Evaluation of drainage system of forest roads in Iran: Darabkola forest roads
December 2011
It is necessary that forest roads be constructed according to standards considering the importance of forest roads in the forestry plans and sustainable management. The Standard Drainage system is one of the most important technical buildings in the forest road construction. Darabkola forests have been located in the central part of the northern margin of Alborz Mountains in watershed basin 74 which have been...
Willingness to adopt the vine multiplication technique in seed yam production in the forest savanna transition agro-ecological zone, Ghana
December 2011
Yam is a vital crop in Ghana both at the domestic and export markets. It contributes about 17% of agricultural gross domestic product (GDP) and plays a key role in household food security with more than 2 million tons harvested each year. However, the inadequacy of planting materials is a major constraint in yam production. The cost of planting materials alone constitutes about 50% of total cost of production. The newly...
Assessment of shrimp farmers viewpoint toward potential obstacles in Chabahr City, Iran
December 2011
This paper investigates the attitude of shrimp growing managers toward current problems in 2010. The region is located in Chabahar city of Sistan and Baluchistan province, Iran. The population of this study included 36 to 61 farms. Data was collected through fishery organization, cooperative department and also interviews with decision-making units (DMUs) managers. The validity of...
Maize varieties and production constraints: Capturing farmers’ perceptions through participatory rural appraisals (PRAs) in Eastern Kenya
December 2011
Maize is the major staple food for most Kenyan households, and is grown in almost all agro-ecological zones. To assure that new technologies fit farmers’ needs and conditions, Participatory Rural Appraisals (PRAs) were undertaken in the moist transitional zone of Eastern Kenya, as part of a nationwide study. The results of group discussions in five communities of the zone show that farmers grow a wide...
Economic assessment of malt and traditional beer (dolo) production in Burkina Faso
December 2011
Costs and profits in malt processing, dolo brewing and retail sales and ways to improve thedolo supply chain were surveyed in six cities in Burkina Faso, through questionnaires administered to malt processors, dolo processors, retailers and consumers. The highest costs were reported for dolo processing and the lowest profits for dolo retail sales. Large malt and dolo...
Estimation of farm level technical efficiency in small scale maize production in the Mfantseman Municipality in the Central Region of Ghana: A stochastic frontier approach
November 2011
The primary objective of the study was to estimate the levels of technical efficiency in small scale maize production in the Mfantseman Municipality of Ghana using the Stochastic Frontier Approach. The study also attempted to determine some socio-economic characteristics and management practices which influence technical efficiency in maize production. Responsiveness of yield to production inputs was also...
Impact of adoption of soil and water conservation technologies on technical efficiency: Insight from smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa
November 2011
In an attempt to enhance agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa, the region has witnessed an influx of approaches to agricultural technology development and dissemination in the past decades. Yet there is paucity of empirical evidence that links these past approaches to productivity indicators or justify the phasing out of the existing approaches with the new ones. We use cross-sectional baseline data, which...
How do managers improve farm performance during the economic slowdown: Survey results from New York agribusinesses
November 2011
This paper examines factors that affect agribusiness management behavior of a sample of dairy, equine, beef cattle, and hog farms in New York State to understand how they survive the ongoing economic hardship. Using a conceptual framework and a Heckman Selection model, this study analyzes the impact of managers’ perceived pressure from the unfavorable economy, their personal traits and their self-assessed...
Antecedents and effects of group sales on supply chain performance: The case of kola production and marketing in Cameroon
November 2011
Kola plays an important role in the livelihoods of people in the North West region of Cameroon. However, the potential benefits of the product have not been fully exploited due to many problems including ineffective marketing techniques. In an attempt to address this problem, some organisations like the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) have facilitated the producers of kola to embark on group sales as a means to...
What factors influence the speed of adoption of Soil fertility management technologies? Evidence from Western Kenya
November 2011
Most adoption studies have employed cross-sectional data in a static discrete choice modelling framework to analyze why some farmers adopt technology at a certain point in time. The static approach does not consider the dynamic environment in which the adoption decision is made and thus does not incorporate the speed of adoption and the effect of time-dependent elements in explaining adoption. The...
