Total factor productivity growth of Turkish agricultural sector from 2000 to 2014: Data envelopment malmquist analysis productivity index and growth accounting approach
February 2016
Despite the enormous diversification Turkey has made, agriculture still remains the backbone of its economy. Most of the successes Turkey’s economy has chalked came in the last 15 years; after 2000. The agricultural contribution to both gross domestic product and employment fell within this period. The answer to the state of the sector is not found in its contribution to gross domestic product or employment but...
Development of the poultry sector in Botswana: From good intentions to legal oligopoly
February 2016
This paper examines the development of the Botswana’s poultry sector, which has become the dominant meat industry in Botswana. The poultry sector is the most successful example of import substitution in Botswana with the country having achieved national self sufficiency. The paper describes the value chain in the industry and shows how, given the small size of the market, a high degree of market concentration...
An evaluation on the profitability of growing improved maize open pollinated varieties in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
January 2016
This study examined the profitability of growing Open Pollinated Varieties (OPVs) of maize against hybrids in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Studies have shown that improved OPVs of maize can be a valuable step for smallholder farmers in semi-arid areas as they are relatively drought tolerant when compared to hybrids. Thirteen maize varieties were evaluated extensively by on-farm trials in selected areas under...
Constraints and opportunities to upgrading Uganda’s rice markets: A value chain approach
December 2015
Most of Uganda’s rice is produced by smallholder farmers with the purpose of marketing for family income. However, poorly developed market system is a major problem to rice producers. Based in Namutumba district (Eastern Uganda), the study involved both structured interviews with several stakeholders and focus group discussions with three farmers groups and three rice miller groups, each comprising of ten people....
Market diversification opportunities for namibian fish and fish products
December 2015
Decision Support Model (DSM) used to identify realistic export opportunities using a subsequent filtering process. The filtering process includes four sequential filters; the first filter includes a political and commercial risk assessment as well as a macro economic analysis. The second filter consists of the detection of possible export opportunities by means of market size and both short- and long-term market...
Effects of non tariff barriers on market participation for maize smallholder farmers in Tanzania
November 2015
This study assessed the effects of non-tariff barriers (NTBs) on market participation for maize smallholder farmers in the major maize producing districts of Mbozi and Momba in Mbeya region located in the Southern Highland of Tanzania. A two-stage stratified sampling was used in selecting 240 smallholder farmers from the selected villages in two districts and interviewed. In estimating the effects of NTBs on market...
The status of food availability in the face of climate change and variability in Choke Mountain Watersheds, Central Ethiopia
October 2015
Food insecurity is an integral part of poverty in Ethiopia owing to agricultural production to be less able to adapt to climate change. The main objective of the study is to evaluate the status of food availability in the face of climate change and variability in Choke Mountain Watersheds, Central Ethiopia. For this purpose structured household questionnaire, Key Informant Interview, Group discussion and field...
The effect of roll back malaria programme on farmers productivity in Benue State, Nigeria
October 2015
The study analyzed the effect of Roll Back Malaria Programme (RBM) on farmer’s productivity in Benue State of Nigeria. Roll Back Malaria Programme is a global framework for coordinated action against malaria. A multi-stage random sampling technique was used in selecting 206 respondents from six Local Governments Areas. Data was collected with the aid of well structured questionnaires. The Cobb-Douglas stochastic...
Economic Determinants of the Performance of Public Irrigation Schemes in Kenya
October 2015
The study aimed at establishing the determinants of public irrigation scheme performance in Kenya and give policy recommendations using panel fixed effect regression model. The results indicated that, the size of land under irrigation had a significant (at 1%) and positive effect on the performance of public irrigation scheme. Similarly, per acre operations and maintenance cost that was collected in the scheme had a...
Root and tuber expansion programme and poverty reduction among farmers in Southwest Nigeria
October 2015
This paper evaluates the ex post impact of farmers’ adoption of Root and Tubers Expansion Program (RTEP) on yield, crop income and poverty in rural Nigeria by means of primary data collected from 161 households in 3 local government areas in South West Nigeria. Using FGT poverty measures and propensity score matching techniques the study found that poverty incidence is higher by about 23% among non beneficiaries...
