Determinants of live animals and animal products trade within the ECOWAS sub-region: A gravity model approach
March 2014
The scope and direction of international agricultural trade among nations depend on a number of factors. This study, thus, sought to identify and evaluate the determinants of trade in live animals and animal products among member countries in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sub-region. Panel data on values of bilateral merchandise imports of agricultural commodities (HS Codes 1-24) at 2-digits...
Determinants of soybean market participation by smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe
February 2014
This article examines the determinants of soybean market participation by smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe, with a view to identifying key policy entry points for increasing farmer incomes. Market linkages have been identified as key to the successful integration of grain legumes into the smallholder farming systems of southern Africa. Data for this article is derived from a baseline household survey in Guruve district...
Synergies between urban agriculture and urban household food security in Gweru City, Zimbabwe
February 2014
It is estimated that 25% of Zimbabwe’s population lives in urban areas (CSO, 2002), 70% below the poverty line, and a million in the city of Gweru. The worsening macroeconomic situation in 2008 resulted in urban food insecurity. Households adopted different survival strategies, including the intensification of urban agriculture. In an effort to assess the extent to which urban household food insecurity is...
Awareness and adoption of improved cassava varieties and processing technologies in Nigeria
February 2014
Development of high yielding and disease resistant cassava varieties, coupled with the promotion of efficient processing technologies, was the principal intervention aimed at changing the cassava sub-sector in Nigeria. National research and extension programs in Nigeria and IITA have been spearheading efforts to disseminate these varieties alongside improving farmer’s access to processing machineries. Several...
Export horticulture and household welfare: Evidence from Zambia
February 2014
Evidence is very scanty in Africa on the welfare effects of the recent shift of the horticulture industry from involving poor households through outgrower arrangements towards employing them in consolidated production entities. This study determines the impact of large-scale export vegetable production on the welfare of the employees in Zambia. It uses data from a survey of a random sample of farm worker households and...
Econometric analysis of factors affecting competitive advantage of broiler agribusinesses in Ghana
February 2014
This paper econometrically analyzed the factors affecting competitive advantage of broiler agribusinesses in Ghana, using multiple regression analysis. Through a multi-stage random sampling technique, structured questionnaire was used to collect farm level data from 441 small-scale commercial broiler agribusinesses in the Greater Accra, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions of Ghana. The average variable cost of producing a...
Econometric analysis of the changes in food consumption expenditure patterns in Egypt
January 2014
This paper analyses the changes in food expenditure patterns over time in Egypt with special emphasis on the differences between urban and rural sectors. Engel curves for food groups are estimated by using double-log function type. The method used for estimating regression equations is the Weighted Least Squares (WLS). Data used in the study are obtained from the Household, Income, Expenditure, and Consumption Survey...
The role of small scale irrigation in poverty reduction
January 2014
Poverty is of multidimensional characteristics affecting nearly a billion world population. Especially, a third of sub Saharans fall under poverty. The emergence of climate change coupled with the incidence of drought, are worsening the situation. The only option to escape this challenge is through the development of water resource projects. In attempting to do so, Ethiopia has yet developed not more than 5% of the...
Tenure security and soil conservation investment decisions: Empirical evidence from East Gojam, Ethiopia
January 2014
The purpose of this study is to investigate the mutual relation between tenure security and soil conservation investment and to examine the influence of other socio-economic and institutional factors on soil conservation investment and tenure insecurity. A formal survey is conducted in two districts of East Gojam Zone of Amhara region. The Zone and the districts are selected because of their long time experience with...
Consumer demand system of agri-food in Tanzania
January 2014
This paper focused on consumer demand system of agri-food in Tanzania. The study investigated on the budget share of agri-food, estimated own price and income elasticities of demand of agri-food consumed by the households in Tanzanian context. The Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) was employed to estimate the consumer demand system of agri-food. The empirical results revealed that households’ food budget share was...