The preferential trade agreements in U. S. green tea trade
November 2011
The purposes of this paper are to assess U.S. preferential trade agreements (PTAs) effects especially to 1) analyze the impact of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in U.S. green tea trade, and 2) analyze the impact of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program for green tea trade to U.S. The author propose to apply the gravity equation for U.S. green tea imports by focusing PTAs effects. The period...
Impact of risk attitudes on poverty level among rural farmers in Ogun State
October 2011
This study examined the impact of risk attitudes on poverty level among rural farmers in Ogun state. Data used were generated from a farm survey involving 120 farmers randomly selected using a multi-stage sampling technique. Analytical tools used include descriptive, risk behavioural model (safety-first principle), Foster-Greer-Thorbecke (FGT) model and Probit model. The findings revealed that majority of the responding...
Determinants of informal savings amongst vegetable farmers in North West Region, Cameroon
October 2011
The study was aimed at determining the socio-economic determinants of informal savings amongst vegetable farmers in the North West Region of Cameroon. Savings and savings mobilization in any economy is undertaken by formal, semi formal and informal institutions. Possibly as a result of this poor bank distribution, one is able to clearly see how the region is highly dominated by the informal sector. Data for the study...
Efficiency of the plantain marketing system in Ghana: A co-integration analysis
October 2011
The study assesses the efficiency of the plantain marketing system in Ghana using monthly wholesale prices in GHS/10 kg covering the period 2004 to 2009. The integration among the plantain markets was tested with the Johansen multivariate co-integration analysis and error correction model. The markets chosen for the study are Accra market as a central consumption market; Kumasi market, Sunyani market and Koforidua...
Agricultural adjustment in flood-prone areas in Comilla of Bangladesh: A geographical study
October 2011
This paper focuses on agricultural adjustment inclination in flood-prone areas in Comilla, Bangladesh. The study’s area is located in a tropical and rivers’ oriented developing country in Southeast Asia. It has a huge potential of agricultural activities, such as fertile soils of deltaic plains, vast rainfall of monsoon climate, and available labors. On the other hand, natural hazards, for examples, floods,...
Determinants of improved maize seed and fertilizer adoption in Kenya
October 2011
The study quantifies factors affecting adoption of improved maize varieties and fertilizer by households in maize growing zones of Kenya. It uses Heckman two-stage model to analyze data collected from 1850 households in 2002. Credit was important in explaining the adoption of improved maize seed and fertilizer. Likewise the ability to access hired labour was positively associated with adoption of improved maize...
The role of Grameen Ghana in improving income of women shea butter processors
October 2011
This paper examines the role of Grameen Ghana’s microcredit scheme in improving the incomes of women engaged in shea butter processing in Ghana. Cross-sectional data obtained from 414 women were fitted into a regression model. The results indicate that Grameen Ghana’s credit programme has not significantly improved the income of women processors who participated in the project suggesting that the objective...
Analysis of factors affecting dairy goat farming in Keiyo North and Keiyo South Districts of Kenya
October 2011
Dairy goat milk production is undertaken in traditional extensive production systems with limited resources and harsh climatic conditions. Less attention has been given to goat milk and related products to minimize poverty food insecurity. The main objective of this study was to analyze the factors of production for dairy goat farming. It was hypothesized that farmers’ factor inputs do not significantly impact on...
Farmers’ awareness and application of banana Xanthomonas wilt control options: The case of Uganda and Kenya
October 2011
Banana is a key staple and cash crop in east and central Africa. However, the recent outbreak of Banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW) has threatened farmers whose livelihoods depend on the crop. Since 2002, stakeholders embarked on campaigns to sensitize farmers on the disease and its management. This study evaluated the effectiveness of these efforts by examining farmers’ awareness of the disease, control options and...
Determinants of adopting imazapyr-resistant maize for Striga control in Western Kenya: A double-hurdle approach
October 2011
Discussions and debates have been on going about Striga, a major constraint to increasing maize production and food security in western Kenya. To inform these debates this paper applies econometrics to farm survey data in order to estimate and determine the factors which drive farmers’ decision to adopt imazapyr-resistant maize (IRM), a novel technology for Striga control. The study uses data from a multistage,...