Assessment of innovative market access options for banana value chain in Uganda
October 2015
Smallholder banana farmers depend almost entirely on fresh banana for their livelihoods in Uganda. Similarly, other banana value chain (BVC) actors specialize in the trade of the fresh fruit for income and employment. Therefore, improving the efficiency of market access options in Uganda’s banana sub-sector is one way that banana value chain actors can benefit through the sale of their banana products. In order to...
Crop commercialization and smallholder farmers` livelihood in Tigray region, Ethiopia
September 2015
This study examined the household level factors affecting the intensity of crop commercializationa and its impacts on livelihood of smallholder farmers. The study was conducted in six villages/tabiasb in the Tigray Region, Ethiopia. The estimated results showed that ownership of oxen, amount and quality of yield harvested, and training on crop marketing have a positive and significant effect on intensity of crop...
Determinants of Access to Credit Financial Services by Smallholder Farmers in Kenya
September 2015
Credit financial access has been argued to be the engine of sustainable rural development and a factor necessary for household food security and poverty reduction. This study sought to establish the main factors that affect smallholder farmers’ access to credit financial services in Kenya. The logistic regression results indicates that, the marginal effects of education level, occupation and access to...
The effect of drought risk perception on local people coping decisions in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia
September 2015
In an attempt to address the objectives of examining factors influencing smallholders’ drought risk perception and coping to climate variability and change, this study utilized household level data collected from 384 households and employed Heckman selection model for its analysis. The study revealed that perceiving climate variability and change does not always guarantee coping and adaptation responses,...
Technical, allocative, and economic efficiency among smallholder maize farmers in Southwestern Ethiopia: Parametric approach
August 2015
Maize is one of the major five staple cereal crops in Ethiopia. High productivity and efficacy in its production is critical to improve food security, reduce the level of poverty and achieve or maintain agricultural growth. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 385 household heads and interviewed using a structured questionnaire during 2013/2014 production year. The study estimates, technical, allocative...
Socio-economic factors affecting adoption of early maturing maize varieties by small scale farmers in Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State, Nigeria
August 2015
This paper examined the socio-economic factors affecting early maturing maize varieties adoption in Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State, Nigeria. Using random sampling techniques, 300 maize farmers were selected across 10 communities in the Local Government area. Out of the 300 respondents sampled 163 were non-adopters and 137 were adopters. Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics, adoption...
Climate change, irrigation and agricultural activities in Mexico: A Ricardian analysis with panel data
July 2015
This article analyzes the potential impacts of climate change on agriculture in Mexico using a Ricardian model with panel data. The analysis uses economic data from 2,431 municipalities for the period 2003 to 2009. The study distinguishes between irrigated, rainfed and mixed farms and includes extreme weather events as an additional variable. The results indicate that irrigated farms are more vulnerable to temperature...
Factors influencing smallholder farmers’ decisions to participate in livestock markets in Namibia
July 2015
Across the world, sustained integration of smallholder farmers into commercial agriculture has empowered resource poor smallholder farmers to diversify their livelihoods into non-farm enterprises. The new enterprises have crystallized into socioeconomic development hubs. Associated with the growth of the agricultural sector in developed nations has been the development of highly market-integrated agribusinesses manned...
Oil palm marketing, Nigeria-lessons to learn from Malaysia experience, opportunities and foreign direct investment in Cross River State
July 2015
Nigeria’s first goal is to meet the domestic demand and then if possible, seek to become competitive export market in palm oil production. Nigeria is potentially competitive in the domestic market if oil palm sector productivity is increased by shifting the technology frontier further. Transformation of the oil palm industry would enhance the overall economic development through the income and employment effects...
A stochastic frontier analysis on farm level technical efficiency in Zimbabwe: A case of Marirangwe smallholder dairy farmers
June 2015
This study empirically investigates farm level technical efficiency of production and its associated determinants for Marirangwe smallholder dairy farmers, in Manyame district, Mashonaland east province in Zimbabwe. Using a stochastic production frontier model and a two step estimation approach, results for a sample of 27 smallholder farmers indicates that for the agricultural season 2013/2014, the average efficiency...
