scholarly journals Reflections on Efforts Geared toward Improved Soil Fertility and Crop Yields in Kenya

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Arusey Chebet ◽  
Ruth Njoroge ◽  
Wilson Ng’etich
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Soil Testing ◽  
Research Network ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

A successful strategy aimed at enhancing crop productivity relies on its ability to be implemented practically in the field (farmers’ field). Many research-based activities and promising soil fertility technologies are largely not adopted. This paper examines the impact of the agricultural research conducted at the University of Eldoret, agricultural institutes and the government of Kenya projects at a farm level on crop yields. Precisely, this paper narrows down to research done with an aim of exploring system approaches that address soil phosphorus and its effect on increasing crop yields in Western Kenya. Strategies like the collaboration of scientists and non scientists (transdisciplinary process) produced successful results. A qualified soil test with differentiated soil testing recommendations increases the yield by about 1.5 t dry maize ha-1. Participating in a transdisciplinary process provides an additional surplus of about 1 t dry maize ha-1 yield. Economically, this is a highly attractive result; given that soil testing costs around 20 USD, a surplus of 1 t dry maize returns approximately 330 USD. Although literature registers success stories of many research work, there is slow and limited adoption rate of the output by farmers. We          suggest the development and expansion of transdisciplinary research and creation of Farmer Research Network to seek a one-size-fits-all solution for farmers to adopt technologies with proven success.

Agricultural research reclamation in Ukraine: Professor D.O. Dzhovani (1886–1971)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Verhunov ◽  
Yu. Dovgoruk
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Land Reclamation ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Agricultural Science ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Scientific Papers ◽  
Archival Documents ◽  
Active Interest ◽  
Agricultural Schools

The monograph highlights the main stages of development of agricultural research land reclamation work in Ukraine, one of the founders, creators and developers of which was Professor D.O. Dzhovani. The scientific, scientific-organizational and pedagogical activities of the well-known domestic scientist was described, who is an iconic figure for the formation of experimental reclamation work in Ukraine and abroad. The professor laid the scientific-organizational and conceptual principles, in particular the state legislative acts of development of the scientific direction of agro-amelioration in Ukraine and Russia during the 20-30's of the 20th century. He is the author of a number of scientific papers in the field of experimental land reclamation, author of the first textbook in Ukrainian for agricultural courses "Reclamation legislation: a guide for the agricultural schools"(1927). D.O. Dzhovani was personally involved in the opening of a number of reclamation stations in the research network of Ukraine. He was a member of the Scientific & Advisory Board (SAB) on the construction of Dniprelstan and the Special Commission on Dniprelstan at the Agricultural Scientific Committee of Ukraine. The scientist is one of the founders of the Ukrainian Scientific & Research Institute of Agricultural Land Reclamation. The available archival documents attest to his significant contribution to the establishment and subsequent functioning of this institution. After forced emigration to Great Britain, he continued to supplement his inventions and research in the field of agriculture, until the end of his days he did not lose active interest in the business of his life – land reclamation and swamp culture. This edition also contains bibliographic descriptions of his works, written personally and in co-authorship, reports on scientific activities, scientific & popular publications. The book is recommended for scientists, teachers, graduate students, students, specialists in agricultural science, all those who are interested in the history of agricultural research work development.

scholarly journals The Innovation of Government Bonds in the Growth of an Emergent Capital Market

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Cordelia Onyinyechi Omodero ◽  
Philip Olasupo Alege
Keyword(s):  
Capital Market ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Government Bonds ◽  
Market Capitalization ◽  
Market Growth ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Total Market ◽  
The Capital Market

The growth of an emerging capital market is necessary and requires all available resources and inputs from various sources to realize this objective. Several debates on government bonds’ contribution to Nigeria’s capital market developmental growth have ensued but have not triggered comprehensive studies in this area. The present research work seeks to close the breach by probing the impact of government bonds on developing the capital market in Nigeria from 2003–2019. We employ total market capitalization as the response variable to proxy the capital market, while various government bonds serve as the independent variables. The inflation rate moderates the predictor components. The research uses multiple regression technique to assess the explanatory variables’ impact on the total market capitalization. At the same time, diagnostic tests help guarantee the normality of the regression model’s data distribution and appropriateness. The findings reveal that the Federal Government of Nigeria’s (FGN) bond is statistically significant and positive in influencing Nigeria’s capital market growth. The other predictor variables are not found significant in this study. The study suggests that the Government should improve on the government bonds’ coupon, while still upholding the none default norm in paying interest and refunding principal to investors when due.

