International Journal Of Agricultural Science, Research And Technology In Extension And Education Systems: 5 (4)

Open Access Article

1 - Prospects of Selected Forest Fruits and Vegetables in Enugu North Agricultural Zone of Enugu State, Nigeria
Eneje N.C. Onwubuya E.A. Mbah E.N

The study examined prospects of selected forest fruits and vegetables in Enugu North Agricultural zone of Enugu State, Nigeria. Structured interview schedule and focus group discussion were used to collect data from a sample of one hundred and twenty (120) respondents. More

The study examined prospects of selected forest fruits and vegetables in Enugu North Agricultural zone of Enugu State, Nigeria. Structured interview schedule and focus group discussion were used to collect data from a sample of one hundred and twenty (120) respondents. Data were analyzed using matrix rank ordering, percentage, mean scores and standard deviation. Results of the study identified about twenty forest fruits and vegetables that are of both economic and dietary importance to the respondents. The forest fruits and vegetables identified with their botanical and common names in order of importance include: Prosopis africana (okpeyi) (M = 2.96), Irvingia gabonensiss/wombolus (ogbono) (M = 2.79), Treculia africana (ukwa) (M = 2.76), Parkia spp (ugba) (M = 2.75). Pterocarpus spp (oha) (M = 2.55) and Pergularia spp. (utazi) (M = 2.55). Others include Xylopia aethiopica (uda) (M=2.50), Piper nigrum (uziza) (M = 2.40), Gnetum africanum (ukazi) (M = 2.38), Chrysophylium africanum (udara) (M = 2.34) Garcinia kola (akuilu) (M = 2.32), among others. These forest fruits and vegetables are very important to mankind considering the potentials economically, culturally nutritionally, medically and environmentally. Constraints to access and utilization were poor storage facilities (M=2.38), transportation problems (M=2.38), lack of modern processing technology (M=2.38), insect pests and diseases (M=2.36), deforestation and land degradation (M= 2.35), destruction of forests by fire resulting as a result of bush burning (M= 2.30), poor yield (M=2.19), deterioration/perishability (wastages) (M=2.18), among others. The study recommends that efforts are highly needed by government at the local level to involve local community leaders in enforcing laws to reduce deforestation and bush burning in order to avoid destruction of forest products and exploitation of the valuable forest resources. It highlights the involvement of government in providing adequate rural infrastructure in order to encourage establishment of rural agro-processing industries by investors to prevent losses emanating from spoilage of the products, ensure food security, and create employment opportunities thus reducing poverty and vulnerability among rural folks. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

2 - Influence of Socioeconomic Characteristics on Purposes for which Mobile Phone was used by Small Scale Farmers in the Gezira State, Sudan
Ahmed M. Abdel Rahman Isam O. Fadol

The objective of this study was to assess the influence of some socioeconomic characteristics on purposes for which mobile phone was used by small scale farmers in the Gezira State, Sudan. The total number of small- scale farmers in the State for 2013-2014 growing seaso More

The objective of this study was to assess the influence of some socioeconomic characteristics on purposes for which mobile phone was used by small scale farmers in the Gezira State, Sudan. The total number of small- scale farmers in the State for 2013-2014 growing season was estimated to be 5000. Ten percent of the population was used using the simple random sampling technique. The collected data were statistically analyzed and interpreted using percentage, frequency distribution and chi-square test. The results showed significant association between the age, education level and farm size of small scale farmers and their purposes for which mobile phone was used. It can be concluded that the relatively high cost of buying and use of mobile phones can negatively influence the frequency of contacts of small scale farmers particularly their use of mobile phones for agriculture services needed. In addition, the results of this study can help in improving the mobile telephone services which in turn may increase the success of agricultural development programmes in the State and the rest of the country. Thus, more efforts should be paid by mobile telephone service companies of Sudan to expand their services to provide services for all aspects of agricultural activities in the State and use more advanced technology in operating mobile telephone networks in order to reduce cost of buying and using mobile phones particularly for small scale farmers in the Gezira State and the rest of the country. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

3 - Gender Analysis of Energy Use for Rice Production in North Central, Nigeria
H. Y. Ibrahim U. Shuaibu E. Ogezi

The study examined gender analysis of energy use for Rice production in north central Nigeria using a sample of 60 Rice farmers. An analysis of gender relations provides the information on the different conditions men and women face, and the different effects that polic More

