Cost and returns of soybean production in Assosa Zone of Benishangul Gumuz Region of Ethiopia
November 2018
In Ethiopia, the demand for soybean product is increasing as a result of increasing population growth, agro-processing and urbanization. Research needs to provide farm level evidence that could guide informed production decision-making. This research was conducted to assess costs and patterns of input use and determine the profitability of soybean production in Assosa zone of Benishangul-Gumuz region. Data for the study...
Determinants of adoption of dorper black head Somali crossbred sheep in pastoral areas: the case of Yabello District, Southern Oromia, Ethiopia
October 2018
This study aims to investigate determinants of adoption of the Dorper Black Head Somali (DBHS) Crossbred Sheep by the pastoralists in Yabello District, Ethiopia. Data from 123 sample respondents (pastoralists) were collected and analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. A binary logistic regression model was used to estimate the effects of hypothesized independent variables on the dependent variable (adoption of DBHS crossbred...
Economic efficiency of smallholder farmers in barley production in Meket district, Ethiopia
October 2018
This study analyzed the economic efficiency of smallholder farmers in barley production in the case of Meket district, Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia. A cross sectional data collected from a sample of 123 barley producers during the 2015/2016 production season was used for the analysis. Two stages random sampling method was used to select sample respondents. The translog functional form was chosen to estimate...
Determinants of commercialization by smallholder onion farmers in Fogera district, South Gondar Zone, Amhara national regional State, Ethiopia
October 2018
Onion crop is one of the most important commercialized horticultural crops among smallholder farmers because they derive benefits such as income, source of food, health care and rural employment. In developing countries like Ethiopia, most smallholder farmers are characterized by poor market participation due to lack of market information, price volatility related to seasonality of supply, and poor performance of the...
Determinants of the adoption of improved faba bean varieties in Enda-Mehoni district, South Tigray, Northern Ethiopia
October 2018
This paper examines determinants of faba bean varieties adoption in Enda-Mehoni district using a cross-sectional data collected from 223 sample households. An interview schedule was employed to collect the data and presented using frequency, percentage and mean. We employed t-test and χ2-test statistics to see the significant difference between adopter and non-adopter and a binary logit model to know the influence...
Determinants of market participation and intensity of marketed surplus among teff producers in Dera District of South Gondar Zone, Ethiopia
October 2018
In Ethiopia, cereal production and marketing are the means of livelihood for millions of households. Teff is the major cash crop grown in the study area mainly for market. However, the teff marketing has not been given due attention, which has potential production volume and marketability. The objective of this paper is to identify the factors affecting market participation and intensity of teff marketed surplus. A two...
Drivers and socioeconomic factors influencing individual and household adaptation to climate change: A case study of residents of Leeds, UK
September 2018
The dynamic nature of human adaptation and coping strategies to climate change continues to arouse the interest of environmental researchers. This study contributed to this growing area of research by examining the drivers and some socioeconomic factors influencing individual and household adaptation to climate change. Data were collected through household surveys and in-depth interviews. Descriptive statistics,...
Access to land and agricultural based livelihoods in Northwestern Ethiopia: Implications for land use
September 2018
Land has been curtail national asset and seen as central to economy, the social and political spheres of community as well as the overall society. The objective of this paper has been to assess the implication of accessing land and agricultural based livelihoods of smallholder on land use. The underpinning research involved both primary and secondary data. Primary data were generated using household surveys, focus group...
The effects of crop market participation in improving food security among smallholder crop producer farmers: The case of Central Ethiopia, Ada’a Woreda
September 2018
Merely providing support on improved yields for increased crop productivity to smallholder farmers can not improve the household food security. But parallel support for market linkages to crop producer smallholders can reap the full benefit of this increased crop productivity because lack of reliable and accessible market linking system has been found to be one of the main constraints faced by smallholder crop producer...
Effects of marketing costs on gross margin: Evidence from guinea corn retailers in Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria
August 2018
This study assessed the effects of marketing costs on the gross margin of guinea corn retailers in Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria. The main aim of the study is not to only obtain precise costs and margins estimates for the conventional marketing functions of guinea corn, but rather to make the result of the analyses usable to devise a policy framework for an effective marketing strategy and improvement in the efficiency...