Optimal control theory and fishery model
December 2013
Adequate numbers of relations have been provided to find the three unknowns following three equations: the state equation, the adjoint equation and maximum principle equation. If rigor is sacrificed, then a partial solution is quickly obtained by using the concept of calculus of variation. Our appealing and intuitive harvesting policy would be that, refrain from harvesting along the singular path, because zero harvest...
Livelihood diversification and welfare of rural households in Ondo State, Nigeria
December 2013
Agriculture, the main source of livelihood in Nigeria, especially in the rural areas, is plagued with various problems. As a result, most of the rural households are poor and are beginning to diversify their livelihoods into off and non-farm activities as a relevant source of income. This study examined the effect of livelihood diversification on the welfare of rural households in Ondo State. Primary data used in the...
Measuring the effect of climate change on agriculture: A literature review of analytical models
December 2013
This article provides a short overview of the principal models that can be used to estimate the effects of climate change on agriculture. The models are classified in relation to the following criteria: the specific impacts they aim to assess, their ability to measure production and/or economic losses, and the adoption of social indicators of the effects and responses. The weaknesses and strengths of the models are also...
Financial constraints and entrepreneurial activity choice among clients of micro finance institutions in Jimma area
December 2013
The research is intended to assess the small holder entrepreneurs’ enterprise choices under financial constraint. Adapting economic model of household-production interactions, results from a survey of 140 smallholders was used on multinomial logit regression techniques. The paper makes the case that the access to finance has limited effect on the choice of entrepreneurial activity than individual differences did....
Oil pollution and technical efficiency of food crop farmers in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria
December 2013
A study was carried out to investigate into factors responsible for technical inefficiency of food crop farmers in the oil polluted and non-polluted areas of Niger Delta. Data were collected from 270 (140 for oil polluted and 130 in unpolluted area) farmers selected through a multistage random sampling technique. A stochastic frontier function that incorporated inefficiency effect was estimated using the Maximum...
Understanding the performance of food production in sub-Saharan Africa and its implications for food security
November 2013
The performance of the food production sector in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is critical for a number of reasons. Domestic production is the principal avenue to ensuring access to affordable food in poor countries with limited capacity to import food. The multiplier effect of sustainable food production on the economy is considerable as it has direct linkage with other activities such as transportation, marketing, tourism...
Eradicating extreme poverty among the rural poor in Uganda through poultry and cattle improvement programmes - A Review
November 2013
Uganda is still struggling with chronic poverty and malnutrition especially among women and children despite the targeted efforts towards eradicating poverty by transforming subsistence agriculture to intensive or commercial agriculture that have been in place for the last 13 years. The aim of this paper was therefore to analyze the Republic of Uganda’s current strategy on eradication of extreme hunger and...
Econometric analysis of suitability and marginal value productivity of farmlands for cassava production in Imo State, Nigeria
November 2013
Indiscriminate allocation of farm farmlands beyond efficient level affect farmers return, hence suitability and standard value of lands for cassava production for optimal use were investigated. Data were obtained using a multi-stage sampling technique, from a sample of 203 cassava farmers in the state and were analysed using descriptive statistics, land productivity ratio and econonometric tools. Most farmers are female...
Economic impacts of cassava research and extension in Malawi and Zambia
November 2013
This paper estimates the economic impacts of cassava research and extension in Malawi and Zambia over the period 1990-2008. The data come from sample household surveys, planting material production records, and a series of cassava improvement experiments conducted in the two countries. Past investments in cassava improvement have led to the development and release of a good number of high-yielding and cassava mosaic...
Economic assessment of yam production in Kabba- Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria
November 2013
This study examined the economic assessment of yam production in Kabba- Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria. Data used for the study were obtained using structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered to 150 randomly selected yam farmers in the area. Descriptive statistics, multiple regression and gross margin (GM) analysis were used to analyze the data. The regression result showed that, farm...