Dismantling of common property, land use and pastoral livelihoods in eastern Ethiopia
September 2011
This paper examines the emerging challenges to common property resource management in pastoral areas of Ethiopia and a shift in livelihood strategies. Using the institutional analysis and development framework and data from three administrative districts in eastern Ethiopia, results show that traditional management of the rangeland that permits efficient allocation of resources is no longer practiced due to demographic...
Economic analysis of soil fertility restoration options in potato – bean of gardening intercropping in south – rift, Kenya
September 2011
Soil fertility management options to restore soil fertility depletion have been developed and these consist of inorganic and organic fertilizer applications. However, the adoption rates by smallholder farmers for these soil fertility management options are negligible. The overall aim of this study was to evaluate side-by-side economic aspects of different soil fertility improvement options, which have been tested in the...
Economic analysis of adoption of mulching technology in yam production in Osun State, Nigeria
September 2011
In addressing the problem of low soil fertility and land degradation occasioned by increased population growth, erosion of soil nutrients and extreme exposure of land to harsh weather conditions resulting in reduced yam yield, mulching technology was adopted by the farmers in Osun State, Nigeria. This study used a multi-stage sampling technique to select...
Influence of modern technology on small family-owned farms in the Brazilian savannah region: A case study of a settlement in Mato Grosso do Sul State
September 2011
The Savannah region is the second biggest biome in Brazil after the amazon forest. Today, the savannah is Brazil´s largest region responsible for commodity production. Nevertheless, this production is concentrated around large-scale farmers. Most of the small farmers representing the largest group of producers encounter many problems ranging from low levels of production to income difficulties. The objective of...
Does Irrigation enhance and food deficits discourage fertilizer adoption in a risky environment? Evidence from Tigray, Ethiopia
September 2011
The northern Ethiopian highland in general and the Tigray region in particular is a drought prone area where agricultural production risk is prevalent. Moisture stress is a limiting factor for improved agricultural input mainly fertilizer use. Lack of capital and consumption smoothing mechanisms limits households’ investment in production enhancing agricultural inputs, possibly leading into poverty trap. Using a...
Application of modified compromise weighted multi-objective programming in Fadama farming in Dass Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria
September 2011
The application of modified compromise weighted multi-objective programming to Fadama farming in Dass Local Government Area of Bauchi State was the main focus of the study. Samples of 106 Fadama vegetable cultivars were randomly selected from 12 Fadama user’s associations in the study area. The farm sizes were grouped and formed into three categories namely: below 1 ha, 1 to 2.99 ha and 3 to 4.99 ha farms, with...
Economics of sustainable vegetable farming under Fadama condition in Dass Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria
September 2011
The study examined the sustainable vegetable farming under fadama condition in Dass Local Government Area of Bauchi using the following selected crops: onion, tomato, pepper, okro, carrot, cabbage and garden-egg. A total of ninety-six (96) farmers were randomly selected from twelve- (12) Fadama users’ association arranged in strata. Three (3) categories of farmers were formed, namely, below 1, 2 to 3.99, and 3 to...
Agricultural technology adoption, seed access constraints and commercialization in Ethiopia
September 2011
This article examines the driving forces behind farmers’ decisions to adopt agricultural technologies and the causal impact of adoption on farmers’ integration into output market using data obtained from a random cross-section sample of 700 farmers in Ethiopia. We estimate a Double-Hurdle model to analyze the determinants of the intensity of technology adoption conditional on overcoming seed access...
Institutional incentives and economic aspects of industrial relationships in the Italian agricultural sector
September 2011
Policy interventions and private initiatives undertaken in the Italian agricultural sector have registered varying degrees of impact at the local level, due to the diversity of regional characteristics. The research paper aims to conceptualize the agricultural value-chain model and sheds light on the institutional incentives for product and supply organization in one integrated and interrelated process. The economic...