Estimating pastoralists’ willingness to pay for artificial insemination in arid and semi-arid lands of Kenya
August 2018
Effective promotion of artificial insemination (AI) by private providers in pastoral areas requires stakeholders’ opinion in shaping the direction of their adoption. A structured questionnaire was administered to 384 pastoralists in Kajiado and Narok counties, Kenya to elicit data on willingness to pay for AI services. Double bounded contingent valuation methodology was adapted in computing their willingness to...
Determinants of smallholder indigenous chicken farmers’ market participation decisions and value of sales in Gulu district
August 2018
Indigenous chicken play an important role in the livelihoods of the rural poor in developing countries. They not only act as a source of nutrition but also supplement household incomes. Despite the tremendous market opportunities available for the farmers, there are still low levels of market participation for indigenous chicken farmers in Gulu district and other parts of Uganda. In light of this, a research study was...
Determinants of collective marketing and marketable surplus for smallholder sorghum producers in Oyam district, Uganda
July 2018
In 2000, Uganda instituted a tax rebate of 10 to 15% to industries willing to use locally sourced raw materials. This attracted Nile Breweries Ltd (NBL) to start using locally produced sorghum for beer production in 2002 and intervened in the sorghum value chain through mobilization of farmers into producer groups, established bulking centers and appointed buying agents. Despite these interventions, some farmers still...
Technical efficiency and profitability of potato production by smallholder farmers: The case of Dinsho District, Bale Zone of Ethiopia
July 2018
The study aimed to analyze the technical efficiency and profitability of potato production by smallholder farmers in Dinsho District of Bale Zone of Ethiopia. Cross sectional data collected in 2015/16 production year from 147 surveyed households was utilized in achieving these objectives. Non-parametric net crop revenue analysis and Cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier approach were used to analyze enterprise profitability...
The Role of Pastoralists’ Indigenous Knowledge and Practices in Reducing Household Food Insecurity in West Pokot, Kenya: A Binary Probit Analysis
July 2018
In recent decades, researchers and development practitioners have explored strategies to manage shocks and reduce food insecurity in the arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) especially through introduction of modern scientific approaches and interventions; for instance promotion of exotic livestock breeds, but these interventions have not yielded desired results. This has been attributed to the fact that most of these...
Determinants of microfinance loan utilization by smallholder farmers: The case of Omo Microfinance in Lemo District of Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia
July 2018
This study investigated factors determining microfinance loan utilization by smallholder farmers from Omo Microfinance institution in Lemo District of Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Both primary and secondary data were used and a total of 118 sampled farmers were considered for the interview. Both descriptive statistics and independent double-hurdle model were used to analyze the microfinance loan utilization and loan...
Income contribution and adoption potential of apple based agroforestry on homestead farms in West and North Shoa zones of Ethiopia
June 2018
To reduce the local people high reliance on the remnant forest, the then Forestry Research Center and GTZ introduced and provided Apple tree seedlings for selected residents in the West and North Shoa Zones of Ethiopia two decades ago. However, despite the provision of such variety of seedlings, a study that assessed the contribution of the fruit trees to the household economy improvement, and the various determinant...
A study on prisoner population and food demand in Malawi prisons
June 2018
While Malawi’s per capita cereal production may be higher than her per capita cereal consumption, Malawi is a net cereal importer and thus food insecure. The food situation is much worse in Malawi’s prisons because inmates generally eat one meal per day. The general objective of this study was to project prisoner population and food demand for ten years, from 2015 to 2025. Using structured questionnaires in...
Assessment of the factors affecting the performance of micro and small scale enterprise: The case of Wolkite town, Guraghe zone, Southern Ethiopia
June 2018
Currently, the Ethiopian government gives a great emphasis on the growth of micro and small-scale enterprises. Besides, some empirical studies were conducted to identify the factors affecting the performance of micro and small-scale enterprises in this town. For the sake of achieving this goal most important primary sources of data were collected through survey questionnaire from samples of 30 peoples by means of the...
Determinants of food insecurity and coping strategies of rural households: The case of Shalla District, West Arsi Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia
June 2018
Food security at the household level in the rural areas of Ethiopia has remained a challenging goal until today. The design and implementation of effective measures to reduce household food insecurity needs an in depth understanding of its covariates. As a result, this study was conducted with the specific objectives of estimating the situation, extent and severity of food insecurity, identifying factors influencing...
