Abstract/Overview Agricultural intensification is a leading cause of global biodiversity loss, which can reduce the provisioning of ecosystem services in managed ecosystems. Organic farming and plant diversification are farm management schemes that may mitigate potential ecological harm by increasing species richness and boosting related ecosystem services to agroecosystems. What remains unclear is the extent to which farm management schemes affect biodiversity components other than speci...
Abstract: Push–pull technology (PPT) is one of the most viable low-cost agroecological practices that reduces the effects of insect pest infestations (e.g., stemborer) and parasitic weeds (e.g., Striga) in croplands. PPT was evaluated in low-fertility soils and two farming practices, minimum-tilled conservation agriculture practice (CA), and conventionally tilled practice (CP), in contrasting agroecological zones at the Chitedze, Mbawa, and Chitala stations in Malawi. Stemborer and Striga ...
Abstract: Agroecological farming systems such as maize–legume intercropping (MLI) and push-pull technology (PPT) have been introduced to mitigate losses from pests. Nevertheless, the regionwide maize yield gained from practicing such farming systems remains largely unknown. This study compares the performance of two uncomplex and interpretable models, namely the hybrid fuzzy-logic combined with the genetic algorithm and symbolic regression, to predict maize yield. Specifically, the study a...
Abstract: Nitrogen (N) deficit is one of the limiting factors to food security in most developing countries while the excessive use of N has resulted in environmental contamination. Timely N availability, at the right rate is crucial to improving crop yield and N use efficiency in farming systems. Therefore, understanding nitrogen dynamics under different farming systems is essential to improve N use and recovery efficiencies of crops and in addressing environmental impacts associated with i...
Abstract: The invasion by Striga in most cereal crop fields in Africa has posed an acute threat to food security and socioeconomic integrity. Consequently, numerous technological and research developments have been made to minimize and even control the Striga impacts on crop production. So far, efforts to control Striga have primarily focused on the manipulation of the genetics of the host crops, as well as understanding the phenological and physiological traits, along with the chemical comp...
ABSTRACT Cassava is an important food crop in small-holder farming systems in DR. Congo. Due to the limited use of organic and inorganic inputs, soil fertility becomes a major problem in cassava production systems. Inorganic inputs for small-holder farmers are often too expensive to apply at optimal rates and combining use of organic and inorganic fertilizer inputs is a suitable management principle for small-holder farmers. A study involving 15 households was carried out in DR. Congo with th...
ABSTRACT The present study was conducted to determine population size, infestation level and farmer’s understanding of banana weevils in different banana-based farming systems (BFS) namely banana monoculture, banana-beans, banana-coffee and banana-maize. This was conducted by using banana pseudostem traps, coefficient of infestation method and standard interviewing. It was conducted from June to September 2017 in Nkoaranga, Mbuguni and Ngurdoto villages (Meru District) and Uduru, Uraa and ...
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 Highland catchments of Lake Manyara basin are undergoing degradation through human activities from the adjacent communities. This study was conducted to assess the impact of farming systems on vegetations in the highland catchments of Lake Manyara basin namely Chemchem and Endabash rivers. The specific objectives were to identify the farming systems used and their sustainability with regard to wetland conservation, assess and compare the plant species composition and diversity betwe...
EXTENDED ABSTRACT Banana is an important staple food in East Africa and an essential cash crop in the national and local economies. In Kagera and Kilimanjaro regions of Tanzania, banana is cultivated by more than 70% of smallholder farmers as a staple food in home gardens ranging from 0.5 to 2 hectares. Decline in banana yield has been reported in banana farming systems as a result of abiotic constraints (nutrient deficiencies and drought stress) and biotic constraints (pests and diseases)....
ABSTRACT Greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions data from large-scale agricultural activities are available. In developing countries, e.g. Kenya, agriculture is dominated by smallholder farming, data on the assessment of possible contributions of smallholder agriculture to GHG emissions and GHG fluxes data from smallholder farming systems in the tropics is scarce. The study area is a 10 square km area also called the ―Lower Nyando Block‖ in Western Kenya. The basin varies in landscapes (low la...
BSTRACT This study aimed at assessing the impact of climate change on traditional irrigation farming systems and adaptation strategies was conducted in Lushoto District. The specific objectives were to establish the trend and magnitude of climate change in the study area for the past 30 years (1985-2014), to assess the impact of climate change on crop yield in Ndiwa and Chamazi traditional irrigation farming systems, to analyse the way traditional irrigation farmers‘ adapt to climate change...
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 Maize, the most important cereal in Ghana, is consum ed in alm ost all parts of the country. To ensure food security in Ghana, adequate availability of m aize m ust be ensured. However, w hether or not farm ers should devote their resources to the production of more maize is a question to be addressed. Since food security has more to do with availability than with production or self-sufficiency in the product, it was necessary to investigate w hether it is better for farm ers to gro...
Abstract Opportunities exist for adoption of precision agriculture technologies in all parts of the world. The form of precision agriculture may vary from region to region depending on technologies available, knowledge levels and mindsets. The current review examined research articles in the English language on precision agriculture practices for increased productivity among smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. A total of 7715 articles were retrieved and after screening 128 were review...