Abstract This study was carried in wake of the challenges bedevilling the once lucrative contract farming business where a number of contract farming funders withdrew their arrangements citing side marketing, failure to repay loans while farmers complain about prices offered by funders which are too low for sustainability. It is to be established if the increase in the level of tobacco production is commensurate with beneficiation of both contracting parties. The purpose of this is to assess ...
Abstract Soil acidity and phosphorus deficiency are some of the constraints hampering agricultural production in tropical regions. The prevalence of soil acidity is associated with phosphorus (P) insufficiency and aluminum saturation. We conducted a two-seasons experiment to evaluate soil phosphorus availability and exchangeable aluminum in response to phosphate rock and organic inputs in acidic humic nitisols. The field experiment was installed in Tharaka Nithi County in the Central Highlan...
Abstract To attain agricultural sustainability, use of soil resources and tillage requires equal consideration for chemical and physical components of soil fertility. We assessed responses of selected soil physical and chemical properties to tillage and soil fertility amending resources. The study was carried out in Meru South and Kandara sub-counties located in the Central Highlands of Kenya for four cropping seasons. The experimental design was split-plot with tillage as the main factor - ...
Abstract/Overview Land use activities along River Nzoia Drainage Basin, Kenya, include cultivation along the river banks, over grazing, deforestation, draining of wetlands for horticulture, harvesting of sand and brick-making. These activities have brought about changes in soil properties in the drainage basin adversely affecting farming output and the ecosystem in general. Consequently, it is important to understand how the different land use activities influence the soil properties in o...
Abstract Improving food security and environmental conservation should be the main targets of innovative farming systems. Conservation agriculture (CA), based on minimum tillage, crop residue retention and crop rotations has been proposed against poor agricultural productivity and soil degradation. This paper discusses the applicability and potential benefits of CA in Rwanda under the unfolding climate change scenario. The potential and benefits from CA may vary with rainfall regime. In high...
ABSTRACT Contamination of drinking water sources remains a big challenge and many people lack access to safe potable water. In Njoro Sub-county the main water sources are rivers, man-made wells (protected and unprotected), boreholes, rainwater and springs (protected and unprotected). Although Escherichia coli (E. coli) is an indicator organism for fecal contamination of water, some E. coli strains have acquired the ability to cause intestinal (gastroenteritis) and extraintestinal diseases in ...
ABSTRACT The study focused on the assessment of contribution of cattle faming in the household income specifically in Mlali ward Kongwa district in Dodoma. The study specifically focusing on assessing economic contribution of cattle for farmers in Mlali Ward, to examine the extent to which cattle farming contributes to the household income and well being and to evaluate the challenges and mitigation strategies used by cattle farmers in their farming practices. A total number of 100 respondent...
ABSTRACTSubsistence agriculture involves the growing of crops and rearing of animals on a small scale for home consumption, use of simple tools and more labour whereas Wetland conservation is aimed at protecting and preserving areas where water exists at or near the Earth’s surface such as swamps, marshes and bog. This study was therefore carried out to assess the extent of Subsistence agriculture and its role on wetland conservation in Bugolobi, Nakawa division. Th...
ABSTRACT A human or animal with an infection has another organism inside them which gets its sustenance (nourishment) from that person, it colonizes that person and reproduces inside them. The human with that organism (germ) inside is called the host, while the germ or pathogen is referred to as a parasitic organism. Another name for an organism that causes infection is an infectious agent. It is only an infection if the colonization harms the host i.e parasitic relationship. It feeds and mu...
ABSTRACT Integration of crop residues, inorganic N and appropriate tillage system is an important strategy for improving soil fertility, enhancing crop yields and reducing food insecurity. Such integration under zero tillage systems could enhance soil structural development and nutrient management hence mitigating against soil impoverishment through nitrogen and carbon losses. Crop residues combined with inorganic N in zero tillage results to a controlled immobilization-mineralization proce...
ABSTRACT Cocoa is Ghana's dominant cash crop and the major economic activity for over 800,000 households, with around 6.3 million Ghanaians but insect pest is causing devastating effect on yield. This study sought to obtain information about insect diversity, to generate species list of entomofauna in cocoa farms, to compare the diversity and abundance of the insect and to determine the monthly variation of insect species under differently managed systems in Semi-Deciduous Rain Forest (Suhum...
This study examined the role of women in sustainable conservation agriculture as a viable alternative to traditional farmingpractices in Imo State. It analyzed specifically the; socio-economic characteristics of women involved in conservationagricultural practices, various forms of sustainable conservation practices/methods used by the women farmers, effect ofconservation practices on agricultural food crop production and the constraints confronting women farmers in the area.Multi-stage rando...
ABSTRACT Sugarcane farming has been practiced the world over since the Persian farmers discovered the “reeds that produced honey without bees” between the 6th and 4th Centuries in India. Since then, sugarcane farming has been practiced in various tropical regions of the world with the major driver of the industry being the world’s increasing demand for sugar. This has led to the expansion of arable land under sugarcane cultivation, with a myriad of problems presenting themselves ecolog...
Abstract Declining land productivity is a major problem facing smallholder farmers in Kenya today. This decline is as a result of reduced soil fertility caused by continuous cultivation without adequate addition of manures and fertilizers. Low soil fertility is one of the greatest challenges facing farmers in the central highlands of Kenya. A farmers’ participatory trial was established in Meru South District, Kenya in 2000 to investigate feasible soil nutrient replenishment technologies f...
Abstract: Recently, organic and inorganic pollutants including heavy metals, effluents, dyes, and bacteria have been removed from wastewater and other environmental settings using nanomaterials. Combining two or more nanomaterials to form nanocomposites offers improved and tailored properties for these applications. Metal-polymer nanocomposite exhibit elevated optical, electrical, thermal and mechanical properties, which make them interesting candidates for the manufacturing of functional de...