Attitude of indigenous chicken farmers towards agricultural insurance in Nyanza, Kenya
May 2018
Indigenous chicken (IC) contribute significantly to income and food security of rural communities. However, the IC are kept in systems that are characterised by high risk conditions such as diseases, predation, inadequate feeding and poor housing resulting in sub optimal production levels and profitability. Agricultural insurance therefore becomes an attractive option of minimizing these risks. Uptake of agricultural...
Economic efficiency of milk production among small-scale dairy farmers in Mukurweini, Nyeri County, kenya
May 2018
This study aimed at evaluating the economic efficiency of milk production among small-scale dairy farmers in Mukurweini, Nyeri County, Kenya. Data were collected from 91 small-scale dairy farmers previously engaged in a nutritional study in 2013. The farmers had been sampled using purposive sampling technique. Data were collected using structured questionnaires, entered into statistical package for social science...
Small scale entrepreunership of seaweed in Serewe Bay, East Lombok, Indonesia: Challenges and Opportunities
May 2018
Improving the livelihoods and socio-economic conditions of coastal communities is important to make people more secure and less vulnerable to both external pressures and inevitable socio-economic changes. This study aims to describe the characteristics of small-scale entrepreneurs based on seaweed and market characteristics, describe the challenges and opportunities of seaweed business, and find out the government...
Smallholder farmers’ livestock production and marketing in Bahir Dar Zuria District, Northwestern Ethiopia
May 2018
The objective of the study was to assess the livestock production and marketing system in smallholder systems of the area. Two kebeles were selected from Bahir Dr Zuria district based on livestock production experience and accessibility to road. Primary data were collected using semi-structured questionnaire and supplemented with key informants and secondary data sources. The average land holding in the area was 0.73 ha...
Trend, pattern and determinants of crop diversification of small holders in West Bengal: A district-wise panel data analysis
April 2018
Crop diversification is one of the most important risk management and income enhancing strategies for farmers. The study investigates the pattern, trend, and factors influencing crop diversification in different districts of West Bengal, based on secondary data. The Simpson index has been used to estimate diversification. The results show that all the districts of West Bengal and the state as a whole have exhibited a...
Econometric analysis of socioeconomic and demographic determinants of rural households’ saving behavior: The case of Sinana district, Ethiopia
April 2018
This paper examines the major socioeconomic and demographic determinants of rural households’ saving behavior in Sinana district, Ethiopia. A random sample of 267 rural households was selected from four rural kebeles of the district. The study used both descriptive statistics and econometric model for the analysis of primary data. The result of descriptive statistics demonstrates that 47.2% of the sampled...
On farm partial budget analysis of pepper (Capsicum Annuum L.) to the application of NP fertilizer and farmyard manure in Raya Azebo District, Northern Ethiopia
April 2018
This research was conducted to assess the economic feasibility of inorganic fertilizer application and farmyard manure on Marako Fana pepper variety in Raya Azebo district, Northern Ethiopia. The combination of 25, 50, 75 and 100% of nationally recommended inorganic fertilizers and 10 t ha-1 farmyard manure as well as four control treatments (unfertilized, 100% farmyard manure, 100% and blended fertilizer/NPS)...
Sustaining the economic growth for agriculture sector in Benin#: How do agricultural technologies influence the growth rate?
April 2018
This paper examined the influence of agricultural technologies on the growth of agricultural value-added based on time series data (1990-2016) and Cobb-Douglas production function. The results indicated that there are significant and certain benefits to draw economically from the utilization of a system of technological innovations including mechanization, renewed capital stocks, as well as temporary annual cropping and...
Does gender matter in effective management of plant disease epidemics? Insights from a survey among rural banana farming households in Uganda
March 2018
Crop diseases significantly suppress plant yields and in extreme cases wipe out entire crop species threatening food security and eroding rural livelihoods. It is therefore critical to estimate the extent to which shocks like disease epidemics can affect food availability and the capacity of smallholder farmers to mitigate and reverse the effects of such shocks. This study utilizes sex-disaggregated data from 341...