Effects of property rights on agricultural production: The Nigerian experience
October 2013
The study was conducted to examine the effects of property rights and other factors on the outputs of maize, yam and cassava in three zones of Osun State in Nigeria. This study employed a multi-stage sampling technique to select 105 farmers involving growers of maize, yam and cassava in the study area. Data were analyzed with the aid of descriptive statistics, budgetary techniques and a multiple linear...
Determinants of productivity in Africa: The role of economic freedom
October 2013
This paper examines the determinants of multifactor productivity in a cross-country study of 33 African countries. Among others, we specifically focus on the role of economic freedom, and its sub-components, as defined by the Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal Economic Freedom Index (EFI). The empirical results show that the economic freedom index (and most of its components) has a positive and...
Assessment of effect of climate change on the livelihood of pastoralists in Kwara State, Nigeria
October 2013
The study examined socio-economic characteristics of pastoralists, investigated perceived effects of climate change on grazing land, herd’s performance and changes in livelihood of the pastoralists. Through a multi-stage sampling technique, 140 pastoralists were randomly selected. Data were collected using interview scheduled and analyzed by percentages, frequency, tables and Chi square statistical tools. The...
Innovative development of agrifood system in Sverdlovskaya oblast of Russia
October 2013
The study examines whether the goal of food security for the population of Sverdlovskaya oblast, one of the mostly industrial northern region in Russia, aiming agricultural productivity improvement and rural poverty reduction, could be achieved by the regional authorities within post-soviet type of agricultural policy. Results show that, the current trends of agricultural production and rural social...
Extent and adoption determinants of floating tray technology by small holder tobacco farmers: A case of Zimbabwe
October 2013
The study was on the extent and adoption determinants of floating tray technology by small holder tobacco farmers in Bindura District of Mashonaland province. The objectives of the study were to determine the extent of adoption, identify adoption determinants that influence farmer’s decision to take up floating trays. The study aimed also to identify challenges and opportunities of the floating trays....
Transaction costs and smallholder household access to maize markets in Zambia
September 2013
After liberalization of the Zambian economy, farmers were faced with the responsibility of finding the right buyers, negotiating prices and delivering produce leading to them incurring transaction costs. This study aimed at identifying and quantifying transaction costs factors and their impact on maize market participation for small holder farmers in Zambia. The study used primary data collected from a sample...
Food crop supply in sub-Saharan Africa and climate change
September 2013
This study estimates the impact of climate change on supply for the four most common crops (millet, maize, sorghum and cassava) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The analysis relates crop supply, measured as cropped area, to weather, climate and prices. Crop supply functions are estimated using an error correction model (ECM) built on panel data. Crop supply through 2100 is predicted by combining estimates from...
Factors determining red meat trade to the Asian and African markets: Its implication to the Namibian red meat industry
September 2013
The primary objective of this study is to identify alternative export markets for Namibian meat and meat products. This study applied the Extended Gravity Model to a cross-sectional dataset of global trade for fresh beef and frozen beef, as well as sheep and goat meat, based on 2009 trade data to identify key determinants of the above-mentioned products trade flows in a regional perspective. The variables...
Adoption of New Rice for Africa (NERICA) technology in Ogun State, Nigeria
September 2013
This study was carried out with the aim to find out the level and socio-economic determinants of the adoption of New Rice for Africa (NERICA) using Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State in Nigeria as a case study. One hundred and sixteen rice farmers were randomly selected in this area, twenty eight of which adopted NERICA rice varieties within 2009/2010 cropping season. Information was gathered through...
Participation in land market and technical efficiency in Southern Ethiopia: A case study after 2005 land proclamation of Ethiopia
September 2013
Agriculture is the mainstay of the Ethiopian economy contributing 45% to GDP and 80% to employment opportunity. Majority of the farmers in Ethiopia are smallholder farmers possessing less than a hectare of land. Land transfer mechanism in Ethiopia is limited to temporal land rental market and lease. Land sale and long term lease by farmers is outlawed by proclamation. The present study examines the technical...
