Abstract In 1962, the Government of Eastern Region of Nigeria acquired two parcels of land measuring about 500 hectares each at Omasi and Adani at the Uzo-Uwani area of Enugu Province of Eastern Nigeria. The parcels of land were ear-marked for the establislln~ent of the former Um-Uwani Farm Settle~nerit Scheme. Progress in the establislinient of the scheme was interrupted by the Nigerian civil war as only two firm sctcleme:lt villages ou~ of the five proposed had been set up. After the ci...
ABSTRACT The study analysed the effects of off-farm work on technical efficiency and production risks among rice farmers in Enugu State, Nigeria. Ninety respondents were selected using the multistage sampling technique. Data for the study were collected by the use of well-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and a stochastic production frontier model were used to analyse the data. Results showed that the two groups of rice farmers had similar socioeconomic characteristics. Te...
ABSTRACT The study was carried out in Caprivi region situated in the North East of Namibia. The region was divided into three predominant vegetation types with substantial grazing potential. Nine (9) sites (three in each vegetation type) were randomly selected for data collection. The objective of the study was to estimate and compare the biomass production of the rangelands of the three vegetation types in the Caprivi. At each site 200m X 100m transect was laid down for collecting herbaceou...
ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to characterize phenotypically, indigenous Ghanaian rabbit resources of northern Ghana. When characterization of the indigenous rabbits is complete, selection and breeding for specific objectives can be systematic. Three hundred local rabbits from the three northern regions of Ghana were randomly sampled. Frequencies for colour varieties were computed. The effects of variety, region and sex on body measurements were analyzed and phenotypic correlations be...
ABSTRACT The study examines the African Growth and Opportunity Act and African underdevelopment, a critical analysis of major contradictions. The thrust of the research work is to find out if AGOA has spurred the level of investment needed to expand economic activity in the rural agricultural sector. The research work also seeks to examine if AGOA has promoted export diversification with particular reference to the clothing and textile industry and the degree the US trade with SSA countries ...
ABSTRACT The broad objective of the study was to analyse Raphia palm wine (RPW) marketing in South-South Nigeria (SSN). The specific objectives were to: (i) analyse the productivity of resources used in RPW production; (ii) analyse the determinants of technical efficiency of tappers; ( iii) analyse the structure of the RPW market in the area; (iv) describe the marketing channels and distribution of RPW; (v) estimate the level and determinants of profit in RPW tapping and marketing (vi) estim...
ABSTRACT Prices contain information crucial to maximizing the returns to production and marketing investments. At planting time, a farmer's planting decision depends on expected profits, which invariably hinge on the anticipated prices of the crop or mix of crops that would prevail in the market at the time of sale and on the farmer's interpretation of those prices. A trader, in search of profitable arbitrage, reads and translates price signals in deciding on what crops to buy, where to bu...
ABSTRACT Cocoyam is highly perishable and considerable economic losses occur after it is harvested. This is a result of rot, sprouting and other physiological changes. These losses could be reduced through efficient storage, processing and marketing. This study is about the economic study of cocoyam marketing in southeast Nigeria. It specifically ranked market participants preference for cocoyam cultivars and the reasons for such preferences. It showed the main marketing channels and socio-e...
ABSTRACT This study tries to find out why the Ghanaian Poultry Industry is unable to produce enough poultry chicken to meet the local market demand which has led to the large importation of frozen chicken for the period 1988-1999. It determines how responsiveness major poultry inputs such as vaccines, feed, labor and institutional credit are to price change and the economies of scale of layer production in the poultry industry. The study therefore estimates parameters of the input variables f...
ABSTRACT Drought stress and striga parasitism are major constraints to maize (Zea mays L.) production in Northern Ghana. Two experiments were conducted to screen some genotypes of maize for tolerance to drought and Striga hermonthica at Nyankpala in the Guinea Savanna agro ecological zone of Ghana. In Experiment 1, seeds were planted in pots of 0.01 m3 volume arranged in rows on a platform in a screen house at Nyankpala. Genotypes were replicated three times in a completely randomized desig...
ABSTRACT In recent years the contribution of rice production from northern Ghana to national production has declined, thereby raising concerns of productivity. This study is carried out to examine agricultural technology adoption and market participation among smallholder rice farmers in northern Ghana. A sample size of 429 rice farming households from the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions was used for the study. Multivariate probit model was used to estimate adoption of improved r...
ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of value chain interventions on empowerment of shea actors in the Sagnarigu and Kumbungu Districts of Northern region. The study was conducted in the Sagnarigu and Kumbungu Districts of the Northern Region of Ghana. Close and open-ended questionnaires and personal interviews were all used in collecting data from 200 shea actors (shea nut pickers, shea butter processors and shea butter marketers) sampled for this study. The re...
ABSTRACT Field and laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the effect of different compost formulations on yield, nutrient status, and possible heavy metal toxicity in roselle (Hibiscus sabdarrifa L.) and jute mallow (Corchorus olitorius L.). The vegetable crops were cultivated on an upland field (Latitude 09o 25ꞌꞌ N, Longitude 00o 58 ꞌꞌ W) with an Altitude of 183 m above sea level consisting of the Kpalsawgu soil series, located at Changnaayili in the Northern Region of Gh...
ABSTRACT Over the last decade, improved soybean production technologies have been tested and promoted among farmers using different technology transfer mechanisms. Whether the various agricultural technology transfer mechanisms are effective, and whether they have any effect on adoption of soybean production technologies and soybean yields remain unanswered. This study therefore focused on the effectiveness of agricultural technology transfer mechanisms (ATTMs) on adoption and soybean yield...
ABSTRACT In recent times, rice production can be said to be receiving some attention in Ghana. This notwithstanding, there are still wide variations in rice yield across regions due to differences in production systems and technologies. This study analyses rice productivity heterogeneity among agro-ecological zones and draws policy implications for the adoption of farmer innovation systems (FISs) and improved agricultural technologies (IATs) to enhance yield in Ghana. The study used primary...