ABSTRACT This study presents the impact of traditional irrigation on the household livelihood in Same district, Kilimanjaro region. The overall objective of this study was to assess the contribution of traditional irrigation systems to the well-being of smallholder farmers. The specific objective was to examine the contribution of traditional irrigation in improving household food security and income; determine the profitability of crop production enterprises with and without traditional ir...
Abstract: Governance systems and structures are a critical determinant to whether countries will achieve their aspirations especially on matters of development. In its quest to spur development and combat challenges like marginalization and poverty, Kenya decided to shift its governance system from a more centralized to a devolved system under the new constitution that was promulgated in the year 2010. This research therefore sought to investigate whether devolution has had an impact in redu...
Abstract Rice farming has received considerable attention in developing countries and particularly in Kenya due to its impact on smallholders’ income and food security. Irrigated rice is the largest consumer of water and its sustainability is threatened by water shortage. This has necessitated the development of alternative irrigation water systems that use less water with high yields such as the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). This study sought to evaluate the effects of (SRI) on fa...
ABSTRACTS Sub-Saharan Africa depends on agriculture for economic growth and the well being of its people. The sub-region, and indeed the whole of Africa, has been losing a running battle to make agricultural production meet the ever-increasing population. To make food production cope with the population growth and to achieve economic development, many extension models have been tried. Currently the pre-dominant extension system in Africa is the Training and Visit extension system. In Ghana th...
ABSTRACT This study analysed the economics of smallholder organic farmers in the Muleba district. Specifically, the study was conducted to identify the costs associated with organic and conventional coffee production, to assess the profitability of the two farming system and to determine the effect of premium price in compensation of yield in organic coffee. The study also addressed the coffee organic standard demanded by importers. Multistage, purposive and simple random sampling procedures...
Abstract: Ethiopian smallholder farmers are the most vulnerable group of societyto the effects of climate variabilitybecause they have nature dependent economic system. This study examinedtheeffects of climate variability on five major cereals yield,crop income and rural labor displacementin thecentral highlands and Arsi grain plough farming systems of Ethiopia. The seven round unbalanced panel data (1994-2009) collected by Ethiopian Rural Household Survey from 15 kebeles of the seven farmin...
ABSTRACT The temporal distribution of four important cocoa mirid species (Distantiella theobroma Dist, Sahlbergella singularis Hagl, Helopeltis bergothii and Bryocoropsis laticollis) was studied in three differently managed cocoa farming systems from May 2013 to April 2014. In addition, the incidence of Bathycoelia thalassina, Characoma stictigrapta, Anomis leona, Earias biplaga, Eulophonotus myrmeleon, Oecophylla longinoda and Crematogaster africana, were recorded. The three systems were: Or...
INTRODUCTION In an attempt to carry out a comprehensive study of the financial system in Nigeria, it is highly necessary to explain the meaning and qualities of a system. This will in no small measure support our understanding of the dynamic nature of the financial system. According to Nzotta (1999), a system can be defined as an organized group of components (subsystems) linked together according to a plan, to achieve specific objects. Another point of view posits that a system is a set or a...
ABSTRACT In Kenya, fish farming has been expanding in recent years, with Government support through financial and input subsidies to small scale farmers. The sub sector generates a variety of benefits such as food and nutrition and develops trade. However, the sub sector faces the challenges of fish diseases, given that the fish production facilities support high-density living conditions that are favorable for spread of parasitic diseases. Besides, when fish that is infected is consumed by h...
ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to examine the level of technical efficiency of smallholder pearl millet producers and identify its determinants in the semi-arid farming system of Dodoma, Tanzania. A Translog stochastic production function model was used in the analysis. To specify technical inefficiency effects of socioeconomic variables, Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) technique using cross sectional data collected from 300 randomly selected sample farmers in 2016 was applied....
Abstract: Agriculture is the main focus of Ethiopia's economic development. Wheat is one of the major cereal crops produced by smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. Wheat demand is rising quickly in Ethiopia despite efforts to improve wheat production. Recently, to curb this problem, the government of Ethiopia has implemented a cluster farming system for high-potential agricultural commodities like wheat as a means of poverty reduction and smallholders’ income maximization. In light of the prob...
ABSTRACT Horticultural farming has been identified as the key to eradicating poverty and addressing food insecurity in many African countries including Kenya. However, its growth has not been as envisaged despite favorable climatic conditions, targeted policy and program implementations through several innovations. Uptake of horticultural farming by small-scale farmers supplying the domestic market continues to lag behind despite several interventions to improve production. Studies have focus...
ABSTRACT Despite the apparent importance of the dairy sub-sector to Kenya’s economy, the sector is plagued with low milk production. The general objective of the study was to assess dairy performance among the small-scale farmers in Meru County. The specific objectives were (i) to characterize small-scale dairy farmers; (ii) to assess the profitability of small-scale dairy enterprises; and (iii) to determine the factors influencing profitability among small-scale dairy farmers in Meru Coun...
Abstract The present recession of the Lower River Benue has led to some adverse ecological changes and the decline of agricultural production in the face of rapid population growth in the area. The solution to the problem certainly requires a detailed agricultural land use analysis. The existing agricultural systems in the Lower River Benue Basin were identified and analyzed in order to determine their characteristics and spatial trends as a basis for conscious agricultural planning and inte...
ABSTRACT Banana farming is a practice carried out in many countries in the world for commercial and subsistence purpose. India is the world largest producer of banana and Uganda the second. However, Uganda is the leading producer of banana in Africa. On the other hand, Kenya is one of the countries practicing banana farming with several regions in the country growing the crop for subsistence and local markets. Meru County, specifically Imenti South sub-County, has embraced this activity ...