scholarly journals Indigenous maize seed storage using buffalo dung ash practiced by smallholder farmers in Kisar Island

2021 ◽  
Vol 883 (1) ◽  
pp. 012031
Author(s):  
H Jesajas ◽  
E Kembauw ◽  
M J Matatula ◽  
A D Tagueha ◽  
I J Liur
Keyword(s):  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Seed Storage ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Agricultural Crop ◽  
Maize Weevil ◽  
Seed Security ◽  
Unusual Phenomenon ◽  
Buffalo Dung ◽  
Bride Price

Abstract Kisar island is a small island located on the tip of Timor island. Corn is the main agricultural crop, and livestock husbandry also plays an important role in the livelihood of the farmers as a source of income, provide mainly manure for maintaining soil fertility. and in the local culture as a 'bride price' and for the exchange of goods. Considering periodical seasonal hazards, during eight months dry season people suffer from a serious shortage of water. Failure of the harvest is not an unusual phenomenon on the small, dry, eroded coral island. Seasonal pest invasion on maize cultivation threaten their seed security and food security. The objective of this review is to describe the validity of farmers’ indigenous knowledge (IK) of using buffalo dung as a preservative agent in maize storage and its relevancy in the contemporary living of farmers in the island. A phenomenological study was held in June to August 2018. The results showed that applying buffalo dung ash makes the maize dry faster, cleans and kills maize weevil and preserves the grain, It was concluded that the knowledge and practice is scientifically valid and benefited community in the past but has less relevancy to the contemporary living of the farmers in the island.

scholarly journals The Determinants of Agricultural Crop Productivity among Smallholder Households in Haramaya Distinct, Eastern Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 04 (04) ◽  
pp. 146-153
Author(s):  
Desta Bati Nuno ◽  
◽  
Murad Mohammed Baker ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Organic Fertilizer ◽  
Household Head ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Sampling Procedure ◽  
Agricultural Crop ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Eastern Ethiopia ◽  
Soil Fertility Status

The agricultural crop is a backbone in Ethiopia since the country's economy is mainly dependent on agriculture, which is dominated by subsistence smallholder farmers who are partially integrated into the market. The objective of this study was to identify the determinants of crop productivity among smallholder farmers in Haramaya distinct, Eastern Ethiopia. A two-stage random sampling procedure was employed to detect a sample containing 260 smallholder households in the study area. Data was collected through semi-structured questionnaire schedules administered to the selected household farmers. The features of smallholder farmers were analyzed through descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression models. The results indicated that the length of farming experience of the household head, number of economically active members in family, amount of organic fertilizer applied, irrigated land area, and soil fertility status of farmland were the significant determinants of agricultural crop productivity. To increase the production and productivity of smallholder farms, the farmers were provided with land irrigation. Based on these findings, the study recommends the provision of organic fertilizer to farmers. Policies should also target supplying improved technology and improved seed to enhance agricultural crop production in Ethiopia.

Fijian food shopping behaviour: implications for policy makers and smallholder farmers

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Johns ◽  
Wendy J. Umberger ◽  
Pamela Lyon ◽  
Rio Maligalig
Keyword(s):  
Food Industry ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Food Retailing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food Shopping ◽  
Shopping Behaviour ◽  
Traditional Market

PurposeThe study aims to identify different consumer groups to better understand changes in urban Fijian food shopping behaviour and the implications for the local food industry.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a Latent class (LC) cluster analysis of survey data from 1,000 urban Fijian households to identify unique consumer segments based on household food shopping behaviour.FindingsFive distinct urban household clusters were identified based on food shopping behaviour. The cluster with the highest income level spent significantly lower amounts on fresh fruit and vegetables (FFV) at the main traditional market, preferring to buy their FFV from modern supermarket outlets. Considering the vast majority of local smallholder farmers rely on traditional market channels to sell their produce, the growth and dominance of Fijian supermarkets are of some concern.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research should consider repeating these types of detailed consumer surveys to better understand the implications of changes in shopping behaviour over time, and the role that key stakeholders can play in ensuring smallholder farmers is not excluded from the market.Social implicationsSmallholder-driven agriculture accounts for a significant share of Fiji's gross domestic product (GDP), so understanding how the retail food industry is transforming and how this is affecting smallholder farmers is critical to Fiji's social structure.Originality/valueResearch on food retailing and the role of the consumer is rare in small island developing states (SIDS), such as Fiji. Fiji has a somewhat unique set of circumstances. In the absence of significant foreign investment in food retailing, key factors such as urbanisation and rising urban income mean consumer preferences are important drivers of changes in shopping behaviour. The study provides insights into Fiji's changing food industry with implications for other SIDS, while contributing to the global literature in this field.

