scholarly journals Assessment of the use of cocoa production management practices among cocoa farmers in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Agro-Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
A.O. Awoyemi ◽  
S.A. Aderinoye-Abdulwahab
2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-29
Author(s):  
Nur Asia ◽  
Sarwititi Sarwoprasodjo ◽  
Dyah Gandasari

The cocoa certification program is the implementation of cocoa management practices that meet sustainable agricultural standards. This program is part of the commitment of cocoa sector stakeholders to realize sustainable cocoa. West Sulawesi Province is one of cocoa production centers in Indonesia. The implementation of cocoa certification in this province is still low, about 8.4% of the total cocoa farmers. This study aims to determine the potential for sustainability of the adoption of Cocoa Certification from development communication aspect by conducting an assessment on dialogue and collective action of farmer groups. The research conducted in Luyo Sub-District Polewali Mandar District West Sulawesi Province using survey method with descriptive correlation analysis. The sample size is 41 groups with 205 respondents. Descriptive analysis shows the average index of the implementation of community dialogue and collective action of 56.05,50,88 and 65.72 from a maximum score of 100. The results indicated that perception of farmers on the observability of Cocoa Certification and the role of facilitators are significant related to dialogue and collective action of farmer groups. The dialogue in the group is significant correlated with their collective action. So, some farmer groups have potential to continue to adopt the Cocoa Certification standard but others have potential to quit.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 051-062
Author(s):  
Kpangui Kouassi Bruno ◽  
Sangne Yao Charles ◽  
Kouakou Kouassi Apollinaire ◽  
Koua Kadio Attey Noël ◽  
Koffi N'Guessan Achille

The mountainous relief of the West of Côte d'Ivoire and the large savannahs next to forests didn’t make this zone very excellent for cocoa production. However, for the last decade, an important influx of farming population has been observed in this area. The objective of this study is to analyze the dynamics of the settlement of migrant farmers in the West region of Côte d’Ivoire, using the department of Biankouma as a case of study. So, individual surveys were conducted among 203 cocoa farmers from 15 villages in the department of Biankouma, who had migrated to this region, It was found that the majority of these farmers are natives of Côte d'Ivoire (38.3%) and non-natives (33.5%) from countries in the West Africa region. The migratory flow to this region is mainly internal, with 95.6% of farmers coming from 11 Districts and 55 localities in the country. While initially (i.e., before 1985), farmers came from towns near Duékoué (11.8%), these waves of movement from towns in neighboring districts (Bas-Sassandra and Sassandra-Marahoué) to the Western Region will experience their highest rates between 2002 and 2013. Observations drawn from our research findings support the hypothesis that the political-military crisis that the country has experienced has accentuated migratory flows of farmers for cocoa production in western Côte d'Ivoire and these migratory flows could be the cause of the degradation of forest cover in the Biankouma Department.


2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-266
Author(s):  
C.O. Osarenren ◽  
J.O. Ejuetueyin ◽  
K.I. Eweka

This study examined the socio-economic characteristics of registered cocoa farmers in Edo State; Nigeria. Primary data was collected using a well structured questionnaire administered to 180 registered cocoa farmers selected using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and budgetary technique. Results showed that 88.9% of cocoa farmers were male with a mean range of 46 years with 75% being married and 88.8% having formal education. The budgetary technique was used to determine the profitability of cocoa production, which was found to be profitable in the study area at a gross margin of N66, 350, Net Farm Income of N59, 200, and net return on investment of N 1.11.The Benefit Cost Ratio and Expense Structure Ratio of 2.11 and 0.12 respectively indicated that cocoa production was economically profitable and viable since the BCR is greater than 1 and the Gross Ratio (GR) of cocoa production is 0.47. From these profitability ratios, it shows that cocoa production is a profitable business in the study area. Inadequate finance to operate on large scale was found to be the major constraint to the cocoa farmers in the study area. The study concludes that cocoa production is profitable and was recommended that production could be improved and sustained through provision of soft loans to the farmers.Keywords: socio-economics, characteristics, registered cocoa farmers


Author(s):  
Nur Bahiah Mohamed Haris

The main function of agricultural extensionists is to facilitate learning and disseminate new knowledge and technologies through non-formal educational settings. This will lead to improved agricultural productivity and increase farmers’ income. In the lens of the cocoa production scenario in Malaysia, it used to be a popular crop as this sector became the third-largest producer in the world since the 1980s, however that has changed over the years. Despite the reduced size of land use and the dropping production of cocoa over the past decades, exports of cocoa beans and cocoa products are growing steadily each year. Thus, with the overwhelming demand for Malaysian chocolate products from other regions, cocoa production should be boosted and not overlooked. Transfer of Technology (ToT) can be seen as the main catalyst that can improve farmers’ performance through extension agent capabilities, this study will determine the factors of ToT skills that contribute to the work performance of extension agents in the Malaysian Cocoa Board (MCB). A total of 353 productive cocoa farmers were employed in this study to evaluate the work performance of extension agents using a structured questionnaire. The data was analysed using descriptive and regression analyses. The results indicated that all the ToT skills (technical skill, technology delivery skill, and evaluation skill) are significant (p < 0.05) towards the work performance of extension agents. The R2 value of 0.520 implies that the three contributors explain about 52% of the variance in the work performance in this study. Hence, this shows the importance of ToT skills in improving the work performance of extension agents, particularly in the MCB and cocoa industry in Malaysia.


