ABSTRACT A major challenge to Kenyan Livestock industry today is the inability to produce high quality feeds cheaply. Most of the common sources of protein such as soybean meal, cottonseed cake and fishmeal used in Kenyan feed industry are imported. This makes the final products expensive. To reduce costs, most manufacturers resort to using inferior quality alternatives that result in inferior feeds and leads to slow growing animals. Experiments were conducted to evaluate common beans as an ...
ABSTRACT Indigenous chicken (IC), which have traditionally been an important component of livelihoods among the agricultural households are being integrated into pastoral livelihoods as a diversification strategy. The goal is to reduce vulnerability of ruminant livestock to recurring drought events. However, sustainable utilization of IC could suffer in the absence of adoption of improved management practices supported with access to inputs and output markets and advisory services which supp...
ABSTRACT Pastoral camel management strategies in northern Kenya, characterised by free herd mobility that enables efficient utilisation of rangeland resources, is slowly but progressively adopting restricted camel foraging within the vicinity of urban milk market outlets as seen in Isiolo town. The emerging peri-urban camel production system (PUCPS) has potential livelihood benefits to households but there are emerging pressures that can impede its sustained development and benefits. Key eme...
ABSTRACT Poultry production is one of the animal production enterprises with a promising future in Rwanda as 80.1% of all Rwandese raise chickens. Indigenous chickens (IC) are the most numerous and important species of poultry as they are found in most rural households in Rwanda. Currently, IC potential is underutilized due to the lack of well-defined production and breeding practices; the farmer, marketer and consumers’ breed preferences and traits of economic importance are unknown. The ...
ABSTRACT To improve pastoralists’ livelihoods, Sahiwal cattle breed, resilient and dual purpose in nature with the benefits of both improved milk and beef production and better adapted to harsh conditions in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) were introduced by Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) now Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO). With potential expected increase in milk production, the market profiles are likely to change, yet the underlying factors...
ABSTRACT There is paucity of information on Amaranth as a valuable source of food, medicine and income. In the recent past, the cultivation of Amaranth by small scale farmers in Kenya has been promoted by public extension services, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), research organizations and universities. The extent of relationship between the selected factors such as access to extension services, availability of markets for Amaranth products, availability of certified seeds and consump...
Abstract Feeding trial were conducted in experimental tanks (50 x 34 x 27 cm) to assess the growth responses and nutrient utilization of Walnut Leaf (WL) and Onion Bulb (OB) residues in Clarias gariepinus. Nine experimental diets: control (0%), OB2 (0.5%), OB3 (1.0%), OB4 (1.5%), OB5 (2.0%), WL6 (0.5%), WL7 (1.0%), WL8 (1.5%) and WL9 (2.0%) were formulated and replicated thrice at 40% crude protein. Fish (mean weight 7.39±0.02 g and length 10.37±1.24 cm) were fed twice daily at 3% body wei...
ABSTRACT Nitrogen (N) is the critical plant nutrient. Low maize (Zea mays L.) yields in smallholder farms of Malawi are attributable to declining N fertility, aggravated by the ever increasing price of fertilizer. Maize, the country’s staple, has a high nitrogen demand. Little effort has been made to establish the best nitrogen rate in a maize- cowpea and maize-bean intercrop under variable soil conditions as a way of improving production, and was the objective of the current study. Field ...
ABSTRACT Agro-forestry has continued to receive increasing attention from researchers and policy makers especially in coffee farming systems but there is lack of sufficient evidence on its role in productivity and profitability of coffee farming in Kenya. There is also lack of empirical evidence on whether factors that influence adoption of shade technology have the same effect on productivity and profitability of coffee. The general objective of the study was to examine the adoption of agro...
ABSTRACT Thirty days old rice seedlings of 300 F5:6 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between a salt sensitive, IR29 (indica), and a salt tolerant, Hasawi (indica), were evaluated for salinity tolerance and thereafter QTLs linked to salinity tolerance were identified. Large variation in salinity tolerance among the RILs was detected. Final salinity injury scores ranged from highly tolerant to highly sensitive with a transgressive segregation towards sensitive parent. Howev...
Abstract Among the key uncertainties in the sustainable management of forest for non-timber forest products (NTFPs) is the high diversity of species and paucity of information on indigenous use pattern. In designing appropriate strategies for sustainable management of non-timber forest products, therefore, it is important to identify species with high local importance with the potential for sustainable and profitable extraction in a managed system. In this study, we assessed the use of two q...
ABSTRACT A study was conducted under screenhouse and field conditions at Sokoine University of Agriculture to evaluate the effects of commercial chemical and microbiological products on growth and yields of SITUKA maize variety grown on an Ultisol soil. The study soil had medium organic matter, low available phosphorous (1.02 mg/kg) and very low extractable zinc (0.34 mg/kg) hence the soil was of medium fertility status and only moderately suitable for maize production. Commercial products e...
ABSTRACT Sorghum is one of the most drought tolerant cereal crops currently under cultivation. Semi-arid regions in Tanzania are among of the areas cultivating sorghum to a large extent, and these regions are most vulnerable to food insecurity. Despite the assumption that sorghum has contribution on household food security, a wide assessment has not been done in Tanzania to examine the extent of its contribution. The study intended to: determine the quantity of sorghum and other grains produ...
ABSTRACT This study assessed the effectiveness of exit strategies in development projects in Tanzania through two selected projects in Bahi District. These are the Agriculture and Food Security and Leadership Development projects intervened by World Vision Tanzania through Chipanga Area Development Programme. The study, therefore, analysed the design and implementation of exit strategies adopted; evaluated their success and finally, examined challenges experienced in the course of implement...
ABSTRACT Tobacco has been the most important traditional cash crop in Urambo district since. But 1960s, the production of tobacco in the district has been declining due to world market price. Due to this price decline, farmers have now shifted to paprika production. The economic benefit of tobacco vis a vis paprika production in Urambo district has not yet been exploited. This study describes and analyses two crop production systems namely tobacco and paprika growers. Specifically, the objec...