ABSTRACT The study was carried out to estimate the levels of contamination and marketability of organic compost manures, derived from Kampala municipal solid wastes (MSW), sold along roads in the various suburbs of Kampala. The organic composts were sampled from five locations: Kawempe (KWP); Bwaise (BWS); Kitebi (KTB); Wankulukuku (WKK) and Ggaba-Kansanga (GGK~. The overall quality of the compost manures was determined by investigating selected physicochemical, trace metals and fertilizing p...
ABSTRACT Agricultural productivity in Kenya, as in many developing countries, is significantly affected by rainfall variability. The reliability of the rain for agricultural purposes has reduced in the recent years due to climate variability. In the study area, there is a continued trend of more frequent and intense climate related disasters which is expected to have significant impacts on the livelihood activities. Most studies on the impact of climate variability on farming practices and th...
ABSTRACT The sugar sector generates an estimated 12 billion shillings annually, supporting livelihoods of about six million people in Kenya. Women bear the greatest responsibility of managing contracted sugarcane while men benefit from the profits as farming contracts are owned by the latter. Aspects of critical evaluation of patriarchal structures, equitable sharing of sugarcane profits and compensation for labour provided on the farms have not been documented and these comprised the focus ...
TABLE OF CONTENTSDECLARATIONAPPROVALDEDICATIONACKNOWLEDGEMENT ivABSTRACTLIST OF ACRONYMSLIST OF TABLESLIST OF FIGURES xiiCHAPTER ONE 11.0 Introduction 11.1 Background i1.2 Statement ofthe problem 51.3 General objective 51 .4 Specific objective 51.5 Research questions sCHAPTER TWO 72.0 Literature review 72.lDeflnition of terms 72.2 The concept of Subsistence Agriculture 72.2.1 Types of Subsistence Agriculture 82.3 The concept of Wetland conservation 112.3.1 Wet land functions 112.4 Effects of ...
ABSTRACT Developing countries all over the world, Nigeria inclusive has suffered low profitability or losses in poultry egg farming during economic recession. Therefore this study examined the effects of post economic recession on profitability of small scale poultry egg farming in Ekiti State, Nigeria. This study adopted a Three-stage sampling procedure to select eighty poultry egg farmers in Ekiti State. Primary data for the study was collected through the use of well structured questionnai...
Non-renewable energy sources produced from natural coal and oil may result in climate change and global warming as greenhouse gases are to the environment. This is why the main utilization of energy sources on renewable and alternate green energy to deliver power. Thus, a microbial fuel cell device is one of the cost-effective and environmentally friendly energy conversion devices that uses renewable organic wastes as fuel source and converts this stored chemical energy in to useful b...
ABSTRACT This paper presents the overview of the research and development of the pace setter organic fertilizer plant.
Abstract: Background: The black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) is the most promising insect candidate for nutrient-recycling through bioconversion of organic waste into biomass, thereby improving sustainability of protein supplies for animal feed and facilitating transition to a circular economy. Contrary to conventional livestock, genetic resources of farmed insects remain poorly characterised. We present the first comprehensive population genetic characterisation of H. illucens. Based on ...
Abstract: Ethiopia is known to be one of the food insecure countries in the world. One way of solving the food insecurity problem is through enhancement of efficiency in agricultural production in general and in wheat production in particular. This study was conducted with the general objective; of assessing the economic efficiency of smallholder wheat producers in the Robe District of Arsi zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. Both primary and secondary data sources were used for this stud...
Abstract: The selection and use of appropriate Agroforestry tree species to maintain a sufficiently high nutrient supply to meet crop needs remains a major challenge of nutrient management under low input farming systems. Therefore, research on C. macrostachyus, F.vasta and E.abyssinica foliage litter quality as it relates to decomposition and nutrient release has become very important. A study was conducted to determine the rate of decomposition and nutrient release pattern from foliage lit...
ABSTRACT Soil erosion has continued to be an alarming problem in the West Usambara Highlands, Tanzania. This study was conducted to investigate the level of adoption of Soil Conservation Technologies and crop productivity in the West Usambara highlands following intensive campaigns on SWC from the early 1980s. A sample of 98 randomly selected households from four villages responded to the survey. During data collection, a structured questionnaire survey, interviews, focus group discussions a...
Despite being a culture-centred livelihood activity, pastoralism alone has not guaranteed food and nutrition security for households in Turkana, Kenya. The frequency of droughts and their negative impact on livestock production in the County translate into reduced purchasing power of the pastoral households; causing perennial food insecurity and consequent human indignity. As a growing response to this perennial situation, rain-fed crop production has been introduced in the County at sub...
Abstract The prevalence of contract farming in the cotton industry of Zimbabwe implies that it has become the dominant marketing system. Even the independently produced cotton is eventually sold to the contracting cotton companies owing to enacted regulations which compel all prospective cotton buyers to finance production through contract farming to be licensed to purchase seed cotton from farmers. However, the prevailing seed cotton marketing system is riddled with challenges characterise...
Hydroponics or the soilless cultivation is a popular and fast growing sector of agriculture and it has many advantages over soil-based system. It offers opportunities to provide optimal conditions for plant growth and therefore higher yields can be obtained compared to open field cultivation. In the aggregate system of hydroponics, different substrates are currently being used as support to the root system of plants under soilless cultivation. Substrates can be organic such as peat, pine bark...
ABSTRACT Microorganismsare essential players in the very existence of all living thing. They play avery important part in the production and biodegradation of organic foodsubstances in which Manihot esculentais an important player. This project evaluated the mycoflora and bacterialflora of steep cassava with the view of identifying those fungi and bacteriaspecies found with steeped cassava. This research work employed gram stainingreaction or technique and Lactophenol Cotton Blue Stain to...