“He Was a Good Boy”: The Caribbean Black Mothers’ Experience of Coping and Grief With the Homicide of Their Sons in Trinidad

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 411-432
Author(s):  
Camille Huggins ◽  
Glenda Hinkson ◽  
Keevin Charles
Keyword(s):  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Black Mothers ◽  
Caribbean Black ◽  
Grieving Process ◽  
Island State ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Small Island State ◽  
Depth Interviews

There is little research on Caribbean Black mothers coping with the homicide of their sons. This phenomenological study examines mothers’ grief and coping after the homicide of their male child on the small island state of Trinidad, where people are close knit and socially interconnected. In-depth interviews of 10 mothers who suffered the loss of their sons within a 10-year period were conducted and four themes emerged: normalizing the child against stigma, spirituality and meaning making, concealment and suppression of emotions, and collective support. Results highlighted the immense grief mothers are still struggling with, due to lack of closure with their son’s murder case and the stigma associated with homicide. Additional supports are needed to help mothers with the grieving process.

scholarly journals Efficacy of Indigenous Plant Materials and Modified Storage Structures to Insect Pests of Maize Seed During On-Farm Storage

2006 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 69-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
YD GC
Keyword(s):  
Insect Pests ◽  
Seed Storage ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Common Salt ◽  
Maize Seed ◽  
Maize Weevil ◽  
Design Quality ◽  
Plant Materials ◽  
Storage Structures ◽  
Chemical Pesticides

Four different modified storage structures such as bamboo mat with mud plastering, jute bag with inner plastic lining, metal bins and kuniyu (control treatment) were evaluated for their suitability for maize seed storage for eleventh months in 2001 at Rising Patan (450 m asl) and Budhakot (911 m asl) of western Nepal. Forty adults maize weevils (Sitophilus zeamays Mostachusky) per storage structures were inoculated before treating them with individual plant materials and chemical pesticides. Plant materials and safe chemical pesticides such as timur (Xanthophylum sp.) 25 g/kg, bojho (Acorus calamusI L.) 50 g/kg, common salt 50 g/ kg, acetallic super 1 mg/kg and aluminum phosphide 0.5 tab/10 kg (chemical check) were applied in the individual treatments. The experiments were evaluated into factorial design. Quality assessment and insect pests infestation of maize seeds in storage structures have revealed, metal bin and jute bag with inner plastic lining were the best storage structures. Metal bin was found superior in terms of its ability to give 91% germination within six months of storage followed by jute bag (88 %) and bamboo mat (73.50%). Similarly, bojho has given very effective control to maize weevil, where the infestation was only 2.25% during the period of nine months of storage. In this regard, bojho can be recommended as effective plant material to control weevils at par with acetallic super, whereas, the common salt did not work at all. Key words: Bojho, germination, maize seed storage, maize weevil, storage structures J. Inst. Agric. Anim. Sci. 27:69-76 (2006)

scholarly journals Pluralistic Seed System Development: A Path to Seed Security?

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 372
Author(s):  
Teshome Hunduma Mulesa ◽  
Sarah Paule Dalle ◽  
Clifton Makate ◽  
Ruth Haug ◽  
Ola Tveitereid Westengen
Keyword(s):  
Development Strategy ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Seed Quality ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
System Development ◽  
Formal System ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Seed Systems ◽  
Seed Security ◽  
Seed System