Effect of Aspillia africana leave on reproduction of rabbit
June 2015
This study investigated the effect of Aspillia africana leaves on reproduction of rabbit and was conducted at the rabbit section of the University Teaching and Research Farm of Joseph Ayo Babalola University Ikeji-Arakeji Osun State, Nigeria. The experiment has a complete randomized design with four treatments and one control. Each treatment has two replicates as well as the control. Twenty-four (24) cross-breed (New...
Metal silo grain storage technology and household food security in Kenya
June 2015
A treatment effect and ordered logit models were used to evaluate the impact of metal silo storage technology on household food security and factors influencing adoption of metal silo. Farmers’ perception of the effectiveness of metal silo against larger grain borer and maize weevil was also analyzed. The most important factor households considered when choosing a storage facility was effectiveness against storage...
Bio-economic modelling of the influence of family planning, land consolidation and soil erosion on farm production and food security in Rwanda
June 2015
Rwandan agriculture is not able to meet its population’s food needs from its own production, which results in food insecurity. Land degradation is a serious problem which contributes to a low and declining agricultural productivity and consequently to food insecurity. The objective of this paper is to develop a bio-economic model capable of analysing the impacts of soil erosion, family planning and land...
Health-care access and utilization among rural households in Nigeria
May 2015
This study examined healthcare access and utilization among rural households in Ogun state, Southwestern Nigeria. Primary data were collected through the use of structured questionnaires. Multistage sampling technique was employed for the selection of 200 rural households. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and health care accessibility index. The results show that the mean age of the respondents was 46...
Determinants of technical efficiency in smallholder soybean production in Bomet District, Kenya
May 2015
Increased soybean productivity has great potential for alleviating the perpetual problems of food and nutrition insecurity, poverty and unemployment among the rural households in Kenya. This study analyses the determinants of technical efficiency in smallholder soybean production in a rural farm setting in Bomet District, Kenya. Technical efficiency in this case is the ability of the smallholder farmer to maximize...
The effect of olive mill effluent and organic compost on evaporation and temperature in medium and coarse textured pot soils
May 2015
The effects of olive mill effluent on evaporation assessed from the surface of two kinds of soil sandy loam and loam textures with two different temperatures. In the other hand five treatments for each texture were prepared in three replicates, including wastewater treatment stained with olives in a value and two percent, compost mixture treatments, mulch amount equal to 50 tons/h, control and water. Eleven treatments...
Agriculture – Industry linkages in the economy of Jammu and Kashmir India
April 2015
Agriculture serves as a primary sector of an economy which laid foundation for other sectors of an economy and with the support of industry sector the territory sector came in to existence. Thus the collective support of Agriculture and industry sector uplifts the economy and a sustainable growth of an economy is governed. The inter-linkage between Agriculture and industry sector from different aspects not only bring...
Crop residue usage and its determinants in Kano State, Nigeria
April 2015
This study examined crop residue usage and determined factors influencing the decision to allocate as well as the intensity of crop residue in Kano state, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select 160 farming households in three local government areas of the state. Data collected were analyzed with descriptive statistics and double hurdle Tobit model. The results of the study showed that on a...
Determinants of the responsiveness of cooperative farmers to the cocoa renaissance programme in Osun State, Nigeria
April 2015
A key policy instrument in the cocoa transformation agenda is to provide subsidized inputs for farmers to replace old grooves to increase cocoa production in Nigeria. The study examined the role of cocoa marketing cooperatives in enhancing the incomes of its member patrons in Osun State under the cocoa renaissance policy. Multi stage sampling method was used to select 100 respondents from four cocoa produce marketing...
Technical and allocative efficiency gains from integrated soil fertility management in the maize farming system of Kenya
April 2015
Declining land productivity and per capita food availability poses challenges to overcoming land degradation and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. There is a need to identify ways of improving land productivity particularly among smallholders. This study investigated the contribution of integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) practices to both technical and allocative efficiencies in the maize farming system of Kenya....