Production and marketing of rice in Kenya: Challenges and opportunities
March 2018
Rice farming remains an important concern in Kenya due to its positive impact on increasing household food security, raising farmer’s income as well as reducing risks in the years of poor weather conditions. Currently, the demand for rice in Kenya outstrips its production, a gap that is filled through imports. Thus, increasing rice production and productivity in Kenya requires a number of measures to be put in...
Effect of price and exchange rate volatility on Kenya’s black tea export demand: A pooled mean group estimation
March 2018
The tea sector plays an important role in the Kenyan economy mainly through employment, contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and foreign exchange earnings. However, the sector faces a number of risks including but not limited to production, technological, price and market risks, legal and personal risks. Price and exchange rate volatility is one of the main sources of risk in the agribusiness sector. This paper...
Senior academic background, R&D intensity and productivity: Based on the data of listed companies in the agricultural sector
March 2018
Agricultural companies (2011-2013) were chosen as the samples of this study. Financial report data were used to analyze the disciplines of the executives, their strength mean, research and development (R&D) strength and productivity. The results of the empirical research showed that companies with technology executives will significantly have increased R&D intensity; but companies with management executives...
Factors affecting market supply of honey in Chena district, Kaffa zone, Southern Ethiopia
March 2018
Despite high volume of honey production in Chena district of southern Ethiopia, the market supply of honey is low as compared to its potential due to some socioeconomic, demographic, production, market and institution related factors. This study was initiated to identify factors affecting volume of honey marketed. Data from 154 sample honey producers was collected and analyzed using multiple linear regression model with...
Economic analysis of duck eggs incubation using hot spring as heat source
February 2018
The economic analysis of a manual and automatic turning hot spring incubator developed at the University of the Philippines-Los Baňos, Laguna Province, Philippines, was studied by comparing its performance with the conventional electrical incubator. This research can help small-scale farmers by reducing operational cost and increasing profitability. To determine the feasibility, undiscounted and discounted measures...
Effect of research and development on agricultural sector growth in the East African community
February 2018
This study empirically examined the effect of research and development on agricultural sector growth in East African Community from the year 2000-2014. According to the endogenous growth theory, research and development leads to increase in the stock of knowledge which in turn has got spill over effects hence leads to economic growth. However, little is known on the effect of R&D on the agricultural sector in the...
Use of a warrantage system to face rural poverty and hunger in the semi-arid area of Burkina Faso
February 2018
It is widely believed that limited access of small scale farmers to agricultural credit is one of the key causes of rural poverty and a major constraint to adoption of innovations in Sub-Saharan Africa. Since the early 1960s, many strategies to access agricultural credits have been implemented with success. This study assessed the effects of warrantage, a community-based micro credit system, on poor small resource...
Poverty and income inequality in Girar Jarso District of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia
January 2018
The paper examines the status and determinants of poverty and inequality among rural households in Girar Jarso district of Central Ethiopia. To measure the status of poverty and inequality, the study made use of cost of basic need approach, Foster-Greer-Thorbecke indices and Gini coefficient. Based on the survey of 120 households, the logistic model was estimated. A three-stage sampling procedure was applied for...
Gender analysis of micro-loan sizes accessed by small-scale agro-entrepreneurs in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria
January 2018
Available statistics confirmed that men have access to credit more than women in Nigeria because men have assets which serve as collateral for accessing credit. Credit is essential to farmers, especially the small-scale farmers who have limited capital for their production but constitute the greatest force in food production in many developing countries. The study was carried out to investigate micro-loan sizes accessed...
Contribution of adoption of motorized water pump on the household farm income of smallholder farmers: Evidence from Lake Abaya and Chamo Basins of Gamo Gofa Zone, Southern Ethiopia
January 2018
This study aims to analyze effects of adoption of motorized water pump on household farm income of smallholder farmers in Mirab Abaya and Arba Minch Zuria Woreda. The total sample size (n=196) was purposively selected from two Woredas and five Kebeles. Descriptive analysis, inferential analysis and Heckman two-stage mode were employed for data analysis. The ordinary least squares (OLS) model result revealed that among...
Technical efficiency of irrigated rice seed farmers in Koussin-Lélé, Benin Republic
January 2018
Seed is one of the key inputs for rice production. The quantity of rice seeds produced is largely below the demand expressed by rice producers in Benin. In recent years, several projects have been implemented to promote this activity. A one stage stochastic frontier production which incorporates a model for the technical inefficiency effects was applied on a whole population of 141 farmers identified in the irrigated...