Seed security is central to crop production for smallholder farmers in developing countries, but it remains understudied in relation to long-term seed sector development. Here, we compare seed systems in two districts of Central Ethiopia characterized by subsistence-oriented teff cultivation and commercially oriented wheat production and relate this to the country’s pluralistic seed system development strategy (PSSDS). Our analysis is based on quantitative and qualitative information from a household survey and focus group discussions with farmers, as well as document review and key informant interviews with actors that make up the seed sector in the study sites. Farmers in both districts used a range of seed sources but primarily obtained their seeds from informal sources. Evidence of seed insecurity was found in both districts, as apparent from discrepancies between what the seed farmers say they prefer and those they actually use, limited availability of improved varieties and especially certified seeds of these, challenges with seed quality from some sources, and differentiated access to preferred seed and information according to sex, age and wealth. We find that the interventions prioritized in the PSSDS address most of the seed security challenges and seed system dysfunctions identified, but implementation lags, particularly for the informal seed system, which is largely neglected by government programs. The intermediate system shows promise, but while some improvements have been made in the formal system, vested political, organizational, and economic interests within key institutions represent major obstacles that must be overcome to achieve truly integrative and inclusive seed sector development.

scholarly journals INTRODUCTION OF AGRICULTURAL CROP RESIDUES AS SUPPLEMENT FOR GOATS FATTENING AMONG ANIMAL REARERS IN GIPALMA MUBI-SOUTH, ADAMAWA STATE

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 49-66
Author(s):  
Babale ◽  
A. Aliyu ◽  
Dazala ◽  
Wazamda
Keyword(s):  
Crop Residues ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Small Ruminants ◽  
Agricultural Crop ◽  
Open Market ◽  
Feed Resources ◽  
Maize Bran ◽  
Poor Nutrition ◽  
By Products ◽  
Main Strategy

Fattening has been defined as intensive feeding of highly nutritious feed to and promotes fast growth and fat deposition to achieve desired carcass growth and quality. The main strategy is to fatten young, lean male goat to obtain either from the farmer’s own flock or more often, purchased on the open market over a period of two to three months, with each farmer fattening between one and five animals. The goats are usually tethered or kept in a small sheltered enclosure at the homestead, and often fed and watered individually. Basal feeds used for goat fattening, such as hay and millet straw are supplemented with cowpea haulms, maize bran, rice bran and coconut flour which is derived from the crop residues. Poor nutrition is a major constraint in fattening small ruminants in Nigeria, this is because farmers often give the animals whatever is available, leading to waste when feed availability is high, and underfeeding when it is low (feed availability). Fattening of small ruminants as a business is very common in Nigeria. Small ruminants are usually reproduced on the farms or houses and are sold around festivities. (Christmas and Sallah) or when cash is required. No special efforts, other than grazing the animals, are made by many smallholder farmers and pastoralists to ‘’fatten’’ them. A similar situation exists for fattening of large ruminants (bulls) as a business. Most farmers in Nigeria sell their bulls once they have been introduced to ‘’fatten’’ these animals commercially. Goats are able to subsist and make appreciable gains in long dry season with crop residue-based diets that compare favourably with conventional concentrate rations. Some of the crop residues and by-products available are potentially good feed resources which degrade readily in the rumen, some however, have shown poor degradability and hence, require some treatments before they can contribute to animal nutrition.

Safety and Quality Assessment of Smallholder Farmers' Maize in the Western Highlands of Guatemala

2018 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
pp. 776-784 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOSÉ RODRIGO MENDOZA ◽  
ANA RODAS ◽  
ANA OLIVA ◽  
LUIS SABILLÓN ◽  
ANA COLMENARES ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Daily Intake ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Tolerable Daily Intake ◽  
Estimated Daily Intake ◽  
Maize Weevil ◽  
Pest Insects ◽  
Different Altitudes

