Constraints to the linkage between maize and livestock sub-systems in Ethiopian agriculture
January 2015
The study was conducted with the objective of assessing constraints to the linkage between maize and livestock subsystems in the Ethiopian agriculture system or practices. The linkage between the maize and livestock subsystems towards an integrated maize-livestock production system has been constrained by several factors. These factors affect resource flows between the two subsystems. These included socio economic,...
Adapting to climate variability and change in smallholder farming communities: A case study from Burkina Faso, Chad and Niger
January 2015
Climate variability and change is regarded as having major impacts on key sustainable socio-economic and environmental indicators in Sub-Saharan West Africa. Because of these concerns, we investigated smallholders knowledge, skills, and aspirations about managing climate change, and document adaptation strategies used in the semi-arid regions coming from Burkina Faso, Chad and Niger. We analyzed climate data from the...
Achieving rational pesticide use in outdoor tomato production through farmer training and implementation of a technical guideline
December 2014
Smallholder farmers were trained by frontline extensionists and local experts on how to apply Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in outdoor tomatoes, Solanum lycopersicum, during farmer field schools in Northern Tanzania between 2005 and 2008. Farmers were also organised into newly-established vegetable producer clubs within which they developed a technical guideline defining the minimum requirements for integrated tomato...
Farmer perceptions of aflatoxin management strategies in lower Eastern Kenya
December 2014
Aflatoxins pose a serious problem to maize grains, rendering them unsuitable for human and livestock consumption. This study assessed farmers’ attitude toward, and knowledge and perceptions of, the nature, causes and use of biological technologies in aflatoxin control in Embu, Machakos, Makueni and Kitui Counties of Kenya. A total of 480 households were randomly selected from two districts per county using a GPS...
Perceptions of smallholder farmers on improved box hive technology and its profitability in Northern Ethiopia
December 2014
This study was initiated to analyze smallholder beekeepers’ perceptions towards the constraints and benefits of using improved box hive and its profitability compared to traditional beehive in Ahferom district of Tigray region, Ethiopia. Both primary and secondary data sources comprising qualitative and quantitative data types were utilized. Primary data were collected by interviewing 130 randomly selected...
Adoption of improved fisheries technologies by fish farmers in southern agricultural zone of Nasarawa State, Nigeria
November 2014
A survey was conducted in the Southern Agricultural zone of Nasarawa State, north central Nigeria, to assess the intensity of adoption of improved fisheries technologies among fish farmers. A sample of 100 fish farms out of the 202 existing farms identified during the survey was randomly selected for the study. A structured interview schedule was administered to the managers of the selected fish farms to elicit...
Women’s role and their decision making in livestock and household management
November 2014
Rural women play a key role in the livestock management and household activities. However, it is often argued that their contributions are undermined and their decision making power is highly limited. This study was carried out in Yilmana Densa district in Amhara Region, Ethiopia with the objectives to investigate the role of rural women in livestock and household activities, and to examine the level of rural women...
Climate change adaptations of smallholder farmers in South Eastern Ethiopia
November 2014
The negative impact from the climate change has been striking the agriculture sector in Africa. For countries like Ethiopia, whose livelihood occupation of the nation is mainly based on subsistence agriculture that highly rely on rainfall, making an adjustment to adapt to the changing situation is crucial. Therefore, designing context specific adaptation strategies are essential to moderate the negative effect of...
Determinants of adoption of upland rice varieties in Fogera district, South Gondar, Ethiopia
October 2014
The study was conducted in Fogera district, South Gondar zone, Amhara National Regional State (ANRS). Three Peasant Associations (PAs) among the fifteen PAs of upland growers of the district were selected purposively and a total of adopters and non-adopters of 120 selected households were interviewed to generate primary data. Descriptive statistics were used for analyzing quantitative data. Econometric model (binary...
Characterization of a barley-based farming system in the Arsi Highlands, Ethiopia
September 2014
In order to minimize the gap between the demand for barley, particularly malt barley, and its supply, this study was initiated to assess the existing farming systems of the selected agro ecologies in order to develop appropriate malt barley technologies and major production constraints. In line to this, two districts with a potential in barley production were purposively selected from the Arsi highlands of Ethiopia and...
