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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
Assessment of farmers’ perceptions and the economic impact of climate change in Namibia: Case study on small-scale irrigation farmers (SSIFs) of Ndonga Linena irrigation project
November 2014
This paper examines perceptions of small-scale irrigation farmers (SSIFs) with regard to climate change and their adaptation strategies in terms of its effects. The Multinomial Logit (MNL) and the Trade-Off Analysis models were applied. Farm-level data was collected from the entire population of 30 SSIFs at the Ndonga Linena Irrigation Project in February 2014. Results from the MNL reveal that the gender, age and...
Profit efficiency of dairy farmers in Kenya: An application to smallholder farmers in Rift Valley and Central Province
November 2014
The dairy industry in Kenya is an important source of livelihood among the smallholder farmers who supply over 70% of the total milk. However, there is a growing concern on rising costs of milk production among farmers. The study assessed profit efficiency of smallholder dairying in the Rift Valley and Central Provinces of Kenya using stochastic frontier analysis for estimating farm level profit efficiency and...
Comparative economic analysis of tomato (Lycopersicon esculenta) under irrigation and rainfed systems in selected local government areas of Kogi and Benue States, Nigeria
November 2014
The study compared the economic performance of tomato (Lycopersicon esculenta) under irrigation and rain fed systems in Bassa and Makurdi Local Government Areas of Kogi and Benue States of Nigeria, with the aim of assessing the determinants of its profitability. Primary data obtained from a sample of 120 farmers by stratified and multi-staged random sampling from four villages were analyzed using percentages, means,...
Estimating the effects of formal and informal credit on farm household welfare: A hierarchical competitive welfare model approach
October 2014
This paper uses the hierarchical competitive welfare model approach to estimate the effects of credit from formal and informal sources on welfare development of farm households in Ghana. Data used for the econometric analyses came from the Ghana Living Standards Survey Round 5 dataset. The results showed that when a farm household is given GHC100 as formal credit, its welfare expenditure would increase by about GHC6. On...
Farmers’ perception on excreta reuse for peri-urban agriculture in southern Ghana
October 2014
Ghana lags behind the Millennium Development Goals’ target for sanitation, despite widespread effort by the central government. Most households in peri-urban communities in Ghana lack improved sanitation facilities, and access to faecal sludge disposal sites is also problematic. This study investigates farmers’ attitude and perception toward excreta reuse for peri-urban agriculture in Shai-Osudoku district,...
Economic and technical efficiency of cassava production in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria
October 2014
Cassava production seems to be economically viable but there seems to exist no empirical documented evidence to this effect in Ika North East L.G.A of Delta State, Nigeria. In view of this, the study analyzed the economic and technical efficiency of cassava production in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State. A multistage random sampling was used to select a total of 120 respondents used for the study....
Determinants of farmers’ adoption decisions for improved pearl millet variety in Sahel savanna zone of northern Nigeria
October 2014
Millet is a staple food mainly from local varieties, throughout the Sahel and in parts of the Sudan Savanna. Improved millet varieties are higher yielding and of better quality than the local varieties. This study was carried out after the Yobe State Agricultural Development Program had carried out series of extension services to assess the determinants of adoption of the improved varieties. Multistage systematic and...
Assessing the extent and determinants of adoption of improved cassava varieties in south-western Nigeria
September 2014
This paper investigates the determinants of adoption of improved cassava varieties in south- western Nigeria. The data come from a farm household survey of 841 households selected using a three-stage stratified random sampling procedure. The data collection was conducted in 2011 by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Nigeria. Empirical estimates of a Double-Hurdle model revealed that...
An economic viability assessment of sisal production and processing in Limpopo: A stochastic budgeting analysis
September 2014
Creating sustainable jobs in the agricultural sector is an important aspect of rural development. Agriculture is often viewed as a sine qua non for rural development, because it provides the necessary economic stimulus for rural households to participate in productive economic activities. Yet, identifying viable agricultural projects that have the potential to create jobs in rural areas has continued to overwhelm...
Adoption of drought-tolerant rice in Thailand: Participatory varietal selection and implications for breeding programs
September 2014
Rice production in Northeast Thailand has been suffering because of drought and limited irrigation. In this area, glutinous rice is generally produced for household consumption. The new drought-tolerant glutinous rice, RD12, developed to target drought-prone area in Northeast Thailand, was approved by the Rice Department in 2007. The breeding of this new variety has incorporated farmers’ participation to...
Financial profitability and technical efficiency of horticultural crops in the Nakanbé River Watershed in Burkina Faso
September 2014
In the watershed of the Nakanbé River in Burkina Faso, horticultural crops are financially profitable with high gross incomes, cost/revenue ratios and attractive hourly returns to labor. Based on a 6-h work day, profitability indicators of horticultural crops show that farmers are better-off compared to the ‘less than one dollar’ situation of people in Burkina Faso; horticultural crop production could...
