scholarly journals Production Constraints and Improvement Strategies of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) Genotypes for Drought Tolerance

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Gabriel V. Nkomo ◽  
Moosa M. Sedibe ◽  
Maletsema A. Mofokeng
Keyword(s):  
Drought Tolerance ◽  
Vigna Unguiculata ◽  
Animal Feed ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Pests And Diseases ◽  
Production Constraints ◽  
Worldwide Production ◽  
Improvement Strategies ◽  
Sub Saharan

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp. L) is an important leguminous crop largely grown by smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa for food security and animal feed. The objective of this study was to review the production constraints and improvement strategies of cowpea genotypes for drought tolerance. Data were analysed through use of literature review from various sources. In sub-Saharan Africa, cowpeas are produced mainly from West Africa, which accounts for 60% of worldwide production. A lot of pests and diseases affect cowpeas, and this often results in total crop loss. Through continuous improvement, many new cultivars are continually being identified and genetically characterised, and it is thus necessary to evaluate these new lines under different environments. There is a need for multidisciplinary collaborations among breeders and other relevant stakeholders such as farmer and extension workers because the improved cultivars must be according to the farmers preferred traits. Due to declining rainfall pattern in sub-Saharan Africa, there is an urgent requirement for cowpea breeding programmes that focus on developing varieties with short maturity, drought, pest, and disease tolerance. The present review discusses the constraints and improvement strategies of cowpea varieties for drought tolerance.

scholarly journals Comparative Evaluation of Agronomic Performance of Selected Landraces And Improved Groundnuts Cultivars In Central Uganda

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John W Mulumba ◽  
Ronald Kakeeto ◽  
Rose Nankya ◽  
Hannington Lwandasa ◽  
Brian Isabirye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Agronomic Performance ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Improved Varieties ◽  
Pests And Diseases ◽  
User Groups ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is important for providing food, income, livestock fodder for smallholder farmers, and improving soil fertility. However, groundnut yields on farmers’ fields in Sub-Saharan Africa are still very low due to various constraints. Several groundnut cultivars are available within the farmer’s domain but the adoption of these varieties favours landraces as opposed to improved varieties. Limited information is available on performance of commonly grown cultivars for guiding selection by different user groups (farmers, breeders and other users). This study was thus designed to determine the performance of selected landraces and improved groundnut varieties in Uganda. 23 groundnut lines with varying degrees of tolerance to a range of stresses were evaluated at two sites. Results showed significant (P ≤ 0.05 to P≤ 0.001) differences among genotypes for yield. Significant (P≤0.05 to P≤0.001) varietal differences were also observed between landraces and improved varieties for growth and physiological traits but not for pest and disease reaction. Clustering was not evident on the basis of either landraces or improved cultivars for pests and diseases incidences. However, associations of a mix of both groundnut classes of with particular diseases and/or pests were observed. Varieties such as India, Serenut 10, Kabonge, and DOK Tan associated with diseases such as rosette virus disease and its vector pest, the aphids. The results reported in this study shall be useful for driving the development of new cultivars owing to their good adaptability and acceptance thus the need to conserve and ensure sustainable use of these germplasm.

scholarly journals Precision Agriculture for Resource Use Efficiency in Smallholder Farming Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1158
Author(s):  
Cecilia M. Onyango ◽  
Justine M. Nyaga ◽  
Johanna Wetterlind ◽  
Mats Söderström ◽  
Kristin Piikki
Keyword(s):  
Resource Use ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
English Language ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Sub Saharan

Opportunities exist for adoption of precision agriculture technologies in all parts of the world. The form of precision agriculture may vary from region to region depending on technologies available, knowledge levels and mindsets. The current review examined research articles in the English language on precision agriculture practices for increased productivity among smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. A total of 7715 articles were retrieved and after screening 128 were reviewed. The results indicate that a number of precision agriculture technologies have been tested under SSA conditions and show promising results. The most promising precision agriculture technologies identified were the use of soil and plant sensors for nutrient and water management, as well as use of satellite imagery, GIS and crop-soil simulation models for site-specific management. These technologies have been shown to be crucial in attainment of appropriate management strategies in terms of efficiency and effectiveness of resource use in SSA. These technologies are important in supporting sustainable agricultural development. Most of these technologies are, however, at the experimental stage, with only South Africa having applied them mainly in large-scale commercial farms. It is concluded that increased precision in input and management practices among SSA smallholder farmers can significantly improve productivity even without extra use of inputs.

