Abstract Sorghum as a drought tolerant crop provides an alternative opportunity towards increasing food production in the face of global climate change, mostly affecting Sub-Saharan Africa. Kenya is in the fore front in increasing the production of sorghum since its landmass is 80 percent arid and semi-arid. Few studies have evaluated farm and farmer related characteristics affecting adoption of sorghum production. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine how selected factors ...
Abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the socio-economic impact of productive safety net program (PSNP) on the livelihoods of the farming households in Chiro District of West Hararghe Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. The study has objectives to identify major features of PSNP have on households and community level, to identify the impact of PSNP on asset creation, HHs income, food consumption, and protection of asset from depletion, and to identify challenges that affect PSNP i...
Abstract Seasonal rainfall variability, particularly the uncertainty with respect to the direction and extent that variability will assume in a given season, forms the greatest source of risk to crop production in semi-arid areas of Ethiopia. Equipping vulnerable communities, in advance, with the expected date of onset of a cropping season, is crucial for smallholder farmers to better prepare to respond and manage the uncertainties. Therefore, rainfall prediction, particularly development of...
Abstract/Overview Tobacco is grown in about 120 countries of the world, occupying over 4 million hectares of land despite its poor returns compared to alternative crops. The main objective of the study was to examine tobacco farming and its implications on alternative crops in Kuria West Sub County of Migori County, Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to < explore the effects of socioeconomic factors on cultivation of tobacco and alternative crops; examine the implications of institutional...
Abstract The influence of soil fertility management technologies on crop production has widely been researched in Tharaka-Nithi County. However, data on their contribution towards national greenhouse gas budget is scanty. This study aimed at characterising smallholder farming systems and simulating greenhouse gas emissions, maize yields, yield scaled nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and N2O emission factors from different soil fertility management technologies in Tharaka-Nithi County. Three hun...
Abstract/Overview Floods are extreme weather events that occur when water rises to overflow on land that is not normally submerged. Flood is one the major natural disasters affecting man and his environment in Kenya, floods have been declared a National disaster. Budalangi Division, which lies in the floodplains of rivers Nzoia and Yala experiences floods every year. This has resulted in decline in agricultural production. The inhabitants of the division are threatened by food Insecurity ...
Abstract/Overview ABSTRACT: Soil has influenced progression of civilization in many regions because it supports food production. Growth in world population has been met by intensification of soil utilization which in turn has caused diverse changes in physical, biological and chemical properties of soil resource. In Nyakach Sub-county in western Kenya intensified agricultural production and soil degradation have proceeded hand-in-hand. This area portrays a mismatch between agricultural pr...
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 Management practices such as tillage, crop rotation, irrigation, organic and inorganic inputs application are known to influence diversity and function of soil microbial populations. In this study, we investigated the effect of conventional versus organic farming systems at low and high input levels on structure and diversity of prokaryotic microbial communities. Soil samples were collected from the ongoing long-term farming system comparison trials established in 2007 at Chuka and ...
Abstract This paper is about microfinance viewed as a social change “tool kit” and its consequent effects on livelihoods of women of Bunyala, especially those involved in small-scale diary farming. The study investigated microfinance strategies, effects and challenges encountered by the farmers. Census techniques were applied in collecting primary data on all 93 dairy farmers in Bunyala District. The main instruments of data collection were questionnaires and document analysis. Data was ...
Abstract The objective of this study was to analyze the distribution of income and livelihood strategies among the horticulture farming households in Nyeri District, Kenya through the estimation of the Gini Coefficient. The study used secondary data obtained from a National Household Survey carried out in 2007 by Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development. The estimated Gini coefficients indicated that there is variability in the distribution of incomes among the households in ...
Abstract Investment on agriculture by countries is essential because it is core to every nation’s development. In Kenya, people particularly youth are involved in agriculture yet it attracts limited investment. This study which was aimed at highlighting age, gender participation and the role of literacy in small scale farming among the trained youth in Kiambu County, Kenya. This was mixed methods descriptive and cross sectional study that also employed triangulation to enhance confidence i...
Abstract Maize and beans contribute significantly to food security in Kenya. Farming practices used in production of these crops may affect nematode community assemblages and influence agricultural productivity. Information on response of nematofauna, particularly free-living nematodes, under various agronomic practices in Kenyan maize-beans intercrop is scarce. This study reports on the effects of farming practices on nematode community dynamics, ecological and functional indices, nematode ...
Abstract Microbial diversity and function in agro-ecosystems is influenced by various aspects linked to soil and agronomic practices for example, tillage, irrigation, crop rotation and application of organic and inorganic inputs. Farming systems practices may affect the dynamic interactions existing between soil, plant and microorganisms in different agricultural biomes. Due to limitations associated with conventional microbial cultivation strategies, only a fractional number of cultivable s...
Contract farming (CF) is emerging as a critical intervention to improve the livelihoods of Ghanaian small-scale soybean farmers. Farmers can achieve this if they become more efficient. Government and non-governmental organizations, including the Savanna Farmers Marketing Company (SFMC), the Northern Development Authority (NDA), and Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), have begun contracting farmers to cultivate soybeans in Ghana's northern region. Farmers are provided with inputs s...