2014 ◽  
Vol 989-994 ◽  
pp. 3443-3446
Author(s):  
Chen Fang Jiang ◽  
Ke Peng Hou ◽  
Hua Fen Sun

According to the grey theory, in order to predict and prevent accident effectively, the paper built a grey model and forecast the mine accidents in china in 2013 based on the statistics of mine accidents happened in China during period from 2007 to 2012. MATLAB was used to write procedure code of GM (1, 1) and empirical verification follows. The prediction results show that if high accuracy goes with the precision of the calculable model, which could be used to provide the basis for decision making to the safety production management practices in China. This case study indicates that GM (1, 1) plays an important role in mine safety management.


HortScience ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (9) ◽  
pp. 1364-1371 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Majsztrik ◽  
Andrew G. Ristvey ◽  
David S. Ross ◽  
John D. Lea-Cox

Quantifying the range of fertilizer and irrigation application rates applied by the ornamental nursery and greenhouse industry is challenging as a result of the variety of species, production systems, and cultural management techniques that are used. To gain a better understanding of nutrient and water use by the ornamental industry in Maryland, 491 potential operations (including multiple addresses and contacts) in the state were mailed a packet of information asking for their voluntary participation. Of the 491 potential operations, it was determined that 348 operations were currently in operation. Of those 348 operations, 48 (14% of the operations in the state) participated in a site visit and an in-depth interview, and a detailed site analysis of the water and nutrient management practices was performed on a production management unit (MU) basis. The authors define an MU as a group of plants that is managed similarly, particularly in regard to nutrient and irrigation application. Greenhouse operations reported, on average, 198, 122, and 196 kg/ha/year of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P, as P2O5), and potassium (K, as K2O) fertilizer used, respectively, for 27 operations, representing 188 MUs. Twenty-seven outdoor container nursery operations had a total of 162 MUs, with an average of 964, 390, and 556 kg/ha/year of N, P2O5, and K2O fertilizer used, respectively. Field nursery (soil-based) operations were represented by 17 operations, producing 96 MUs, with an average of 67, 20, and 25 kg/ha/year of N, P2O5, and K2O fertilizer used, respectively. Irrigation volume per application was greatest in container nursery operations, followed by greenhouse and field nursery operations. Data were also analyzed by creating quartiles, which represent the median of the lowest 25%, the middle 50%, and highest 75% of values. It is likely that the greatest quartile application rates reported by growers could be substantially reduced with little to no effect on plant production time or quality. These data also provide baseline information to determine changes in fertilization practices over time. They were also used as inputs for water and nutrient management models developed as part of this study. These data may also be useful for informing nutrient application rates used in the Chesapeake Bay nutrient modeling process.


Author(s):  
William M. Tsutsui

Tracking with Japan’s macroeconomic fortunes since World War II, global interest in Japanese management practices emerged in the 1950s with the start of Japan’s “miracle economy,” soared in the 1980s as Japanese industrial exports threatened manufacturers around the world, and declined after 1990 as Japan’s growth stalled. Japanese techniques, especially in labor and production management, fascinated Western scholars and practitioners in their striking divergence from U.S. and European conventions and their apparent advantages in creating harmonious, highly productive workplaces. Two reductive approaches to the origins of Japan’s distinctive management methods―one asserting they were the organic outgrowth of Japan’s unique cultural heritage, the other stressing Japan’s proficiency at emulating and adapting American models—came to dominate the academic and popular literature. As historical analysis reveals, however, such stylized interpretations distort the complex evolution of Japanese industrial management over the past century and shed little light on the current debates over the potential convergence of Japanese practices and American management norms. Key features of the Japanese model of labor management—“permanent” employment, seniority-based wages and promotions, and enterprise unions—developed between the late 1800s and the 1950s from the contentious interaction of workers, managers, and government bureaucrats. The distinctive “Japanese Employment System” that emerged reflected both employers’ priorities (for low labor turnover and the affirmation of managerial authority in the workplace) and labor’s demands (for employment security and respect as full members of the firm). Since 1990, despite the widespread perception that Japanese labor management is inefficient and inflexible by international standards, many time-honored practices have endured, as Japanese corporations have pursued adaptive, incremental change rather than precipitous convergence toward a more market-oriented American model. The distinguishing elements of Japanese production management—the “lean production” system and just-in-time manufacturing pioneered in Toyota factories, innovative quality-control practices—also evolved slowly over the first century of Japanese industrialization. Imported management paradigms (especially Frederick Taylor’s scientific management) had a profound long-term impact on Japanese shop-floor methods, but Japanese managers were creative in adapting American practices to Japan’s realities and humanizing the rigid structures of Taylorism. Japanese production management techniques were widely diffused internationally from the 1980s, but innovation has slowed in Japanese manufacturing in recent decades and Japanese firms have struggled to keep pace with latest management advances from the United States and Europe. In sum, the histories of Japanese labor and production management cannot be reduced to simple narratives of cultural determinism, slavish imitation, or inevitable convergence. Additional research on Japanese practices in a wide range of firms, industries, sectors, regions, and historical periods is warranted to further nuance our understanding of the complex evolution, diverse forms, and contingent future of Japanese management.


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