African Journal of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development

African Journal of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development ISSN 2375-0693 Vol. 10 (1), pp. 001-006, January, 2022. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

A study of socio-economic factors affecting consumer fish purchase in Windhoek, Namibia

E. C. Musaba* and M. Namukwambi

Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Namibia, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Neudamm Campus, Windhoek, Namibia.

Accepted 15 October, 2021

Abstract

Based on data collected from 120 shoppers, in the City of Windhoek, capital of Namibia, this study used the logit model to analyze the influence household characteristics have on consumers’ decision to purchase horse mackerel, hake, and snoek. Specific factors considered in the model were gender, age, education, household size and income. The results revealed, firstly that education, income and household size have negative significant effect on consumers’ decision to purchase mackerel. Secondly, it was found that age and income have positive significant effect on the probability to purchase hake. Thirdly, household size and income have positive significant effect on the probability to purchase snoek but marital status had a significant negative effect on the decision to purchase snoek. In brief, the results confirmed strong income, age and household size effects on the purchase of fish species. The implication of the findings is that fish marketers and processors should consider these factors in the formulation of marketing strategies aimed at promoting fish consumption in the study area.

Key words: Socio-economic characteristics, fish, hake, mackerel, purchase, snoek, logit regression.

African Journal of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development ISSN: 2375-0693 Vol. 9 (7), pp. 001-017, July, 2021. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Can Livelihood Capitals Promote Diversification of Resource-Poor Smallholder Farmers Into Agribusiness? Evidence from Nyando and Vihiga Counties, Western Kenya

Mwehe Mathenge¹*, B.G.J.S Sonneveld² and J.E.W. Broerse²

¹School of Planning and Architecture, Maseno University, Private Bag, Maseno, Kenya. Tel (254 724 302 883)

²Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081, HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Accepted 07 February, 2021

Abstract

The push towards the transformation of rural smallholders’ subsistence production into market-oriented agribusiness has been in the public policy debates of many low- and middle-income countries, including Kenya. While various studies have highlighted the lack of livelihood capitals as a reason for most smallholders not to diversify into agribusiness, how these livelihood capitals influence smallholders’ decisions and choices have, however, only been partially researched. Using systematic random sampling, 392 households in Western Kenya were interviewed through a researcher administered questionnaire. Multinomial logistic regression method was used to analyse the data. The findings reveal that livelihood capitals acted in parallel and jointly to determine the decisions of smallholders to participate in agribusiness. Results shows that education level, gender, landholding size, distance to markets, farm input access, and agriculture extension services positively and significantly influenced the decision choices of households to participate in agribusiness. Households with higher livelihood capitals accumulation resulted in a higher probability of participating in agribusiness while those with limited livelihood capitals resulted in a lower probability to participate in agribusiness. We argue that designing appropriate pro-poor targeted policy interventions to improve poor household’s livelihood capitals could address the problem of non-participation of rural smallholders’ in agribusiness markets.

Keywords: Livelihood capital, smallholder farmers, market participation, agribusiness markets, food security.

African Journal of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development ISSN: 2375-0693 Vol. 9 (6), pp. 001-004, June, 2021. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Effects of foliar application of salicylic acid on vegetative growth of maize under saline conditions

Hasan Farahbakhsh* and Mohaddeseh Shamsaddin Saiid

Agronomy and Plant Breeding Department, College of Agriculture, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, P. O. Box 76169-133, Kerman, Iran.

