May 2015
Assessment of an outsourced agricultural extension service in the Mutasa district of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe has a pluralistic agricultural extension system. In addition to the public extension service, donors contract private service providers to deliver extension services in specific project areas. This study assesses the impact of an outsourced extension service on rural households in the Mutasa district of Zimbabwe’s Manicaland Province, and examines the financial cost and benefit of this service. The...
May 2015
Extension programme participation and smallholder’s livelihood: Evidence from Awassa Zuria District, SNNPR, Ethiopia
In this paper the extension organization that promotes packages of technologies and practices was closely examined in line with its impact to mediate the use of household resources which determine the type of livelihood strategies perused at household level and their ultimate outcomes either in more secured or vulnerable livelihoods. For this study, a survey data were collected in 2006 from a randomly selected 65...
May 2015
Revisiting uncertainty and price forecast indicators in corn and wheat markets
The purpose of this paper is twofold: First, we look at the fundamentals of spot prices of corn and wheat and analyse several measures of dispersion, arguing that the use of the standard deviation of prices is more instructive for regulators and world food organisations than volatility, that is, standard deviation of returns. Second, we look at alternative predictors of corn and wheat spot prices and exhibit that the...
May 2015
Role of local innovation in mechanisation of maize shelling: Evidence from Igabi, Chikun and Kajuru Local Government Areas, Kaduna State Nigeria
The study assessed the benefits of a mechanical maize sheller made by a local artisan based on data from 90 farmers selected randomly and equally from Igabi, Chikun and Kajuru Local Government Areas of Kaduna State, Nigeria. Results of the study showed that 76.7% of the respondents adopted the maize sheller made by the local artisan as compared to 23.3% still engaged in hand-shelling of maize. Regarding...
May 2015
Potential check-off benefits to farmers in the presence of wind-borne diseases
In the event of wind-borne disease outbreaks, farmers have traditionally purchased insurance plans that issue indemnity payments upon infection. This paper highlights a possible alternative to standard programs by assessing potential benefits to infected area farmers through a check-off program. A simulation is conducted assuming three outbreak scenarios using Asian soybean rust (ASR) as a case and data collected by a...
Advertisement
Advertisement