Diversification and poverty upward mobility in isolated areas of Zambia: An agricultural assets transfer perspective
September 2014
that should dramatically move their asset base towards the threshold necessary to take the first step out of poverty. Some beneficiaries of production assets have however, often remained the same or even relapsed into worse poverty. Understanding households’ diversification behavior according to stages in the domestic life cycle, and having a better insight into the structure of poverty dimensions that show a...
A Focus Group approach to exploration of the dynamics of farmers’ groups in Trinidad, West Indies
September 2014
As part of its agricultural development strategy, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago plans to promote the development of Producer Organizations. Historically, the sustainability of farmers’ groups in Trinidad has been poor, with several unsuccessful interventions. This study seeks to do a preliminary exploration of some of the issues which could impact group sustainability, as perceived by the two main...
Utilisation of sunflower crop among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Nigeria and Botswana
September 2014
Sunflower is a crop with high oil and economic values which portends its great potential for enhancing agricultural productivity and poverty alleviation among smallholder farmers. These notwithstanding, optimum benefit of the sunflower value chain have not been adequately harnessed. Conceived with the backdrop of lack of awareness about the commercial, nutritional and medicinal potentials of sunflower among the rural...
Trends in budgetary expenditure on the agricultural sector in Nigeria (1977-2004)
September 2014
The study estimated trend equations for budgetary expenditure on Nigeria agricultural sector between 1977 and 2004. Secondary data in the form of budgetary expenditure records were obtained from various publications of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Federal of Statistics (FOS). Results from the fitted trend equations showed that budgetary expenditures on agriculture were generally low and insignificant (p>0.05)....
Coffee farmers’ attitudes toward the 4C process in Chumphon province, Southern Thailand
August 2014
4C is the private sector standard implemented in Thailand since 2010 which aimed to improve the sustainability of coffee farmers. The present study seeks to investigate the farmers’ attitude towards 4C and QGAP satisfaction and examine the critical role of the private sector towards achieving success following 4C guidelines which it has actively supported. Structured questionnaires were distributed to 128...
Knowledge gaps in potato technology adoption: The case of central highlands of Ethiopia
August 2014
The paper intends to identify knowledge gaps in potato technology adoption among farm households in Welmera, Ethiopia. Within the district, four administrative peasant associations were selected based on their potato production potential. From these peasant associations, a total of 112 farm households were selected using a simple random sampling method proportional to population size. The sampled households were...
Profitability analysis of small-scale catfish farming in Kaduna State, Nigeria
August 2014
This study analysed the profitability of small-scale catfish farming in Kaduna State, Nigeria. Sixty respondents were randomly selected and interviewed using interview schedule to elicit information through multi-stage sampling technique. The data were analysed using frequency, percentages, mean, and ranking while budgetary analysis (gross-margin) was used to determine the profitability of catfish farming. The result...
Agricultural knowledge management through women’s collective action: A case of women dairy co-operatives in Rajasthan, India
August 2014
The present study was undertaken to analyze the capacity building needs of members of Women Dairy Cooperative Societies (WDCS), to harness the potential of women’s collective action in knowledge management for improving their livelihoods. A survey of fifteen randomly selected WDCS operational in Jodhpur district was undertaken to analyze the facilities, inputs and services of veterinary doctor and other dairy...
Application of sustainable livelihoods concepts in promoting biosecurity in free range poultry in rural Nigeria
August 2014
Poultry production is very significant to the livelihoods of Nigerian rural populace which constitute 70%. Free range scavenging poultry constitutes up to 90% of the total stock. Disease such as Newcastle and recent past the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) or bird flu H5N1 among other constitutes serious threat to poultry production in the country. Interventions targeted at preventing diseases at low cost...
Specialists’ attitudes toward factors affecting on development of nuclear research in agriculture
July 2014
This study provides an insight into affecting factors on the development of nuclear research in agriculture from scientists and researchers perspective and also explores the correlations between them. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to 165 scientists and researchers who work in Nuclear Science and Technology Research center and Biotechnology Institute, Tehran, Iran. Collected data were analyzed using...