scholarly journals REVIEW OF SEASONAL CLIMATE FORECASTING FOR AGRICULTURE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

2011 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
JAMES W. HANSEN ◽  
SIMON J. MASON ◽  
LIQIANG SUN ◽  
ARAME TALL
Keyword(s):  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Seasonal Forecast ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Seasonal Forecasting ◽  
Seasonal Forecasts ◽  
Climate Services ◽  
Seasonal Climate ◽  
Climate Forecasting ◽  
Probabilistic Forecasts ◽  
Sub Saharan

SUMMARYWe review the use and value of seasonal climate forecasting for agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with a view to understanding and exploiting opportunities to realize more of its potential benefits. Interaction between the atmosphere and underlying oceans provides the basis for probabilistic forecasts of climate conditions at a seasonal lead-time, including during cropping seasons in parts of SSA. Regional climate outlook forums (RCOF) and national meteorological services (NMS) have been at the forefront of efforts to provide forecast information for agriculture. A survey showed that African NMS often go well beyond the RCOF process to improve seasonal forecast information and disseminate it to the agricultural sector. Evidence from a combination of understanding of how climatic uncertainty impacts agriculture, model-based ex-ante analyses, subjective expressions of demand or value, and the few well-documented evaluations of actual use and resulting benefit suggests that seasonal forecasts may have considerable potential to improve agricultural management and rural livelihoods. However, constraints related to legitimacy, salience, access, understanding, capacity to respond and data scarcity have so far limited the widespread use and benefit from seasonal prediction among smallholder farmers. Those constraints that reflect inadequate information products, policies or institutional process can potentially be overcome. Additional opportunities to benefit rural communities come from expanding the use of seasonal forecast information for coordinating input and credit supply, food crisis management, trade and agricultural insurance. The surge of activity surrounding seasonal forecasting in SSA following the 1997/98 El Niño has waned in recent years, but emerging initiatives, such as the Global Framework for Climate Services and ClimDev-Africa, are poised to reinvigorate support for seasonal forecast information services for agriculture. We conclude with a discussion of institutional and policy changes that we believe will greatly enhance the benefits of seasonal forecasting to agriculture in SSA.

scholarly journals Factors That Matter for Financial Inclusion: Evidence from Sub-Sharan Africa - The Zimbabwe Case

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
David Mhlanga
Keyword(s):  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Multinomial Logit Model ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Farm Income ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Hand Off ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Government

The study intended to investigate the factors that are important in influencing the financial inclusion of smallholder farming households in Sub-Saharan Africa with a specific focus on Zimbabwe. Motivated by the fact that there is an increase in the evidence of the importance of financial inclusion in fighting poverty and the fact that by merely having a bank account, financial inclusion cannot be guaranteed, the study went further to interrogate factors that influence smallholder farmers to have a transaction account, to borrow and to have insurance. Since the dependent variable of financial inclusion had more than two categories, with three unordered categories, transaction account, savings/credit account, and insurance, the multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate the determinants of financial inclusion from these three categories of the dependent variable. The multinomial logit model results, with insurance as the reference category, indicated that the size of the household, transaction costs, gender and agricultural extension service were the factors influencing the demand for a household to open a transaction account. On the other hand, off-farm income and age of the household were the only two factors significantly influencing households to borrow. Therefore, it is imperative for, the government of Zimbabwe to come up with more policies that encourage farmers to participate in the formal financial market as financial inclusion can help to fight poverty and the general developments of societies.   Received: 28 April 2021 / Accepted: 31 August 2021 / Published: 5 November 2021

scholarly journals A Multi-Phase Assessment of the Effects of COVID-19 on Food Systems and Rural Livelihoods in Zimbabwe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vine Mutyasira
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Rapid Assessment ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Response Measures ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Multi Phase