ABSTRACT Maize (Zea mays) is a staple in many developing countries but is known to be prone to pest (insects, birds, and rodents) and fungal infestation. In Guatemala, mycotoxin contamination of cultivated products may occur owing to such factors as environmental conditions and the use of traditional agriculture operations. To assess the current maize conditions in Guatemala, a small-scale study was performed. Mold and insect counts and mycotoxin (aflatoxin and fumonisin) concentrations were determined on 25 farms in two townships (Chiantla and Todos Santos) of the Huehuetenango Department. Total fungal counts were 3.6 to 6.83 log CFU/g with no significant differences (P > 0.05) across farms at different altitudes. Farms where maize was not produced but was purchased were at higher risk of fumonisin contamination, whereas local producers were mostly affected by aflatoxins. Aflatoxin was present in maize from 100% of farms at 1.0 to 85.3 ppb, and fumonisin was detected on 52% of farms at 0.4 to 31.0 ppm. Average mycotoxin consumption amounts were above the recommended maximum intake for aflatoxin in both produced and purchased maize and above the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake for fumonisin in purchased maize. Estimated daily intake was 0.01 to 0.85 μg/kg of body weight per day for aflatoxin and 2.9 to 310.0 μg/kg of body weight per day for fumonisin. An entomological analysis revealed overall 32% prevalence of Ephestia kuehniella (flour moth), 16% prevalence of Sitophilus zeamais (maize weevil), and 8% prevalence of Tribolium sp. (flour beetle) on the analyzed farms. This study highlighted poor agricultural practices used in the highlands of Guatemala. Current practices should be revised for the production of maize that is safe for consumption by the population in this region.

scholarly journals Seed security among smallholder farmers in semi-arid Ghana

2022 ◽  
pp. 100438
Author(s):  
Michael Biwalib Madin ◽  
Hanson Nyantakyi-Frimpong ◽  
Daniel Kweku Baah Inkoom
Keyword(s):  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Seed Security ◽  
Semi Arid

scholarly journals Demucilaging Freshly Stored Seeds of Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) Improves Seedling Emergence and Growth

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael O. Adu ◽  
Thomas Cobbinah ◽  
Paul A. Asare ◽  
David O. Yawson ◽  
Kingsley J. Taah
Keyword(s):  
Theobroma Cacao ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Germination Rate ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Seed Storage ◽  
Socioeconomic Conditions ◽  
Storage Duration ◽  
Seed Extraction ◽  
And Storage ◽  
Theobroma Cacao L

Fresh seeds of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) are covered by a large amount of mucilage, which plays important ecological roles. However, for stored seeds, mucilage can adversely affect germination. This study investigated the effect of mucilage removal (demucilaging) and seed storage of freshly extracted cocoa seeds on seedling emergence and growth. The study showed that demucilaging cocoa seeds confers several advantages over mucilage intact seeds provided the seeds have been stored for at least three days before sowing. Demucilaging increased germination rate (T50) and percentage germination and presence of mucilage increased days to seedling emergence and cessation of germination when seeds were stored for over two days. For up to 21 days of seed storage, there was generally no difference in many traits for demucilaged seeds. Demucilaged seeds had 80–100% germination after 21 days of storage, and rate of germination increased with increasing duration of seed storage. Intact mucilage seeds maintained 80–100% germination for only 2 days after seed extraction and rate of germination decreased with increasing seed storage duration. We conclude that (i) if seeds are sown on the day of extraction demucilaging before sowing would be superfluous and (ii) demucilaging and storage can provide advantages to smallholder farmers when environmental or socioeconomic conditions preclude immediate sowing.

scholarly journals THE RAMIFICATIONS OF CLIMATE VARIABILITY IN AGRICULTURAL FOOD CROPS PRODUCTION AMONG THE SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS, TANZANIA

2018 ◽  
pp. 16-20
Author(s):  
BROWN GWAMBENE
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Climate Variability ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Agricultural Crop ◽  
Farming Practices ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Study Results

Implication of climate variability and changing environment potentially subvert agricultural crop production of subsistence and smallholder farmers in the developing countries. Ensuring food security during increasing environmental changes and climate variability constitutes one of the greatest adaptation challenges. Understanding the complex nature of food security and emphasis on increasing food crop production and distribution provide substantial adaptation option and an opportunity for spearheading, generating of information, developing of innovative and improving technologies to adapt to anticipated situations. This paper employed survey to collect information. The study results ascribe that the heavy reliance on rain-fed agriculture, shortage of land and the use of poor technology renders many smallholder farmers vulnerable to the effects of climate variability resulting in the decline of agricultural production, hence food insecurity. The trend is likely to worsen if no measures are put in place to redress the situation. In addressing such challenges, substantial efforts are needed to improve farming practices and the development of adaptation measures that include diversification, climate smart farming practices and improvement of extension and veterinary services. For effectiveness of adoption this will need to include promotion of appropriate and inclusive, environmentally-sound technologies and an enabling policy environment that reinforces actions at the all levels.

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