Vegetable farmers’ attitude towards organic agriculture practices in selected states of South West Nigeria
July 2014
Organic farming as a sustainable agricultural approach is a growing concept in South West Nigeria. This study investigated the attitude of vegetable farmers toward organic agriculture practices in South West Nigeria and the determinants of their attitude. Cluster sampling was used to select 315 farmers from list obtained from the farmers’ cooperative societies. Farmers were interviewed in person. Attitude was...
How intentions guide the application of principle in co-creating sustainable agriculture
July 2014
Transitions towards sustainability require processes of decision-making that enhance sustainability in several dimensions at the same time. This article is about farmers’ decision-making in the context of their intentions and practice, as they seek simultaneously to support natural systems and the social quality of their farms. What does it take? An initial response is provided by an exploratory study based on...
Consumers’ attitude towards local rice production and consumption in Ondo State, Nigeria
July 2014
The Nigerian soils are well adapted to the production of rice. In all the ecological zones of the country, rice production is well entrenched. Despite their favourable soil and ecological conditions for rice production, Nigerians still spend substantial proportions of their earnings on imported rice. Why? It is against this backdrop that this study was carried out in Ondo State, Nigeria to investigate the...
Contribution of agricultural and forestry extension services to inclusive extension system in North-West Pakistan: A case study of Mansehra and Swat districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province
June 2014
Agriculture and forestry are generally considered as parallel activities where different institutions are working for rural people. The mountainous region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (KP) of Pakistan makes an interesting case study because good forest cover is appeared and farming is an important component of local livelihood system. This study presents the findings from the field survey of 48 extension services...
Institutions of agricultural land acquisition and transfer: Experience from Central Highland of Ethiopia
June 2014
Access to agricultural land is a matter of life and death among the peasant society. Control over this resource is also the most disputable and contentious aspect of rural setting in Ethiopia which affects the overall socio-economic and welfare status of an individual and a group. This research is an attempt to identify and analyze both formal and informal institutions rendering agricultural land acquisition and...
Access to and utilization of development information by rural women in dire dawa administrative council, Eastern Ethiopia
June 2014
Access to and utilization of information makes individuals to be more rational, increases decision-making abilities and allow to take informed decisions. Hence the purposes of this study were to assess rural women’s access to and utilization of development information related to reproductive, productive and community roles performed by them in a case study conducted in Dire Dawa Administrative Council, Eastern...
The role of internet in the professional development of agricultural educators: The case study of Kermanshah Province, Iran
June 2014
Internet is one of the most important innovations in the field of information and this has a significant impact on education. The use of technology is increasing rapidly. Today, in the scientific communities, a large number of individuals are interested in internet. This is expected for researchers to update their knowledge to provide information to the internet for its services to be used. The aim of this study is to...
Farmer Field Fora and adoption of yam integrated pest and disease management technologies in Northern Ghana
May 2014
Justification for the use of public funds on programmes and the determination of their effectiveness among other factors call for their evaluation. This study was therefore conducted to investigate the effectiveness of Farmer Field Fora (FFF) and adoption of yam Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPDM) Technologies in the Nanumba North and Kpandai Districts of the Northern region of Ghana. A multi-stage sampling...
Effects of season, browse species and polyethylene glycol addition on in vitro degradability of forages in the sub-humid subtropical savannah, South Africa
May 2014
Effects of season, browse species and polyethylene glycol (PEG) on in vitro digestibility of five plant species from sub-humid subtropical savannah of South Africa were investigated. Leaves of Acacia natalitia, Acacia nilotica, Dichrostachys cinerea, Scutia myrtina and Chromolaena odorata were harvested during dry (June/July), early wet (November/December) and late wet (February/March) seasons. An in vitro technique (72...
Rural household food security status and its determinants: The case of Laelaymychew Woreda, Central Zone of Tigrai, Ethiopia
May 2014
An assessment and analysis on food security status and its determinant, the experience of the farmers’ food insecurity coping mechanisms and the major farm operation problems were the major focusing objectives of this study; which was conducted in Laelaymychew Woreda Central Zone of Tigrai. The required data was collected from three kebeles of 125 randomly selected rural households. The data collected were...