The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to affect agri-food systems around the world and lay bare its fragility, worsening the welfare of millions of smallholder farmers whose livelihoods are anchored on agricultural activities. For the vast majority of sub-Saharan Africa, COVID-19 has coincided with a number of other macroeconomic shocks, which have also exacerbated the impacts of the pandemic on food security, nutrition and general livelihoods, as well curtailed policy responses and mitigation strategies. In Zimbabwe, the COVID-19 pandemic struck at a time the country was experiencing a worsening economic and humanitarian situation. This study focused more on community and household dynamics and response measures to cope with the pandemic. This paper presents a summary of findings emerging from a series of rapid assessment studies undertaken by the Agricultural Policy Research in Africa (APRA) Programme in Mvurwi and Concession areas of Mazowe District in Zimbabwe to examine how COVID-19 is affecting food systems and rural livelihoods in our research communities.

scholarly journals Farmer Reported Pest and Disease Impacts on Root, Tuber, and Banana Crops and Livelihoods in Rwanda and Burundi

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Okonya ◽  
Walter Ocimati ◽  
Anastase Nduwayezu ◽  
Déo Kantungeko ◽  
Nicolas Niko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cassava Mosaic Disease ◽  
Household Food Security ◽  
Crop Losses ◽  
Pests And Diseases ◽  
Production Constraints ◽  
Root Tuber ◽  
The Impact

Biotic constraints cause major crop losses and, hence, food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa. This study documented the popularity, production constraints, pests and diseases, farmers’ perceptions on the severity of biotic constraints and the impact of related crop losses on household food security for the key root, tuber and banana (RTB) crops (cassava, potato, sweetpotato and banana). Farmer interviews were conducted in 2014 covering 811 households in Rwanda and Burundi. Farmers were asked to list their RTB crop production constraints, name insect pests and diseases of RTB crops, estimate crop loss due to pests and diseases, and mention if their household experienced any form of food insecurity due to pests and diseases. Cutworms and late blight in potato, banana weevils and banana Xanthomonas wilt in banana, cassava whitefly and cassava mosaic disease in cassava, sweetpotato weevils, and sweetpotato virus disease in sweetpotato were the most predominant pests and diseases reported. Crop losses due to pests and diseases for sweetpotato, banana, potato and cassava were estimated at 26%, 29%, 33%, and 36%, respectively, in Rwanda and 37%, 48%, 38%, and 37% in Burundi. Pests and diseases reduce the profitability of RTB crops, threaten food security, and constitute a disincentive for investment. Sustainable and affordable integrated pest management packages need to be developed.

scholarly journals IoT-based Irrigation Management for Smallholder Farmers in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 177 ◽  
pp. 86-93
Author(s):  
Ethiopia Nigussie ◽  
Thomas Olwal ◽  
George Musumba ◽  
Tesfa Tegegne ◽  
Atli Lemma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan

scholarly journals Performance of Five Postharvest Storage Methods for Maize Preservation in Northern Benin

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dieudonne Baributsa ◽  
Ousmane Nouhou Bakoye ◽  
Baoua Ibrahim ◽  
Larry L. Murdock
Keyword(s):  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Stored Grain ◽  
Hermetic Storage ◽  
Storage Losses ◽  
Weight Losses ◽  
No Weight Loss ◽  
Storage Methods ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Storage Technologies

Several postharvest technologies are currently being commercialized to help smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa reduce grain storage losses. We carried out a study in Northern Benin to compare the effectiveness of five technologies being sold to protect stored grain. Maize that had been naturally infested by insects was stored in four hermetic storage technologies (SuperGrainbag™, AgroZ® bag, EVAL™, and Purdue Improved Crop Storage-PICS™ bags), an insecticide impregnated bag (ZeroFly®), and a regular polypropylene (PP) woven bag as control. Oxygen levels in hermetic bags fluctuated between 0.5 ± 0.0 (v/v) and 1.0 ± 0.3 (v/v) percent during the seven months of storage. No weight loss or insect damage was observed in grain stored in any of the hermetic storage bags after seven months. However, grain stored in ZeroFly® and PP woven bags had weight losses of 6.3% and 10.3%, respectively. These results will help farmers and development agencies when making decisions to use and/or promote storage technologies to reduce postharvest grain losses.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document