Why does food insecurity persist in Ethiopia? Trends, challenges and prospects of food security in Ethiopia
December 2017
This paper seeks an answer to why does food insecurity persists in Ethiopia with extensive review of literature? Nearly, one billion people globally are food insecure and food security challenges are widespread in the developing countries. Ethiopia has been renowned as a country of famine and food insecurity. During the period between 1958 and 1977 over 25 million people were affected, from 1974 to 1991, it was wracked...
Determinants of the adoption of improved white haricot beans in East Shewa Zone, South-Eastern Ethiopia
December 2017
White haricot bean is a major source of food (protein) and income for the rural households of Ethiopia. Nationally, it is among the major pulse crops used for export. Despite its contribution, adoption of white haricot beans variety is very low. With this backdrop, this study analyzed the determinants of the decision to adopt and intensify the adoption of white haricot beans. A sample of 394 farm households were...
Who engages in urban and peri-urban agriculture in the condensed urban slums of Bangladesh?
December 2017
Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) have been considered solutions for improving poor living conditions in undeveloped urban and peri-urban areas of developing countries. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the factors affecting UPA decision-making, with special attention to land constraints among poor urban slum dwellers in Bangladesh. A logit regression model was applied using secondary individual household data...
Dynamics and determinants of rural-urban migration in Southern Ethiopia
December 2017
This study examined the central characteristics of migrants and determinants of rural-urban migration in Southern Ethiopia based on snow ball sampling and a survey of 665 sample migrants using descriptive and econometric analysis. The results of this study showed that 76.2% of the migrants left their home at age ranges between 15 and 25 years. Similarly, it was found that 48% of the migrants were attending junior...
Determinants of potato seed market supply through producer cooperatives in Haraghe, Ethiopia
November 2017
Seed producer cooperatives were initiated by the Integrated Seed Sector Development Program in five regions of Ethiopia including Oromia region since 2009 as an alternative mechanism to narrow the gap between seed supply and demand in the country. Seed marketing is one of the key activities of the program to satisfy the demand of farmers by providing quality seeds in the right place, at the right time and with the right...
An analysis of multidimensional poverty and its determinants in rural Nigeria
November 2017
Human beings live to get happiness, livelihood, peace, security, safety, dignity and respect among others. Deprivation of any of these could be frustrating. Thus, attempts were made to determine multidimensional poverty index (MPI) of rural households and its decomposition by geo-political zones in Nigeria using the Alkire-Foster MPI approach. The result showed that the headcount poverty ratio H was 78.1% when K = 30 as...
Adoption of the new highly efficient cooking stoves by urban households in Zanzibar, Tanzania
November 2017
The study was aimed at ascertaining the adoption of New Highly Efficient Cooking Stoves (NHECS) imported from China by Zanzibar’s urban households for reducing cooking costs, health impacts and environmental degradation. Both primary and secondary data were used. Primary data were collected using structured questionnaires, key informant interviews and field observation, and secondary data were collected from...
Sustainability assessment of cattle herding in the North West Region of Cameroon, Central Africa
October 2017
Cattle herding in the North West Region of Cameroon is not sustainable in its present form. Although the role played by the cattle herding enterprise in the region is fundamental to the livelihood of cattle herders, consumers, the region, and others who depend on its products and services for survival; its sustainability unfortunately is not guaranteed due to several challenges. The repercussions of a breakdown of the...
Profit efficiency analysis among groundnut farmers from Malawi
October 2017
This study analyzes the profit efficiency and its determinants in groundnut production, applying a stochastic profit frontier model on survey data collected from 400 groundnut growing households in Malawi. The result indicated that the inefficiencies in groundnut production hindered profitability in the sector. The profit efficiency ranged from 1% to 89% (with a mean of 45%). Significant association was observed between...
Commodity prices, exchange rate and economic growth in West Africa: Case study of Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana
September 2017
Some West African countries have extensive access to natural resources and rely heavily on revenues from the export of these primary commodities. The heavy dependence of Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire on revenues from the exportation of cocoa raises the possibility that these economies are vulnerable to external commodity price fluctuations. This paper seeks to examine the relationship between cocoa prices, exchange rate...
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