Viability of tobacco production under smallholder farming sector in Mount Darwin District, Zimbabwe
August 2013
Smallholder commercial agriculture in developing countries is hinged on cash crop production and in Zimbabwe tobacco is increasingly becoming an important smallholder cash crop. This study therefore, analyzed the viability of tobacco production by smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe. Cross sectional survey data was collected for the 2010 and 2011 production season from 60 smallholder households in the Mount...
The implications of refuge requirements for Bt cotton in India on world cotton markets
August 2013
The study evaluated the potential impacts of refuge requirements for Bt cotton in India on world cotton markets. The objective was accomplished by estimating regional cotton yield functions in the Indian fiber model, and connecting it with rest of the world fiber model. Results revealed that the refuge requirements have potential to impact world cotton markets; magnitudes of impacts are smaller, however. The...
Determinants of smallholder sweet potato farmers’ participation in different market options: The case of Vihiga County, Kenya
August 2013
Market participation has a potential to increase farmers’ rural incomes and employment opportunities especially if farmers concentrate on production and marketing of local crops requiring low inputs such as sweet potatoes. The purpose of this research was to investigate the factors that determine farmers’ shift in market participation from village to regional market in Vihiga County....
Econometric estimation of herd stocking decisions in South Ethiopia
August 2013
This paper aims to share knowledge and the theoretical basis for understanding herd dynamics in pastoral communities of Hadiya, Southern Ethiopia, with the intention that it may improve effectiveness of development interventions. The study is based on data collected from two districts considering 160 pastoral households. Focus group and key informant discussions were also made to generate data to supplement...
Risk of failure to meet regional and national goals relevant to agricultural development and poverty reduction in South Africa
July 2013
This study examined whether the Eastern Cape province’s district municipalities are on course to achieve local and regional goals of improving agricultural production and reducing poverty. Results show significant strides towards locally set targets and high uncertainty in meeting the regional targets. Out of seven district municipalities, five municipalities are still about 5% points below the...
Effects of planting depth on agronomic performance of two potato varieties grown in the Sahel region of Tunisia
July 2013
Possibilities to enhance potato productivity in the Sahel region of Tunisia have been the domain of active investigation during the last several years. Many field experiments were carried out on the potential of using different plating depths to grow profitable potato crops. In the research station of the higher institute of agronomy of Chott-Mariem in the Sahel region of Tunisia, two varieties of...
Cointegration inferences on issues of poverty and population growth in Nigeria
July 2013
Nigeria is the most populated black nation in the world, with enormous wealth from crude petroleum however, the country has been facing numerous socio-economic challenges including poverty. This paper discusses issues of poverty and population growth in Nigeria. The Augmented Dickey-Fuller tests as well as the Engle Granger and Johansen’s cointegration tests were used to test for cointegration and...
Grain quality and determinants of farmers’ preference for rice varietal traits in three districts of Ghana: Implications for research and policy
July 2013
Rice has become a popular staple in Africa because it is a convenience food for the rapidly increasing urban population. In Ghana about 70% of the rice consumed is imported. Domestic rice is not competitive because of its perceived poor grain quality. This study assessed the influence of grain quality and other factors on farmers’ preference for improved rice varieties. It also investigated how specific...
Economic analysis of selected food crops in Ile-Ife of Osun State, Nigeria
June 2013
Studies showed that young farmers are not attracted to the production of food crops which is central to the reduction of poverty and food security among poverty ridden populace of Osun State. This study analyzes the economic factors responsible for productivity of selected food crops in Osun State. Factors influencing the level of production as well as problems militating against the production of the selected food...
Regional differences of technology modernization in agriculture of Pará State
June 2013
The objective of this study is to identify, through the application of factor analysis and cluster analysis, the spatial organization of the micro hydrographic regions (MRHs) of the State of Pará, as a result of the technology level used in agriculture, the volume of investments, financed credit and by the incorporation of modern means of production. To meet the objectives of the study, information...
The performance of potato markets in South Western Uganda
June 2013
Market-oriented farmers play a significant role in the rural agricultural sector in Uganda. However, these trader-farmers are often disadvantaged by limited access to information, services, appropriate technology and capital. These factors restrict their capacity to effectively participate in the marketing of their produce. In many instances farmers, including those in the potato innovation platforms (IPs) of...
