ABSTRACT Opportunity International, a private financial institution has made efforts to support cocoa farmers in Ghana through the establishment of input credit scheme with the aim of enhancing access to inputs to improve productivity of farmers. The primary objective of the study is to determine whether access to inputs improves productivity of smallholder cocoa farmers in the stated districts of the Western Region of Ghana. Purposive sampling was used to select two districts from the regio...
ABSTRACT Pension contributions address old age income, insecurity and vulnerability and also improve the standard of living. It is the only investment that qualifies an individual to enjoy regular income, and other benefits till death, after contributing for a minimum number of years. This thesis therefore assessed poultry agribusiness workers’ perception, knowledge and attitude towards informal voluntary pension. It also assessed the factors that influence a poultry workers’ choice, wi...
ABSTRACT The potential of cowpea to address food security in Burkina Faso in particular is well established. However, there is limited information on drought tolerance and diversity in the germplasm in Burkina Faso and farmers’ perceptions on the effects of drought and their varietal preferences are not known. The present study was, therefore, conducted to: (1) identify farmers’ perceptions on the impact of drought on cowpea production and identify their preferences regarding cultivar...
ABSTRACT Pelleting materials and soil amendments have the ability to enhance nitrogen fixation through improved nodulation in leguminous species. Pot and field experiments were conducted in the Sinna Garden, Department of Crop Science, and University Farm, University of Ghana, Legon, during the 2018 minor and 2019 major rainy seasons respectively, to access the effect of seed pelleting with different materials and different soil amendments on nodulation, growth and yield of soybean (Glycine m...
Abstract Information is a key resource for agricultural and rural development. Farmers require agricultural extension services to improve their agricultural productivity. However, this does not appear to happen as agricultural extension is constraint with limited number of agricultural extension agents, inadequate logistics for extension agents and late release of funds for extension activities. To contribute to improving agricultural extension services, this study seeks to determine the inf...
ABSTRACT The reactive nature of phosphorus leads to the formation of insoluble Fe, Al and Ca bound phosphate compounds in highly weathered tropical soils, thus limiting P availability for plant uptake. Biochar with its heterogeneous surface properties can influence phosphorus dynamics in tropical soils. To examine phosphorus fractions in a biochar-amended Plinthaqualf, samples were taken from low yielding soils in northern Ghana that had three cycles of vegetable production under clean and w...
ABSTRACT This study was conducted in the Northern guinea and Sudan savannas of Zaria and Kano, Nigeria to: (i) identify cowpea production constraints and assess farmer and consumer perceptions and preferences on grain quality traits in cowpea, (ii) assess the variability of grain nutritional values (protein, iron and zinc contents) of cowpea accessions from Africa and other parts of the world, (iii) determine the mode of inheritance of iron and zinc contents in cowpea grains and (iv) determin...
ABSTRACT Teak (Tectona grandis Linn F.) is a popular exotic species in Ghana, widely grown in industrial plantations and small scale community woodlots. In spite of its importance, limited information exists on the growth and yield of this species. Presented here are the results of a preliminary study aimed at assessing the growth and yield potential and developing provisional yield models for the management of teak in Northern Ghana. Data were collected from 100 temporary sample plots from p...
ABSTRACT The dissemination of the relevant information for agricultural production is the institutional duty of all stakeholders committed to the development of agriculture of which the agricultural extension agent and his organisation play a prominent role. As a formal public (government funded) institution, the agricultural extension service has been observed to be undergoing a period of change in respect to the provision of material and financial resources to carry extension activities. As...
ABSTRACT Demand for rice from developing countries is steadily increasing, replacing most of the coarse grains and root crops as the major source of dietary calories. Food insecurity in many Africa countries is inevitable if efficient procedures for boosting productivity, decreasing cost of production, and protecting the environment are not taken into account. The per capita consumption of rice in Ghana is currently about 24 kg per annum. Consumption of rice will continuing to go up due to ra...
ABSTRACT The study was conducted among one hundred and thirty (130) participants; 120 farmers and 10 buyers. The purpose of the study is to examine the production of watermelon as a high value crop in contributing to livelihood of smallholder farmers in the Bawku West District (BWD) in the Upper East Region (U/E/R) of Ghana. Specifically, the study sought to achieve the following objectives: to determine the relationship between personal characteristics of smallholders and level of participat...
ABSTRACT A field trial was started in August 1994, during the minor cropping season to investigate the efficiency of four Landforms in the production of maize with special emphasis in phosphorus (P) management in Vertisols at three localities in the Accra Plains of the Coastal Savanna zone of Ghana. The four Land forms were: Flat, Ridged, Ethiopian and Cambered beds. Generally, the soils were low in available P. Raising available P levels in the soil by the addition of fertilizer led to sign...
SUMMARY The microsett technique involves the use of 2-10g setts comprising two size-ranges: a lower 2-5g and an upper 5. Ol-lOg. Preliminary experiments were undertaken to determine the ideal presprouting medium, moisture regime of the latter, presprouting environment, and sett size of the microsetts derived from the white yam variety, TDr 131. The upper 5.01-10g sett-class presprouted in open-air, raised beds covered with low palm-frond shade, using fresh sawdust at an initial moisture cont...
ABSTRACT The importance of wildlife, especially the vertebrates for game, tourism and medicinal use cannot be over emphasized. Nature reserves are also known to influence the ecosystem of its location. However, rapid increase in land use for agriculture and other physical developments are gradually reducing wildlife habitation including the Alabata area nature reserve of Abeokuta. Inventory of these resources in relation to their habitat parameters would inform their better management. Assess...
ABSTRACT Reproductive inefficiency is a major challenge in rabbit production. Leaf meals such as Moringa oleifera rich in phytochemicals have been used to enhance reproductive performance in cattle and catfish. Information on the use of Moringa oleifera Leaf Meal (MoLM) to enhance reproductive efficiency in rabbits and its effect on organs has not been adequately documented. Therefore, the reproductive response of rabbits to supplemental MoLM was assessed. In a 24-week trial, sixty rabbits we...