Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) serves as a source of income to smallholder spice farmers in Morogoro district of Tanzania. Recently, spike shedding and stem wilting of pepper plants were reported to cause about 30% yield loss of the crop. 'is study was undertaken to identify the causal agent(s) of the problems. 'ree pepper gardens in each of the four hamlets (Nyange, Doga, Tandai, and Lukenge) in Tandai village (Kinole ward) were surveyed, and plant tissue and soil samples were collected for la...
ABSTRACT Kenya’s Agricultural Sector Development Strategy (ASDS), envisions a food secure and prosperous nation with the overall goal of the agricultural sector to achieve an average growth rate of 7 percent per year. The strategy has, among others, target to reduce food insecurity by 30 percent to surpass the MDGs by the year 2015. About 60 per cent of households in western Kenya live below poverty line an indication of a high proportion of the population without adequate quantity and qua...
CHAPTER ONEINTRODUCTION1.1 Background of Study Nigeria is blessed with abundant natural and human resources, but despite its significant natural resources, majority of the citizens are living below the poverty line. For instance according to WDI, (2015), an estimated 60% of Nigerians live on less than US$1.25 per day. Nigeria was also ranked 91stout of a total of 104 counties on the 2015 Global Hunger Index and 153rdout of a total of 187countries on the 2012 UNDP Human Development Index. Maln...
ABSTRACTInadequate support in terms of credit facilities from government and financial institution has been identified as one of the major problem affecting farming operation particularly that of the small scale farmers in Nigeria. This study analyzed the impact of credit facilities to the operation of small scale farms in Nigeria using BENDE Local Government as a case study. Questionnaires were used to source the data used in carrying out this research. The research design employed for this ...
Abstract: The need to enhance food production and the efforts by stakeholders to introduce newfarming innovations in addition to enhancement of agricultural extension servicesin farming areas of Kenya is largely under reported. This study was undertaken at YattaDivision of Kitui County to assess new maize farming technologies, diffusion andadoption by farmers in Yatta Division. Specific objectives were to identify maize farmingtechnologies that exist in Yatta, to identify factors determining...
EXTENDED ABSTRACT In an effort to unlock the productive potential of the agricultural sector in Nigeria, in 2011 the government implemented the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS) in all the thirty six states of Nigeria including Abuja Federal Capital Territory. GESS is an innovative input subsidy programme that uses phone technology to reach farmers directly with subsidized fertilizer and improved maize seeds. The overall objective of GESS programme was to raise the productivity of mil...
ABSTRACT A cross sectional study was conducted to assess the extent of exposure of anticholinesterase contaminants in Ruvu river using cholinesterase biomarker in African Sharptooth Catfish. Questionnaire interviews were used to collect sociological data from 200 respondents, also Ellman‟s method and 5, 5‟-dithiobis-2-nitrobenzoic acid chromophore was used to establish cholinesterase activities in plasma and brain of 40 Claria gariepinus. The sociological findings showed that all responde...
ABSTRACT Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is the future of communication and it is integral to human interaction and ease of doing things. It is important in the 21st century for almost all human endeavors. This study was aimed to assess the accessibility of ICT by Gender among Famers in Taraba State, Nigeria. Both purposive and multi-stage random sampling techniques were adopted for the selection of 214 respondents. Primary data were collected using structured questionnaires a...
Abstract: Climate change has higher impact on agricultural production by its effect flood, drought, crop pests and diseases. The main objective of study was to assess the determinants of farmers’ choices of adaptation strategies to climate change. Both primary and secondary data were used. A multistage sampling technique was used. This study depends on cross-sectional data. Descriptive statistics,weighted average index, principal component analysis and Multivariate Probit model were used. ...
Abstract: Land degradation is one of the basic problems facing farmers in the Ethiopian highlands and this limits their ability to increase agricultural production and reduce poverty and food insecurity. Even though various soil and water conservation programs and a number of soil and water conservation were introduced to combat land degradation through the ministry of agriculture, on-and-off farm use of these practices remains below expectations in many degraded areas of the highlands of Et...
EXTENDED ABSTRACT Legume crops play important roles economically, socially and environmentally by providing jobs, being a cheap source of protein, improving health and nutrition, improving soil fertility, weed suppression and nitrogen fixation. However, it is yet to be clearly determined as to which approach or a combination of approaches that are effective in ensuring legume technologies are disseminated across the various farming groups. The current study aimed at assessing the effectivene...
Abstract: This study analyzed the economic efficiency of barley production by smallholder farmers in Meket district, Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia using cross sectional data collected from a sample of 123 barley producers during the 2015/16 production season by applying two stage random sampling. To address the objective of the study, both descriptive statistics and econometric models were used to analyze the data. The trans-log functional form was chosen to estimate both producti...
Abstract: Agricultural sector plays a key role in Ethiopia’s economy, but the sector and smallholders farmers are susceptible to climate change due to high dependence on erratic rainfall. This study therefore sought to assess vulnerability of smallholder farmers to climate change and adaptation strategies in Doba district, West Hararghe Zone, Ethiopia. Long-term rainfall and temperature data were obtained from National Meteorological Agency (NMA) of Ethiopia. Rainfall and temperature data ...
ABSTRACT The study aimed at assessing farmers’ adaptations to rainfall related climate variability risks and their implications on food security in the semi-arid Sikonge District, Tanzania. Specifically the study aimed at characterizing the climate related rainfall and maize production risks; assessing the efficacy of adaptation strategies used by farmers; and assessing the adequacy of off-farm strategies used by farming households to sustain their food security in a changing climate. The s...
ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to assess the access to and utilization of the treadle and hip pump technology by farmers in Machakos County, Kenya so that gender responsive strategies can be suggested to improve the uptake of the technology among the farmers. This was due to low adoption of the two pumps in Machakos county after previous KSI/WSU study that marketed and distributed the technology among farmers in the county. The specific objectives of the study were: to establish which...