The study examined gender analysis of energy use for Rice production in north central Nigeria using a sample of 60 Rice farmers. An analysis of gender relations provides the information on the different conditions men and women face, and the different effects that policies and programs may have on them. Simple descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Energy efficiency and energy productivity for Rice production were calculated on per hectare basis using equations from literature. The result revealed that male respondents used 1533.21MJ, 41.55MJ, 1695.79MJ, 4569.6MJ, 616.9MJ, 2439.78MJ and 570.57MJ energy equivalents for seed, labour, fertilizer, herbicide, insecticide, diesel and machine inputs respectively and obtained an energy equivalent of 33539.52MJ per ha. Female respondents on the other hand used 1458.24MJ, 74.48MJ, 1244.21MJ, 7854MJ, 338.3MJ, 1556.97MJ and 609.44MJ of energy for the same inputs, in that respect, and obtained an average energy equivalent of 31087.56MJ per ha. Labour and machinery were the most productive energy inputs for the male respondents while labour and insecticide were the most productive inputs for female respondents. Furthermore, men were more efficient in their use of energy (2.9) but the women provided higher per capita specific energy (6.21MJkg-1) for Rice production process in the study area. The study recommended that government should ensure that adequate supplies and distribution of inputs such as fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides should be done with gender considerations. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

4 - Effectiveness of Technology Dissemination and Adoption among Farmers in Cross-River State, Nigeria
Agbarevo, M.N. Benjamin Nwachukwu Ephraim. O

This study compared farmers’ rating of extension effectiveness in technology dissemination to the level of adoption. In conducting the study, 180 farmers participating in extension programme in Cross-River State were randomly selected through multi-stage random sa More

This study compared farmers’ rating of extension effectiveness in technology dissemination to the level of adoption. In conducting the study, 180 farmers participating in extension programme in Cross-River State were randomly selected through multi-stage random sampling technique. The data collected through a structured questionnaire were analyzed using the t-test of significance of difference between means to find out if farmers’ mean rating of extension effectiveness differed significantly from the mean adoption score. The study found no significant difference between farmers’ mean rating of extension effectiveness and the level of farmers’ adoption of introduced technologies at 95% confidence level. Hence, the null hypothesis that there is no significant difference between the farmers’ mean rating of extension effectiveness and their mean adoption score was accepted, while the alternative hypothesis was rejected. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

5 - Technical Knowledge and Information Gaps among Smallholder Farmers in the Production of Sugarcane in Kakamega County, Kenya
Gilbert Odilla Abura Raphael Mwiti Gikunda Godffrey NyongesaNato

The purpose of the study was to identify and document technical knowledge and information gaps that can inform development of appropriate training programs for cane farmers. The study employed a survey research design; involving 105 small scale farmers in selected from More

The purpose of the study was to identify and document technical knowledge and information gaps that can inform development of appropriate training programs for cane farmers. The study employed a survey research design; involving 105 small scale farmers in selected from eight Sub-counties of Kakamega County. Data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient was used to test for significance of relationships between access to information regarding cane production and the productivity of the crop. The results show that there was a strong positive correlation (r =0.722) between the firm size and the acreage under cane crop. The technical knowledge and information gaps varied on the basis of growth stages of the cane crop; 60% of the small scale farmers did not prepare land at the right time, 48% of the farmers did not know how to propagate cane, 34% did not know the cane planting spacing, 48% cultivated uncertified materials due to lack of capital and poor access to the suitable materials as the reasons. Majority of the farmers (92%) confirmed that they knew how to gap, although a few (8%) didn’t, 48% did not remove tillers from their crop, the number of times that the crop was weeded ranged from once (2%) to 8 times (2%), and 64% of the farmers applied organic manure while 87% applied inorganic fertilizers. The results show that majority of the smallholder farmers were unable to apply the recommended crop management practices due to lack of capital and lack knowledge and skills. For instance 38% of the respondents were unable to practice crop rotation due to lack of practical skills. Access to agricultural information regarding cane crop agronomy was rated as low by most of the respondents (58%).There was a positive correlation between access to knowledge and productivity of cane crop with a coefficient of 0.283. The productivity of sugarcane crop in Kakamega County was low and this was contributed by among other factors; lack of capital and inadequate knowledge and skills regarding the crop’s agronomy. The study recommends that strategies should be designed to disseminate practices that require technical knowledge and skills. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

