June 2010

Vegetable field workers provide insight for improving farm labor retention at the US-Mexican border

A 60-question assessment was administered to 305 field workers during 2007 - 2009 to identify factors that could aid US southwest vegetable producers with retaining current field labor. The population surveyed included 38% females and 62% males with over 50% crossing the US/Mexican border daily. Age distribution of the survey participants was 0.9% (< 18 years old), 14.9% (18 - 24 years old), 10.3% (25 - 34 years...

Author(s): Kurt D. Nolte and Jorge M. Fonseca

June 2010

Peri-urban development, livelihood change and household income: A case study of peri-urban Nyahururu, Kenya

Peri-urban development has attracted increased attention in recent years particularly due to conflict/competition between new (urban) and traditional (rural) land uses as a result of peri-urban expansion. Much of the research in peri-urban development is concentrated in peri-urban concepts and definitions, environmental impacts and also impact on agriculture. Little attention is put in the assessment of the peri-urban...

Author(s): Nicodemus Mandere Mandere, Barry Ness and Stefan Anderberg

June 2010

Current status of bacterial -speck and -spot diseases of tomato in three tomato-growing regions of Tanzania

Disease surveys were conducted in Arusha, Dodoma, Iringa and Morogoro regions in Tanzania in 2004 and 2005, to establish the current status of bacterial -speck and -spot diseases of tomato. The surveys also aimed at assessing the effect of cultural practices on the two diseases, with the aim of determining suitable management options. Information was also collected through oral interviews on the sanitary conditions of...

Author(s): K. C. Shenge, R. B. Mabagala and C. N. Mortensen

June 2010

Farmers training effectiveness in terms of changes in knowledge and attitude: The case of Holeta, Melkassa and Debre zeit Agricultural Research Centres, Ethiopia

Several agricultural technologies and high yielding varieties have been disseminated from the research centres operating under the umbrella of Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research such as: Holeta, Debre Zeit and Melkassa Agricultural Research centres. While the core functions of Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) are technology supply, popularization, national coordination and capacity...

Author(s): Tsion Tesfaye, Ranjan S. Karippai and Teklu Tesfaye