scholarly journals The Pitfalls of Relating Weeds, Herbicide Use, and Crop Yield: Don't Fall Into the Trap! A Critical Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Colbach ◽  
Sandrine Petit ◽  
Bruno Chauvel ◽  
Violaine Deytieux ◽  
Martin Lechenet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Yield ◽  
Weed Management ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Yield Loss ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Arable Farming ◽  
Herbicide Use ◽  
The Impact

The growing recognition of the environmental and health issues associated to pesticide use requires to investigate how to manage weeds with less or no herbicides in arable farming while maintaining crop productivity. The questions of weed harmfulness, herbicide efficacy, the effects of herbicide use on crop yields, and the effect of reducing herbicides on crop production have been addressed over the years but results and interpretations often appear contradictory. In this paper, we critically analyze studies that have focused on the herbicide use, weeds and crop yield nexus. We identified many inconsistencies in the published results and demonstrate that these often stem from differences in the methodologies used and in the choice of the conceptual model that links the three items. Our main findings are: (1) although our review confirms that herbicide reduction increases weed infestation if not compensated by other cultural techniques, there are many shortcomings in the different methods used to assess the impact of weeds on crop production; (2) Reducing herbicide use rarely results in increased crop yield loss due to weeds if farmers compensate low herbicide use by other efficient cultural practices; (3) There is a need for comprehensive studies describing the effect of cropping systems on crop production that explicitly include weeds and disentangle the impact of herbicides from the effect of other practices on weeds and on crop production. We propose a framework that presents all the links and feed-backs that must be considered when analyzing the herbicide-weed-crop yield nexus. We then provide a number of methodological recommendations for future studies. We conclude that, since weeds are causing yield loss, reduced herbicide use and maintained crop productivity necessarily requires a redesign of cropping systems. These new systems should include both agronomic and biodiversity-based levers acting in concert to deliver sustainable weed management.

Impact of Land Conservation Technologies on Agricultural Productivity in Tanzania

Utafiti ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 33-66
Author(s):  
Onesmo Selijio
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Maize Crop ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Inorganic Fertilizers ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Management And Conservation ◽  
Conservation Technologies

Land management and conservation have been considered the most important aspects of sustainable productivity in economically developing countries where land degradation is a major challenge. In Tanzania, both the government and international organizations have been promoting adoption of land management and conservation technologies (LMCTs) for a long time. This paper establishes the impact of three LMCTs – soil water conservation technologies and erosion control (SWCEC), organic and inorganic fertilizers – on maize crop yields in different rainfall zones, using national panel survey data. The study employs static panel models to analyse the two-period data sets for 2008-2009 and 2010-2011. The results indicate that adoption of LMCTs do contribute significantly to maize yield. The greatest effects of organic and SWCEC methods on crop yield were realized in low rainfall zones, while that of inorganic fertilizers was observed in high rainfall zones. These findings support previous cross-sectional data analyses, suggesting for policy makers that a blanket land management and conservation programme applied uniformly to all agro-ecological zones is not strategically beneficial. The advisability of a technology employed in a given zone should be supported by local knowledge and research findings culled from that particular area.

scholarly journals EVALUATING THE EFFECT OF INDUSTRIAL EFFLUENTS ON CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF SOIL IN VILLAGE DINGI, DISTRICT HARIPUR

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
K. Asghar ◽  
A. Hussain ◽  
Z. Malik ◽  
A. Asghar ◽  
A. Bibi
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Present Report ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Industrial Effluents ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Natural Stream ◽  
Underlying Causes ◽  
The Government

The present report is an outcome of research work conducted in Dingi village, District Haripur in 2012. The research aimed to assess and analyze the effects of industrial effluents on the soil fertility of the village, investigate contributing factors responsible for soil pollution and underlying causes creating the problems. Data analysis revealed that area had problems pertaining to water and soil quality. The key factors affecting soil fertility were the careless discharge of the untreated industrial effluents from Hattar Industrial Estate (HIE) into the natural stream passing through village. The results were compared with the soil standards set by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and European Committee Commission (ECC) and all of these were exceeding the permissible limits and affecting the soil fertility. The soils were found not fit for agriculture. The investigation highlighted the need to take some effective steps to manage the monitoring program set for checking of industries by the government according to set rules and regulation.