Socioeconomic analysis of beekeeping in Swaziland: A case study of the Manzini Region, Swaziland
June 2013
Swaziland has substantial potential in beekeeping with her rich flora, proper ecological conditions and existence of colonies. However, the Swaziland beekeeping sector has not yet efficiently utilized the rich natural resources. The apiculture sector in Swaziland is still faced with challenges in respect to marketing and importation as a result of the quality of honey and competition from South African honey....
Analysis of economic capacity utilization in the Nigerian sugar industry (1970 - 2010)
June 2013
The study analyzed economic capacity utilization rates in the sugar industry for the period 1970 to 2010 in Nigeria. Secondary data obtained from sugar firms; Central Bank of Nigeria; National Bureau of Statistics and the Federal Ministry of Finance were used in the study. Stochastic Cobb-Douglas cost functions for the sugar industry were estimated from which indices of economic capacity utilization rates...
On-farm evaluation of maize varieties in the transitional and savannah zones of Ghana: Determinants of farmer preferences
June 2013
Maize is one of the most important food crops in Ghana even though its production has not reached self sufficiency levels. Drought and striga infestation are among the most important production constraints of maize in Ghana. Promising high yielding, drought and striga tolerant maize varieties are being evaluated by CSIR and IITA in participatory on-farm trials and demonstrations. These varieties however need...
The dilemma of biodiversity and specialization in agricultural development
May 2013
The impact and usefulness of specialization and diversification strategies of agricultural research in developing countries is reviewed. The specialization strategy is based on principles of optimization on resources allocation in the spatial context, and it typically prevails over diversification strategy that considers inter-temporal resources allocation. However, diversification strategies offer...
Measuring diet quantity and quality dimensions of food security in rural Ethiopia
May 2013
Food insecurity is an overriding problem of most developing countries like Ethiopia, which requires empirical evidence pertinent to food security policy formulation and implementation. This paper investigates food security situation of households by surveying 260 farm households randomly and proportionately sampled from the major farming systems in Ethiopia. Households’ daily calorie availability and...
Determinants of access to agricultural credit among crop farmers in a farming community of Nasarawa State, Nigeria
May 2013
Farmers’ limited access to agricultural credit facilities is one of the major factors responsible for the declining agricultural productivity in Nigeria. Hence, this study aims to identify determinants of access to agricultural credit among smallholder farmers in Doma Local Government Area (LGA) of Nasarawa State, Nigeria. The data were obtained from 125 farmers by administered structured questionnaire...
Estimating technical efficiency of small scale beef cattle fattening in the lake zone in Tanzania
May 2013
This study examines the technical efficiency of small-scale beef cattle fattening in eight districts of Mwanza and Shinyanga regions, the lake zone in Tanzania. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire which was administered to 90 randomly selected cattle fatteners from the eight districts. Data were analyzed using descriptive methods and stochastic frontier production function approach. The...
Effects of international fund for agricultural development (IFAD) credit supply on rural farmers in Rivers State, Nigeria
May 2013
This study evaluated the effect of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) credit supply on rural farmers in Rivers state. Data for the study were collected using a structured questionnaire administered to 90 farmer’s beneficiaries using a multi-stage sampling technique. The regression result shows that semi-log function gave the best fit with the highest value of coefficient of multiple...
Role of Fadama III in improving the income of Fadama User Groups (FUGs) through agro-processing and market accessibility in Adamawa State, Nigeria
April 2013
This study was conducted to evaluate the income status of Fadama III beneficiaries in Adamawa State, Nigeria, with the ultimate aim of determining the effects of the project on Fadama User Groups (FUGs) in the month of June, 2011. A total of six (6) Local Government Areas (Fufore, Girei, Demsa, Mayobelwa, Maiha and Madagali) believed to have established FUGs with functional agro-processing enterprises were...
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