although there are many documented reasons that make farmers to adopt organic farming system, economic benefits present one of the major motivations. These benefits however...
Abstract In Kenya, there are more than 200,000 farmers who have been trained on organic farming technologies and systems. Currently certified land under organic management in Kenya stands at 104,211 ha while the organic sub sector employs 12,647 farmers who are directly involved in production of different organic products. Although there are many documented reasons that make farmers to adopt organic farming system, economic benefits present one of the major motivations. These benefits howeve...
Abstract: The sustainable utilisation of black soldier fly (BSF) for recycling organic waste into high-quality protein feed and organic fertiliser with a low environmental footprint is gaining momentum worldwide. Although BSF farming is becoming a rapidly growing agribusiness, studies on the BSF farming’s economic aspects are limited. This study analysed the economic benefits of farming BSF for animal feeds and composted frass, called frass fertiliser (FF) production using experimental dat...
A field experiment was conducted to investigate the comparative effects of organic and inorganic soil amendments on growth and performance of plantain (Musa paradisiaca). The experiment was established in March 2011 and repeated in February 2012. The treatments consisted of nine soil amendments (NPK sole, Jatropha sole, palm kernel cake (PKC) residue sole, Sunshine organo-mineral sole, NPK + Jatropha husk 50:50, Sunshine organo-mineral + Jatropha husk 50:50, PKC residue + NPK 50:50, PKC resid...
Abstract/Overview Agricultural intensification is a leading cause of global biodiversity loss, which can reduce the provisioning of ecosystem services in managed ecosystems. Organic farming and plant diversification are farm management schemes that may mitigate potential ecological harm by increasing species richness and boosting related ecosystem services to agroecosystems. What remains unclear is the extent to which farm management schemes affect biodiversity components other than speci...
ABSTRACT The aim of the study was to determine the difference in flora diversity in two farming systems and how the diversity contributes to sustainable livelihoods of cocoa farmers in an era of changing climate in Atwima Mponua District of Ghana. Sixteen organic and sixteen conventional cocoa farms were selected in Gyereso and Pasoro in the district. In each farm, flora were sampled to include three life forms viz., trees, shrubs and herbs. Households were also interviewed with a structured ...
Abstract Syntrophobotulus glycolicus Friedrich et al. 1996 is currently the only member of the genus Syntrophobotulus within the family Peptococcaceae. The species is of interest because of its isolated phylogenetic location in the genome-sequenced fraction of tree of life. When grown in pure culture with glyoxylate as carbon source the organism utilizes glyoxylate through fermentative oxidation, whereas, when grown in syntrophic co-culture with homoacetogenic or methanogenic bacteria, it is...
EXTENDED ABSTRACT The crop-livestock farming system is a traditional and main agricultural practice in the eastern part of Ethiopia, where crop grains are produced for food security and residues are for animal feed and domestic fuel consumption. As a result, farmers practice crop residues removal management throughout the cropping seasons. However, there is no adequate information on the impacts of crop residues removal management on soil properties and crop yields under such farming system. ...
Abstract In the recent past, fish farming has gained great prominence in Kenya as the country straggles to meet food security. Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) farming has attracted the most demand, with the use of manure to enhance primary productivity in fish ponds being encouraged as a form of increasing productivity and returns on investment. The objective of this study was to understand the role of Nile tilapia farming in greenhouse emissions (GHGEs) in the region. Generally, the...
Abstract: Soil fertility depletion is one of the major limiting factors for wheat yield reduction in the study area. As a result, inorganic fertilizers are commonly supplied to the crop. However, continuous and sole use of inorganic fertilizers may lead to deterioration in soil chemical and physical properties. Therefore, the study was conducted to investigate the integrated use of organic and inorganic fertilizers on selected soil properties and yield of wheat, which was conducted in Lume d...
ABSTRACT Maize is a staple food and its adequacy is a measure of food security in Busia County and across Kenya. Despite myriad efforts to increase its yield, the national level has remained low at 1.6 tons/ha relative to world average of 5.5 tons/ha and Busia County experiences much lower yield of 1.2 tons/ha. This low yield in the county coupled by high population growth rate arising from a fertility rate of 6 percent in the county when national level is 4.6 percent and a large population ...
ABSTRACT Environmental pollution caused by persistent and bioaccumulative toxic chemicals is a global issue in view of its effects on biota. Researches abound on the sources and concentration of soil pollutants but there is paucity of information on their sorption/desorption in Nigerian soils. This is necessary for accurate prediction of toxicity and effective remediation strategy. Therefore, this study was aimed at assessing the sorption/desorption of selected organic and inorganic pollutant...
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...