The impact of diversification of a rice–wheat cropping system on crop productivity and soil fertility

2002 ◽  
Vol 139 (4) ◽  
pp. 405-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. K. SINGH ◽  
B. B. SHARMA ◽  
B. S. DWIVEDI
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Green Manure ◽  
Protein Production ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Cropping Intensity ◽  
The Impact

Field experiments were conducted at the Crop Research Centre of Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar during 1996/97 and 1997/98. Each experiment comprised 10 crop sequences: (a) wheat–rice, (b) chickpea–rice, (c) lentil–rice, (d) pea–rice, (e) wheat–mungbean green manure–rice, (f) wheat–Sesbania green manure–rice, (g) wheat–fodder–rice, (h) chickpea–fodder–rice, (i) lentil–fodder–rice and (j) pea–fodder–rice, in a randomized block design with four replications. The crop sequences were compared in terms of economic rice equivalent yield (REY), protein production, apparent nutrient balances and effect on soil fertility status. Amongst crop sequences involving two crops each year (200% cropping intensity), chickpea–rice gave highest REY and protein production. Of the sequences involving three crops each year (300% cropping intensity), chickpea–fodder–rice and wheat–fodder–rice were superior to others. The P balances were positive for all sequences, whereas K balances were generally negative except for sequences involving green manure legumes. Green manuring with Sesbania or mungbean helped restore soil fertility, indicating the advantage of green manure for higher productivity and sustainability of rice–wheat system. Chickpea–rice and chickpea–fodder–rice appeared promising alternatives to rice–wheat crop sequence.

scholarly journals Impact of land management system on crop yields and soil fertility in Cameroon

Solid Earth ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 1087-1101 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Tsozué ◽  
J. P. Nghonda ◽  
D. L. Mekem
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Control Sample ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Exchange Capacity ◽  
Direct Seeding ◽  
Ph Values ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The impact of direct-seeding mulch-based cropping systems (DMC), direct seeding (DS) and tillage seeding (TS) on Sorghum yields, soil fertility and the rehabilitation of degraded soils was evaluated in northern Cameroon. Field work consisted of visual examination, soil sampling, yield and rainfall data collection. Three fertilization rates (F1: 100 kg ha−1 NPK + 25 kg ha−1 of urea in DMC, F2: 200 kg ha−1 NPK + 50 kg ha−1 of urea in DMC and F3: 300 kg ha−1 NPK + 100 kg ha−1 of urea in DMC) were applied to each cropping system (DS, TS and DMC), resulting in nine experimental plots. Two types of chemical fertilizer were used (NPK 22.10.15 and urea) and applied each year from 2002 to 2012. Average Sorghum yields were 1239, 863 and 960 kg ha−1 in DMC, DS and TS, respectively, at F1, 1658, 1139 and 1192 kg ha−1 in DMC, DS and TS, respectively, at F2, and 2270, 2138 and 1780 kg ha−1 in DMC, DS and TS, respectively, at F3. pH values were 5.2–5.7 under DMC, 4.9–5.3 under DS and TS and 5.6 in the control sample. High values of cation exchange capacity were recorded in the control sample, TS system and F1 of DMC. Base saturation rates, total nitrogen and organic matter contents were higher in the control sample and DMC than in the other systems. All studied soils were permanently not suitable for Sorghum due to the high percentage of nodules. F1 and F2 of the DS were currently not suitable, while F1 and F3 of DMC, F3 of DS and F1, F2 and F3 of TS were marginally suitable for Sorghum due to low pH values.

scholarly journals Agricultural diversification promotes multiple ecosystem services without compromising yield

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (45) ◽  
pp. eaba1715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Tamburini ◽  
Riccardo Bommarco ◽  
Thomas Cherico Wanger ◽  
Claire Kremen ◽  
Marcel G. A. van der Heijden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Pest Control ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Context Dependency ◽  
Water Regulation ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Impact

