Determinants of farmers’ access to microcredit from cooperative societies in Ondo state, Nigeria

The study examined the determinants of farmers’ access to microcredit from cooperative societies in Ondo state. A multistage sampling technique was used to obtain data from 100 respondents. Primary data was collected for the purpose of the study. We used descriptive statistics and logit regression model to analyses the data collected. Result showed that the farmers were mostly male farmers (64%) while majority of the farmers had a mean age of 44.10 ± 14.70. It was also revealed that consumer cooperative society, producer cooperative society, marketing cooperative society, cooperative farming society and credit and thrift cooperative society were the major forms of cooperative used by the farmers. The result also shows that age, marital status, farm size, farming experience, credit from another source and number of years in the cooperative significantly influenced farmers’ access to microcredit from cooperative society. Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. Tech. 11(2): 103-107, Dec 2021

The impact of education and experience on profit of smallholder dairy farming at Batu City of Malang Raya, Indonesia

The research was conducted at Batu, City, Malang Raya of Indonesia. Study addressed to examine the farmer characteristics, dairy farming income, and the factors influencing on profit. The case study applied multistage sampling method to select 34 representative farmers which divided into three strata namely, stratum-1 (rearing <4 Animal Units), stratum-2 (owning 4-8 AU), and stratum-3 (controlling >8 AU). Primary data collection used survey method with structured questionnaire, whereas secondary data were available in related institutions and sources. Data analysis implemented descriptive and multiple regression technique. Results confirmed that farmers has experienced about 6-10 years in raising dairy farming and they has secondary school education. The profitable dairy farming was smallholder dairy farming that rearing more than 8 AU with daily income per Animal Unit of IDR 64,554 and structured with IDR 11,131 of revenue and IDR 47,577 of production cost. Farmer’s experience was positively explaining the smallholder dairy profit, and the high school education attainment was more likely to increase venture’s income. The farm return has positive and strong relationships with the more number of dairy cattle owned.

Is Organic Rice bean (Vigna umbellata) Farmers Economically better Off? AnEmpirical Analysis

The study was conducted in North Eastern Hill (NEH) region of India during 2018-2020.Multistage sampling technique was adopted. Sikkim was selected purposively as the controlstate and Nagaland was selected based on the highest area and production under pulses. 60respondents each from organic adopter and non-adopter were selected making a total samplesize of 120. The growth rate in area, production and productivity at the world, India andNEH states were found to be positive. However, higher growth rate were observed forthe NEH region. Significance difference was observed only on cost of fertilizers. The totalcost of rice bean cultivation was lower in organic adopter by 1.71 per cent. The averageyield was significantly higher for the organic adopter. The gross income and net incomewere also higher for the organic adopter. Organic farming was found to be more profitableand it can enhance the farmer’s income. Allocative efficiency indicates that all the resourcesused in the region need to be increase so as to achieve the maximum potential yield andhenceforth increase the returns.

Predisposing Factors to Drug Abuse Among In-School Adolescents in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria

Drug abuse among in-school adolescents is a problem which the government of Nigeria and indeed some other countries are yet to find a lasting solution to. Drug abuse among school children can disrupt the smooth running of teaching and learning in school. One of the ways of solving the problem is by trying to find out what leads in-school adolescents into the act. The objectives of this study were to examine the predisposing factors to drug abuse among in-school adolescents in Kwara State and to examine the influence of the variables of gender, age, religion and level of study on the respondents’ response on the predisposing factors. A descriptive research design was adopted for the study. The population for the study comprised of the adolescents in secondary school and university. A sample of 403 students were selected through a multistage sampling procedure in order to participate in the study. Data was collected via a questionnaire titled ‘Predisposing Factors to Drug Abuse (PFDA)’. The questionnaire was validated by experts in test and measurement design. It has a reliability coefficient of 0.68 which adjudged the instrument to be reliable. Data was analysed with mean, rank order, t-test and analysis of variance. Hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 level of significance. Findings showed that the factors that predispose in-school adolescents to drug abuse were: peer influence, depression, lack of good parental care, low self-esteem, poor academic performance, among other factors. Findings further revealed that age, gender, religion and level of education did not make the respondents differ in their responses on the predisposing factors to drug abuse among in-school adolescents. It is recommended that counsellors, parents and stake holders in education should initiate a serious campaign regarding sensitization against drug abuse. It is also recommended that academic programs should be learner-centred.