Determinants of postharvest losses in tomato production in the Offinso North district of Ghana
August 2014
The aim of this study was to examine the determinants of postharvest losses in tomato production in the Offinso North district of Ghana. A standardized structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 150 farmers who were selected through a combination of purposive and simple random sampling techniques. We used descriptive statistics to summarize the characteristics of the respondents. Multiple regression analysis...
Willingness to pay for irrigation water and its determinants among rice farmers at Doho Rice Irrigation Scheme (DRIS) in Uganda
August 2014
The government of Uganda is currently rehabilitating its irrigation schemes. The largest of these is Doho Rice Irrigation Scheme (DRIS), where farmers will after rehabilitation bear the costs of its maintenance through payment of user fees. This study analyzes farmer’s willingness to pay (WTP) user fees and its determinants, using data gathered from 200 rice farmers at DRIS in 2012. The contingent valuation (CV)...
Women’s workload and their role in agricultural production in Ambo district, Ethiopia
August 2014
The Government of Ethiopia is working towards mainstreaming gender in all sector programmes, including agriculture. Women, despite having key role in advancing agricultural development and food security, their contribution is undervalued and they have been neglected in the making of agricultural policies. With the aim of tackling gender issues in agricultural production this study estimated total hours spent in farm...
Impact of macroeconomic policies on poverty alleviation in Sub-Saharan African countries
August 2014
The objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between macroeconomic variables and poverty alleviation in Sub-Saharan Africa, by applying descriptive illustration and weighted least square (WLS) regression econometric analysis using the multidimensional poverty index (MPI) taken from the oxford poverty and human development initiative (OPHI) as dependent variable. Furthermore, principal component analysis...
The role of ICTs in agricultural production in Africa
July 2014
Over the past two decades Africa has experienced the fastest growth in the global telecommunications market, especially due to the tremendous growth of the mobile telecommunications sector. Studies have shown that ICTs play a significant role in a country’s development, and the strategic application of ICTs to the agricultural sector, which is the largest economic sector in most African countries, offers the best...
An economic analysis of crude oil pollution effects on crop farms in Rivers State, Nigeria
July 2014
This study researched on crude oil pollution effects on crop farms in Rivers State, Nigeria using stochastic translog production function. Data were collected in the state, using multi-stage sampling technique. A total of 296 structured questionnaires retrieved from farmers in crude oil polluted and non-polluted areas of the state were used. Stochastic translog production interaction between land and heavy, medium and...
The role of the rural labor market in reducing poverty in Western Ethiopia
July 2014
This study examines the role of the rural labor market in reducing poverty and improving the well-being of smallholder farmers in rural Ethiopia. Propensity score matching technique is used to estimate the effect of labor market participation on poverty, consumption expenditure and income of smallholder farmers. The overall result indicates that the rural labor market contributes significantly to income growth,...
The livelihood effects of landless people through communal hillside conservation in Tigray Region, Ethiopia
July 2014
In the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, landless people contributed to the existing land degradation by exploiting the economic possibilities of natural resources from communal hillside areas. This has been practically observed in the area that the landless people have been depending on the available natural resources to supplement their means of living through sales of timber, fire-wood and charcoal. To address this...
Fertilizer adoption in Ethiopia cereal production
July 2014
This paper was the first to use nationally representative data from the Agricultural Sample Surveys of Ethiopia to examine the factors affecting the adoption of the fertilizer-seed technology “package” promoted by Ethiopia’s government. We used a double hurdle model to analyze fertilizer adoption among four major cereal crops (barley, maize,...
Improved rice variety adoption and its effects on farmers’ output in Ghana
June 2014
Sub-Sahara Africa and for that matter Ghana, missed out of the first Green revolution. However, with the instrumentality of the former United Nations Secretary, Kofi Annan, through the Alliance for Green revolution in Africa (AGRA) and other bodies, the revolution is being introduced in some parts of Africa, including Ghana. The extent to which the new revolution would work depends on a careful study of the...
Impact of the adoption of semi-mechanized technologies of shea processing on rural women’s income in Northern Benin (West Africa)
June 2014
In Benin, the shea sector is one of the most promoted sectors in government’s attempt to diversify sources of farm income. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of the adoption of the semi-mechanized shea processing on the income of rural women in northern Benin. In total, a random sample of 200 women processing shea was investigated. A probit model was firstly run to analyze the factors...
Options to reduce poverty among agro-pastoral households of Ethiopia: A case study from Aysaita district of Afar national regional state
June 2014
This paper discusses the dimension and intensity of poverty among the agro-pastoral households and development options based on survey data collected in 2011 from 180 randomly selected agro-pastoral households of Aysaita district. The study used the Foster, Greer and Thorbecke (FGT) index to examine the incidence of poverty, the poverty gap and severity of poverty. It also employed the Tobit regression model to analyse...
Assessment of technical efficiency and its determinants in beef cattle production in Kenya
June 2014
The stochastic metafrontier method is applied to estimate technical efficiency levels in beef cattle production in Kenya. Subsequently, a Tobit model is used to assess factors that might influence efficiency. Results show that the average efficiency level is 0.69, suggesting that there is considerable scope to improve beef production in Kenya. Considering the importance of the livestock enterprise to rural livelihoods...