Enhancing biodiversity in cropping systems is suggested to promote ecosystem services, thereby reducing dependency on agronomic inputs while maintaining high crop yields. We assess the impact of several diversification practices in cropping systems on above- and belowground biodiversity and ecosystem services by reviewing 98 meta-analyses and performing a second-order meta-analysis based on 5160 original studies comprising 41,946 comparisons between diversified and simplified practices. Overall, diversification enhances biodiversity, pollination, pest control, nutrient cycling, soil fertility, and water regulation without compromising crop yields. Practices targeting aboveground biodiversity boosted pest control and water regulation, while those targeting belowground biodiversity enhanced nutrient cycling, soil fertility, and water regulation. Most often, diversification practices resulted in win-win support of services and crop yields. Variability in responses and occurrence of trade-offs highlight the context dependency of outcomes. Widespread adoption of diversification practices shows promise to contribute to biodiversity conservation and food security from local to global scales.

scholarly journals Large Scale Demo Plot Trial Project of Potash Fertilization for Increased Yield and Profitability for Smallholder Soybean Fields in India

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-170
Author(s):  
Joachim B. Nachmansohn ◽  
Patricia Imas ◽  
Surinder K. Bansal
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Soil Testing ◽  
Yield Increase ◽  
K Fertilization

Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy, in spite of concerned efforts towards industrialization in the last three decades. Therefore, the soil quality and fertility are the major factors in crop production. Declining soil fertility is one of the primary factors that directly affect crop productivity, and fertilizer-use is a key factor in order to keep soil fertility and productivity. A major factor in declining soil fertility is potassium (K) depletion, especially on smallholder farms where fertilization decisions are not based on regular soil testing. Most of the smallholder soybean producers do not have access and investment capacity to soil testing services. Therefore, there is a need to create K fertilizer recommendations based on empirically verified knowledge at India-specific scale. Such large-scale studies, in local filed conditions, are currently lacking. In order to bridge this gap, and generate proven set of directly applicable recommendations, a large-scale plot trial was launched; the Potash for Life (PFL) project. The study evaluated the K response in soybean when fertilizing with potash on K depleted soils in local variable field conditions. The aim was to (1) evaluate the effect and response consistency of K application on soybean yield, (2) to demonstrate to farmers the increased yield and profitability from K-inclusive fertilization regimes for this crop and give recommendations for transient yield increase, and (3) to raise the awareness among smallholder farmers about the importance of K fertilization. A comprehensive experiment was carried out in Madhya Pradesh (M.P.) and Maharashtra. The methodology was straight-forward; two identical plots side by side, with the only difference that one of them was fertilized with additional potash. The results showed a significant yield increase response from the potash application; the average yield increase was 244 kg ha-1 or 26 % in M.P., and 105 kg ha-1 or 36 % in Maharashtra. This entailed an average additional net profit of ₹ 6,681 INR ha-1 and ₹ 2,544 INR ha-1, in M.P. and Maharashtra respectively. It was concluded that the soil status of plant available K is significantly lower than the plant demand for soybean production in the two states, Consequently, K fertilization is necessary in order to improve agricultural practices and optimizing yields. Ultimately, following recommendations given in this study would allow farmers to generate additional profit, which could further allow them to invest in fine-tuning fertilizer practices through the means of soil testing.

scholarly journals Swarm Optimized Opinion Classification Model for Policy Assessment

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 2345-2354
Keyword(s):  
Government Policy ◽  
Opinion Mining ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Substantial Reduction ◽  
Feature Subset Selection ◽  
Advanced Technology ◽  
Classification Model ◽  
Feature Subset ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

A government policy is a scheme launched by the governing body of a nation for the welfare of a particular section of the society or the entire public in general. The impact of such a policy can hence only be determined by the response from its target group. The evaluation of these schemes is often challenging, due to the inability of the government body or organization to collect unfiltered and unbiased feedback from the entire population. The aforementioned task may require a large amount of effort, considerable time and in-depth knowledge of advanced technology. However, with the advent of the information era, it is possible to analyze the sentiments of the public using negligible resources. The internet is rich in freely available unused and unstructured data that can be exploited efficiently for various purposes. One such application is opinion mining which allows the user to extract data from social media websites and categorize it into pre-defined classes. This paper is an attempt to assess one of the most important and current government initiatives- “Digital India”, through public sentiments. Digital India is a program launched by the Prime Minister of India to transform the country into a technologically advanced and digitally connected nation. This research work corroborates the use of swarm intelligence or nature-inspired algorithms for feature subset selection during opinion mining, as it results in a substantial reduction in the number of features (and consequently a lesser computation time for model training) and increase in the classification accuracy of the model. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze public opinion on “Digital India” campaign to ascertain the success (or failure) of the mission, while at the same time, determine the most suited model for automated evaluation of any government policy in the future

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