Climate change and household food insecurity among fishing communities in the eastern coast of Zanzibar
April 2015
This paper examines the local vulnerability of households in two study communities in the east coast of Zanzibar focusing on food security, which is negatively impacted by climate variability and change. Findings have indicated that overall the local people in eastern coast of Zanzibar are insecure with respect to most major sources of food. Households solely dependent on natural resources through farming, fishing,...
Bread wheat production in small scale irrigation users agro-pastoral households in Ethiopia: Case of Afar and Oromia regional state
April 2015
Conceptually, benefits of irrigation are realized through improvements in agricultural productivity. At household level, agricultural production increases could be followed by improvements in food consumption patterns. The goal of this research is to examine relationship between irrigation, production and consumption patterns for rural smallholders with pre-scaling up of bread wheat (Ga’ambo variety). A survey was...
Discontinued use decision of improved maize varieties in Osun State, Nigeria
March 2015
The study investigated the level and socioeconomic determinants of discontinued use decision of improved maize varieties among farming households in Osun State, Nigeria with a view to increasing food production. A multi-stage sampling procedure was adopted to select a sample of 321 farmers across the three agro ecological zones of the State. Data were collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire and interview...
Technical efficiency of traditional African vegetable production: A case study of smallholders in Tanzania
March 2015
Traditional African vegetables are receiving more attention for their significant contribution to food and nutrition security and enhanced livelihoods of smallholders. Although demand is increasing for these nutrients-dense crops, the production of traditional vegetables in Tanzania remains low. Technical innovations can reduce yield gaps and increase the productivity of traditional vegetable crops. This paper measures...
A decision framework for resource poor smallholder farmers on maize production based on results from empirical studies in the coastal lowlands of Kenya
March 2015
Maize is a principal food crop in Kenya and the coastal lowlands. Choice of the enterprise at household level is influenced by the social position maize commands both as a staple food and trade facility or good while production patterns are dictated by various factors among them being resource endowment. Research in the recent past has provided technological recommendations that include fertilizer and pesticides use...
The empirical analysis of agricultural exports and economic growth in Nigeria
March 2015
Agriculture is both the main sector that is expected to provide employment to large segments of the population and the key to sustained economic growth of the countries. This study presented an empirical analysis of the effect of Agricultural Exports on economic growth of Nigeria. The model built for the study proxy gross domestic product as the endogenous variable measuring economic growth as a function of real...
Factors determining allocation of land for improved wheat variety by smallholder farmers of northern Ethiopia
March 2015
This study was conducted in Northern Ethiopia, Adwa district. The main objective of the study was to examine factors influencing allocation of land for improved wheat variety by smallholder farmers of the study area. Descriptive, inferential and econometric methods were used to analyze data. Results of descriptive and inferential analyses showed that; adopters had high family size in adult-equivalent, high number of...
Competitiveness of cocoa-based farming household in Nigeria
February 2015
Nigeria is the third largest producer of cocoa in Africa producing about 6% of the total World production. The objective of this study is to assess the competitiveness, comparative advantage and effect of government policies on cocoa production in Ondo State, Nigeria. The analysis was conducted for sole and intercropped cocoa production systems. Primary and secondary data were utilized for the study and were analyzed...
A comparative analysis of technical efficiency of smallholder tobacco and maize farmers in Tabora, Tanzania
February 2015
The study presented here considers the relative efficiency of planting tobacco and maize in the tobacco-producing Tabora region of Tanzania. The study used a 2013 survey that was conducted among smallholder farmers in the Tabora region. The aim was to investigate whether farmers are better off planting tobacco or maize. The paper briefly reviews the importance of agriculture in general and tobacco planting in particular...
Economic impact of climate change and benefit of adaptations for maize production: Case from Namibia, Zambezi region
February 2015
The aim of this research is to examine the impact of climate change in maize farmers’ livelihood in Zambezi region, Namibia and benefit of adaptation. Trade-off analysis–multidimensional (TOA-MD) model was presented as a method for evaluation with a combination of simulated baseline production and future simulated yield using Decision Support Systems for Agro-technology Transfer (DSSAT) in maize production...