6 - Determinants of Entrepreneurial Orientation of Rural Women Small Business Owners: The Case of Gambella Region of Ethiopia
Daniel Temesgen Getachew Wodajo

Small business and entrepreneurship play critical role in stimulating economic activity, creating jobs, alleviating poverty and uplift living standards in Africa. It is widely accepted that the Micro and Small Enterprise (MSE) sectors have the potential to provide a liv More

Small business and entrepreneurship play critical role in stimulating economic activity, creating jobs, alleviating poverty and uplift living standards in Africa. It is widely accepted that the Micro and Small Enterprise (MSE) sectors have the potential to provide a livelihood for a considerably large number of poor rural and urban women in Ethiopia. Women account for the larger share of the informal economy operators as well as those running micro and small enterprises in Ethiopia. The target population of the study is the women engaged in micro and small business in Gambella District in Western Ethiopia. Probability Proportional to Size sampling and simple random sampling technique was adopted to draw 100 individual sample business women from each village. The key motivating factor for women to be involved in a business is to be independent from depending so much on their spouse. From the result of the study, many women unaware of credit sources and other business support services. The overall implication of this study is that since women business operators appear to be playing a major role in the economy of the country, besides up-lifting the lives of their families, especial effort is needed to develop entrepreneurship. Hence, appropriate and sustained interventions targeted to the women enterprise operators need to be developed and implemented. The women business owners themselves will be expected to more specifically identify the area of critical support and be involved in the development of suitable program. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

7 - Challenges to Soil Erosion Control Measures among Farmers in Anambra State, Nigeria: Implications for Extension Policy
Eze S.O Mbah E.N

The study investigated challenges to soil erosion control measures among farmers in Anambra State, Nigeria. Purposive, multistage and random sampling techniques were employed in selecting a sample size of two hundred and forty (240) respondents. Structured interview sch More

The study investigated challenges to soil erosion control measures among farmers in Anambra State, Nigeria. Purposive, multistage and random sampling techniques were employed in selecting a sample size of two hundred and forty (240) respondents. Structured interview schedule was used for data collection. Frequency counts, percentage, mean scores and factor analysis were used for data analysis. The findings show that majority (54.6%) of farmers were within the ages of 40-59 years, while majority (57.9%) had either FSLC or WASE/ SSCE/ GCE/ O/L qualifications and 67.5% had estimated annual income of N51, 000.00- N200,000.00. The farmers reported that the major soil erosion control measures used were strip cropping (M=4.9) and making of ridges across slopes (M =4.8). The study revealed that the respondents were highly constrained by poor group affinity, lack of government support and inadequate institutional support. The study highlighted participatory extension policy through improved group mobilization; improved budgetary allocation to the local government and institutional re-orientation and synergy between the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), Research institutes and Universities with the ADP. In conclusion, success in soil erosion control under the Anambra State ADP and participatory extension policy among farmers groups for food security in Nigeria depend on the extent issues raised and challenges thereof highlighted can be addressed. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

8 - Effect of Women Led Self Help Group on Micro-Financing of Farms in Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria
Anyiro C.O Okonkwo K.N Udah S.C

The study examined the effect of women led self help group on micro-financing of farms in Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria. Purposive and multistage random sampling technique was employed for collecting data from one hundred and twenty (120) women More

The study examined the effect of women led self help group on micro-financing of farms in Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria. Purposive and multistage random sampling technique was employed for collecting data from one hundred and twenty (120) women farmers in women led self help group by using structured interview schedule. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-test and OLS regression analysis. The study revealed that the mean loan size accessed by the women farmers from self help group led micro financing of farm was N 99,325. The result of the study revealed that the mean (N99,325) volume of farm credit accessed from women self help group was greater than that (N60,033.33) obtained outside the women self help group led micro financing of farms. Also the result of the paired t-test for difference in net farm income of the women farmers before and after accessing micro loans from women self help groups showed that the women self help group impacted significantly on the mean annual farm income of its members. The result of the multiple regression analysis showed that the volume of fund accessed from women self help group led micro financing of farms was influenced by education, marital status, years of borrowing, farm size and annual contribution of the respondents. The R2 and F-ratio values were 0.5294 and 15.47 respectively. It was however, recommended that the women should join high performing women led self help group that would give them opportunities of making reasonable savings in a year. This will encourage thriftiness in their individual farm businesses and reduce their dependence on loans from outside Manuscript profile

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