Coping strategies of Darfurians displaced women in Khartoum
May 2014
This study was designed to identify the Drarfurians (Darfurians: Refers to Darfur States people of western Sudan that face ongoing civil war and tribal conflicts) displaced women's sustainable strategies to meet their basic livelihood survival needs in Khartoum, Sudan. The purposive non-random sampling technique was adopted to select 90 displaced women. Data were collected in the face-to-face interviews by using a...
Assessing the effectiveness of water quality education programs in controlling soil phosphorus levels in the Beaver River Watershed, Utah
April 2014
Federal Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) 319 Program funds were obtained to educate landowners on how to make improvements on their farms that would help keep manure and P-laden sediments out of the Beaver River Watershed in Utah.The primary objective of this study was to employ an integrative evaluative tool (long-term monitoring of soil P test levels) to evaluate the effectiveness of the educational efforts.The...
Impact of agricultural modernization on sustainable livelihood among the tribal and non-tribal farmers
April 2014
The sustainable livelihood links with security to basic human needs, food security, sustainable agricultural practices and poverty has an integrating concept. A large number of tribal communities are bereft of stable livelihood and thus they fall in the category of the vulnerable section of Indian society. Considering this fact, the study was conducted in Sabarkantha district of North Gujarat region of Gujarat state, as...
Impact of youth rural-urban migration on household economy and crop production: A case study of Sokoto metropolitan areas, Sokoto State, North-Western Nigeria
April 2014
Over the past decades, rural-urban migration research has focused on the hypothesis that the migration of household population, especially youths, has significant influence on the economy and crop production of households. This study aimed at examining the impact of youth rural-urban migration on household economy and crop production in Sokoto metropolitan area of Sokoto State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique...
Factors encouraging ICT usage by agricultural extension scientists in North India
April 2014
The role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the research institutions and universities is becoming increasingly prominent because of the potential value of such technologies. ICTs can be used to increase effectiveness and efficiency of extension system. So, in this era of information revolution, the agricultural extension Scientists should be encouraged to use ICTs for extension education. Therefore,...
The effect of malaria on staple food crop production in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality of the Ashanti Region of Ghana
March 2014
Malaria disease is a widespread problem in tropical countries. Recent publications have pointed to a correlation between enhanced agricultural activities and increasing prevalence of the disease. This paper therefore examined the relationship between food crop production and incidence of malaria in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Ninety-two percent of sampled respondents had reported...
Impact of farmer research group interventions on maize farmers in Central Rift Valley of Oromia: An empirical study
March 2014
The project on “strengthening Technology Development, Verification, Transfer and Adoption through Farmers Research Group (FRG)” implemented in the Central Rift-Valley of Oromia from 2004 to 2009 was used to promote and institutionalize participatory research in Ethiopian agricultural research system. A group of farmers were established as maize FRG working on maize improvement in two districts. Hence, this...
Improving agricultural extension services in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State, Nigeria
March 2014
A survey was conducted in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State in 2012 by administering structured questionnaire to 30 farmers each from 5 villages in the Local Government. The aim was to determine the quality of extension service in Moro Local Government Area with a view to improving it. Results show that most of the farmers (28.2%) are in the age group of 21 to 30 years. A greater percentage of the farmers...
Knowledge and adoption of cabbage management practices by farmers
March 2014
Vegetables are the most important diet for human’s health, because they possess high nutritive value and are rich sources of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals. Kullu Valley of Himachal Pradesh was selected as the research area because it has temperate and good conditions for vegetable production. The area is suitable for production of different types of vegetation and their breeding. Himachal Pradesh...
Convergence of the Nigerian food and agricultural crisis on sustainable development
February 2014
Food and agricultural crisis as well as hunger are widespread and getting worse in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa. Sustainable development necessitates change in public policies, personal attitudes and behaviors. The issues related to agricultural and food crisis may be solved by reversal of negative policy trajectory. The social welfare needs of Nigeria are grossly inadequate, resulting in many people especially...
