Abstract: For centuries, maize producers in sub-Saharan Africa have been plagued by post-harvest losses from insect infestation and mould infections, with small-scale producers representing the most vulnerable populations. Participatory on-farm trials were conducted to assess the effectiveness of triple layer hermetic (PICS™) bags for storage of maize in small-scale farmers’ stores in rural villages in Makueni County,Kenya. PICS bags are three-layer hermetic bag-system that forms a barri...
ABSTRACT Kenya is one of the tobacco growing countries in Africa with most tobacco being produced in South Nyanza, Eastern and Western parts of Kenya. Despite the increasing deterioration of the environment caused by tobacco farming, very little is known about the measures in place to manage the situation. It is not clear to what extent the environmental management practices are employed in tobacco growing zones.Furthermore, it is not known how widespread the environmental degradation and env...
Abstract: Kenya is one of the tobacco growing countries in Africa with most tobacco being produced in South Nyanza, Eastern and Western parts of Kenya. Despite the increasing deterioration of the environment caused by tobacco farming, very little is known about the measures in place to manage the situation. It is not clear to what extent the environmental management practices are employed in tobacco growing zones.Furthermore, it is not known how widespread the environmental degradation and e...
Abstract The purpose of this research was to analyse the uptake of agricultural insurance services by the agricultural sector for sustainable socio economic development in Zimbabwe. The research covered the period of 2000 to 2015. The research focused on A1 and A2 farmers which consisted of subsistence and small-medium scale commercial farmers. Agriculture is a risky enterprise due to its cyclical nature, risk of loss from fires and natural disasters. The researcher established that agricultu...
ABSTRACT This study examined the economic effects of crude oil exploitation on cassava production in Delta State. Specifically, the effect of crude oil exploitation on land productivity, farm income and cassava yield was explored. The costs and returns, and hence profitability of cassava production as influenced by oil pollution, the farming systems and socio-economic characteristics of cassava farmers were critically examined. Copies of well structured questionnaires were used to collect pri...
Abstract: This study was conducted to evaluate the forage production, chemical composition, in vitro dry matter digestibility and rumen degradability potentials of improved Napier grass cultivars as well as their preference as livestock feed under farmer’s conditions in West Hararghe Zone of Oromia region, Ethiopia. Four improved Napier grass cultivars (ILRI cultivar number: 16801, 16800, 16798, and 16840) and local check were planted in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with six r...
ABSTRACT Mulching is one of the major soil and water conservation measures applied for conserving soil moisture and modifying soil physical environment. The study aimed at assessing the effect of mulching on soil hydro-physical properties and its adoption in Kibaale sub-catchment, Uganda. Specific objectives were; to determine the effect of mulching on soil hydro-physical properties and to determine the farmers‟ socio economic and institutional factors affecting its adoption. Samples were o...
Studies were conducted to explore the potential of utilizing Ghanaian maize landraces for improved grain yield and resistance to the maize streak virus disease. Farmer perceptions of the maize streak virus disease as well as constraints to the adoption of improved varieties and farmers’ continuous reliance on local landraces or farmer varieties and production constraints were investigated. Genomic characterization of Maize streak virus (MSV) strains found in the forest and transitions zones...
ABSTRACT Traditional perspective approach has always considered environmental resources such as water as free goods without physical boundaries and the complexity of water uses and users makes it difficult to manage water resources in an efficient and equitable way. In addition, the current low tree planting trends and over harvesting imbalances are suspect and feared to threaten the continuity of the very tree-crop growing practice that has supported farming households over the years. The Ng...
ABSTRACT This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the possible causes of production volatility that has characterized rice production in the Greater Accra and Volta Regions of Ghana. The output gap that exists between actual yield and achievable yield presents an opportunity for output growth. Using cross sectional data, this study presents an empirical analysis of production risk and technical efficiency of 356 irrigated rice farms from the two regions. This study adopts t...
Abstract Farming is undergoing a digital revolution. Farmers are gathering information passively collected by precision agricultural equipment and manually and many farmers are using information from large datasets and precision analytics to make on-farm decisions. Big data includes extremely large data sets that may be analysed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behaviour and interactions. The use of large information sets and the digit...
ABSTRACT This paper presents a review on the literature of tobacco farming on the observed research on the impact of tobacco farming on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers as well its impact on land. In this study I drew on the existing academic structure on tobacco farming in Zimbabwe. An examination of the determinants of farmer partaking in tobacco farming was carried out on 30 smallholder farmers. The case was Mount Bokoto ward24 in Murewa District. This study was therefore initiated ...
ABSTRACT This study examined gender differences in land productivity in cotton production in the Northern Region of Ghana. Data were collected from a sample of two hundred (200) cotton farmers made up of 120 males and 80 females with the help of Cotton Production Assistants. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis. The Z test was used to test for the significance in the difference between the mean land productivities of male and female cotton farmers....
ABSTRACT Paddy and sugarcane are important food and commercial crops in Tanzania. Paddy and sugarcane have similar ecological requirements. In areas where both are produced the two crops compete for resources. Therefore better decisions have to be made on land allocation so that farm profitability can be maximized. Unfortunately the knowledge on appropriate land allocation for paddy and sugarcane enterprises is limited in the literature. Thus the present study was conducted in Kilombero distr...
ABSTRACT Horticultural farmers frequently consider marketing as being their major problem. However, while they are able to identify such problems as poor prices, lack of transport and high post-harvest losses, they are often poorly equipped to identify potential solutions. Mango fruits marketing in Masongaleni ward, of Kibwezi Constituency, is affected by many challenges among them middlemen who get larger profit share at the expense of the farmers who apparently have low level of education a...