Technical efficiency of maize production in Ogun State, Nigeria
February 2015
This study examined the technical efficiency of maize production in Ogun State, Nigeria. Primary data were collected for this study using a multistage sampling technique to select 100 maize farmers from the study area. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, gross margin analysis and stochastic production frontier. The socio-economic characteristics of respondents as evident from the data analysis revealed...
To conserve or convert wetlands: Evidence from Nyando wetlands, Kenya
February 2015
Wetland resources of Nyando Wetlands support important economic and ecological activities. However, it is faced with multiple pressures from different anthropogenic Activities within the wetlands and upstream. The Nyando wetlands are facing increasing threats of reclamation for agriculture. This is bound to intensify as population pressure increases. The question therefore is; should Nyando Wetlands be conserved or...
Estimating the impact of a food security program by propensity-score matching
January 2015
Reducing poverty and improving household food security remains an important policy objective for rural development in the semi-arid areas of many countries in Africa. Many development programs have been introduced in efforts to bring the cycle of poverty and food insecurity to an end. This paper investigates the impact of a food security package (FSP) program in improving rural household’s food consumption in...
Marketing and market integration of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) in Uganda
January 2015
Despite the importance of cowpea in Uganda as a leading legume, its production and improvement have not received much attention over the last two decades. Data was obtained on prices of grains of cowpeas on a weekly basis from FIT Uganda between 2008 to 2011 in Soroti, Lira and Kampala. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics, particularly, frequencies and the measures of central tendency. Several...
Households willingness to pay for improved water services in urban areas: A case study from Nebelet town, Ethiopia
January 2015
Cross-sectional data was used that was collected from 181 households in 2011/2012, to estimate households’ willingness to pay for improved water service in Nebelet. The probit model was used to identify socio-economic factors that affect the willingness to pay (WTP) of households. Interruption, delay in maintenance, irregular/erratic availability of the public water supply, the price charged per unit, the unequal...
Analysis of access to apiculture supporting services by smallholder farmers in northern Ethiopia
January 2015
This study was conducted to analyze factors affecting access to apiculture supporting services by smallholder beekeepers in Ahferom district of Tigray region, Ethiopia. Primary data were collected by interviewing 130 randomly selected smallholder beekeepers during March to April 2011. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and econometric (probit) model. Probit model results of farmers’ access to...
Determining factors of the strategies for diversifying sources of income for rural households in Burkina Faso
January 2015
This article has used a multinomial logit model to analyze the determinants of diversification strategies of rural households' income sources in Burkina Faso. The main results have enabled the identification of three strategies of the income-source diversification, all carried out around agriculture. They are low, average, high diversification strategies. The outcomes reveal that the age of the household head,...
Economic analysis of factors influencing adoption of motor pumps in Ethiopia
December 2014
The Ethiopian economy depends heavily on smallholder agriculture, and this sector directly affects the country’s economic development, food security and poverty alleviation efforts. The adoption of smallholder irrigation technologies as a means to tackle these challenges has become an important policy issue in the development agenda of the country. The lack of access to low-cost irrigation technologies is,...
Economic optimal allocation of irrigation water in Egypt
December 2014
The water scarcity problem is globally getting worse especially in the light of increase in water demand among its competing uses. Thus, it is an important to optimize the water allocation to crops. In this paper, a linear programming model has been formulated to ensure the efficient allocation of scarce water resources among the competing crops. This model was constrained by land, water, labour, production costs, and...
Prioritization and cost and returns analyses of selected non-timber forest products in Yobe State, Nigeria
December 2014
This article describes cost and returns analysis of first five preferred Sahel savanna non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in Yobe State, Nigeria. The results demonstrate that households in Yobe State could realize NGN2,898.48 and NGN142,615.49 from the NTFPs as the least and maximum gross margins (household incomes) respectively. Gross margin ratio of households across all the study sites ranged from 0.925 to 0.980, and...
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