Measurement of technical efficiency of smallholder fish production in Ghana: A stochastic frontier approach
May 2014
This paper examines the level and determinants of technical efficiency of smallholder fish production in seven of the ten regions of Ghana. We employ the single-stage stochastic frontier approach in this study. Regional location, feed, fingerlings and labour are found to influence technical efficiency positively and significantly. However, formal education, marital status, membership in fish farmer groups and contact...
The effects of land tenure practices on agricultural output in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria
May 2014
The study examined the agricultural land use of small holders in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. It provides both qualitative and quantitative information about the prevailing agricultural land use practices in the study area. Various aspects of the existing agricultural practices (such as land use types, mode of access to land, implements and labour characteristics...
Trend and determinants of multidimensional poverty in rural Nigeria
May 2014
Government continues to initiate programmes to address the challenge of poverty in Nigeria.This paper investigates the poverty levels over time using the multidimensional approach and estimates its determinants; using the National Living Standard Survey data of 2004 and 2010. The Alkire-Foster methodology and the Logit model were employed for analysis. The result showed that 70% of rural households are...
Analysis of determinants of farm-level adaptation measures to climate change in Southern Africa
May 2014
The study examines farmer adaptation strategies to climate change in Southern Africa based on a cross-section database of three countries (South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe). A multivariate discrete choice model was used to analyse the determinants of farm-level adaptation strategies. Results confirm that access to credit, free extension services, awareness of climate change are critical determinants of farm-level...
Understanding situational incompatibility of payment for the delivery of public extension services
April 2014
Persistent financial problems confront public extension organizations world-wide. Governments have embarked on funding arrangements, including commercializing the delivery of extension services to producers to ensure financial sustainability. These funding methods are innovative in the sense that they have not been used previously. They have to be accepted eventually by producers. The situational incompatibility aspects...
Factors influencing rural household food insecurity: The case of Babile district, East Hararghe Zone, Ethiopia
April 2014
The paper examines the status and factors affecting food insecurity of rural household in Babile Ethiopia. A two-stage random sampling procedure was used to select 150 sample households from four kebeles. Both primary and secondary methods of data collection were used. Descriptive statistics and binary logit model were used as methods of data analysis. Binary logit model identified five out of ten variables included in...
The geographical information system (GIS) use on development of genetically engineered plants: The world perspective and the USA enterprise (1997 to 2003)
April 2014
The world population will hit the nine billion mark by 2050. Environmentally sustainable agriculture developed in a way that safeguarded the Earth and still could feed all nations is needed. All things being considered, the fact remains that the entire species on Earth share a single interconnected ecosystem. Finding acceptable solutions for the environmental and natural resource management problems and at the same time...
Saving patterns of rural households in east hararghe zone of Oromia National Regional State, Ethiopia
April 2014
This study examined the patterns of rural household savings in East Hararghe zone of Oromia National Regional State in Ethiopia. The major objective of the study was to assess the patterns and its determinants of household savings in the study area. Data were collected from a total of 700 sample households which were also analyzed using descriptive statistics and multinomial logit model. The result of the study...
Gender and small-farmer commercialisation: The case of two farming communities in Ghana
April 2014
Different options of enhancing household financial status are explored by farmers in Ghana in order to cope with fast changing economic conditions. These include intensification of traditional crop production, diversification into new high value crops and off-farm activities. This paper examines small-farmer commercialisation (SFC) activities in the forest and transition zones of Ghana. Participatory appraisal methods...
Empirical investigation of the dynamic linkages between crude oil and maize prices: Dating the structural breaks
April 2014
The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the long- and short-run effects of crude oil prices on maize prices, taking into consideration the possible structural breaks in the relationship between them. Time-series analysis was used to estimate the dynamic linkages between variables under examination, while the Bai and Perron procedure was applied to endogenously identify the turning points. Data employed were...
Assessment of operational aspects of the input supply chain under national agriculture input voucher scheme (NAIVS) in Tanzania
March 2014
This study examines the operational aspects of the National Agriculture Input Voucher Scheme in Tanzania from 2009/2010 to 2010/2011 based on secondary and primary data. Primary data were collected from a random sample of 300 households in four regions namely: Rukwa, Mbeya, Morogoro and Shinyanga. Secondary data were collected from the Ministry of Agriculture Food Security and Cooperatives (MAFC), Agro dealers and Local...
Herd mobility, markets and informal insurance practices among herders in Ethiopia
March 2014
This paper examines portfolio of livelihood strategies that households employ in semi-arid and risky production environment. Results show that there are multiple choices available for pastoral and agropastoral herders to adapt to or cope with the changing conditions. These include herd mobility, relying on traditional early warning, informal asset transfer, livestock fattening (emergence of markets) and in some cases a...
Sheep market integration in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia
March 2014
This study examines the existence of the spatial market integration of the different pairs of sheep markets in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Using modern time series econometric technique, uncovered compelling pieces of evidence of strong steady state linkages of the various pair-wise combinations of the sampled CRV markets, with only an insignificant few segregated routes. The main conclusion of the study is...
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