INTRODUCTION Definition and Explanation of some Terms What is a chemical industry? It is difficult to define chemical industry exactly because of the absolute necessity for chemicals in almost every manufacturing industry. However, chemical industry can be defined as one that consists of all companies engaged in converting raw materials obtained from the environment (air, water, petroleum, minerals, agricultural products etc) into basic chemicals or chemical intermediates as well as the co...
INTRODUCTION Environmental problems are as old as the beginning of mans creation. Concern about the environment is a recent and localized phenomenon that began only in the late 1960s. Thus, the recognition of the deteriorating state of environment quality has been understood and seen now, after many years of accumulation of public outcries. Environmental issues affect every life on this planet from the smallest microorganisms to the human race. The reason for this is simple. A single disrupti...
Abstract: Organic agriculture (OA) is often regarded as a sustainable agricultural pathway for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, and an increasing number of initiatives promoting OA were initiated over the last decades. However, holistic empirical evidence on the effects of such initiatives on the sustainability of smallholder farmers is still scanty. We analyzed the effects of five initiatives promoting OA on farm-level sustainability. We selected farmers exposed to the initiatives...
ABSTRACT This study investigated the effects of women empowerment programmes on women leadership in public sector organizations drawing on the data collected from the Ministry of Agriculture in Tanzania. Thus, the study is built upon three key themes, namely the reasons why women are under-represented in leadership positions at the Ministry of Agriculture, the level of awareness of women empowerment programs at the Ministry of Agriculture by women employee, and the role played by other stake...
Abstract: In Ethiopia agriculture is highly vulnerable to climate variability. This is mainly due to its mere dependence on rainfall and low level of technology adoption. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate farmers’ resilience to climate variability and their perception towards adoption of climate smart agricultural practices in the study area. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select sample households. Accordingly, 204 sample households were selected using simple ...
ABSTRACT Regional projects hereby refer to projects implemented in more than one country. The countries of focus are Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. The purpose of the study was to build the thesis that regional projects generated more impacts and significantly contributed to: increased agricultural production and productivity; enhanced stakeholders’ access to financial services; increased incomes; profitable land uses; and up-scaling of technologies, innovations, and manageme...
ABSTRACT This project examines the use of GIS in creating an agro-climatic zone map. The map recognizes that the major aspects of climate that affect plant growth are moisture availability and temperature. The agro-climatic zones are therefore specific combinations of moisture availability zones and temperature zones. The project was undertaken following the variability of rainfall and recurrent droughts in the country that affects the lives of millions of people whose livelihood is mainly de...
ABSTRACT Agriculture is deemed as a pivot around which economies revolve. The contribution of the agriculture sector to economies cannot be overemphasized. In Ghana, for instance, the agriculture sector has consistently been one of the major contributors of GDP of the country. On the contrary, the standard of living of farmers is deplorable. In the quest of the government of Ghana to eradicate the level of poverty among farmers and improve upon their standard of living, many policies have be...
This paper examined the impact of deposit money bank agricultural credit on agricultural productivity in Nigeria using an error correction model and annual time series data for the period 1981-2014. The results indicate that an equilibrium relationship exists between the variables. In addition, we find that deposit money bank’s agricultural credit impacts positively and significantly on agricultural productivity in the long-run, but this impact is quite negligible in the short-run. We al...
ABSTRACT The dissemination of the relevant information for agricultural production is the institutional duty of all stakeholders committed to the development of agriculture of which the agricultural extension agent and his organisation play a prominent role. As a formal public (government funded) institution, the agricultural extension service has been observed to be undergoing a period of change in respect to the provision of material and financial resources to carry extension activities. As...
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 South West Upper Tana Basin, Kiama, Chania, Kimakia and Thika sub basins, located in the central region of Kenya has been experiencing increased water abstraction and river diversions. However, the causes of this increased water abstraction have not been fully investigated. Several factors that could be responsible to these abstractions; climate change, land cover/land use changes, agricultural practices and changes in streamflow. Previous studies in the region have not determine...
ABSTRACT The Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund (ACGSF) was established in 1977 with the aim of enhancing commercial banks’ loans to the agricultural sector in Nigeria with focus on agro-allied and agricultural production. But the scheme has been unable to achieve the desired level of funding that will take the countries Agriculture to the crucial threshold of self sustainance and growth. The above was assessed with a view to establish interaction between ACGSF and credit risk using ...
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background of the Study Migration – the permanent relocation of residential place and activity space – has been one of the enduring themes of human history. It contributed to the evolution of separate cultures and their component by interchange and communication and to the frequently complex mix of people and cultures found in different areas of the world. Massive movements of people within countries have emerged as a pressing concern of recent decades. Th...
ABSTRACT Food security is the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) one which for Kenya is relevant for eradicating poverty and hunger. Increased agricultural productivity would be solution to the world’s 870 Million (M) food insecure people. Approximately 10M people in Kenya, 51.45% of Western Kenya population and 50-70% of households in Kakamega County suffer chronic food insecurity. Small farm sizes, low yields, production shift from food crops to cash crops and low levels of skills and t...