ABSTRACT One of the most important ecosystem services provided by mangrove ecosystems is to act as a carbon sink. Despite this role, most carbon storage studies in Tanzania have concentrated on terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, carbon and volume prediction models were developed for the mangrove ecosystem in Rufiji River Delta, Tanzania. The models developed were used to estimate carbon. Soil organic carbon as an important carbon reservoir was also assessed at different depths. Biomass an...
ABSTRACT Livestock production in Ghana contributes greatly to the total GDP and agricultural GDP respectively. Despite efforts to improve and increase goat production, most farmers, especially the rural households still keep local breeds and are faced with high infant mortality of kids, death of pregnant does, unplanned housing systems, improper feeding and management. These undoubtedly hinder farmers in Kusawgu to improving their stock for food security. It is thus important to study why...
ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to estimate the extent to which socio-economic characteristics, operations of microcredit institutions and community related factors influencing livelihood sustainability of rural women borrowers of microcredit. The study was conducted in the Tolon/Kumbungu District of the Northern Region of Ghana. Close and open-ended questionnaires, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and direct observations were all used in collecting data from 150 women b...
Abstract The advancement in electronic media is increasingly liberalizing the dissemination of agricultural information, such that farmers can now on their own access information before ever they are communicated to them by extension agents. Therefore, for extension to maintain its relevance and functions, extensionists must acquire the skills/abilities necessary to maintain/control what (contents) farmers are sourcing from the media. In the light of this, the study was designed to assess th...
ABSTRACT The Builsa district is a peasant farming community. It had a problem of recurrent food shortage. The use of animal traction was one of the suggested solutions to this problem, hence its introduction in 1937. Reports suggested its low adoption. The study was to verify the veracity and the causes of the low adoption. A conceptual framework was developed. The concepts include: the farmers' sieve system, characteristics of animal traction technology and environmental influences. Adoption...
Diversification is a necessity in rural areas, where farming alone rarely provides sufficient means of survival. Conceptualisation of livelihood diversification as plurality of activities from past studies is too narrow. Rather, livelihood diversification should be conceived in terms of the interplay of ability, assets and activities. Therefore, livelihood diversification among rural households in southwestern Nigeria was investigated. Multistage random sampling technique was used to sel...
ABSTRACT The study was designed to assess researchers‘ utilization of e-learning and e-reporting of research findings in selected institutions in Imo State, Nigeria. Some specific objectives were to identify the e-learning and e-reporting technologies available for use by agricultural researchers; determine the mastery level of skills in the application of elearning and e-reporting technologies possessed by the respondents; assess the level of utilization of these technologies by agricultu...
ABSTRACT The imperatives of ICT in extension services delivery necessitated this study that analyzedVillage Extension Agents’ use of information and communication technology in extension service delivery in South-South Nigeria.Specifically, the objectives included to ascertain the socio-economic characteristics of the extension agents, ICT awareness, available ICT facilities, level of ICT knowledge, level of ICT use, benefits from the use of ICT and the constraints to ICT use. The study wa...
ABSTRACT The study analyzed the use of fish farming technologies by fadama III fish farmers in Imo State. The specific objectives included to: describe the socioeconomic characteristics of fish farmers under Fadama III in the state; identify sources of information of the fishery technologies to the farmers; ascertain the fishery technologies used under the Fadama III in the study area; determine the level of use of fishery technologies in Imo State; determine effects of use of fishery techno...
ABSTRACT The study analyzed organic farming practices among rural households in SouthSouth Nigeria. The study determined the level of awareness and use of organic farming practices in the study are, identified the sources of information on organic farming practices; assessed farmers perceived benefits of organic farming practices; identified constraints to organic farming and determined strategies for the improvement of organic farming practices. Data were collected with structured questionn...
ABSTRACT Access to agricultural resources is a major issue in the development discourse. Despite the significant roles both men and women play in agriculture in many developing countries, they continue to have differential access to agricultural resources. This research therefore, studied the relationship between gender and access to agricultural resources in the Sudan and Guinea savannah ecological zones in Ghana. Primary data were gathered using questionnaires administrated to a sample of 2...
Women are responsible for the bulk of agricultural processing activities in rural areas. Dearth of effective processing facilities has limited their productivity, thus predisposing them to low welfare status. Development Partnership in Higher Education (DELPHE) intervention sought to enhance women processors‟ capacity, however, its effect on their welfare status is yet to be ascertained. Therefore, the effects of DELPHE project on welfare status of rural women processors in Oyo and Osu...
Inadequate access to agricultural information contributes largely to low productivity among farmers in Nigeria. The print media has been especially implicated on its low coverage and provision of agricultural information, thus limiting readership among farmers. To validate this observation, the extent of coverage of agricultural news in print media and farmer’s readership were therefore assessed. Content analyses of Nigerian Tribune, New Nigerian, This Day, The Punch and The Comet new...
A BSTR A C T To enhance food security, crop losses due to disease and pest damage must be reduced. Improved technologies for pest control using appropriate and environmentally sound technologies to promote food security is a major priority for many developing nations. Integrated Pest Management, IPM (also referred to as Integrated Crop M anagement (ICM)) is one o f such approaches to promoting food security. Its adoption by farmers is therefore critical. In Ghana, few empirical evidence about...
The unavailability of adequate empirical data necessitated this study of analysis of rural farmers‟ use of improved cocoyam production practices in South-South, Nigeria with coverage States such as Cross River, Delta and Edo. The study described the socio economic characteristics of rural farmers, identified the improved cocoyam production practices and determined the extent of rural farmers‟ use of improved cocoyam production practices among others. A total of 411 contact cocoyam fa...