A study on the economic feasibility of date palm cultivation in the Al-Hassa Oasis of Saudi Arabia
September 2011
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with an estimated 25 million date palms (Phoenix dactylifera L.) produces nearly a million tones of dates annually accounting for about 15% of the global date production. Our study on the economic feasibility of date palm cultivation in the Al-Hassa oasis of the Kingdom estimated the average annual yield of dates per palm to be 48.0 kg per palm with a selling price estimated at SR 4.00...
Economic analysis of rice production in Cross River State, Nigeria
September 2011
The study was undertaken to examine the economic analysis of rice production in Cross River State of Nigeria. Specifically, the work aimed at examining the socio-economic characteristics of rice producers; identify the production constraints in rice production; identify the resources used for rice production; determine the gross margin and to determine the effect of production inputs on rice output in the study area....
Assessing the technical efficiency of commercial egg production in Tanzania for improved livelihoods
August 2011
This study examined the productivity and technical efficiency (TE) of egg production in Tanzania under the intensive system. A multistage random sampling procedure was employed for selecting 80 respondents from two districts; Kibaha and Ilala. This study utilizes the most recent developments in stochastic frontier modeling as specified for a one-step process in Limdep software. Results indicated that the mean TE of egg...
Comparisons of LSMS-ISA data collection and dissemination efforts in Central America
August 2011
This article aims the comparison of LSMS survey in Central American countries to increase current knowledge of survey methodologies and ensure the most efficient dissemination and utilization of the results.It will improve the availability,quality and relevance of agricultural data for policy and research in Central America. The criterion for this comparison consists of household survey data...
Socio-economic analysis of melon production in Ifelodun Local Government Area, Kwara State, Nigeria
August 2011
This study examined the socio-economic characteristics of melon production in Ifelodun Local Government Area, Kwara State. Primary data were basically used for the study. They were obtained through interview schedule with a well structured questionnaire. A 2-stage random sampling technique was used in selecting the sampling for the study. A total of 120 farming households engaged in melon production were used. Data were...
Economic crossroads: The experiences of Nigeria and lessons from Malaysia
August 2011
Nigeria has the potential to become Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest economy and a major player in the global economy by virtue of its human and natural resource endowment. These potentials have remained untapped, and if current trends continue, Nigeria runs the risk of not meeting the internationally agreed millennium development goals (MDGs) by 2015. This paper is an attempt to assess the economic performance in...
The influence of market barriers and farm income risk on non-farm income diversification
August 2011
Empirical evidence shows that non-farm income diversification is associated with higher welfare among farm households. However, most studies have ignored market barriers and farm income risk in explaining income diversification behaviour. This study develops a theoretical framework that includes both market barriers and farm income risk, in addition to other factors, in explaining income diversification behaviour. The...
Factors affecting the training of farm workers in Free State Province, South Africa
August 2011
Farm workers are amongst the workers that are central to the productivity and efficiency of food production. Food and agricultural sector in South Africa cannot achieve their global competitiveness without a properly skilled and technologically wise farm workforce. In order for this sector to effectively prevent food insecurity in South Africa and in Southern African Development Communities (SADC), famers and other...
Dynamics of the agricultural economy of Andhra Pradesh, India since the last five decades
August 2011
Andhra Pradesh is one of the largest state in India, with agriculture as a major source of income for about 60% of its population. In the last 50 years, the annual growth rate of agriculture has been 2.88%, which is far below the target growth of 4% per annum. Further, Andhra Pradesh is divided into three district regions with growing demand for separate state from less developed regions. The paper examined regional...
Relative importance of common bean attributes and variety demand in the drought areas of Kenya
August 2011
The analysis assessed the relative importance of production and consumption attributes to different wealth groups of households and tested the effect of attribute preference and that of other factors on common bean variety demand in the drought areas of Eastern Kenya. Variety demand was conceptualized within the agricultural household framework and attributes were incorporated into the model according to the Lancaster...
Exploration of food security situation in the Nile basin region
July 2011
The top economic development challenges in the Nile Basin region are food insecurity, poor infrastructure, chronic poverty and political instability. While these issues are interrelated, food security assumes a greater dimension at both national and regional levels. Hence, an eclectic approach is used to underscore food security indicators in River Nile basin. Food security is a multidimensional conceptualization of...