MOBILE PASTORALISM AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AMONG RURAL FULANI COMMUNITIES IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

This study makes a spatial analysis of mobile pastoralism and socioeconomic problems among rural Fulani communities in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study assesses the socioeconomic characteristics of mobile pastoralists; identify the length of stay of mobile pastoralists in their host communities and identify socioeconomic problems confronting Fulani herdsmen in their economic activities. A multistage sampling technique was employed to sample 740 Fulani herdsmen from twenty Fulani settlements and from four adjoining villages. Descriptive statistical techniques such as tables cross tabulations, percentages and graphs were employed to analyze the demographic characteristics of the pastoralists, length of stay in their host communities and other sources of income. Matrix scoring was used to rank the socioeconomic problems identified. The results revealed that the mean average age of sampled respondents was 44.8years, 83.8% married and average household size of 11people. Dwindling pasture, land degradation and drought were the most pressing socioeconomic problems identified. The study concludes by recommending adult education for the Fulani pastoralists as this will assist in enhancing and improving the socio-economic life of the mobile pastoralists.

Influence of Celebrity Endorsement On the Purchase of Slim Tea by Female Undergraduate Students in Selected Southeast Nigerian Universities

This study explored the influence exerted by celebrity endorsement on the purchase of slim tea products by female undergraduate students in universities in southeast Nigeria. Specifically, the study aimed to determine the relationship between the brand image of slime tea and celebrity endorsement, identify how celebrity choice influences the brand image of a product, and also examine how female undergraduate students’ choice of brand product is driven by celebrity influence. The population of this study consisted of female undergraduate students in the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Madonna University Okija, and Ebonyi State University Abakiliki. A multistage sampling technique was used to arrive at a required sample size of 383. I did an oversampling and a total of 400 copies of the questionnaire were distributed and 392 copies of this questionnaire were filled and returned, making for a return rate of 98%. Findings from this study showed that respondents believe that celebrity endorsement can influence their brand choice. And that the choice of celebrity used matters a lot. If an organization fails to provide a positive and strong brand image, it may directly or indirectly affect consumers’ decision-making; as consumers may shift to competitors that offer a better experience. From the findings of this study, it is recommended that advertisers should make use of the right celebrities to enhance the brand image of their products and also consider celebrities whose profession and lifestyle are in sync with the products and services that they are endorsing.

Religious Institutions and Poverty Reduction: Evidence from Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

In spite of the numerous poverty reduction policies and programs of successive administrations in Nigeria, the generality of the populace are still in a web of deprivation and hunger. It is apparent that government is unable to stem the tide of poverty and thus the need for surrogate stakeholders to lift the poor out of poverty. Therefore, an empirical study was conducted to estimate the factors influencing the willingness of religious institutions to undertake poverty reduction programs for it members and the constraints limiting their ability to initiate programs that will ameliorate the suffering of poor members in the congregation. A total of 60 churches were sampled through the multistage sampling procedure and information were elicited using questionnaire. Data were analyzed using probit model and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance. Result revealed that the most critical factors influencing the willingness of churches to undertake programs that will lift poor members of the congregation out of poverty were age and educational level of the church leaders, size of congregation, church income and age of the church. Result of Kendall’s coefficient of concordance indicated that there was 54 percent (moderate agreement) between the ranking of constraints associated with the willingness of churches to undertake programs that will lessen the pains of poverty among its members. Findings further showed that the top five most limiting constraints were lack of finance, lack of trained personnel, inadequate knowledge about the programs, unfavorable government policies and low membership strength.

