African Journal of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development

Full Length Research Paper

An analysis of the factors influencing farmers’ decisions to adopt low-cost small motor pumps

Mensah A.A and Adebayo V.O

Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Central Region, Ghana.

Accepted 12 November, 2014

Abstract

The Ethiopian economy depends heavily on smallholder agriculture, and this sector directly affects the country’s economic development, food security and poverty alleviation efforts. The adoption of smallholder irrigation technologies as a means to tackle these challenges has become an important policy issue in the development agenda of the country. The lack of access to low-cost irrigation technologies is, however, one of the major bottlenecks to increase smallholder irrigation. This paper examines the factors influencing farmers’ decisions to adopt low-cost small motor pumps. The analysis is based on a survey of 800 farm households in four regions of Ethiopia. We use a combination of econometric techniques to find comparable households among adopter and non-adopter sample households. First, we employ a multivariate probit model to check whether a correlation exists between motor pumps and other water lifting technologies (that is, bucket, treadle and electric pumps). A non-parametric matching method is used to identify a counterfactual (control group) among the non-adopter sample households. Finally, a probit model is adopted to model the determinants of farmers’ motor pump adoption decisions. Our analysis reveals that gender; age; ownership of oxen; access to extension; access to surface and shallow ground water; social capital and regional differences captured by a regional dummy, all influence farmers’ decision of motor pump adoption.

Key words: Smallholder, irrigation technology, propensity score matching, probit.

African Journal of Agricultural Economics and Rural development ISSN: 2375-0693 Vol. 3(1), pp. 165-175, February, 2015. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Food security from cultivated Dioscorea yams: Is that what subsistence farmers want?

Timothy Harris

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, TW9 3AE United Kingdom.

E-mail: [email protected], Telephone: (+44) (0)20 83323121

Accepted 06 February, 2015

Abstract

Across Madagascar, wild endemic yam species are collected from open access areas and used as a food of last resort, at times when other crops fail. An alternative is to cultivate yams. A notable knowledge gap in using yam cultivation to enhance local food security is a paucity of data concerning demand for cultivated yams and whether people in the relevant communities prefer the wild yam species to the exotic cultivated yam species. Understanding these preferences contributes to addressing the issue of poor food security causing extinction pressure on specific native yams and helps to determine whether yam cultivation can reduce this. In this study, a revealed preference choice experiment approach found that subsistence farmers would rather obtain the cultivated but introduced species Dioscorea alata as a standby rather than the three wild species of yam that occur locally: D.kimiae, D.arcutinervis and D.seriflora. This study shows that a choice experiment can provide information about preferences in a subsistence setting and this study demonstrates how validity tests can be incorporated in to a choice experiment approach.

Key words: Dioscorea, Choice-experiment, Food-security, Madagascar, Ikongo, non-monetary, validity.

African Journal of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development ISSN 2375-0693 Vol. 2 (6), pp. 001-009, March, 2014. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Genetic diversity of durum wheat landraces using multivariate analysis under normal irrigation and drought stress conditions

Mostafa Ahmadizadeh*, Hossein Shahbazi, Mostafa Valizadeh and Mohammad Zaefizadeh

Islamic Azad University, Ardabil branch, P. O. Box 446, Iran.

Accepted 22 March, 2014

Abstract

To evaluate the genetic diversity in 37 durum wheat landraces originated from Iran and Azerbaijan, an experiment based on randomized complete block design with three replications was carried out in normal irrigation and drought stress conditions in agricultural research station of Islamic Azad University, Ardabil, Iran. Analysis of variance indicated that there were highly significant differences among the genotypes in all of the traits. Environment mean squares were significant for all the traits studied showing that the drought stress has significant effect on all the traits. The heritability estimates were high for plant height in both conditions. In regression analysis (stepwise method) under stress, number of grains per spike and plant height remained in final model (R² = 0.634). In well-watered condition biological yield, awn length and harvest index showed more direct positive effects on yield. In drought stress condition, biological yield, spike length, number of grains per spike and harvest index showed more direct positive effects on yield. Harvest index showed the highest indirect effect on yield in two conditions. Cluster analysis, divided the genotypes into three groups in each condition. Classifying the results of the cluster analysis identified bagh oliya, naxcevan and chakmak genotypes in stress condition which confirm the results of the compared means yield.

