ABSTRACT The study on contribution of valley bottom cultivation (vinyungu) to poverty alleviation in Mtitu River Basin in Kilolo District was conducted in order to examine the role of this type of agriculture to rural livelihood. This type of agriculture has been practiced over many decades. In Mtitu River Basin almost all valley bottoms are used by small farmers who practice farming in lowlands, usually called vinyungu, a type of farming practiced in dry season. Tanzania Government has been...
Abstract: Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J E Smith), an economically important pest native to tropical and subtropical America has recently invaded Africa, causing substantial damage to maize and other crops. We evaluated functionality of a companion cropping system, ‘climate-adapted push-pull’, developed for control of cereal stemborers in drier agro-ecologies, as an added tool for the management of fall armyworm. The technology comprises intercropping maize with drought-tolerant...
Abstract: Vegetables play significant role in income generation and improving nutritional status in Ethiopia and Habru district in particular. However, the development of vegetable subsector faces various marketing problems in Habru district. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze vegetables (onion and tomato) market chain in Habru district. Both primary and secondary data were used for the study. A random sample of 147 vegetable producer households and 53 vegetable traders were used to gene...
ABSRACT This study examined the effect of agriculturalfinancing on agricultural output in Nigeria.This study is necessitated by the fact that agricultural practices have not been given full attention they deserve in Nigeria knowing truly that the country by nature is gifted in agriculture and its neglect is our bane in terms of food production and revenue yield. The research relied on secondary data that was used, which concentrated on banks credit and Government funding of the agricultur...
ABSTRACT Using survey data and secondary information, this study was carried out to analyse factors affecting market access among spice farmers in Zanzibar. The study’s specific objectives were (i) to examine economic characteristics of spice farmers and spice traders, (ii) to assess marketing channels for spices produced in Zanzibar, (iii) to analyse spice market potential in Zanzibar (Demand and Supply), and (iv) to examine factors influencing spice market access among spice farmers. This...
ABSTRACT Tissue culture technology was developed, and disseminated to farmers with active participation of actors along the value chain. However, the potential benefits of the technology are yet to be achieved. This is attributed to diverse challenges that have not been addressed. This study was designed to contribute to this information gap. Primary farm household and trader data were collected through a survey carried out in 2012. Multistage sampling approach was used to select counties, su...
ABSTRACT The study investigated the shortcomings of dairy entrepreneurs management practices strategies and the effect of these on performance of their dairy enterprises in Nandi County. The overall aim of the research was to investigate the influence of commercialization strategies on performance of dairy enterprises. The study sought to determine how commercialization strategies; that is feeding, breeding, disease control and husbandry, as they are currently practiced contribute to the perf...
ABSTRACT The analysis of women’s entrepreneurship role in agricultural value chains could help policy address challenges that women particularly face in agribusiness. Though oil palm provides several value added products, this study analysed the role of women in the oil palm value chain with particular reference to palm oil in the Akyemansa District and Birim Central Municipality in the Eastern Region. In this study, both women and men are entrepreneurs seeking to maximise profit from their...
ABSTRACT The study was conducted to assess rural farmers’ agroforestry practices in Imo State, Nigeria. The population for the study comprised all farmers involved in agroforestry practices in Imo state. Four local government areas (LGAs) were selected out of 27 LGAs in the state using simple random sampling technique. From the four LGAs, two town communities were purposively selected based on their involvement in agroforestry practices giving a total of eight town communities. From each of...
ABSTRACT The study was carried out to investigate the production potential for oil crop called jatropha (Jatropha curcas) in Arumeru district. A total of 111 farmers were randomly selected for interview. The study involve estimates of profitability of jatropha farming compared with maize farming, investigating household factors that influence adoption of recommended jatropha cultivation practices and identify opportunities and challenges for the development of jatropha industry in Tanzania. T...
ABSTRACT Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a valuable vegetable crop in Kenya, grown mainly by small-scale farmers.It provides food security, nutrition and income for many small-holder farmers. Despite its economic importance, tomato production faces major challenges including scarcity of high quality fruits, insect pests and diseases. Currently farmers have relied on application of pesticides to manage the tomato pests. Pesticides are expensive to the farmer and have a negative impact to ...
ABSTRACT This study analyzed the factors that influence the adoption of improved maize varieties and the extent of adoption in northern and eastern zones of Tanzania. Data were collected from a sample of 548 households in northern and eastern zones by adoption pathway project in 2013 by using household survey questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were employed to determine the improved maize varieties adopted in the two regions and Heckman two stage sample selection model was used to determin...
Abstract This study examined the factors influencing farmers’ willingness to engage in agroforestry practice in Ekiti State, Nigeria using cross-section data. Multi-stage and random sampling techniques were used to select 180 respondents. The analytical techniques involved descriptive and inferential statistics. It was shown that majority (50.60%) of the respondents were within 26-50 years age bracket while the average age of the farmers was 51 years. Majority of the sampled farmers (92.20%...
ABSTRACT Currently, the cassava crop is transiting from a staple food commodity into an industrial crop for the production of starch and ethanol and this suggests probable changes in marketing arrangements and conditions. The present study analyzed the cassava chains and the economic implications on actors in Southern Ghana. The value chain actors interviewed include cassava farmers and small-scale (gari and agbelima) processors who were selected randomly and large-scale cassava processors, ...
ABSTRACT Nitrogen is a major mineral nutrient limiting growth, development and production of crops in Kenya. The cost of production is way beyond the purchasing power of smallholder farmers, coupled with the low availability of nitrogen in the soil has significantly contributed to the reduction in rice productivity in Kenya. In rice growing regions, including Busia, Kisumu and Kirinyaga counties, there is evidence of pollution due to high losses of N experienced from agricultural fields. Redu...