Analysis of avocado marketing in Trans-Nzoia district, Kenya
July 2011
The ability of small holder farmers to plant trees or expand traditional tree based system is limited to a number of factors. These factors are scarcity of resources, inadequate technical capacity and experience and market disincentives. Marketing of agro forestry produce is crucial for increasing the available money in the farming sector. Unfortunately, there is little information and experience on the dynamics of...
Rural livelihood diversification and agricultural household welfare in Ghana
July 2011
Sufficient time has elapsed since agricultural sector reforms got underway in Ghana and so this study examined how some selected proxies of the reforms have changed overtime and evaluated their relative importance in influencing rural livelihood diversification and household welfare. In doing this, data was pooled from the 1991/1992 and 2005/2006 Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS) and the endogenous switching...
Determination of the sacrifice rate in Turkey, Brazil and Italy: A comparison among countries
July 2011
The ongoing research on output and inflation tradeoff contradiction is what most nations’ central banks are facing currently. After a long inflationary period, which started in 2001, Turkey has also become successful in overcoming and curbing down the inflation rate with fiscal and monetary policy measures. Although the general acceptance of output sacrifice for inflationary improvements is a common...
Gender aspect in adoption of commercial poultry production among peri-urban farmers in Kericho Municipality, Kenya
July 2011
The main objective of this study was to assess the extent of gender effects on adoption of intensive commercial poultry production system by peri-urban farmers. The sample frame was divided into two strata made up of adopters and non-adopters. To select respondents, systematic sampling procedure was applied for both strata. To identify those variables that influence the gender control of poultry enterprise, a two-limit...
Monitoring and evaluation report of "the impact of information and communication technology service (ICTs) among end users in the ministry of agriculture and cooperatives in Zambia"
July 2011
Agriculture constitutes a key livelihood source for over 75% of the rural households in Zambia. A total of 1,305, 783 households in Zambia are totally dependent on agriculture for their livelihood and are classified as agricultural households (CSO, 2000). Most (81.8%) of the population in agricultural households is based in rural areas of the country. Of the 1,305,783 agricultural households, 99.2% is engaged in crop...
Analyzing the sources of technical efficiency among heterogeneous dairy farms: A quantile regression approach
July 2011
An unbalanced panel data including 1,151 farm observations from 2004 to 2008 was used to analyze the determinants of technical efficiency (TE) for dairy farms in the State of Wisconsin. To account for farm heterogeneity in our analysis we implemented a two-step framework using a stochastic production frontier and a quantile regression analysis. The results show that the determinants of TE affected farmers with...
Maize production differentials among Malawi rural households: A difference in difference estimation approach
June 2011
This paper assesses the impact of morbidity and mortality on maize production for affected and non-affected farm households using difference in difference estimation technique. Results show that both affected and non-affected households recorded significantly higher maize production during 2006/07 season compared to 2004/05 season. The results reveal gender discrepancies in production levels for both affected...
Socio-economic determinants of on-day site demand for recreation in old Oyo National Park, Nigeria
June 2011
This paper examines the socio-economic determinants of on-day site demand of a national park in Nigeria. The services provided by the park include recreation that correlates positively with stress removal and enhanced productivity. These are not properly understood and appreciated by the people. Neither are the environmentally sound and sustainable development functions it provides. Purposive sampling...
Effect of formal credit on the performance of the poultry industry: the case of urban and peri-urban Kumasi in the Ashanti Region
June 2011
Farm net income was used as a measure to investigate the effect of formal credit on the performance of the poultry industry. Forty credit and non-credit users each were selected purposively for the study. Regression model was employed for the analysis.Results showed that there was a significant difference (t-value of 0.012 at 5%) between the net income of large poultry farmers who used credit and those...
The role of remittances in financial development in Lesotho: Evidence from alternative measures of financial development
June 2011
This article represents a modest attempt to empirically establish the effect of remittances on financial development in Lesotho. Remittances tend to have a long run effect on financial development; however, they do not cause financial development. In the short run this effect evaporates. Trade openness and inflation have significant effects on financial development both in the short and long run. The former...
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