ABSTRACT This study was conducted with the aim of assessing factors that influence SEDA agricultural credit rationing to smallholder farmers in Dodoma Municipality and Bahi District. Purposive and random sampling techniques were employed in selecting 200 smallholder farmers. Binary logistic and linear regressions models were used to analyse the influence of farmer’s socio-economic characteristics on credit demand and factors influencing SEDA agricultural credit rationing respectively. Descr...
ABSTRACT This study was conducted with the aim of assessing factors that influence SEDA agricultural credit rationing to smallholder farmers in Dodoma Municipality and Bahi District. Purposive and random sampling techniques were employed in selecting 200 smallholder farmers. Binary logistic and linear regressions models were used to analyse the influence of farmer’s socio-economic characteristics on credit demand and factors influencing SEDA agricultural credit rationing respectively. Desc...
Abstract Tomato is produced and consumed worldwide. In Kenya, tomato is used to generate income among rural people. Despite this, the sub-sector faces numerous challenges such as fluctuating market prices, postharvest losses and inadequate marketing information. In spite of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use in marketing of tomatoes among smallholder farmers in Kenya, there is scanty information on the information and communication technology usage in marketing of tomatoes am...
ABSTRACT This study identified the types of soil ameliorant that exist in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. It also determined farmer's willingness to pay for composted urban waste as well as the amounts they were willing to pay for a 50kg bag of compost should it result in a 25% and 50% increments in output, respectively. The study further investigated the socio-economic factors that affect farmer's willingness to pay for compost. The results obtained further revealed that different types o...
Abstract/Overview Increased human population has led to increased vulnerabilities to hunger and reduced sources of affordable food. Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is a root vegetable with large, starchy, tuberous roots, consumed worldwide. It is a potential food security crop, with high nutritional and economic value. Production of sweet potatoes in Kenya is low due to disease constraints such as sweet potato leaf spot (SPLS). Fungal SPLS results in reduced tuber yield, since the patho...
Abstract: Besides soil replenishment through manure application , the zero grazing production system also contributes towards smallholders' standards of living and poverty reduction. Its benefits are many and substantial; in western Kenya, the livestock farmers have adopted it. However, factors influencing its adoption are not known. It is also not certain whether the livestock farmers who practice zero grazing are knowledgeable of the cattle reproductive parameters or not which is key to ze...
Abstract Cocoa remains Ghana’s most important crop, providing a means of livelihood to about two million people. As a result of the liberalization of the sector, there have been several providers of services to farmers particularly agricultural information. In agriculture, the role of information in enhancing the agricultural development cannot be over emphasized. Information is essential for increasing agricultural production and improving marketing & distribution strategies. Concerns sti...
ABSTRACT Recent research emphasizes adopting business models that not only improve market linkages but also enable inclusion of smallholder farmers in high value markets along the value chains. While evidence points to positive impact of business models choice, studies seldom exploit the extent of their impact on smallholder gross income. Besides, socioeconomic and institutional factors associated with such choice of the models are discussed incoherently, hence less understood. The objectives...
ABSTRACT This study was conducted to determine high-value market opportunities for smallholder vegetable farmers in Arusha Region. To do so, the study provides a micro-level survey. The survey was conducted on smallholder vegetable farmers and high-value markets in Arusha Region. The specific objectives were identifying the characteristics of smallholder vegetable farmers in Arusha Region; determining factors that influence smallholder vegetable farmers participation in high-value market opp...
ABSTRACT Perceptions guides decision making and eventually determines the actions to be made by farmers on climate change adaptation. This study analyzed how farmers perceive cassava as climate change crop, determinants of farmer’s perception and also estimated the share of cassava to total household income in Kigoma Region. A multistage random sampling procedure was used to select a total of 140 household heads for analysis. Data were collected using structured questionnaire and key infor...
ABSTRACT Rachuonyo South district is resource endowed in terms of land productivity as is evidenced by annual production outputs of various crops. Sweet potatoes are the main cash crops grown in these areas alongside others such as pineapples, bananas and to some extent tea and coffee. The high outputs enjoyed from the productive lands have not however translated into good living conditions for the residents as their products fetch little in terms of market price the farmers get. Farmers hav...
In order to revamp agricultural production in Zambia, Government in 2002 introduced the. Farmer Input Support Programme whose aim was to improve small scale farmers’ access to maize based agricultural inputs. However, in 2015/16 season, the Ministry of Agriculture moved away from the conventional FISP and introduced an Electronic Voucher system which broadened the target inputs farmers were allowed to purchase beyond maize inputs only. The overall objective of this study was to assess ...
Despite the pertinence of Agriculture to the economy, its potential has not been realized. To address this shortfall, research and training institutions have designed and generated knowledge and technologies. However, the innovations generated have hardly reached the end users. In response, Egerton University established Farm Attachment Programme (FAP) to innovatively engage small-scale farmers in 2014. Despite FAP being in operation since 2014, little is known about its effectiveness an...
ABSTRACT Ethiopia’s agricultural sector accounts to 40 percent of national Gross Domestic Product. This shows that the sector is important in improving the livelihoods of the bulk of the population. Despite its importance, the agricultural sector in Ethiopia is characterized by low productivity. To improve this and overall economic growth, the Ethiopian government has focused on promotion of organic fertilizer use. However, adoption of organic fertilizer remains low in most parts of Ethiopi...
ABSTRACT This study which aimed at assessing the resilience of dryland grapevine farmers to climate change was conducted in Chamwino District and Dodoma Municipality. The specific objectives were to identify the factors influencing grapevine production in the context of climate change, to assess the level of awareness of grapevine farmers on climate change, to assess the grapevine farmers‟ adaptation strategies and their adaptive capacity to climate change, and to develop the grapevine far...