Key words: Genetic diversity, heritability, landrace, path analysis, yield.

African Journal of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development ISSN 2375-0693 Vol. 2 (6), pp. 001-004, March, 2014. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Genetic parameters of some morphological and physiological traits in durum wheat genotypes (TRITICUM  DURUM  L.)

Varahram Rashidi

Faculty of Agriculture, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch, Iran. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: +98 914 111 3965. Fax: +98 411 637 4511.

Accepted 21 February, 2014

Abstract

In order to estimate the genetic parameters of some morphological and physiological traits in durum wheat, a simple lattice experimental was carried out by using 58 advanced lines and 6 landraces for two years during 2006 to 2008 at the Agriculture Research Station of Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch, Iran. In this investigation traits like plant height, stomatal resistance, stoma-density and stoma-dimension in under and over surface of flag leaf; flag leaf area, number of fertile tiller, number of grains/spike, 1000-grain weight, grain yield, biomass, and harvest index were measured. Combined analysis of data for two years showed that there were significant differences, for the traits among the genotypes under study at 1% probability level. Phenotypic correlation coefficients between traits revealed a significant and positive relationship of grain yield with traits such as number of fertile tiller, grains/spike, biomass and harvest index. Estimates of GCV (genetics coefficient variance) showed that, stoma-density and stoma-dimension in under and over surface of flag leaf; grains/spike and grain yields were high, as compares other traits. Also estimates of broad sense heritability showed that, traits such as plant height, stomatal resistance, stoma-density and stoma-dimension in under and over surface of flag leaf; and grains/spike were high, as compares other traits; but for traits like grain yields, biomass, harvest index and number of fertile tiller was moderate.

Key words: Durum wheat, genetic variance, genetic coefficient variance, broad sense heritability.

African Journal of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development ISSN 2375-0693 Vol. 2 (6), pp. 001-013, March, 2014. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Factors affecting technical change of productivity growth in rainbow trout aquaculture in Iran

Behrooz Hassanpour¹*, Mohd Mansor Ismail¹, Zainalabidin Mohamed² and Nitty Hirawaty Kamarulzaman²

¹Agricultural Planning Economic and Rural Development Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, I. R. Iran.

²Department of Agribusiness and Information System, Faculty of Agriculture, UPM, Malaysia.

Accepted 21 October, 2013

Abstract

Rainbow trout farming is an important contributor to the aquaculture industry in Iran. This study number of the factors including the socio-economic factor was considered for analysing the factors affecting technical change in trout aquaculture. A two-stage estimation procedure for this analysis was applied. The Malmquist index is then employed to measure the productivity and technical change in the first stage, while the pooled logit and tobit models were performed in the second stage so as to ascertain factors affecting the technical change or innovation improvement. The study was conducted to utilize panel data of 207 trout farms in the country over a five-year period from 2003 to 2007. The results of this study revealed that the total factor productivity (TFP) growth of rainbow trout farming in the aquaculture sector is substantially formed from technical efficiency change rather than technical change or innovation improvement. Hence, Iran still has a room to improve the TFP growth in the trout aquaculture, and this can be done by shifting its production frontier through improving innovation and development of new technologies. Based on the marginal effects analysis derived from the pooled logit/tobit regression, the factors that mostly affected technical change positively were suitability of water temperature (13 to 18°C), extension workshop and educational level of the manager. Conversely, the negative factors included the governmental insurance coverage, pond size and being government tenure, such as public companies and cooperatives.

Key words: Rainbow trout, total factor productivity (TFP) growth, technical change, pooled logit, pooled tobit, marginal effect.