Arabic Language Phoneme Pronunciation Difficulties Among Upper Basic Hausa-Speaking Students in Kano State, Nigeria

In the process of learning a foreign language, there are some indispensable learning problems, especially in the pronunciation aspect. Therefore, this study investigated Arabic Language phoneme pronunciation difficulties among Upper Basic Hausa-speaking Arabic Language students in Kano State, Nigeria. The total population for the study was all Upper Basic Hausa-speaking students of Arabic in Kano State, Nigeria. Two hundred (200) Hausa-speaking Arabic students were sampled from the 3 senatorial districts in the state involving 9 Local Government Areas using multistage sampling procedure. A Pronunciation Test adapted from Adebayo (2010) with a reliability coefficient of 0.75 was used for data collection. Only 180 Pronunciation test that were properly filled and returned were subjected to both descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. The percentage was used to answer the research questions while Chi-square was employed to test the hypotheses postulated at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings of this study revealed that a number of Arabic consonants constitute pronunciation difficulty for the students due to the presence of their corresponding consonant sounds in Hausa language, while all Arabic vowels did not constitute much pronunciation difficulty for students. The findings also revealed that there was no significant difference in the Arabic consonant and vowel sounds that constitute pronunciation difficulties for male and female Upper Basic Hausa-speaking students of Arabic from both public and private schools in Kano State. In the light of these findings, it was recommended among others that, teachers of Arabic language should pay more attention to the various Arabic consonant and vowel phonemes as well as the Arabic syllable patterns that constitute pronunciation difficulties for the Hausa-speaking students of Arabic. The attention of Hausa-speaking students of Arabic should also be drawn to the semantic implications of phonemic replacement, reduction or prolongation.

Nurses’ Assessment of the Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Program in Osun State, Southwest, Nigeria

Continuing Professional Development Programs have been identified as an important strategy towards improving basic professional skills and competence of health care professionals. This study explored nurses’ perception about the Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Program (MCPDP) and assessed nurses’ satisfaction with the Continuing Professional Development Program in Nigeria.Study adopted sequential explanatory mixed methods, using both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. The quantitative aspect included 412 nurses in Osun state, Nigeria selected through multistage sampling. Data was analyzed at univariate, bivariate and multivariate levels using appropriate statistics, level of significance was p<0.05. The qualitative aspect of the study employed in-depth interview; responses were analyzed thematically. Findings showed that 72.8% of the nurses had positive perception about the MCPDP, 66.3% assessed the MCPDP training as very useful, 31.3% and 2.4% assessed the training as moderately useful and useful respectively, 57.0% were very satisfied with the MCPDP training, 41.5% were satisfied while1.5% nurses were indifferent. Regression analysis revealed that nurses’ years of working experience (OR = 0.24, CI = 0.10-0.62, p = 0.003) significantly influenced perception about the MCPDP. Study concluded that professionalism in nursing should focus on ensuring quality years of working experience and effective Continuous Professional Development for all categories of nurses.

Factors influencing postoperative pain management among nurses in selected district hospitals in Ghana

Background: Poorly managed postoperative pain is linked to numerous postoperative complications worldwide and in Ghana. This is due to the myriad of physical and psychological problems, such as lifelong chronic pain syndromes, impaired functionality and death. Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the barriers and factors influencing postoperative pain management by Ghanaian nurses working in four hospitals. Methods: A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional design was employed for this study. Participants were recruited using a multistage sampling technique by which 146 returned their questionnaires out of 194 participants. The statistical analysis of data was done with the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) 20.0 version. Results: Findings revealed that some verbal and non-verbal cues from patients such as facial grimacing, restlessness, irritability and distress, lack of concentration and moaning or crying (verbalisation) influenced how nurses controlled postoperative pain with analgesia. The participants also identified several barriers to influence postoperative pain management by nurses. Conclusion: In conclusion, postoperative pain control by nurses is influenced by several factors, and hence, nurses need to manage patients’ pain effectively in Ghana and abroad using multiple approaches.