Prospects of occupational diversification among rural women in sub-Saharan Africa: A review
February 2014
Rural women need to diversify their occupations since farming is rain-fed and therefore seasonal. This is to enable them to acquire additional income and meet up with economic responsibilities during off-season periods. The paper reviews current literature in the field in both farm and non-farm occupations and the impact of occupational diversification. Occupational diversification is of increasing importance for women...
Improved agricultural technologies, prelude to higher yields of maize: A case study of two farmer based organizations in Ghana
February 2014
Maize production in Ghana is characterized by very low technological input which translates to lower yields. Informal training organized at the instance of the Millennium Development Authority for Farmer Based Organizations and facilitated by the Crops Research Institute impacted positively on yield. This study examined the extent to which two FBOs in the Akwapim South Municipality of the Eastern Region adopted improved...
Farmers’ perception of their level of participation in extension in Ethiopia: Policy implications
February 2014
This study examined farmers’ perception of their level of participation in Public Agricultural Extension Service (PAES) in Soddo-zuria Woreda in Southern Ethiopia vis-à-vis seven selected farmers’ characteristics; namely, sex, age, educational status, wealth status, farming experience, experience with extension and frequency of contact with extension agents. For this study, 225 farmers were randomly...
Knowledge of saffron growers on saffron production technology in Kashmir
January 2014
An investigation was undertaken to access the knowledge of saffron growers on saffron production technology in Kashmir Province of J & K State. This study was conducted in six villages of block Pampore, selected on the basis of maximum area under saffron. The data collected from 180 saffron growers revealed that the majority among them had high knowledge on traditional practices, but they had low to medium knowledge...
Innovative approaches for sustainable productivity among tribal families of East Godavari district
January 2014
The effectiveness and efficiency of the agricultural extension system in India can be improved by motivating and mobilizing the rural and tribal folk towards sustainable productivity. It requires efficient and innovative approaches in order to organize and strengthen the farming community in an effective way for better participation, adoption and empowerment. A sample of 500 tribal families were selected on stratified...
Investigation on production constraints and adoption of inorganic insecticides and spraying regime in management of cowpea (Vigna uncuiculata L. Walp) insects in Mubi zone, Nigeria
January 2014
Between 2008 and 2009, constraints in cowpea cultivation and adoption of inorganic insecticides in insect pest management were investigated among cowpea producers in Mubi zone of Adamawa State. Structured questionnaires were used to source for information from 611 respondents, who were randomly selected. The Chi-square test, Likert scale test and logistic regression method were used to analyze the data set. Preference...
Providers and beneficiaries view of the contributions of state level non-governmental organizations (NGO) to rural community development in Anambra State, Nigeria
January 2014
The study was carried out to ascertain contributions of state based-Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to rural community development (RCD) in Anambra State, Nigeria. Multistage random sampling technique was employed to select seventy respondents (35 NGOs members and 35 beneficiaries/rural people) from 4 local government areas, 7 NGOs and 7 villages in the state. Data were collected through the use of questionnaire...
Factors influencing community based youth organisations’ involvement in rural development activities in Osun State, Nigeria
January 2014
The study determined the factors influencing Community Based Youth Organisations’ (CBYOs) involvement in rural development activities in Osun State, Nigeria and identified the types of rural development activities in which the organisations are involved. Multistage sampling procedure was used to select 431 different CBYOs members who serve as respondents from 12 Local Government Areas in the State. Frequency count...
Strategies for setting and running of small scale enterprises by women entrepreneurs of Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh
January 2014
The present study was conducted on proportionately randomly selected 180 women entrepreneurs of Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh. The findings revealed that for enterprise establishment in general 5 to 6 steps were followed by the respondents. These were realization of the oppourtunity, obtaining training, consolidation of resources (infrastructure, machinery/equipments, raw material and finance), production on small...
Allelopathic effect of aqueous extracts of different part of Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk. on some crop and weed plants
January 2014
The present study was conducted to investigate the allelopathic effects of Eclipta alba weed on seed germination and seedling growth weed plants (Cassia tora L., Cassia sophera L.) and crop plants (Phaseolus aureus L., Oryza sativa L.). Root, stem and leaf aqueous extracts of Eclipta at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0% concentrations were applied to determine their effect on seed germination and seedling growth of test plants...
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