Accepted 21 September, 2020

Abstract

The study was carried out to evaluate the effects of foliar application of salicylic acid (SA) on vegetative growth of maize under saline conditions at Rafsanjan, Iran in 2009. A factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design with three replicates was used. Treatments consisted four salinity levels (0, 4, 8 and 12 dS/m) and three salicylic acid concentrations (0, 100 and 200 ppm). Traits such as shoot dry weight, stem length, number of leaves, leaf area and chlorophyll were measured. Results of analysis of variance showed that salinity levels and SA concentrations affected shoot dry weight, stem length, number of leaves, leaf area and chlorophyll content significantly (P<0.01). By increasing salinity to 12 dS/m, the earlier mentioned traits decreased to 79.96, 61.2, 25.6, 73.31 and 20.42% respectively. Mean comparisons indicated that plant vegetative growth traits were improved by increasing SA concentration up to 200 ppm. As a result, these traits increased by 84.64, 44.65, 28.20, 74.94 and 38.66% respectively. Salinity and SA interaction had no significant effect on shoot dry weight, stem length, number of leaves, leaf area and chlorophyll of plants.

Key words: Corn, salicylic acid, salinity, vegetative growth.

African Journal of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development ISSN: 2375-0693 Vol. 9 (5), pp. 001-005, May, 2021. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Evaluation of cowpea cultivars under maize and maize-cassava based intercropping systems

Adeniyan O. N.¹*, Ayoola O. T.¹ and Ogunleti D. O.²

¹Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) P. M. B. 5029 Ibadan, Nigeria.

²Federal College of Agriculture, Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, P. M. B. 5029 Ibadan, Nigeria.

Accepted 16 October, 2020

Abstract

A field experiment in a randomized complete block design with three replications was conducted at the research farm of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Moor Plantation Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria in 2003 and 2004 cropping seasons. The aim of the experiment was to evaluate five cowpea cultivars; IT89KD-288, IT96D-610, IT99K 1060, IT95K-1072-57 and Ife Brown under sole, maize-based and maize-cassava based intercropping systems. There were significant differences (P < 0.05) among the five cowpea cultivars based on two-years average for 2003 and 2004 for number of pods per plant, pod length, number of seeds per pod, weight of 100 seeds and seed yield under sole cropping, maize-based and maize-cassava based intercropping systems. The results showed that IT96D-610 recorded high number of pods per plant, pod length, number of seeds per pod, weight of 100 seeds and seed yield in sole, cowpea-maize and cowpea-maize-cassava intercropping systems. The cowpea cultivar IT96D-610 recorded yield of 2.5 t/ha under cowpea sole cropping whereas 2.5 t/ha under maize intercropping system and 2.2 t/ha under maize-cassava intercropping system. From rhizosphere soil isolate (RSI), cowpea cultivar IT96D-610 was found most compatible with intercropping systems and the least was IT89KD-288. Therefore, cultivar IT96D-610 could be recommended for both sole and intercropping by small holder farmers.

Key words: Cowpea cultivars, sole cropping, intercropping, rank summation index.

African Journal of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development ISSN: 2375-0693 Vol. 9 (4), pp. 001-008, April, 2021. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Split crown technique for mass propagation of smooth Cayenne pineapple in South-South Nigeria

Agogbua Josephine U. and Osuji Julian O.*

Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, University of Port Harcourt, P.M.B. 5323. Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

Accepted 15 September, 2020

Abstract

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of apical meristem destruction on axillary bud growth of smooth cayenne pineapple in South-South Nigeria. Split crown technique (SCT) was used for the study in a randomized complete block design with four replicates and four treatments. The number of days to sucker emergence from the axillary buds were significantly different among the treatments ranging from 36.6 days to 48.8 days. The results indicated high apical dominance in the control with intact meristem (no sucker produced) while the crowns with destroyed meristem varied in their rate of sucker production. Crowns that were split into four had the highest number of suckers (543) than crowns split into two (375) during the period of study. Crowns with meristem destroyed without splitting produced the lowest number of suckers (166). It was also observed that sucker orientation during emergence differed among treatments. The study showed variable response of pineapple crowns to sucker production through macro-propagation. Splitting of crowns into four which gave the best result could be easily adopted by local farmers in Nigeria for plantlet multiplication and expansion of pineapple plantations.

Key words: Ananas comosus, split crown, propagation, apical meristem and axillary buds.

African Journal of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development ISSN: 2375-0693 Vol. 9 (3), pp. 001-010, March, 2021. © International Scholars Journals