ABSTRACT The study was aimed at investigating the effects of trade liberalisation on technical efficiency taking Zimbabwe cropping sector as a case study. The study was a time series analysis with 30 observations being reviewed from 1985 to 2015. The motive of the study was basically to investigate whether an association exists between trade liberalisation and technical efficiency. The main objectives of the study were to estimate the level of technical efficiency and to evacuate is a positiv...
ABSTRACT This study was an empirical analysis of the effects of membership homogeneity on the design and performance of formal agricultural micro-credit groups in Southeast, Nigeria. Specifically, the study examined the nature of the design characteristics (Credit allocation method, Credit size and membership size) and also assessed the performance (Loan repayment, Savings mobilization and Meeting regularity) of the formal agricultural micro-credit groups with regard to their functions in fin...
ABSTRACT This study was designed to analyze profit and risk management strategies in selected agribusinesses in Imo, Nigeria. The methods of proportionate sampling, followed by random sampling techniques were adopted in selecting the Local Government Areas and the sample size. Data were collected with the use of questionnaire administered on 168 agribusiness entrepreneurs (87 food crops and 81 livestock entrepreneurs). The data collected were analyzed using frequency distribution, percentag...
Abstract Climate change is currently a serious threat for agriculture development and food security in sub-Saharan Africa. With the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) climate outlook for the 21st century, the future of maize production in Tanzania remains under threat due to more intense and frequent droughts, and more erratic rainfall patterns. Effective adaptation to these ongoing changes in climatic condition is key to securing food production and livelihoods for millions of ...
ABSTRACT Cocoa research has been largely funded by the government of Ghana since 1960,
ABSTRACT The study determined the feasibility of “Black Soldier Fly Larvae” composting and its utilization for vegetable farming in Greater Accra, Ghana. Discounted measures of project worth such as NPV, BCR and IRR were used in viability analysis. The gains obtained from replacing farmer practice with the new compost practice were estimated using the partial budget approach. Through field experimentation, the cost of using BSFL-compost and conventional fertilizer to produce lettuce for...
ABSTRACT The coconut mite, Aceria guerreronis Keifer, has been identified as one of the pests that pose a threat to the coconut industry in Benin using a standard economic surplus model. The study presents the simulation results of the economic benefits of the biological control of coconut mites in Benin. In the least optimistic scenario, the economy would derive an overall net-gain of US$155,213.40. Considered at a discount rate of 12% for the period 2008-2027, net present value was about U...
Abstract Marketing of crops in Tanzania has been undergoing change. Direct sales from farmers to traders and delivery to the Primary Cooperative Societies (PCS) were in practice at different points of time. Since 2007, the warehouse receipt system was introduced in Tanzania. The warehouse operators accept the deposit of crops in the warehouses and provide a receipt to the farmers through PCS and the farmers receive a part of the payments through bank financing based on these receipts. This s...
ABSTRACT About 70 million hectares of land in Namibia is suitable for agriculture, of which approximately 71% is utilized by livestock farmers. Namibia’s Livestock Producers are faced with bush encroachment that reduces the carrying capacity of agricultural land due to the suppression of perennial grasses and herbs thus limiting rangeland productivity. Namibia can stand to make about N$734.7 million annually from bush-based feed production which could reduce the current feed cost. Thus, th...
ABSTRACT This study was undertaken to analyze resource productivity in ornamental plants production within Jos metropolis of Nigeria. The study covered Jos North and Jos South local government areas. The specific objectives include: identifying the effect of socio-economic factors on resource productivity, determining costs and returns, and resource productivity in ornamental plants production. An extensive literature review was carried out to provide an indepth knowledge of the study. The cl...
ABSTRACT Flours were produced from unripe plantain fruit, okara, and Detarium microcarpum and analysed for selected properties. Plantain flours were supplemented with 5% levels of Detarium microcarpum and okara flours as dietary fiber sources and the effect on blood glucose and serum cholesterol levels of albino rats evaluated using bioassay. Plantain flour showed the highest (p
ABSTRACT The objective of this study is to assess the economic performance of tobacco processing industry in Western and Kwara States of Nigeria. After a brief discussion of the development of tobacco industry in Nigeria, some technical aspects of tobacco leaf production, cigarettes manufacture, and blackfat manufacture were discussed. Three firms were selected for the study. These are Nigerian Tobacco Company Limited, Philip Morris (Nigeria) Limited and Premier Tobacco Company Limited. The d...
ABSTRACT This study examined the effect of health and nutrition on labour productivity of farmers in South-western Nigeria. Within this geo-political zone of the country, primary data was collected through a field survey of 470 rural farmers. Descriptive statistics, Anthropometric measures of nutrition (BMI and DDS) and the Tobit model were used to show the effect of nutrition and health on the productivity of farmers. Estimated results show that body mass index (BMI) and dietary diversity sc...
ABSTRACT Poverty reduction programmes in Nigeria have not had significant intended effects. This can be attributed to the non-consideration of the heterogeneous nature of poverty and spatial contiguity of geographical units in their designs. There is scarce information on spatial decomposition and spillover of poverty across the Senatorial Districts (SD) in Nigeria. Therefore, the spatial concentration of poverty and its determinants were investigated. The study employed secondary data from N...
ABSTRACT Poverty in Nigeria has been on the increase with consequence for Income Polarisation (IP). The IP which is the sum effect of alienation and identification between two groups at polar ends of the income distribution could worsen poverty. Studies on income distribution and poverty have mostly focused on income inequality to the total neglect of IP. Therefore, the extent and pattern of IP and its relationship with poverty among rural households in Nigeria were investigated. Data coverin...