September 2014

Assessing the extent and determinants of adoption of improved cassava varieties in south-western Nigeria

This paper investigates the determinants of adoption of improved cassava varieties in south- western Nigeria. The data come from a farm household survey of 841 households selected using a three-stage stratified random sampling procedure. The data collection was conducted in 2011 by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Nigeria. Empirical estimates of a Double-Hurdle model revealed that...

Author(s): B. A. Awotide, T. Abdoulaye, A. Alene and V. M. Manyong

September 2014

An economic viability assessment of sisal production and processing in Limpopo: A stochastic budgeting analysis

Creating sustainable jobs in the agricultural sector is an important aspect of rural development. Agriculture is often viewed as a sine qua non for rural development, because it provides the necessary economic stimulus for rural households to participate in productive economic activities. Yet, identifying viable agricultural projects that have the potential to create jobs in rural areas has continued to overwhelm...

Author(s): Thula S. Dlamini, Aart-Jan Verschoor and Precious Tshabalala

September 2014

Adoption of drought-tolerant rice in Thailand: Participatory varietal selection and implications for breeding programs

Rice production in Northeast Thailand has been suffering because of drought and limited irrigation. In this area, glutinous rice is generally produced for household consumption.  The new drought-tolerant glutinous rice, RD12, developed to target drought-prone area in Northeast Thailand, was approved by the Rice Department in 2007. The breeding of this new variety has incorporated farmers’ participation to...

Author(s): Orachos Napasintuwong and Carl Pray

September 2014

Financial profitability and technical efficiency of horticultural crops in the Nakanbé River Watershed in Burkina Faso

In the watershed of the Nakanbé River in Burkina Faso, horticultural crops are financially profitable with high gross incomes, cost/revenue ratios and attractive hourly returns to labor. Based on a 6-h work day, profitability indicators of horticultural crops show that farmers are better-off compared to the ‘less than one dollar’ situation of people in Burkina Faso; horticultural crop production could...

Author(s): Daniel P. KABORE