ABSTRACT The overall objective of the study was to assess the status of rice diseases under system of rice intensification (SRI) and farmer’s production system in Morogoro. A checklist survey in nine farmer fields was done and later experiments at Sokoine University of Agriculture, Crop Museum for two seasons. The experiment was laid down in a randomized complete block design with 4 replications. The treatments were three different types of spacing 25 cm x 25 cm for SRI, 20 cm x 20 cm for ...
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess on farm wheat landrace/ varieties) in Yem Special Woreda. A farmer based cross-sectional descriptive study was designed to assess on farm diversity of wheat landrace in Yem special woreda. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used in selection of agro-ecological zones, kebeles, and wheat growing farmers. Three kebeles from highland and two kebeles from midland agro-ecological zones were purposively selected. A total of 178 sample wheat growin...
ABSTRACT Conventional Extension Approaches used over decades achieved minimal successes in creating impact in terms of agricultural production and improved livelihood of smallholder farmers in Kenya. The Participatory Extension Approaches, in particularly the Farmer Field School (FFS) approach have been tried widely and created positive impact in Asian countries. Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) introduced FFS approach in 2001 as an alternative to conventional approach to promote...
ABSTRACT The study was conducted to analyse production risk and technical efficiency of lowland rice farms in Ashanti region using adjusted stochastic production frontier. Cross sectional data for 2014 cropping season was collected from 200 sampled rice farms using multistage sampling technique. The results of the study revealed very low utilization of improved seed (42.8 kg/ha) by famers as against the standard quantity of 100kg/ha. Among the farm inputs used, fertilizer and improved ...
Land degradation is a major cause of decreasing yields and loss of dryland ecosystems resilience in the Kenyan drylands. One of the solutions to land degradation is the application of Sustainable Land Management (SLM) technologies. However, adoption of SLM practices in Kenyan drylands is low. This study sought to enhance adoption of SLM practices by improving farmers capacity through social learning in a Community of Practice (CoP). The study employed Participatory Action Research (PAR) desig...
Abstract: Climate change is a key emerging threat to the lives and livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. This study examines small-scale farmer adaptation strategies to climate change and climate variability, and the factors affecting adaptation choice inJimma, Southwestern Ethiopia. This research used a ‘bottom-up’ approach, which seeks to capture insights from the farmers. Primary data was collected through a household survey, focus group discussions and key informant intervi...
ABSTRACT Although education in Kenya has been offered for several years, several million of Kenyans are still poor and faced with acute food shortage and starvation. Failure to address the mismatch between education and agricultural production may worsen the situation. The purpose of the study was to determine whether Kenya’s education system was able to transform its students to be economically productive especially in dairy production and hence fostering rural development in Koibatek dis...
ABSTRACT Horticulture industry sustains millions of livelihoods in Kenya. Over the last decade, passion fruit has emerged as an important high market value horticultural crop following the establishment of new and expansion of existing large scale beverage producers that use local fruits for juice extraction. There has also been growing export markets and increasing numbers of health conscious consumers. Currently, the productivity levels are low, at 8 ton ha-1 compared to potential of 24 to...
ABSTRACT The contribution of common bean to nutrition and income has not been fully felt by smallholder farmers in western Kenya due to low yields. Good quality seed, if used with complementary practices can increase bean productivity. This study was conducted in Bondo sub-County to determine the methods used by farmers in seed quality control; factors affecting the choice preferences for informal bean seed sources; the structure and contribution of social networks in seed quality control. Pr...
ABSTRACT Agricultural sector in Tanzania and elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa is dominated by smallholder farmers. This has made the smallholder-led growth strategy to be widely accepted as the pathway for achieving economic transformation and mass poverty reduction in Africa. Recently, however, concerns have been raised on the validity of favouring small farmers because small-scale farming in Africa has historically provided very low returns to labour. Also unlike earlier findings of the inv...
ABSTRACT Contract farming is emerging as a promising way to upgrade domestic rice quality in Togo. The Non-Government Organisation ‘Entreprise Territoir et Développement’ (ETD) has started promoting a kind of contract farming scheme called ’Entreprise de Service et Organisation de Producteurs’ (ESOP) in the country. The rewards from contract farming could be substantial for smallholder farmers; yet there is a serious concern about the farmers’ ability to stay in the partnership for...
ABSTRACT Cotton is a vital cash crop in Tanzania and is mostly produced in the Western Cotton Growing Area (WCGA). About 99 percent of the total cotton is produced from this area which comprises Mwanza, Shinyanga, Simiyu, Mara, Geita, Kagera, Tabora, Singida and Kigoma regions. The remaining percentage is produced in the Eastern Cotton Growing Area (ECGA) which comprises the regions of Morogoro, Coast, Tanga and Kilimanjaro. Due to low cotton yield, agricultural intensification was important ...
The study analysed effect of micro credit on agricultural risk management strategies among small-holder farmers in Abakalilki Local Government Area of Ebonyi state. A multistage sampling was used to select 120 respondents used for the study. Data collected were from the primary source using structured questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data obtained. Based on the objectives of the study. The result obtained showed that males (65%) were more tha...
ABSTRACT Efficiency analysis remains an important issue in economic studies, especially for projects which spent tax payers‟ money, grants and loans. Efficiency has implications on agricultural policy in terms of improving paddy production through improved input use efficiency at Madibira smallholder irrigation scheme. This study sought to determine factors influencing paddy production and technical input use efficiency among farmers at Madibira scheme. The total sample for study was 120 re...
ABSTRACT Livestock production is very crucial to improving the livelihoods of smallholder livestock farmers in Ghana. However, these farmers are faced with risks associated with livestock production which affect their income and stability in the livestock business. Most of these risks they face are due to natural factors. It is, therefore, necessary to provide insurance for the farmers. This paper examines livestock farmers’ willingness to pay for cattle insurance in the Northern region of ...